Free Ravensborough by Christine Murray Page B

linked my arm through his outside the circle. ‘I’m not that scared, you know’, I said trying to act cool and like the feel of his body pressed against mine wasn’t a big deal.
    ‘Oh I know,’ he said conversationally. ‘But I am that cold.’
    ‘Pay attention you two! Ok.’ Aradia went silent and held herself very straight. She stretched the fingers of her hand that didn’t hold the knife, and shook her hair back from her face. She closed her eyes and composed herself.
    ‘Blessings be upon the guardians of the watchtower of the north, powers of earth and sustenance. I call you to protect my circle, in perfect love and perfect trust.’
    Nothing happened. I sighed and shifted my weight from one leg to the other. It was so cold out that I couldn’t feel my toes, and I was here for this? I really should have just headed into the city with Mei and Catalina. Then slowly something began to change. I watched amazed as the ground beneath the earth offering glowed with clear white light. Aradia turned east, raised her hands above her head and said:
    ‘Blessings be upon the guardians of the watchtower of the east, powers of air and inspiration. I ask you to be present now, and protect my circle, in perfect love and perfect trust.’
    Again after a gap of a few seconds, the ground lit up beneath the appropriate offering. There were now two discs of light under two of the circles cardinal points. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Involuntarily I squeezed Gethan’s arm. ‘Not that scared?’ he whispered to me. I just rolled my eyes to convey how ludicrous his suggestion was.
    Aradia turned south. ‘Blessings be upon the guardians of the watchtower of the south, powers of fire and passion. I summon thee, and ask for your presence to guard my circle, in perfect love and perfect trust.’
    Again, the disc of white light.
    Then Aradia turned west. Not quite believing what I was seeing, I heard her invoke ‘the guardians of the watchtower of the west, powers of water and healing. I summon thee, and ask for your presence to guard my circle, in perfect love and perfect trust.’
    I looked towards the building in the distance that Aradia had told me was the western watchtower. The top of the tower glowed white, its light illuminating the gloom around it. A couple of seconds later the final offering was illuminated with a disc of white light. The light in the watchtower stayed there, shining steadily.
    Aradia took the knife and pointed it towards the northern disc. Her face crumpled in concentration and gradually a light came out of the tip of the knife, and linking with the light of the disc. Aradia held it until the beam of light between the knife and the disk. When the beam became bold and strong, Aradia moved round in a circle. The beam of light connected the discs together until Aradia was surrounded by a circle of bright white light.
    I couldn’t take my eyes off the circle. I’d seen nothing like this before. As soon as the circle was completed Aradia pointed the knife at the northern point again. She thanked the northern spirits for their presence and released them. Then she faced west and dispelled the western spirits. Seconds afterwards the tower went dark. She dispelled the spirits of the south and east. When the circle was completely dispelled Aradia put her hands to her hips and bent at the waist, as if trying to get her breath back. She looked like someone who had just finished a sprint.
    ‘You ok?’ Gethan whispered to me. I nodded, too stupefied to speak.
    ‘Aradia, are you alright?’ Gethan unlinked his arm from mine and walked over to her. He placed one hand on her back and looked into her face.
    ‘I’m...fine...’, she said between pants. ‘So...’, she pulled up her head and looked at me, her eyes a deep blue shade. She was smiling, even though she was low on energy.. ‘Do you still think I’m crazy?’

 
CHAPTER NINE
    The ride home seemed to take no time at all. I was so absorbed by