Chapter 31

The first task was to scry the metal shard's location. It turned to be in a makeshift lab a few corridors down. One of her school mates that had the ability to disappear and escape any detection scouted out the location and came back dejectedly to tell them getting the stone without using magic would be impossible as the entire wing was heavily guarded.

It was at that time that they realized CJ's new power of telekinesis was useless to them. They couldn't use his new found power to get the object out without setting off the magical wards.

That's when the witches stepped forward and suggested, "We could do a summoning spell."

The eldest of the group nodded her head saying, "We can't guarantee anything. We don't have any of the proper implements for casting a spell, but we can try and improvise. "

Connor spoke up and asked, "but how are we going to draw the pentagram and protection circle when all we've got are the conjured clothes on our backs?" he accentuated his point by turning out his empty pockets.

"We could use our tracksuit jackets to make the shapes. Will that work," Brenna asked the witches eagerly?

The witches nodded seemingly astounded by the prospects while several students came forward to lineup their jackets on the floor to form the shape of a pentagram and an outer protection ring. The ring would serve to hone the power being exerted within it and to also protect the spell from magical detection. She couldn't have thought of a better solution.

Lauren couldn't help the excited smile that spread across her face. It was starting to seem like this really might work when Kelly interrupted, "I don't want to burst ya'll's bubble, but were still missing the symbols of the four elements. You know like a candle for fire, and flowers for the earth, water in a bowl, a feather for the air – stuff like that."

She said this with her usual bitchy tone.

Xander wrapped his arm around her and said," Kel that's not very constructive."

"What? I'm just pointing out the obviously," she said with a shrug.

Just then a first year Halfblood Fire Elemental stepped forward and raised her palm toward the ceiling to light a blaze around it and asked will I do?"

A fifth year Halfbood Sylph --seeing this-- stepped forward as well, and became a small whirlwind that spun to the furthest compass point and took her spot at the far corner of the room.

She reminded Lauren of the little dust devils you sometimes see on windy autumn days. The ones that gentle pick up dry leaves and seem to perform a glorious dance with them as they spin in a gentle circle.

Lauren looked around to see all the kids leaning forward in their chairs with their eyes darting this way and that waiting for the next great idea. It was so exciting to see it all coming together.

"But what are we going to use for earth," the youngest witch asked the others?"

Just then Travis came forward and said, "I'm a mountain troll. I'm both earth and stone," and he surprised everyone in that moment when he turned into a stone replica of himself and started to walk over to the proper corner. But his movements caused his limbs to scrape against each other making a loud screeching sound.

The noise was loud enough to wake the dead. Everyone jumped up in unison to shush him before the teachers and guards could figured out they were up to something.

He seemed to get the point and transformed back to human form to walk the rest of the way a little more quietly.

Someone asked, "Will that work?"

The blonde haired witch said, "It should seeing that stones are formed through thousands and thousands of years of compaction of the earth, so yeah, we couldn't have picked a better candidate."

"That just leaves water," Liv added.

Meghan stepped forward, but was frustratingly rejected by the red haired witch when she detected her fear of water.

"I'm sorry," the brunette witch apologized when she saw how much Meg's lack of being able to help hurt, "we need someone that personifies water and for some reason I detect that you hate everything it stands for. "

A beautiful fifth year halfblood Water Sprite with blue hair stepped forward and took the last corner. Once there she transformed to a magnificent fountain that sprayed outward from the top of her liquid humanoid frame.

It was fascinating to watch each droplet land on the floor at her feet and then promptly scurry back to its source.

Once the witches realized they had the ingredients they needed, they huddled in the corner to talk spells and ceremony and nobody was shocked when once they'd finished they began to strip.

Witched are magic practitioners. That just means that they siphon the magic of the leyline through the use of devices and ancient ceremonies that have been passed down to them from their witch and warlock ancestors. Lauren had read somewhere the reason that most of their rituals are preformed in the nude is because they use the natural world as a conduit to the leylines much like the ancient druids did centuries ago, and the presence of fabric disrupts the flow.

Most magical beings have a Meh attitude with nudity, especially shifters. There were a few wolf whistles through the crowd of teens though. The little blonde first year witch blushed furiously and attempted to cover herself before she received a sharp stare from the last year witch that would apparently lead the spellcasting. Lauren watched as she straightened her spine and strode purposely to her point in the ceremonial circle.

With the circle set the five witches stepped up to the five points of the pentagram. Once there, they called the corners,

The first witch on the north compass point incanted, "Hail, Gaurdian of the Watch Tower of the North; Powers of Mother and Earth, I greet you now in perfect love and perfect trust. Changeless power of unending change, in steadfastness and strength, I bless the elements of Earth, and call upon you to gather her with me.

With her words Travis' stone form appeared to become denser and his stone flesh started to sparkle and shimmer like semiprecious stones.

The next witch intoned melodically, "Hail, Guardian of the WatchTower of the East. Powers of Air and Intuition, I greet you now in perfect love and perfect trust. As you carry the seeds of the plants across the land; as you bring the moisture of the storms to the shore; join me in all your gentle and powerful ways. I bless the elements of air and call upon you to gather here with me."

With her words the Slyph in the far corner of the room started to whirl faster and faster creating a tremendous updraft that lifted the hair of all the girls in the room. Not surprisingly many of the closer students stood up and took seats further away from the action.

A red headed fourth year witch threw her arms up in the air dramatically and called out theatrically," Hail, Guardian of the WatchTower of the South. Powers of Fire and Feeling, I greet you now, in perfect love and perfect trust. Flaming One; Apollo, Bright Warrior, Wild courage, Lion-strength, I bless the elements of Fire, and call upon you to gather here with me."

With her words the flame in the palm of the fire elemental's hand began to dance frantically before it shot up and threatened to scorch the ceiling. Lauren winced and prayed they didn't set off the fire alarm.

Final the last witch a willowy girl with platinum blonde hair as straight as a pin called out," Hail, Guardian of the Watch Tower of the West. Powers of Water and Intervention, I greet you now, in perfect love and perfect trust. Water - soft and yielding, formless and flowing, you are the blood coursing through my veins. I bless the elements of Water and call upon you to gather here with me."

With that the fountain separated and formed into baseball sized spheres of water that took on cylindrical shape before each ball of condensed water began to dance within the space as if to its own frenzied music.

Lauren was in awe of the witches' power and promised herself, right then and there, she would befriend a witch. These were some awe-inspiring party tricks she needed to learn.

The fifth witched stepped forward form the tip of the pentagram then and began to chant and the other witches all began to chant along with her:

Magic Forces

Black and White

Reaching out

Through space and Light

Be it far or be it near

Bring us that which we seek

bring it here

And they chanted and swayed to the rhythm of the mantra back and forth while the remainder of the kids sat quietly willing it to work.

The chant seemed to go on forever, but finally it got faster and more frenzied, and the witches started to shudder and shake and the elemental magical creature's power intensified, so much so that several of the kids by the Fire Elemental began to scurry away from the heat.

Lauren's eyes were so intent on the center of the circle that she nearly jumped out of her skin when with a loud bang several sharp metal objects appeared in the center of the pentagram.

All the kids jumped up then, their silent pursuit completely forgotten, and whooped in triumph. Most of them were jumping up and down noisily, and grabbing their fellow students to congratulate them when they heard the foot falls of the guards.

With a mad dash and a show of quick wit and mental acuity they each grabbed a jacket and thrust the shards under them on their laps.

Turns out, as luck would have it, witches are just as quick to get into their closes as they are to get out of them, because they were redressed in the blink of an eye.

But the guards were still coming and they couldn't risk making them suspicious. Lauren looked around the room in a frantic attempt to explain away the loud boom, but could think of nothing.

When in a stroke of genius Quinn grabbed his chair and toppled it. Laying on the floor awkwardly giving CJ an odd look. He kept directing his head to the chair and then back at CJ until he got the mental message and jumped up to grab its back.

Just as the guards breach the doorway CJ yelled, "I totally got you! You thought the chair was there, but I pulled it away."

The kids suddenly clued in and started laughing and pointing at Quinn who was faking an injured look.

One of the guards walked over to him and helped him up giving the kids an angry stare as he began to help dust off Quinn's tracksuit jacket.

The other guard gave them each a dirty look as well, and said, "You kids should be ashamed of yourselves bullying each other at a time like this."

He reached out his arm to pat Quinn on the back to console him and said, "Never mind these jerks. They're asswipes"

The other guard leaned in to him conspiratorially and said in a barely audible whisper, "just let me know if they give you any more trouble," and winked at Quinn.

The kids let out a sigh of relief when they both did an about face and promptly left the room.

You could have heard a pin drop as Quinn took his seat astonished that it had worked.

But that was short lived, because as soon as he got over it, he was back on his feet again doing a silent jig.

Not to be outdone the rest of the kids jumped up again -- silently this time -- and did their own rendition of a ruckus celebration on mute.

It took awhile, but once the kids finally settled down.

Quinn whispered, "What's next?"

Lauren excitedly ran over to Michael and hauled him to the far wall opposite the doors leaving him there and then promptly ran over to Ryan hauling him over to the wall as well before gesturing to all three of them and to the expectant onlookers, and said, "Now we take down the council's wards, fashion a glyph strong enough to transport us from -- God knows where, and I teleport through."

"Oh is that all?" Marley quipped.

Tune in tomorrow to find out if the students are successful and able to teleport Lauren to her mother.

********************THANKS FOR READING***************

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