“There’s no need to be hard on Callie,” Liz snapped back at her. “If she has power that’s been untapped she may be able to help Brock and keep the door open. We just have to find someone to train her properly. Unfortunately, I believe it might be outside the abilities of our circle.”

A murmur of consent moved through the group – the first thing they’d agreed on since I’d entered the room.

“She needs a special instructor,” Joan Ryan said.

“One with experience unlocking blocked energy,” Ann added.

“Kind of like Reiki,” Tara volunteered, “or a good chiropractor.”

“Isn’t there a mage out in Sedona who does something with candle wax and auras?” Leon asked, flipping open a laptop. Several others in the group retrieved electronic devices. Liz was jotting down suggestions on a notepad.

I felt Soheila’s hand on my arm. “Don’t worry, Callie, we’ll find someone to help you. You should go home and rest. Your first circle is always tiring.”

“And dehydrating,” Diana added, appearing on my other side. “Make sure you drink plenty of water.” Both women were gently steering me toward the door, clearly eager to get me away from the circle while they were distracted. I looked back at the group and saw that they’d drawn closer together, filling in the space I’d briefly filled. I felt the same hurt I’d felt as a child when I didn’t get picked for a game at recess. Diana and Soheila walked me out of the house to my car, taking turns assuring me that the circle would figure something out. I was halfway to the car when I thought of something.

“The Aelvesgold can heal people?” I asked.

“Yes,” Diana said, her eyes flickering toward Soheila. “It’s the essential substance of magic. Used correctly, it mends broken bones, cures disease, and prolongs life. It can also lend great magical power.”

“But always at a price,” Soheila said. “If a human uses too much, it can deplete their life force rather than prolonging it. Witches have died of overdoses.”

“Why doesn’t Ann Chase use it to cure her arthritis?” I asked. “Or to slow her aging?”

Soheila and Diana looked at each other uneasily. “Ann has a daughter who has medical problems,” Soheila answered at last. “What Aelvesgold she acquires she uses it for her. We all give her what we can, but there’s not enough for her to use for herself and for her daughter.”

“And she can only handle so much of it, so she chooses to channel all she gets into her daughter.”

“Couldn’t someone else channel it for her?” I asked. “Like you just did to fix her hand?”

“That only works once or twice on the same person. We’re not sure why. There’s a limit to how much of it a human can absorb.”

“Like a vitamin deficiency,” I said thinking about what Liam had told me about how the undines could no longer absorb Aelvesgold after they had been in Faerie too long.