“He’s even starting to talk to me in his head.”

“Really?”

Liz shrugged. “He called me into his room the other night. I thought he was yelling, but when I realized no one heard him but me, I thought I’d go check on him.”

“Did he do it on purpose?”

“I think so. Ever since Grainna kidnapped him, he’s been a little more needy.”

“I’ve never heard of a parent and son connection.

My father and mother, and Tara and Duncan connect, but only because of their vows. Can you speak with him? Or is it one way?” Myra wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Both, sometimes. We connected because of the trauma of Grainna’s attack. At least that’s what Fin thinks. I tend to believe him.”

“Having someone poking around in your mind isn’t always a good thing, Lizzy. I love Duncan, but sometimes having him in my head can be a real pain in the ass.”

Lizzy laughed. “I don’t think Simon has clued in to any real ‘private’ thoughts.”

“What thoughts?” Amber remained silent until that moment. Myra realized they weren’t being very careful around someone so young.

“Nothing,” she changed the subject. “What does that book say?”

Going along with her suggestion, Tara pointed to the page in the book. “It talks here about casting a circle for protection.”

“The stones are placed in a circle,” Amber reminded them.

“A circle of fire kept Grainna imprisoned right before I sent her back.”

Myra wiggled up off the bed. “Should we try it?”

Tara added to the overall excitement. “Let’s use the candles.”

Myra and Tara took candles from around the room and set them in the middle of the floor. “Now what?”

“We should sit in the middle, then light them.”

Amber enthusiastically hopped off the bed and sat next to her sister.

Liz had to be pried off the bed.

“Come on, Lizzy. What do we have to lose?” said Tara.

“This is lame.”

“Just get over here.”

Once seated in a circle, Amber lit the wicks and Tara read from the book.

“Our circle is cast, we come in peace.” She flipped the pages and shook her head.

“What is it?” Myra asked.

“These words don’t apply to us.”

“So we make up our own.”

“Does it have to rhyme?” Liz rolled her eyes.

“These do.”

Myra tossed her hair over her shoulder and grasped the hands of Amber and Liz who sat on each side of her. Tara followed her lead and began to speak. “Our circle is cast not once but twice—“

“Twice?” Liz questioned.

“Well, we’re once and the candles are twice.”

“Lame. Stupid and lame.”

Undaunted, Tara continued, “We sit inside and seek advice. We look for promise, for hope and love, the gifts we’ve been given from God above.”

The flames drew higher around them, taking Myra by surprise. The others gasped.

“Close your eyes,” Amber told them all, her voice exceeding her tender years. “Help us connect and see as one.”

At her request, Myra felt her hand warm. She opened her eyes and noticed their hands sparked.

Liz jolted back, but Tara held firm and wouldn’t let her go.

Images flew into Myra’s mind. She saw Simon calling his mom. She felt Tara’s emotion as she held her pregnant belly. She watched everything through Lizzy’s eyes as Duncan laughed and held Tara. All the feelings welled up inside her. Joy, frustration, anticipation, and fear. Everyone’s fragmented thoughts threatened a headache of extreme magnitude.

“Let’s try clearing our thoughts, all these visions are giving me a headache,” Liz took the words right out of Myra’s thoughts.

Myra opened her eyes and glanced at the others.

So did Lizzy. “Ahhh, Myra?” Lizzy cleared her throat. “Are you doing that?”

One by one, the others peeked to see what Lizzy meant.

Below them, some two feet below them, was the ground they had all been sitting on mere minutes before.

“It’s not me.”

“Great. Well, it’s safe to say the circle thing has some validity to it.”

Myra peered over her shoulder and noticed her skirts hung to the floor but her legs felt like they were on solid ground.

“How the hell is this happening?” Tara slid a look to Amber, whispered an apology for her language, which was met with a shrug.

Undaunted, Amber closed her eyes and kept going. “Let us get back to what we were doing. ‘Tis not like we are hovering above the Keep, risking a fall to our deaths.”

“That’s a cheery thought.”

“She’s right. Let’s keep going.”

“I think we should all try and focus on one person, and see if our thoughts become one,” Tara suggested, “How about Todd?”

“Nay!” Myra glanced at Amber. “I don’t think that would be wise.”

“Oh, yeah, how about Fin?”

“How about Simon?” Lizzy suggested.

“Aye. Simon is safe.” Amber’s laugh brought a smile to Myra’s face. Her little sister was truly wise beyond her years. Myra glanced at Lizzy and Tara.

“Come now, I have eyes. I may be young, but I’m not dense.” Amber’s head shook in a mock of Simon’s I’m not stupid expression.

Liz shook her head, “I’ll have to remember that.”

Myra closed her eyes and felt their energy focus on Simon. There wasn’t any other way to describe it.

Amber started to giggle.

Myra saw the image of Simon in a bath when he couldn’t have been more than two. He splashed with a red plastic toy and squealed every time it went under water.

“I remember that,” Tara said. “Is that Elmo?”

“Yes. He was so adorable. Remember how he threw that toy at Dad?”

“I do.”

“Dad never laughed, not once.” Lizzy’s somber emotion welled within Myra. The pain of an unaccepting father broke her heart.

Quickly, the baby pictures changed and the nightmare of Simon’s abduction flashed into Myra’s mind. Fear, desperation, and hate welled within her.

She heard Grainna’s voice rake over her soul.

The anxiety of a mother unable to help her child filled her with dread.

“Oh, God.” Tara gasped in panic. From the thickness of emotion, she knew every one of them swelled with a frantic need to flee.