“All right, then. Here goes.” Taking a steadying breath, I mentally moved the narrow rill of salt from this dimension to the ever-after. My circle made the jump with the sharpness of a snapping rubber band against my skin. I started as the salt winked out of existence, replaced with an equal ring of ever-after. The spine-tingling jolt was expected, but it got me every time.

“I hate it when it does that,” I said as I glanced at Nick, but he was staring at my circle.

“Whoa,” he breathed in awe. “Look at that. Did you know they were going to do that?”

I followed his gaze to the candles, and my jaw dropped. They had gone transparent. The flames still flickered, but the green wax glowed with an utterly unreal look.

Nick slid from his stool, edging carefully around the counter to avoid hitting the circle. He crouched by one of the candles, and I almost panicked when he extended a finger to touch it.

“No!” I shouted, and he jerked his hand back. “Um, I think they shifted to the ever-after with the salt. I don’t know what touching them will do. Just… don’t. Okay?”

He nodded as he stood. Looking properly cowed, he went back to his stool. He didn’t pick up the chalk, though. He was going to watch. I smiled weakly at him, not liking that I was at such a disadvantage with ley line magic. But if I followed the recipe, I’d be fine.

All but the barest remnant of power I had drawn from the ley line was now running through my circle. I could feel it pressing against my skin. The molecule-thin slice of the ever-after was a red smear between me and the rest of the world, making a dome arching just over my head. Nothing could get through the bands of alternating realities. The oblong sphere was mirrored below me as well, and if it had run into any pipes or electrical lines, the circle would not have been perfect, but vulnerable to breakage at that point.

Though most of the ley line force had gone into sealing the circle, there was already a secondary buildup beginning in me. It was slower, almost insidiously so. It would continue until I broke the circle and disconnected from the ley line. Ley line witches knew how to properly store power, but I didn’t, and if I remained connected to the line too long, it would drive me insane. The bare hour I’d need would come nowhere near too long.

Satisfied the circle was secure, I let my second sight die completely. The vision of Nick’s aura was lost to me. “Ready for step two?” he asked, and I nodded.