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with the stone, presenting
it in cupped hands like a fragile flower. “Hear, hear,” she said.
“To my beloved thee shall bring. Yes?”
    I scooped the stone up with equal reverence.
“Yes. Of course.”
    I slipped it into my pocket.
    We started out the door, when Lilith called
back. “Don’t forget about tonight.”
    I turned slowly, hoping I might remember
what I obviously forgot. The look on my face was enough to sour
hers. “Tonight?”
    “ Tony. This is a big deal.
You cannot forget.”
    “ Oh,” I said. “Tonight,
right, the coven thing.”
    “ Yes, the coven thing.
Tonight is the new moon. We have to do it tonight. You promised
me.”
    “ I know. I know. I won’t
forget.”
    Carlos asked, “What’s the coven thing?”
    I looked at Lilith, confident she could
explain it better than I could. Truth was I could not explain it at
all.
    “ Now that we are three,”
said Lilith, “we can form our own sub-coven of witches. A coven
will allow us greater control over our witchcraft. By harnessing
the power of three, we can guarantee greater successes, where until
now we could only hope. This will also help strengthen the bonding
energies for the wedding.”
    “ So it’s a big thing, huh?
You going to have candles and incense and stuff like
that?”
    “ Yes, Carlos. We will have
candles and incense and stuff like that.”
    “ Can I––”
    “ No. You
cannot.”
    He turned to me and pleaded with his eyes. I
said to Lilith, “Why don’t you let him come, Lilith.” Man, the look
she gave me, you would have thought I just called her a skank.
    “ Tony, this ceremony
tonight is a sacred event. It is not a spectator sport. Tonight we
will call forth the energies of all the witches in my lineage, from
Ursula’s mother to mine. It is a hallowed consecration of body and
soul to a higher purpose. Tonight the visceral collective shines.
Only those engaged can be in attendance.” She paused and gave me a
tentative look. “Besides, I don’t think you want Carlos here for
the cleansing ritual.”
    “ The what?”
    “ That’s where we purify
our bodies to ease the flow of energy between us.”
    “ Purify?”
    “ Aye, we shower and oil,”
said Ursula. “`Tis natural to cleanse proper thy body and thy
mind.”
    “ Wait,” I said. “We don’t
all have to shower together, do we?”
    She laughed lightly. “What say thee thy
thoughts so silly? The bath holds but one in comfort. Three is by
thrice too small.”
    “ Okay then.” I looked at
Carlos and expressed my relief with a smile. “For a minute, I
thought we were all going to get naked for the entire
ceremony.”
    Lilith smiled back. “We are.”
    “ Excuse me?”
    “ Tony, witchcraft is all
about connecting with nature and the elements. Ideally, we should
conduct the ceremony outside in the woods or on a beach along a
deserted shoreline. And yes, we would be naked there, too. So be
thankful we will be indoors where you can indulge your prudish
inclinations.”
    “ What? I’m not a prude.
I’m…modest.”
    “ No, Tony. Ursula is
modest. You’re a prude.”
    “ I am not, and to prove
you wrong, I’ll not only get naked for your ceremony tonight, I’ll
stand naked on the front porch and howl like a wolf at the moon
when we’re done. How’s that for prudish?”
    She hatched a wicked grin. Her eyes caught
mine and reeled me in. I think the thought of me howling naked at
the moon excited her just a little. “That will not be necessary,”
she said, and winked flirtatiously. “Not tonight, anyway.”
    She held me with her gaze until I pried
myself loose and turned for the door. I called out over my
shoulder. “Coming Carlos?”
    “ Right behind you,” he
answered, his footsteps confirming it.
    We walked out to the car without saying a
word. I knew he wanted to talk about what just happened, but he
knew better than to start up with it. The silence held until we
turned into the parking garage at the justice center. That is when
I said to