Ranth held up about four inches of finger space.
Ori tapped on the screen. “Do you want it raw or faceted?”
“Raw, I think,” Ranth replied.
“Hammered okay?” Ori asked, still typing.
“Smooth would be better,” Ranth replied.
“How about this one? It’s in Hawaii,” Ori turned the tablet toward us.
“That’s it. How is this possible?” Ranth pointed at the screen.
“Globalism makes distant and rare things more accessible. It’s one big world market now,” I explained, but I wasn’t sure if that meant anything to him.
Ori sighed. “It’s three hundred and fifty dollars, but we can have it here the day after tomorrow.”
I looked at Juke. She pulled off her glasses and rubbed her forehead. “It’s going to take at least a day to set up a grid big enough to put a star map on it. I’ll need a circular projector and some…”
I rubbed my forehead. “You’re already going way past my need to know. How much will it cost?”
“Two grandish. I’ll borrow what I can.” Juke’s parents were innovators, and she’d been raised on early adoption tech, which had sparked her to tinker around. If anyone I knew could figure this out, it was her.
“Let’s do it. Grid tomorrow, stone here the day after. I’ll carve out the house account and warn Bud.”
Rose cleared her throat and straightened her skirt like she was readying for something. Her presence rolled with a stillness we all inhaled. In the quiet, her voice was like a candle. “It sounds like all is set except for the gold, then? I have an idea about that. What about a finding ritual?” She turned to Ranth. “The gold is the same as the one you wear, right?”
Ranth nodded. “Yes, from the same rock.”
Rose toyed with her necklace. “Perfect. Same finds same. If we have one piece, we should be able to narrow down where the others are. It’s not exact, but it will take some of the pressure off Ori to do a global search.”
“This is a good idea. I will do it. This ritual. We have done such things in the temple,” Ranth replied, a smile curving his lips.
Ori asked, “Great, what do we need?”
Rose replied, “A map and some elements to gather. Herbs to burn, crystals to power it. We might need some special stuff. I can ask the coven for help.”
Ranth shook his head. “No, it won’t be enough. The temple building itself powers the spell energy. It must be tethered to something of greater power, so my magic can rise to it.” He raised his hands, drawing a space in the air.
Juke leaned forward. “You mean power like energy? How about we superimpose the map on the dome I’m making? It’ll be electrified and have plenty of energy. I don’t know how exactly the spell works, but the map could be virtual, or we can get one printed.”
Ranth brushed the gold bracelet. “I think this idea is something beyond my understanding. In the temple, it works because the area is finite.”
I leaned over. “Let’s assume it works because Juke has to build the dome anyway, and right now, we don’t have a better plan. Tell us, in detail, what we’d need for your ritual, in case it’s different from Rose’s.”
“It will be. Your methods seem to be learned by passed words.”
I replied, excited we might have a plan, “You mean hand-me-downs? Oh, you mean generational. Like Mom taught me stuff my grandmother taught her.”
“With a formal education, you would have a better idea of how to build on your own knowledge.”
“You’re calling my skills lacking?” I crossed my arms, half wondering how my magic looked from his point of view. I really hadn’t anyone to compare myself to, and now in front of my friends, it prickled like nettles.
“Not your skills, your method.”
“Hey, that’s my method too, and it works, wizard-boy,” Rose replied, but Freddie poorly smothered a laugh. I glared at him and did a self-check. I had my hands on my hips, and tension was like a rod through my shoulders. I blew out my frustration while rubbing Rose’s shoulder. “How about you explain what you really mean later and give us the list?”
Ori’s hands hovered over the keyboard, waiting.
