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“I can see that.”
Willow and Montgomery exchanged a flushed expression, and Willow realized how bad it might have looked from her mother’s perspective.
Was she getting hot and heavy with the resident ghost? Yes. Yes, she was.
Nevertheless, she decided it was best to put that aside for now and focus on the bigger picture which was fixing whatever it was that needed fixing.
“Do… you have news from Gladys? Is there anything she can do for Monty?”
“I do have news, but it’s not that. Sorry. What I’m about to tell you is of grave importance. It could mean life or death for more than one person. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have… disturbed you.”
Willow and Montgomery watched the teapot with a foreboding feeling and sat in rapt attention.
“It took Gladys a while to dig through all of it as this isn’t just something any old witch can figure out. But she says she’s certain what she found out is true.”
Esme took a breath and steepled her fingers.
“Can we skip the dramatic pause please? I’m on pins and needles.”
“You’re aware—and I’m explaining it for Montgomery’s sake as well—that there are many places around the world where ley lines converge. It’s not entirely uncommon, but where they intersect, there’s always a surge of magic where witches and wizard kind can go to renew their magical energy. Those places are particularly popular when there’s a full moon, or during one of the solstices.”
“And Gladys thinks Mysthaven is one of those places?”
“Yes but let me finish.”
She took another dramatic pause, sending Willow’s patience out the window.
“According to myth and legend, there is a Nexus with a high concentration of magical energy. It is said to be the source of all magic on the earth which travels to every living—or possibly dead—being on the planet. Any spell cast in the Nexus would be hundreds of times more powerful than anywhere else on the earth. Some believe it’s located in Egypt or near the Mayan pyramids. But after thousands of expeditions, nobody has been able to find it. Until now.”
Willow glanced at Montgomery to see if he was following this, but by the look on his face, she understood he was following just fine.
“You’re telling me,” Willow said slowly, “That Mysthaven Connecticut, a tiny town with only one gas station, is the most powerful place on the planet and nobody noticed?”
Esme shrugged. “The Daughters of the Twilight Veil noticed.”
“Just splendid,” said Willow sarcastically.
“And according to Gladys, there are possibly five Nexus locations all working together like points of a star. Not just one. But she hasn’t worked that out yet.”
“How big is a Nexus. Is it as big as a town?” Montgomery asked.
“No. It’s probably no more than one hundred feet in diameter, but the middle is where all the magic is concentrated. But here’s where it gets interesting. I contacted a cousin of mine to see if she knew anything about our great aunt Celeste and, after chatting a bit, she remembered she had a few things in her attic collecting dust for decades. She found this in a box.”
Esme displayed a small, aged book. It was bound in what looked like leather and wrapped with twine.
“It’s Celeste’s diary. She didn’t write a lot of things in it. Mostly drawings of nature, recipes for harmless potions, what phase the moon was at any particular time, and what she had for lunch. But this one entry from February of 1912 is quite telling.”
She cleared her throat and lifted the book near her nose to read it.
“Here’s what she wrote.
‘The sisters dance under the moonlight to charge their energy as they have done for centuries, so I’m told. I, being young and inexperienced, was surprised and delighted to have been invited to join them, and they have welcomed me with warm regard. There is a special magic here, one which has given the sisters power and youth beyond compare. In their wanderings they found it and return when the third full moon coincides with perigee and passes through Earth’s shadow. It is then that they come into their full power.’”
Montgomery’s brow lurched down. “What does that mean? Perigee?”
Esme explained. “A perigee syzygy is when a full moon is close to the earth’s orbit, making it appear larger than normal. We call it a supermoon these days, but that is not so rare as when it’s combined with a blue moon and lunar eclipse at the same time. You might hear it called a super blue blood moon and it is a rare celestial phenomenon which happens only once or twice a century. But… when it’s coupled with a cross-quarter day like Samhain…”
Awareness dawned on Willow’s features. “Tomorrow!” she said.
