The Opal Witch

Chapter Thirteen: Charmed

Lux

Declan pushed Lux forward, and all of her earlier confidence faded as hazel eyes assessed her. The shopkeeper's physical appearance wasn't threatening. Riotous curls framed a cherubic face, and her plump figure was swathed in a peasant blouse and skirt that flowed to the ground. But it was all a pretty package to hide a woman of steel.

"I need to choose my channeling stone," Lux said breathlessly.

"I'm Fiona. Please step up to the counter." Like Ruby had done, Fiona pulled several trays of stones from the display case and set them on the counter. While all the standard gems were there, a few were present that had not been at Amulets.

"Is today your seventeenth birthday?" Fiona asked.

"No, I turned seventeen a few days ago."

Fiona's raptor gaze swung to Declan. "Why is she just now choosing her stone? That's dangerous."

Irritated, Lux snapped her finger in front of the elder witch's face before Declan could respond to the woman's question. There were few things that made Lux drop the manners bred into her, but being talked over was one of them. Fiona's lips parted slightly in amusement, but the energy in the room shifted, and she could feel a new respect coming from the woman.

"I can answer questions just as well as he can," Lux growled. "I tried to choose my stone, but I didn't find it at the first shop."

"That's not unheard of. As I said when you entered, I try to avoid the usual, and I carry a wider range of channeling stones than most. Where are y'all from? I have not heard of any Circles with so many newly minted witches."

"Sweetwater," Kitty volunteered, causing Fiona to hiss in surprise.

"Sweetwater is home to one Circle only, and that Circle has been broken for a century."

"Are you a historian or a shopkeeper? Let the girl find her damn stone so we can go. I've spent too much time with these losers already." Sara Elizabeth appeared to have hit her limit on Circle time today, and Lux wanted to wring her neck.

"A star sapphire witch. Rare." Fiona reached over and grabbed Sara Elizabeth's hand. "Most sapphire witches channel through the common blue stone. Your power is stronger when surrounded by the element of water, and you will have an affinity for shaping that element. All sapphires are stones of wisdom, and the star in your stone enhances those properties. I think, child, that you have chosen a dud. Perhaps you should select a new stone today, for surely someone so foolish cannot be matched to such a powerful stone."

Silence stretched across the room as Sara Elizabeth gaped at the shopkeeper. Lux peered behind her to see Travis shaking in delight, his hand clasped over his mouth while his amber eyes glittered with laughter. Kitty could not contain herself.

Lux's best friend raised her hands and tilted her face toward the heavens as she said, "That is twice in one day that you've been put in your place. Oh dear heavens, thank you for whatever I did to deserve this day."

Travis shook harder. Doubling over, he went to the back of the store where he could unleash the trapped laughter. Sara Elizabeth just snatched her hand back and sniffed with disdain, but the wounded pride was clear in her face.

"So you've a water element in your Circle. The other girl is an earth witch? What others are in your Circle child?" Fiona asked, pulling the attention back to the stones displayed on the countertop.

"A fire witch, I believe."

"Most Circles are very balanced, the First Circle more than most. Affinities tend to be the same in families, though occasionally we see instances where a witch will manifest an affinity not seen in the family, but with a little digging, it's revealed that the father has some ties to the magical world and has passed it to his offspring. My guess is that you should focus on stones that represent the spirit element or air. I have a few rarer channeling stones, like turquoise and agate. What position do you hold in your Circle?"