Make him understand, Mara, the voice of Gram rang in my mind.
I held my hands up to the sky, and cried, “Air, I call to you. I plead with you
to recall your power that is feeding the flames before me. Fire, I call to you.
Return your flames to the soil. Earth, I call to you. Please, absorb the heat of the
flames and smother them. Water, I call to you. Devour and wash away the
darkness that summoned you. The anger is no longer welcome here. In the name of the Goddess, I call the Light.”
When nothing happened, I turned my attention towards the distraught man
beside me. “Connect with me. Connect with them.”
Cole didn't respond. He just silently stared at me as if I had lost my mind.
With no response from him and my own lack of certainty in what I was
doing, I tried to connect the way Gram had instructed me. I didn't have a book
telling me what was right. I had to trust myself and learn to release all doubts.
Taking a cleansing breath, I tried again, “Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, release
the anger that surrounds us. In the name of Sarah, protector of the magic, I ask
you to save this home.”
The fire still burned strong. I knew that if I could not reach him soon, it would be too late.
“Cole, trust me.” Taking his hands in mine, I stared into his eyes and said, “I
call to the spirits of Genevieve Silver and Lucy Andrews. Bless this union of your protectors before you. In front of the Goddess and the magic that runs through our veins, I pledge my eternal commitment to protect the magic.”
These words seemed to spark a response. Small threads of white smoke
danced and weaved, encircling us in a figure-eight. Cole's eyes widened in
surprise as the wisps surrounding us grew stronger.
I gripped Cole's hand tighter. With confidence, I commanded the elements.
“Your protection is called. Fire, return to your home. Air, rescind the life you breathe into the flames. Water, pour down on us. Earth, stand strong.”
Clouds formed above us, and the boom of thunder sounded. With renewed
vigor, I began repeating my pleas, “Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Light of the Goddess…hear my pleas.”
As a drop of rain fell on my cheek, I felt my strength rekindling. “It's time to
show faith, Cole – in me, and in us. It’s now or never.”
With a small nod, Cole began chanting the words with me. “Air, Fire, Earth,
Water, and Light, come to us.”
As we finished the words together for the third time, the rain poured down.
Cries of joy rang out from the crowd at the front of the residence as they
welcomed the rain. Soon, the flames that had been consuming the house began
to retreat.
Cole cupped my face between his palms. He looked at me as if he had
honestly never seen me before. "How did you know this would work?"
“I didn't. I just knew I had to do something, so I listened to my heart. You’ve
always been there for me. It was my turn to be strong for you."
Cole swept me off my feet and spun me around. “My beautiful girl, thank
you for not giving up on me.”
