by Nora Lee
Enid snagged her hand. “We have company!”
She led both Gemma and Fox through the crowd, across the grass.
Everyone was making room for Nana, who led a hesitant and tired-looking Rowan toward them.
“Rowan!” Gemma gasped.
Her heart sang a different name, though.
Siobhan.
Rowan’s arms were curved around a bundle of blankets, which she held lovingly to her breast, as though there were nothing more valuable in the world.
Enid hurried to grab the most comfortable chair she could find. “Here you go.” They settled Rowan into the seat. “Do you feel okay?”
“As well as can be expected, I guess,” said Rowan with a wince and a laugh. She was sitting very tenderly. The beautiful, vibrant witch looked as beautiful as ever, but in a much more exhausted way. Gemma doubted that she had gotten any sleep since giving birth.
Nana beamed with enough energy for the both of them. “She’ll be sore a while. That’s natural.”
Gemma sank to her knees beside the chair to look at the wee one.
Siobhan had the sweetest little face, like a doll come to life. Her features were a precious mix of Garrett’s squareness and Rowan’s delicate nose. The long eyelashes, however, were one hundred percent Nana.
“May I touch her?” Gemma asked.
“Of course,” Rowan said.
Gemma stroked a finger over the little witchling’s fists, which were balled up on either side of her face. The baby responded by heaving a sigh in her sleep. Her nose wrinkled.
“Beautiful,” Fox said fondly.
With a tiny grunt, Siobhan turned her face toward Rowan’s breast, mouth opening as she rooted for food.
Rowan gave a tired laugh. “Beautiful and hungry.”
“That’s Winterblossom blood for you,” Nana said, radiating with pride.
Gemma retrieved blankets and helped Rowan arrange to breastfeed. Nursing may have been natural, but it was not instinctive; it took the witch some maneuvering to bring her baby to breast. Eventually, though, Siobhan took a deep latch, and drank eagerly—all without ever opening her eyes.
“Piglet,” Rowan said.
The whole coven watched, nosy as ever. A sigh rippled through them when they saw the baby eating contentedly. Even Adora was smiling, and Adora was as gruff as they came. Maddock and Kimberly embraced their son and gave one another the kind of look that made Gemma wonder if they might soon have another little witchling of their own.
It was meddling for certain, the way that the coven got involved. But now Gemma saw how it came from a core of such love.
They were nosy because they cared.
Gemma shouldn’t have rejected such love so quickly.
Nana looked around at the clustered coven, mirth sparkling in her eyes. “Are we ready to try this again?”
“Of course,” Rowan said.
As the new mother struggled to her feet—somehow managing to do it without disturbing Siobhan—Nana frowned at her. “Just what do you think you’re doing, granddaughter?”
“Joining in. We need everyone’s help to get this done right.”
Nana watched Rowan for a moment. With a proud smile, she said, “That’s my girl.”
The two women joined the rest of the group in the ritual space, baby nestled to Rowan’s chest.
Motioning for Fox to move closer to the assembled coven, Gemma asked, “It seems we don’t have time to practice. It’s showtime. Are you ready?”
“Guess so.” Her friend stepped in between her and Enid and took their hands.
All the Secret Hallow witches came together until they’d formed a complete circle around the spot where they hoped to construct the foundation of the new Ash Academy. Once they’d accomplished that task, they planned to start raising the walls of the first floor, hopeful of getting the supports as complete and sturdy as possible to hold the second floor. If the spell worked, they’d continue to construct a portion at a time until they’d completed the building.
Enid looked around. “Is everyone ready to start?”
They all nodded and closed their eyes.
“Ready here,” said Fox.
As they each tapped into their inner reserves, power built within the circle, passing from person to person until they’d created a glowing cage over the spot where they wanted the foundation. Holding onto Fox’s hand while they worked, Gemma found that her friend had really underestimated the strength of her own power; yes, she was raw and didn’t know the best way to direct her energies, but her strength combined with that of Gemma and Enid to shore up a group deficiency they’d never before recognized.
Gemma dug down deep to direct the flow of the coven’s combined powers toward the ground. With the help of Enid’s stone magic, she felt the foundation slip into place, holding firm as a rock-solid base for the walls to rest upon. She squared off the group’s magic as though finishing a knitting project.
In her minds’ eye, she began to see the walls of the first floor snapping into place, filling in with all the wiring and plumbing necessary to a working structure meant to house numerous children for years to come. First they finished off the entry way, then the front offices, then the kitchen and dining rooms, and a couple bathrooms on the main floor. The framing clicked together like building blocks and stayed in place as the magic wove in between the studs to connect all the necessary internal components.
“This is working.” Enid panted with exertion. “The place isn’t falling apart.”
“We’ve only done a small part,” Gemma said, hesitant to get excited. She didn’t want to pull her powers back too much just yet in case the structure decided to fall in. Her strong desire for this to be a successful casting pushed away any lingering self-doubt she might have been feeling.
The others continued to channel their energies toward the center.
“We never managed this much before.” Enid also kept her voice neutral.
Windows popped into place. Subflooring covered over the joists and drywall and soon hid all the studs and internal components. Taping and spackle followed and, before long, they even managed to apply a fresh coat of cheerful paint in each of the new rooms. The group then set the supports for the second floor.
The power faded as the group gave in to their exhaustion at last.
“That’s all I can handle,” Rowan said with a tired laugh. Siobhan agreed with a fussy squeal, fists thrusting from her blankets.
“Then sit, granddaughter!” Nana commanded.
Rowan immediately did so.
“Let’s all take a break,” said Enid. “We’ll come back at moonrise.”
Everyone opened their eyes to see the beginnings of the new school. The first floor looked more sound and complete than ever before during the lifetimes of anyone present. The first casting of the construction spell seemed to have been a success.
Fox gave a whoop of happiness and grabbed Gemma’s arm as she hopped up and down. After a moment, she pulled Gemma into a bear hug, continuing to bounce with excitement. “The building is holding!”
“Thanks to you.” While she enjoyed the contact with Fox, Gemma felt as though she were being pummeled, so she back away from her boisterous friend. “We’ve never gotten this far with our castings before. This is wonderful!”
“You’re just as much a part of the process as I am,” said Fox in a humble tone. “Maybe more so. Don’t sell yourself short, babe.”
A majority of the coven climbed the front steps and disappeared inside the new structure as the trio continued to stand outside together.
The cloud cover they hadn’t noticed before split open and a brilliant shaft of sunlight highlighted the Ash Academy site. Bronson lay slumbering under a nearby tree, birds chirping merrily over his head. The whole area gave off an aura of warmth and happiness in the aftermath of the working.
Enid held her arms open and Gemma found herself pulled into a group hug with both her sister and Fox. The trio twirled giddy circles until
they were so dizzy they dropped to the ground in hysterics.
“You two,” Gemma said, short of breath, “are trouble.” The cool grass beneath her felt wonderful against the bare patches of her overheated skin and she enjoyed getting off her feet for a moment.
“You love us!” Fox rolled over to look at Gemma, eyes sparkling. “Admit it.”
Gemma’s cheeks burned. She couldn’t deny the truth of the statement. As they continued to lay on the ground, she stared up at the sky, watching the clouds scudding by on a rising breeze off the ocean. A slight scent of saltwater blew in to join the aroma of rich soil and the feast set out on the nearby table.
Her stomach rumbled and she got to her feet with some reluctance. “Let’s eat.”
Fox bounced up as though she had all the energy in the world. Gemma envied her almost endless reserves of power.
“Tonight’s the full moon,” Enid said as they enjoyed fresh-baked pumpkin and chocolate chip cookies in the mid-afternoon warmth. “We’d already planned a coven gathering, but the rest of the group will be happy to know we’re ready to finish this. I think one more good push will be good, don’t you?” She directed her question at her sister.
She read the implication behind Enid’s words.
Even with their advances, they needed Gemma’s magic for balance and to pull the whole thing together, and her sister wondered whether she felt strong enough to continue.
Of course, she couldn’t use the excuse that she lacked the strength to continue if Rowan could manage to help out after having just given birth.
She looked to her other side, where Fox lay sprawled on the grass again, staring up at the canopy of trees overhead with a lazy smile on her face. “What do you think?” Gemma asked, her tone lighter than she felt. She needed more than anything to know whether Fox still believed in her. “Will we be able to get this done with one more push?”
Fox nodded. “I have no doubt in my mind.”
Chapter 16
ANOTHER FULL MOON, another esbat, and another gathering in front of the Ash Academy.
This time felt different, though, the atmosphere charged with more cohesive energy than Gemma had sensed in a very long time. Not since her own childhood had she seen more than the ruin of the old school standing proud in the fading light of late day.
She and Fox returned to the site just before sunset to refill the tables since Nana was up at the Middlebrook house again to help Rowan and Garrett with the baby. Rowan had done more than her part, considering her brand new family member.
Not long after Gemma arrived, everyone else started to show up for the evening’s big event. The others came bearing their usual offerings of stews, breads, cakes, pies, and the ever-present brewed cider so popular for these occasions.
The party atmosphere grew up around Gemma so fast she didn’t have time to be nervous about this being her first full-moon esbat in weeks. If she hadn’t worked with them earlier that day, and without Fox’s reassuring presence, she would’ve been terrified to see everyone for fear they’d slight her after her long absence from the group. Yet she couldn’t feel fear while Fox shone like a star at her side.
Best of all, the entire coven seemed to love Fox as much as she did, which made Gemma feel a little bit better about the intensity of her almost-secret crush.
Nana Winterblossom arrived late. Once she came, though, there was no reason left to wait.
“Everyone’s here!” Enid said. “Shall we start?”
“Absolutely!” Fox rocked back and forth with her usual boundless energy. The woman just couldn’t keep still when excited. “This will work. We’ll finish the whole building tonight.”
Throat tightening, Gemma swallowed past the lump, unwilling to give in to tears.
Nana rubbed her hands together. “Let’s get started, then.”
That was Gemma’s cue. As the balancing force, she had to get the proceedings started.
She once again centered, opened herself to her magic, and drew all the powers in the area toward her. The build-up in intensity didn’t take long as she the other witches accessed their own internal reserves and sent them in her direction.
Sparkles of kitchen magic drifted off the pies baked by Nana Winterblossom and Adora Glenn. Some of the elements channeled through the people who called to them and other powers came direct from the people who cast them. Gemma even caught a slight thread of magic from little Siobhan, the tiniest witch in all of Secret Hallow, even though she was blocks away at home with her mother.
As Gemma collected the strengths being sent her way she felt a brief moment of panic about sending all the magic toward the structure for fear she might damage what they’d done. She wouldn’t, and couldn’t, control the spell. Enid would handle that part of the equation. She allowed part of her mind to search for her sister, relieved to find Enid standing in front of the house, watching with a look of quiet expectation as she waited for her part in the ritual.
Gemma felt a sudden desire to retreat to her attic and her control over the power flagged.
“Babe,” said a breathy voice in her ear. “Breathe. You can do this.” Fox took her hand.
The other woman’s reassurance restored her self-control. She gathered up the threads of power once again and directed them toward the glowing aura cast over the stone foundation by her sister.
Enid looped the powers around herself until they became a cohesive whole. Lifting her hands, she directed the flow toward the Ash Academy, causing the building to glow. Once again, the necessary components of construction appeared and floated into place. The spell seemed as much a success as the one they’d cast that morning.
Fox, next to Gemma, lent undercurrents of her magic to the mix. Her intensity made her look as though she were pasted atop the scene.
She sensed the breaths of all those around her like the freshening breeze of early evening. The wind brought the smell of fallen leaves, burning lanterns, and the distant aroma of the sea to Gemma’s nose. She saw the oranges, yellows, and browns of the trees around her clearer than she had during the daylight hours. The movement of small creatures, both animals and insects, touched the edges of her sharpened senses. The effects of shared magic brought life to, well, life.
At her side, she sensed Fox looking up at her with a fond expression, glowing with her own power. This side-effect of magic never ceased to amaze Gemma. She’d often seen the auras around the people she’d worked with in the past and wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept, but couldn’t recall ever having seen an aura as strong and vibrant as the one cast by Fox. A little voice in the back of her mind informed her that she did so because of the strength of her feelings for the other woman.
Gasps rose from the assembled group.
For a few moments, Gemma didn’t recognize the sounds she heard. Her attentions were so focused on Fox she’d lost track of the coven’s activities. She’d continued to channel power from the others to her sister without realizing she did so. Aided by Fox, and intensified by her feelings, those powers increased to a point never before seen by the Secret Hallow coven.
She looked up to see the Ash Academy nearing completion.
Silvery beams of moonlight filtered through the crumbling stone and the forest to fall upon the work being done by the witches.
The power looked incredible. As she tapped into Emilia Ash’s workings, Gemma saw the ghosts of the original structure cast upon the reality of the new building, silhouettes of the many children who’d attended the school over the years running in and out of the front doors and all around the lawn. Gemma even saw someone who looked very much like Enid standing on the front stairs; the realization this woman wasn’t her sister, but the spirit of Emilia Ash, came to her as she once again recognized Enid’s aura off to one side. The spirit of her ancestor smiled encouragement at her.
“Time to tie this off!”
Enid’s cry broke into Gemma’s concentration. With a blink, the old images vanished.
The group’s breath held as
the Ash sisters worked to bind the ritual. Gemma and Enid had done this often, on a much smaller scale, so they were more than experienced enough to complete the casting.
They combined their energies and sent them at the building in one final push.
They finished…and the building stood.
A great cry of joy went up in unison from all the members of the Secret Hallow coven.
No one cheered louder than Fox. She leapt up so high she landed in Gemma’s arms and the two of them tumbled to the ground in a tangle of cloth, limbs, and laughter. Enid came over and dropped down to grab them both in a big hug.
Soon, others joined in, until they’d created a pile of bodies on the ground in front of the new-built school. The life-force of all those who’d come before wove in amongst the jubilant group and intensified the feelings to a crescendo so intense Gemma felt she couldn’t handle all the positive energies.
She knew then she’d bonded with the coven in a way she’d never before managed and that she’d no longer need to spend most of her time hiding from them. If they meddled—well, it might be annoying, but she would understand the intent. The love. And Gemma would embrace it.
All thanks to Fox.
By the time the pile of bodies broke up enough for Gemma to get to her feet and brush the grass off her dress, many others had wandered inside the Academy, eager to see the final results. Heads poked out the upstairs windows, their owners waving at the few people who still milled around on the lawn, drinking in the view of the exterior.
Gemma couldn’t go inside just yet for fear of losing control of her raw emotions. The structure looked so much bigger than she’d imagined and presented a more cohesive façade than ever before. After all, they’d demolished the remnants of several smaller old buildings before starting work on the single new one.
“Well?” Enid asked. “Are you coming inside or not?”
Fox took her hand and squeezed in an encouraging way.
She smiled down at her friend. “I guess so,” Gemma said past the tears once again threatening to escape her. Happy ones, this time. “If I must.”
The interior looked just as good as the exterior; a blend of old architecture and new construction, with magic-supplied furniture filling up the rooms. A gentle glow of lanterns showed baskets of pumpkins, squash, and gourds on every surface, making the Academy look much like a new sibling of the Leif farmhouse. Gemma spotted glimmers of her own power in the numerous outlets on every wall; they’d need plenty of outlets to handle all the computers she planned to install.