I nodded and smiled encouragingly. “That’s right. And remember, you’re not alone. We’re all here holding the same intention and calling in our elements. You’ll probably see visible proof when the circle is set, which is something unique to our circles because I have an affinity for all five elements—and that’s a good thing.”
“It’s real cool,” added Stevie Rae.
“Yeah, don’t let it intimidate you,” said Damien. “I’ll be right across the circle from you. If you get distracted by anything that happens, just look at me. I’ll breathe with you and that will help you ground and focus.”
“Okay. Thanks. I think I’ll be okay.”
“Ice Cream Shoes, I know you will. How could you not be? You’re wearing this season’s glittery Jimmy Choo sneakers and making me super jelly,” said Aphrodite.
“They’re last season’s. I got ’em on sale at the Nordstrom in Chicago before I transferred.” Kacie’s step seemed lighter in those sparkly sneakers as she moved to the westernmost side of our circle where water would be called.
Aphrodite let out a long-suffering sigh. “Why the hell can’t Tulsa get a Nordstrom? It’s inhumane. Seriously.”
“Let’s set our intention,” I said.
“Getting Nordstrom to T-Town is my intention, but I’ll put it on the back burner for a sec.” Aphrodite took the red fire candle from Damien and went to the southernmost part of the circle.
I’d started to move to the center—the position of spirit—but stopped and mentally smacked my forehead. “Crap! I forgot to tell you to bring salt.”
“Z, that’s Spellwork 101,” said Damien a little smugly. “Repel and protect spells need salt. I’ve got your back.”
“You’re the best,” I told him as he tossed me a big velvet bag filled with salt. Then I moved to the center of our circle and pulled from my pocket a long strand of sweetgrass that Grandma Redbird had collected from the Tallgrass Prairie and dried and braided herself. I tied it around my wrist before I looked to the north, in the direction of Twenty-First Street, and asked Stevie Rae, “Do you have the smudge stick?”
“Easy peasy light and breezy,” she said as she held up a tightly tied clump of dried white sage.
“Okay, good. We’re ready.” I glanced outside our circle and Stark nodded. Knowing he was there, watching and guarding, allowed me to focus on the spell. It was almost three in the morning, so there shouldn’t be any human gawkers around, but over the past year Neferet’s grotto had become a weird human tourist destination—and some of those humans liked to scare themselves with middle-of-the-night visits to her tomb.
I really wished they’d stick to checking out the Philbrook Museum and a nice dinner at the nearby Wild Fork.
I shook my head. Forget all of that. Stark will handle it. Concentrate on setting your circle’s intention.
“Tonight, we come here with one clear intention—to set a repel spell to keep any vampyre from getting too close to this tomb that holds a being who chose to embrace Darkness.” As I spoke I turned slowly, making eye contact with each of the other four members of my circle. “As I open the circle and begin the spell, I want you to concentrate on the fact that what we do here is in the name of love and Light. None of us have ulterior motives. We only wish to keep our world safe and the balance of good and evil intact. Circle! Set your intention!”
I strode to the east, where Damien was holding a yellow prayer candle and a box of extra-long wooden matches. I stopped before him, took the match he offered me, and struck it against the box, saying, “Air is the first element we call tonight. It surrounds us and fills us. Sustains us and is with us from the moment we’re born, until the moment we return to the Goddess. It is the element of thought and communication and storytelling. Come to me, air!” I touched the lighted match to the candle and, as the flame lit, it flickered in a breeze that surrounded only Damien. We shared a smile before I turned to my right and walked deosil to the south where Aphrodite held a red candle representing fire. She was positioned directly in front of the wall that enclosed Neferet’s grotto.
She, too, had a match and box ready. I lit the match while I invoked, “Fire is our second element. It warms our homes and from it we draw light and strength. It is the element of courage and willpower, as well as energy and confidence. Come to me, fire!” I barely had to touch the match to the red candle’s wick and it burst into flame. Aphrodite flinched and shook back her hair to protect it from the intense blaze.
Our eyes met, and Aphrodite murmured, “Ice Cream Shoes is doing her thing.”
“She sure is,” I whispered in return.
From the south I walked to the west, where Kacie held out her blue water candle in one hand and balanced a long match and the striking box in her other. “You’re doing great,” I told her as I took the match and called water to our circle. “Water is our third element. It is present in our body as blood, tears, and milk. It cleanses and revives. It is the element of emotions, healing, and fertility. Come to me, water!” Even before the candle lit, Kacie and I were surrounded by the scents and sounds of the ocean. And then, just before I turned to head north, I heard her gasp.
“Oh, it’s beautiful!”
I followed her gaze to a thin silver ribbon of light that stretched around the perimeter of our circle, connecting air, fire, and now, water.
“Yes, it is. And you helped make it so.”
I traced the circle around and halted before Stevie Rae and her green earth candle.
“Hey there, Z.” She handed me a long match.
“Hey there.” I lit the match and invoked,
