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Energy begins to rise around me, and I can feel the energy of the others joining mine. Now… it all feels right. The combined energy of the seven of them lift my own energy and I’m guessing they feel the same.
I gaze at the sky. The moon is full, high, the ring around it bright. The sky is a velvet black, studded with stars. A soft breeze tickles my skin. Each of us has lit a candle as well and the air smells sweet with herbs, spices, and promise.
Aviva lifts three ropes from the bag behind herself and passes one end to Lucinda, keeps one, and passes the third to Aunt Mimi. The opposite ends are fastened into a knot.
She closes her eyes.
“Focus first on me, my face, my presence, and my energy. Give me all your positivity. And then I will pass my end on, and we’ll send positive energy to Erica. When that end gets to you, Mimi, please fold it over and pass two strands along until it gets to Lucinda who will fold the third in. I’ll do a braid when it gets to me, and each of you follow that motion when it comes to you. We’ll keep going until it’s a full braid. We’ll weave it together with purposeful intention and when we come to the end, we’ll have one rope instead of three, filled with the combined energy from three covens. Then we can move to the next step. Agreed?”
She gets nods from each of us, and we begin.
The three strands are soon formed into a rope and the space around us is eerily quiet, as if on bated breath. When the completed braid is in Aviva’s hands, she anoints the ends oil from a jar.
She carefully wraps the braided rope around the base of the water cauldron, careful not to move any of the crystals resting on the bowl’s edge.
“I’d like us all to send as much positive energy as possible to the bowl of water. We would normally allow it to charge overnight, and in the morning Mimi would take it with her, then drink a mouthful each morning until it’s empty. Because of the specialness of this evening and with our three covens coming together, I’ve prepared a mixture to augment the process and allow it to be consumed tonight. Each of us should have a small taste and then Mimi should finish it. We can then move on to getting an illustration of Erica’s newfound abilities.”
“Would it not be better to-” Lucinda begins to speak, but then stops mid-sentence and seems to change her mind.
Jessie makes a gagging noise, and all eyes move to her.
“There’s a presence here. I don’t know it,” Jessie says.
“Does it feel positive?” I ask.
Jessie shakes her head.
“We’re safe in this circle,” Aviva says. “There’s a lot of magic within it. Have you been in one of these before?”
Jessie shakes her head, hand covering her mouth.
“Would you like to stop?” Lucinda asks.
Jessie’s eyes roll a little and she shakes her head. “No. Let’s keep going.”
“Sometimes mediums feel nausea in these circles. I’ve seen it,” Aviva tells her. “If you need to step out, we’ll have to start again, and we will miss out on your contributions. That would be a shame.”
“I’ll push through,” Jessie says.
My eyes hit Aunt Mimi and I’m a little surprised she’s so quiet.
Aviva smiles and looks to Lucinda, who nods.
Aviva opens a vial and pours the contents into the bowl and then she carefully removes each crystal from the edge, setting them into the grass.
“Are you all right, Jessica?” Aviva asks.
Jessie nods. “My apologies. Please continue.”
“No need to apologize. A lot of energy through three covens flows within our circle and it stands to reason a medium might feel it more acutely than most. Are you able to continue?”
“I… yes.”
“Good,” Aviva says with a smile, “In a moment, I’ll give you all the next directive. I just need to…”
Letting that hang, Aviva dips her wand into the bowl and then tastes the wet end. Immediately, there’s noise, the noise feels like the earth is an egg and it’s just been cracked against the side of a bowl. The sky appears to split, rented by a white streak. Lucinda gasps, eyes on Aviva with horror. Aviva simultaneously points her wand at Lucinda while grabbing my ankle.
And now I hear nature as if at full volume. It’s nearly deafening.
I watch Lucinda drop like a sack of bones and before I can react, a gust of air sweeps up from the center of the circle and I feel frozen, rooted to the spot as I watch Aviva point her wand at Jess, who collapses. My eyes move to Aunt Mimi with horror as I realize I’m a hundred percent frozen in place, limbs feeling paralyzed. My hair blows everywhere but the rest of me is stone still. All sensation in my body is concentrated on the place Aviva’s hand grips. My ankle. Aviva points the wand to her right, to Vivi who collapses, and then she points it directly ahead to Ronnie, then Dani, who do the same. They flop forward. And I’m here with my hair blowing, eyes moving, and the rest of me frozen. Even my mouth. I can’t speak, can’t scream; all I can do is watch. But as Aviva’s wand points to Aunt Mimi, I notice something protruding from my great aunt’s stomach. A jeweled knife. Lucinda’s wand. My mind races as I take it in, and I can’t wrap my brain around it fast enough.
