I smiled at him. “It will be ok. Go on. Trust me.”
The smell of lavender blew from the nearby bushes and comforted me. When
we reached the crimson red forest, Gram took my hand. I weaved my fingers between hers and then turned to check on the rest of my family. Meg rested on
my father's shoulder. Gently, he stroked her hair.
Groggily, my sister opened her eyes and smiled at me.
As we gazed at each other intensely, I knew she understood everything that
had happened. I mouthed to her, “I love you.”
With a sleepy grin, Meg winked and gave me the thumbs up.
Finally, we arrived at the stone table where Gram and I had made the memory spells. Out of the corner of my eye, a small flash caught my attention. When I turned to look, I saw a small, lavender light blink again. I gasped.
Gram squeezed my hand, confirming she had seen it, too.
The glow had flashed over a large nest-like opening in the ground coverings.
The same nest from my dreams. A pulse emitted from my ring finger.
Gathering my confidence, I called out, “We need to go over here.”
Eliza's eyes narrowed to a suspicious glare when I stepped into the center of
the nest.
A cold rush of air enveloped me, and everything around me changed. I was no longer in the forest. I was standing inside a large nest of silver twigs. The ground surrounding it had a cover of soft white that shimmered with pastel colors and flecks of silver. Above me, the moon was full, and its light shined down on me.
“Listen to your heart,” the soft voice of the Goddess called to me.
Small bubbles of blue, red, green, orange, and silver floated around me. I held my hands up towards the sky above me. “Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, I call
upon you. Your guidance and support are needed. In honor of the Goddess, I'll keep my promise, but now, I ask for your assistance.”
The balls of light clung to my skin, sending a warm sensation through me.
The magic intensely pulsed inside me. A blinding white light washed over me, and I was back in the circle, again.
Cole looked at me with concern on his face. I smiled reassuringly at him and
stepped towards the outer ring. “Eliza, you'll need to stand in the middle of this
circle.”
Stepping into the nest, Eliza glided past me and into the center. “I hope you
know what you are doing,” she hissed.
Me, too, I thought before sending a stream of colored light towards her.
Trying to contain my surprise, I took a deep breath and watched as they
surrounded her. Listen to your heart, I reminded myself.
“Gram, Cole, and Elliott, come into the circle," I beckoned.
Elliott set Meg down and kissed her on her forehead. Miles took her hand, and my father affectionately tousled his hair.
One by one, the adults entered and joined us. When Cedric tried to follow, I
held up my hands. “You need to stay out there.”
Startled, he stopped, but his disbelief quickly faded to anger. “This better not
be a trick,” he snarled. Standing on the edge of the nest, he glowered at us.
I ignored Cedric's threat, and I addressed my siblings. “Meg and Miles, move
over by the table. We'll need to focus, so you’ll need to be silent. Don’t move or
interrupt me.”
Hoping they understood that I needed them to stay away in order to remain
safe, I turned back towards my family and began the unbinding. “Danu, with an open heart, I request the binding placed upon Eliza to be released.” I sent a stream of magic towards Gram. “Air, may your strong winds renew the pure
