Saint Camber by Katherine Kurtz Page B

Nether Shore. Mayest thou pass us by this night, and bring instead that thing which we must know. Fiat, fiat, fiat voluntas mea .”
    As Cullen’s final words ceased echoing in the dull hollow of the warded circle, Camber opened his eyes and looked at all of them again. Each face stared back at him with serenity now, even Cullen’s reluctance lulled by the comfort of the gently glowing hemisphere which surrounded them at arm’s length behind them.
    With a smile of confidence, Camber picked up the central candle and elevated it a little.
    â€œAir, Fire, Water, Earth—and Spirit.” His eyes flicked to what was now the fifth light in his hand. “The unity of Man. All are joined in One within this circle.”
    He put the candle down again and took up the Haldana necklace.
    â€œWe come to the unknown portions now, my friends,” he said easily. “We use something once belonging to the person with whom we hope to form a link—in this case, the necklace—and we use it as a focal point to concentrate on Ariella.”
    He hefted the necklace in his hand, then slid it gently into the silver bowl of water. The scarlet stones gleamed more quietly, seen through water instead of air; but none present, attuned as they were, could fail to notice a faint rush of chill as they stared at the gems—all of them already picking up residual energies of the woman who had last worn the necklace.
    Camber took a deep breath, holding back his sleeve as he stretched forth his right hand and began tracing another cross above the water.
    â€œBlessed be the Creator, yesterday and today, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.”
    The cross which he had traced glowed in aftertrail in the air above the water, the Greek letters steady at the east and west aspects.
    â€œHis are the seasons and the ages, to Him glory and dominion through all the ages of eternity. Blessed be the Lord. Blessed be His Holy Name.”
    As he spoke, he traced the symbols of the elements in the four quadrants cut by the cross: Air, Fire, Water, Earth. Beneath the pressure of his hand and will, the signs sank into the water and disappeared in a wisp of mist. When he looked up, the very quality of the water seemed somehow to have changed.
    He could feel their eyes on him as he picked up the bottle and removed its stopper, pouring its crystal contents on the water in the form of an encircled cross. The clear liquid turned a dense black and began to diffuse as it touched the water. By the time Camber had set the empty bottle behind him, the water was completely black, the necklace totally hidden from sight, though not from mind.
    Camber waited until the surface had settled, then drew breath again and glanced up at them all.
    â€œJoram, you can start the incense now. And then I’ll ask you all to hold your candles against the edge of the bowl at the four quadrants, and to link your energies so that I can draw on them. If all goes well, I should be able to see images on the surface of the water after a time. Possibly you’ll see them, too.”
    He extinguished the standing candle at that, then waited as Joram opened his thurible and held his hand over the charcoal inside. After a moment, the charcoal began to smolder and Joram shook a few grains of incense on it. Sweet, pungent smoke began to spiral upward as he replaced the pierced top. He watched it briefly before looking up at his father.
    â€œDo you want it here, or shall I move it behind us? It can get pretty strong.”
    Camber pushed it close beside the bowl, so that the smoke curled up along the silver side and rolled across the water.
    â€œThis will be fine,” he said. “I want the benefit of both the scent and the visual smoke. Let’s form our link now, and see what we can find out.”
    The other four moved closer to the table and set their tapers against the bowl, each instinctively reaching to his or her left to link with the