Secret Of The Rose (Legacy Of Magick Series, Book 2) by Ellen Dugan Page A

which had a romantic shabby-chic vibe. An old red and ivory patchwork quilt was spread over a white iron double bed. The bed was mounded with pillows in red and white toile pattern, and art prints of various goddesses hung on the ivory wall next to her bed.
    “It is sort of a sweet and sassy Witch décor.” Cypress agreed as she went over and sat on Ivy’s vampire-like red and black, brocade bedspread. As art for her side of the room, Ivy had black and white nature photography that she had taken herself. Plus, a huge framed poster of the comic book character, Harley Quinn.
    Ivy draped her camera strap over the dark stained wood of her bed knob. “It works for us,” Ivy said as she clicked on a crimson tasseled lamp. It cast a circle of light on a round skirted table that served as a nightstand between the beds.
    I chose a spot on the area rug in front of the turret. Cypress came over and took a seat directly across from me. The twins gathered a few things and joined us, creating a circle.
    “Let’s all sit cross-legged and scoot in closer so our knees touch,” Ivy suggested. As soon as my knees bumped into Holly and Ivy’s, I felt a current pass around the circle we had created.
    “Wow,” Cypress breathed, her hazel eyes large. “I see what Marie was talking about. Y’all pack a punch when you link together.” She did a happy little butt wiggle. “This is going to be awesome!”
    “Are we ready?” Ivy held up her hands, and we fell silent. “By the powers of earth, air, fire and water, Lord and lady bless your daughters,” she chanted.
    “The circle is cast. Blessed be,” Holly added.
    I had a moment to wonder at the much simpler circle casting than I had seen the coven perform a few weeks ago. Ivy set the photo of the cheer squad that she had printed in the center of the circle that we’d created. Next, Holly produced a clear quartz crystal point that she had wrapped several strands of Kate’s hair around.
    “The hair is the link to Kate, and the crystal point works as an amplifier.” She handed the crystal to me. “Look at the picture of Kate and let your mind travel back to last week when she found the doll.”
    I was careful to take the crystal in my receptive hand— the better to receive impressions. I tried not to feel nervous, nodded at my cousins, and thought that this was very similar to when I had scryed trying to find Ivy a few weeks ago.
    Maybe it was that I had seen the past in a circle before. Or maybe I was more relaxed without the urgency I had felt when Ivy had been abducted. But as soon as I closed my fingers around the hair wrapped crystal, I started to see.
    Kate stood at a row of brightly painted lockers. She worked the combination and popped open the door and tucked a few books inside. She pulled her backpack out, and a doll tumbled to the floor. Kate frowned down at the doll and picked it up. She glanced around as if to see who had played a prank on her.
    Kate shuddered as she stared down at the doll. She ran her fingers over the doll’s brown hair and fiddled with the crude fabric that was wrapped around it. The she hitched her backpack over her shoulder and closed her locker. She walked quickly down the hall and out the door where she seemed to debate as to whether or not to keep the doll. As she looked down at it, she shivered and pushed the doll in an outdoor garbage can that was painted in vertical blue and yellow stripes.
    I came back to the present and told the girls what I had seen.
    “Look again,” Holly urged. “Where is the doll now?”
    I nodded and thought back to ‘seeing’ Kate toss the doll in the outdoor garbage can. But all I could see was the striped garbage can. I frowned and concentrated. Nope. All I saw was that can sitting right outside the door of the school building. I opened my eyes. “I think it’s still in the striped garbage can.”
    I carefully set the crystal point down on the photo. I took a deep breath and grounded, centering my energy.