Page 52 of Haunted Eclipse

Cowed, Brenda followed her instructions.

I arranged my dagger, my crystal ball, the loadstone trap, some Purification water, a protection charm Astra had made for after we exorcised Edgar’s ass up and out of here, along with my crystal tipped wand, and a copper wound pyramid, on the table. Then—eying the living room for potential threats—I picked up my dagger.

“I’m going to start,” I said. “Which means, don’t step out of the circle I cast, and please don’t interrupt me unless it’s an emergency.” I turned to my aunt. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll play guard,” she said. “If I sense he’s up to something dangerous, I’ll tell you.” She glanced at Brenda. “If you have to go to the bathroom, go now, because we won’t have time once she casts the circle.”

Brenda nodded, a contrite smile on her face. “I’ll behave. I’m good. Let’s get this underway please.”

I took a deep breath and, starting in the north, began turning in a circle, with my dagger held out to carve the channel of energy.

“In the name of the Maiden,

of fresh tilled ground,

I cast this Circle, once around.

In the name of the Mother,

Of abundance found,

I cast this Circle, twice around.

In the name of the Crone,

Where wisdom abounds,

I cast this Circle, thrice around.”

As I drew a pentacle in the air, a hush settled over the room. Though I could still feel Edgar’s presence, it had faded, as though muted. I took another breath, and turned to the North. I held my athame high in salute.

“Spirits of the North, spirits of the Earth. You who are stone and bone and crystal. You who are leaf and branch and tree. You who are the womb of birth, and the cradle of death, come to this space and be with us. Bring your foundation, your strength, and your grounding, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

A ring of power—heavy and steady as the planet—rose up to encircle us with its might. As it settled in, I turned to the east and, again, held my dagger up, saluting the elements.

“Spirits of the East, spirits of the Wind. You who are our breath, and wind and storm. You who are the gentle breeze, the spiraling autumn leaves caught in the dance, you who are the gales of winter. You who are the breath of life, and the clarity of insight, come to this space and be with us. Bring new beginnings, focus and thought, and understanding, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

A whirl of air spun around us, then flowed into the circle. I turned to the south and, once again, saluted the elements.

“Spirits of the South, spirits of the Flames. You who are the warmth of our blood, the heat of our pulse, the passion of our hearts. You who are sensuality and passion, drive and desire, health and creativity. You who are vitality and strength, come to this space and be with us. Bring the creative spirit, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

The room began to heat up, the energy of the southern watchtower flowing in to infuse the circle with its strength and vitality. I turned to the west.

“Spirits of the West, spirits of the Ocean Mother. You who are the lifeblood of our world, you who are our tears and our joys. You who are depths of our psyches, the heart of our emotions, the cradle of our intuition and our compassion. You who are the creative depths,the opening of the third eye, come to this space and be with us. Bring understanding and heart, and the spirit of Magic, and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”

As the magic settled around us, I joined Brenda on the sofa. I picked up the lodestone and handed it to her. “Hold this and focus all the joy you can into it. Imagine how you’ll feel when you meet the man of your dreams.”

“About that—” she started to say, but I shook my head.

“Just do it, please.”

She gave me a silent nod and took the lodestone in hand, cupped her fingers around it and closed her eyes. I could feel the shift in her energy and then, there was a littlepingthat I felt more than heard. The spirit trap was ready.

I walked to the edge of the circle, knelt down, and rolled the stone outside of the protective barrier. “Hey, Edgar. Can you feel how happy Brenda is? That stone’s going to bring her happiness and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” I turned and motioned for Brenda to join me, stopping her before she came too close to the circle’s edge. “Right? You’re ready to move on, aren’t you?” I gave her a nod and she picked up on it.

“Right…Right! Do you hear me, Edgar? I’m ready to move on and that stone’s going to help me do so. I’m so happy that I’m leaving you behind?—”

She barely got the words out when a dark mist descended near the stone. It was Edgar, and he was angry. He blasted the circle with his energy but we were safe inside, though a couple chairs went toppling over and a lamp crashed into the bubble of magic the circle created, then bounced off.

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