A Spell for Res and Revelry
Just as people leave your life, there will also be joyful returns.
If there’s someone you can’t wait to see, this spell nudges things along so you’re reunited sooner rather than later.
I’ve written before about balance, but this working doesn’t borrow from future happiness.
Someone who loves you will always want to see you, so it doesn’t contribute to energies becoming unbalanced.
This only greases the wheels and makes your desired outcome more probable.
A word of warning—if you put too much force behind this working, it could become a portal spell, and you might startle someone nearly to death if you drop a vortex on them.
This charm has two parts, one to encourage the reunion, and provided the first half works, you finish with your loved one, a joint charm to celebrate seeing each other again. It’s important to mark those moments and count your blessings.
This one is best cast when you first awaken, and go gentle with your concentration. For the wishing-for-reunion part, you’ll need:
Chalcedony, hematite, jasper
Hold the gems in your hand, and touch them to your heart.
Focus on the person you’re longing to see, and speak aloud whatever truth you’d share with them if the universe delivered them to you.
(Try not to literally open a portal.) If the spell roots correctly, they’ll feel the call and make their way to you as soon as possible.
Hint: If you want them to hear your voice, speak near any body of water, as sprites love to gossip.
Once the reunion occurs, invite your loved one to cast the count-your-blessings part with you. For this, you’ll require:
Chicory and cinnamon
Clean water
The joint spark of your magic
A copper teapot and clay cups
Together, brew the herbs into a tea, and drink the entire pot while catching up on all the moments that you’ve missed. It may seem like small magic, but when you’re done, the pot will be empty, and your hearts will be full.
Nerys and Shereth send their love.
Thea
Leaving the suite this morning was agonizing.
I should have woken Kerboros or addressed the night of passion we shared.
Now it feels more like a dream than something that actually happened.
But I had a note waiting from Zeph, and they specified I should come alone.
That worries me on some level, but I still emerge into a private courtyard, where the meeting is supposed to take place.
A fountain carved from sunstone occupies the center of the plaza.
Glittering crystals adorn the sides, and the water cascades from the top, forming miniature waterfalls as it spills down the obelisk into the shallow basin at the bottom.
Red and copper tiles create an abstract pattern beneath the shining surface.
Smooth brown flagstones create a path suitable for pacing around the rim.
Greenery grows wild up the walls, muffling any sounds from the palace proper, and the vines are dotted with blooms. The landscaping is perfect, all the flowers chosen in complementary hues—starting with yellow, blushing to orange, deepening to red—and each plant occupies the right amount of space, neither too wide, nor too tall.
Perfection makes me nervous. As I gaze into the water, it ripples, and then a liquid, bubbling voice reaches me. “Thea! I finally found you.”
“Nerys.” I kneel on the stones, delighted beyond measure to hear her voice.
“I did eventually hear the whispers you sent, and I passed a message to your dad. I couldn’t dispatch help, but I did send word as the others asked. How are you, my girl?”
“Worried, but bearing up. What news can you share? Is my dad safe?”
“He’s traveling to you as we speak. Or might be there already, as it’s been a while since the river reported the last sighting.”
Relief sparkles through me. “You’re the best.”
“I can’t linger. This is an intrusion, and I don’t want to add to your troubles. Be safe.”
The fountain stills and returns to its original state. Nerys has gone.
And Zeph is late. On my fifth circuit of the fountain, I remember a spell my dad wrote for me; it’s been too long since I’ve seen him.
If Nerys is right, and she usually is, he’s traveling right now.
He might need a helping hand to get here safely.
I get out the right crystals and hold them to my heart, whispering to the water.
“I miss you so much, Da. With all the unrest, I need you to be safe. And frankly, I need you here with me, the sooner, the better.”
A musical tone sounds, and I turn to see Zeph slipping past a wind chime hung on the eaves near the door. “I’m sorry for the delay. There were a few complications to resolve.”
“What’s going on?” I demand.
“Before I answer, there’s someone who desperately wants to greet you.” They step aside, revealing…
My dad. He looks exhausted and more than a bit frazzled.
Though Nerys gave me the news, I stare, unable to believe that my luck has finally turned.
No more traps, no more sabotage. Hunters didn’t cut him down on the road; Liskaal didn’t lock him up in the dungeon.
Da trusted me to keep myself safe. He remained at Miremorel as promised, and then he came at the hour of my greatest need.
My dad never lets me down. Once I process the fact that he’s really here, I rush right at him.
He hugs me so tight that my ribs cave a bit, but I hug him back just as hard.
“I doubt my spell had anything to do with this, as I just cast it, but I’m so happy to see you.”
“Now, hearing that’s made me the happiest person alive, indeed it has, my gem.” With gentle hands, he brushes my hair back and pats my cheek.
Zeph smiles. “What’s important is that you’re together…and out of Winter’s grasp. And that’s what I need to talk to you two about.”
I perch on the edge of the fountain, still cuddled up to my dad. “I’m listening.”
“First, let me secure the site,” they say.
Their unwillingness to speak freely or divulge information makes me think they might actually have a plan, but I can’t fathom what it is.
The only thing I’m certain about is that they’re desperate to escape marital ties to me.
Not that I mind because Zeph gets on my nerves without even trying.
I watch as they cast a spell that creates a blue shimmer, encasing us in a soundproof barrier.
“Satisfied now, are you?” Da wants to know.
“What if I said I could depose Lord Liskaal without a single soldier raising a weapon?” they ask.
I make scoffing sound. “It sounds too good to be true.”
“Then answer this first: Do you enjoy formal status in the House of Winter? Either of you?” Zeph seems to be holding their breath, as if everything hinges on our reply.
I glance at my dad because while I’ve always been a nonentity, tolerated but not embraced, I can’t be sure of his situation.
“Why do you need to know?” Da asks.
“This isn’t the time to be cagey,” Zeph says in an impatient tone. “The quorum starts soon, and if I fail, there are no second chances. Not for any of us.”
Something in their manner makes my dad think twice about pushing for more insight. “No. I’m wild fae. I work in the palace, but I’ve neither an official title nor any protections from reprisal. Lord Liskaal treats us all according to his whim.”
Zeph closes their eyes and lets their head fall back, shoulders easing. “Bless all good and generous spirits.”
“What’s this about?” I ask.
But they lose themself dancing around the fountain with more spontaneity than I imagined they possess. “No stopping us now. Lord Liskaal will never see this coming. His type seeks martial action and military readiness. He’s brutal, not clever.”
“It might be too soon to celebrate,” my dad points out with gentle wisdom.
“You’re quite right. I shouldn’t rejoice prematurely.” Zeph circles back to the front of the fountain and delves into their jacket. “I have papers here for you both. Review them quickly, for they must be filed and legally binding before the quorum begins.”
I take my set of papers while Mudge accepts his, and we skim the pages in silence.
Da finishes a little before I do, and he wears a baffled expression.
“If I understand aright, you’re authorized to adopt me into the House of Summer, conferring upon me a titled rank.
You’re also prepared to recognize Thea as my daughter officially, which grants her that same status. ”
Zeph displays a toothy grin. “Precisely.”
“I don’t see how that defeats Lord Liskaal,” I say.
“You wouldn’t. Not yet. But I swear on my life that no harm will come to either of you if you sign these agreements. Indeed, you might even find that doors will open beyond anything you could have imagined.” Desperation laces their tone, reflected twice over in the anxious flutter of their hands.
I suspect they’d promise anything for our compliance. Maybe that’s reason enough to refuse?
“Yeah, I’m right back to ‘if it seems too good to be true’…” I mutter.
“Time is running out,” Zeph says softly. “And I am aware that you don’t trust me. But will you fare better if you take no action and remain vulnerable to Lord Liskaal’s judgment?”
When they put it that way, I swap a look with my dad. “What do you think?”
“I’ve no interest in social climbing, but I will never let Liskaal harm you.
According to Erdene, he was ranting about banishment as his hounds tried to hunt you down.
” He hesitates. “And if it means you’ll be my daughter on paper and all…
well, I want that more than anything. I’d love for official records to reflect what we know in our hearts to be true. ”
Tears fill my eyes. “I want that too.”
Everything else is secondary; it doesn’t matter what Zeph is scheming. They’ll use us however they see fit, I have no doubt, but they’re also offering us both a safe haven and formal recognition. It’s enough to make up my mind.
Quickly, I hug Da, then turn to Zeph. “Find a pen. I’m ready to sign.”