Page 52 of Must Love Scones and Secrets
“The calibration wands should help us direct the energy where it needs to go,” I replied.
Kellen gave the stone a pensive look. “It’s going to take considerable power. Are you both prepared for that?”
Rosalyn and I exchanged glances.
“What do you mean by considerable?” she asked, a worried expression on her face.
“Based on what I understand from Elder Thornberry’s book, you’ll need to channel your magic through the stone, with Bjorn acting as the northern pole on one side and you acting on the southern pole on the other. Bjorn will refocus the magic into a straight line, but you must use your magnetism to pull it through,” Kellen explained. “It will be like redirecting a riverwith your bare hands. I will do what I can to ground the energy with earth magic, to steady it, but you should expect… It will be a lot.”
Rosalyn paused, then looked at me. “If we work together, Bjorn and I can handle it.”
My heart skipped a beat at her words, which were clearly about more than the Ley lines. I gave her a soft smile, chiding myself for my distance toward her and any hurt it may have caused her.
“Good. Let’s prepare,” Kellen said.
We spent the next hour getting ready. Kellen gathered specific plants and herbs to help stabilize the ritual, arranging them in a circular pattern around the Thread Stone. I examined the stone more closely, studying its runes. Many were familiar, symbols for balance, harmony, and connection, but others were unlike any I’d encountered. If I cast enchantments similar to those on the stone, it may help me pull the Ley lines back in place to thread them through to Rosalyn.
Rosalyn, meanwhile, prepared the calibration wands and the vial of moonlight essence. She handled the magical tools with surprising deftness for someone who claimed to have limited magical abilities. Perhaps she was underestimating her skills.
Finally, Kellen nodded, satisfied with his work.
“I think I’m ready. You two?”
Rosalyn and I both nodded.
“Bjorn, you should stand there.” He pointed to one side of the Thread Stone. “And, Rosalyn, you there.” He indicated the opposite side. “I’ll ground the magic as best I can and maintain a protection barrier around us. This kind of magic can have…unpredictable effects.”
We took our positions. Rosalyn looked at me across the stone circle, her blue eyes reflecting the now-dying sunlight.
“Ready?” she asked softly.
“Ready.”
Kellen handed us each a calibration wand. “Visualize the lines straightening and flowing properly.”
Rosalyn uncorked the vial of moonlight essence and carefully poured it over the Thread Stone. The liquid seemed to sink into the stone, causing the carved runes to glow with a soft silver light.
I nodded to her and began casting myself, drawing enchantments for the runes in the air. As I did so, the air around us began to feel charged. The hair on my arms rose, and I heard the crackle of magic.
“It’s reacting already, Bjorn,” Kellen said excitedly.
“The runic enchantments will help strengthen my pull,” I replied.
“Bjorn,” Kellen said, “don’t forget. You fix things. That’s what you do. You can do this. Rosalyn?”
“I’m ready,” she said, raising her wand.
“Welcome the energy to the south,” Kellen told her. “Call it forth with all your pixie tenderness and warmth. Let it be drawn to you.”
Rosalyn nodded.
We began by tuning the wands to the stone.
Rosalyn and I stood on either side of the Thread Stone.
I looked at Rosalyn. “On three?”
She nodded.
