Mom and Nina set their packages that they were carrying on the coffee table in the sitting area of my room. "Did you buy out every coven member in the city?" I asked, eyeing the impressive haul.
"Pretty much," Nina said as she began rifling through the bags. "Wait until you see the crystals Marcus found in his back room. He said they came from some collector's estate sale. The guy was obsessed with collecting them and had hundreds."
Mom began pulling out items one by one. "We got everything on Luciana's list, plus a few extras that seemed relevant. Himalayan salt from the co-op for the purification circles. Lilith recommended we grab some black tourmaline for protection. Marcus had some great pieces in stock.”
“We got enough sage to cleanse half of Maine. Show her the silver," Nina urged, bouncing slightly with excitement.
Mom unwrapped a collection of gleaming metal discs, each over a foot in size. They looked like they were the size we needed. "The pixies outdid themselves.”
Luciana leaned toward her screen again. “It looks like it’s already formed into the perfect dimensions.”
Mom nodded in agreement. “Mythia said they started working on these the moment I told her what we needed."
"Thank the gods they work fast,” I observed. “I was worried about that part.”
Luciana's voice drew our attention back to the tablet. "Now that you have the materials, we can begin the enchantment process. But first, let me explain what we're actually creating."
She held up an ancient book, its pages yellowed with age. "These anchor artifacts are designed to penetrate deep into corrupted ley lines and establish purified connection points.Think of them as magical pacemakers. They will regulate the energy flow and prevent further contamination."
"How do they work exactly?" Nina asked, setting cross-legged beside me on the bed.
"You guys will put layers of enchantments on each anchor," Luciana explained, turning to a page covered in detailed diagrams. "The first layer creates a protective barrier around itself. The second layer begins the actual purification process. The third layer establishes communication with other anchors in the network."
"And the fourth layer?" I asked, noticing there were five.
"The fourth layer is the most important. It creates a feedback loop that actively rejects corrupted magic. Anything tainted tries to enter the purified zone and gets violently expelled." Luciana's expression grew grave. "The fifth layer is emergency protection. If Lyra attempts to corrupt the anchor itself, it will self-destruct rather than be turned against us."
Nana whistled low as she entered the room. "Magical suicide bombers. That's hardcore."
"Nana, you should be resting—" I started.
"Rest, my wrinkled behind," she snorted as she rifled through the bags. "I'm not going to miss this."
"I can understand that. I wouldn’t want to miss it, either," I admitted, reaching for the first silver disc. "Okay, how do we start the enchantment process?"
"Alright, everyone," Luciana said through the screen, her voice crisp with authority. "We need to set up the workspace before we can begin the enchantment. Nina, grind the herbs. Take extra care with the lavender, obsidian powder, and moonstone. We want equal parts per anchor.
"Nana, arrange the crystals around each silver base,” the European Pleiades continued. “Black tourmaline at the cardinalpoints, clear quartz at the ordinal directions. Each crystal must be exactly two inches from where the salt circles will go."
Luciana shifted her gaze to Mom, who was hovering to my right. "Mollie, you're on circle duty. Draw a protective circle with the Himalayan salt. Three clockwise rotations. Again, take extra care with them. These will contain the magical energy during the enchantment process."
My family jumped into action with practiced efficiency. It was oddly soothing, watching them work while I observed from the bed. Moving around was harder than performing brain surgery for me now. One more reason to be thankful for such an amazing family.
"Now for the blood blessing," Luciana continued. "Put the anchors on the platters I asked you to get. Then we need to prepare the binding mixture. Nina, sprinkle the ground herbs in a thin line around the outer edge of each anchor."
Nina carefully distributed the herbs around each silver disc. The mixture shimmered with faint magical residue from her process. So far, this hadn’t been difficult.
"Perfect. Now, Phoebe, add three drops of your blood to the center of each disc,” Luciana instructed. “Your Pleiades magic will bond with the silver and activate the herb mixture."
I pricked my finger with the silver athame Nina provided. We watched the first drop fall onto the center of the disc. The moment it touched the metal, silvery-blue light flared outward in radiating lines. The blood began to spread. However, it didn’t act like a liquid. It followed invisible channels in the silver.
"Channel your magic into the blood as it spreads," Luciana instructed. "Let your Pleiades energy guide it toward the herbs."
I focused my power, feeling warmth flow down my arm and into the spreading blood. When the rivulets reached the herb mixture, the reaction was immediate and mesmerizing. The herbs began to smoke. They released tendrils of sweet-scented vapor that twisted into spiraling helixes above the disc. The obsidian powder liquefied, flowing like black mercury that pulsed with my heartbeat. The moonstone particles dissolved completely. Their essence seeped into the silver and turned the metal's surface opalescent.
The second drop caused the smoking herbs to crystallize into delicate purple frost that spread across the disc's surface in fractal patterns. The third drop made the obsidian mercury solidify into raised channels that formed a labyrinth. To my surprise, it trapped and directed magical energy.
"Watch as the blood and herbs fuse into the silver matrix," Luciana said, her voice filled with satisfaction. "Your magical signature is becoming part of the metal's molecular structure. It’s creating a permanent symbiotic bond."
