Page 92 of Crossroads Magic
Wim was as well wrapped as Olivia. He wore a puffy quilt coat that came down to his knees, with a zipper and hood, with a scarf inside the hood hiding the lower part of his face.
Even Broch wore an overcoat and gloves, although he wasn’t actively shivering like everyone else. “When I get too cold I pass out,” he had told me earlier. “You’ll know I’ve had enough of this when that happens.” His eyes had twinkled and I wasn’t sure if he was teasing me or not.
But he liked to brace people with the truth before they found out for themselves in a more shocking manner. So perhaps he wasn’t just teasing. I had been keeping an eye on him for the last forty minutes anyway.
Hirom stomped around in fur-lined boots and a fur-lined leather cap with flaps pulled down over his ears.
Juda wore a long black leather coat and wool gloves, but no hat. He was speaking with Trevalyan, so I wandered over to eavesdrop.
“…her addition is not a guarantee of anything. It isn’t the solstice, or a feast day.”
“Anna will make the difference,” Trevalyan said calmly. “You’ve said for years that the voice is louder outside.”
“It is.”
“Have you never wondered what the voice is? Who it belongs to?”
Juda looked at Trevalyan as though he had said something particularly stupid. “Hearing voices is a symptom of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. A well-chosen drug would fix that, but…well, that isn’t an option for me, is it?”
I wondered why it wasn’t.
“You always hide behind reason,” Trevalyan said, his tone stiff with a touch of either anger or frustration. “There are other logical choices. Including this one. Let us find out tonight what this voice is. And perhaps we can banish it forever.”
Juda’s smile was that of an adult indulging a child. “Wishes are the province of fairy stories.”
“They made your family rich.”
“Richer than rich. But wishing won’t make it so. Not with this ceremony of yours.” Juda’s smile stayed in place, but it was touched by sadness. “I will cooperate, but you will be disappointed.” He rested his hand on Trevalyan’s shoulder and moved away.
Trevalyan looked at me and shrugged.
That didn’t help me feel any calmer. I tapped my wrist and he nodded.
We moved to the north and south ends of the crossroad, so that there was approximately twenty yards between us.
Broch and Benedict had seen us moving into position and both took up a stance on the east and west side of the crossroad. This was why the ceremony would work. There were still four of us with power—and in my head I kept stumbling over that descriptor—even though Juda was not included. That was what Trevalyan had meant by this ceremony working now I was here.
He had explained it at length and I had spent two hours memorizing the chants, this afternoon. So had Broch and Benedict.
Everyone else fell silent and moved into their positions in between us. They were spread one or two between us. Where they stood in the circle wasn’t critical. That they were in the circle was the vital thing. They may have little power or none at all, but their lifeforce and vitality would help.
Plus we wanted them to witness whatever happened. We wanted everyone in town to be here. Even Frida, behind her window, was as close to sharing in this as it was possible for her to get, instead of being tucked into her bed as she would normally be.
Juda took up a place in the very center of the crossroad.
“Move in closer and join hands,” I said.
“Gloves off, everyone,” Trevalyan added. “Olivia, the cup can stay on the snow behind you.”
We all moved in toward Juda, until we were close enough to take each others’ hands. It made the circle much smaller, but it was a closed circle, now. This was why I’d had to memorize the chants. I couldn’t let go of Wim’s or Ghaliya’s hands to consult a notebook.
Trevalyan looked at me and nodded.
We began the stanzas together and Broch and Benedict took up the chant quickly, joining in.
It was the same strange language that I had used for the spell to heal Ghaliya and required the same precise pronunciation and lack of hesitation.
I could feel Ghaliya staring at me, her mouth slightly open. I’d had no time or opportunity to bring her up to speed on anything that had happened in the last few days. I had been too busy memorizing the chants, or cooking dinner, or making the arrangements for this ceremony, which included speaking to everyone that Trevalyan could not.
