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spell.”
    Moira looked down for a moment, and then met
Elorie’s eyes. “You don’t know this, my beloved girl, but I scan
you myself quite regularly. I’ve always hoped you would come into
the powers to match your witch’s heart.”
    Elorie reached out to ease the sadness and
guilt. “I know that—it always makes your eyes sad when you test
me.” She took a deep breath, trying to ease the turbulence in her
stomach. “I’m not a witch. I don’t know what’s wrong with Nell’s
spells, but I can’t believe they could see something you
can’t.”
    “I’m not as sure of that anymore, child. I
missed Kevin’s mind powers. Perhaps I missed something in you as
well.”
    The slick in Elorie’s gut was almost
overwhelming. “What are you saying?”
    Gran took her hands. “Let Nell test you, sweet
girl.”
    Elorie would have raged at anyone else who
asked. As it was, she struggled to contain the anguished fury of
the thirteen-year-old girl who had begged and pleaded with the
universe for a shred of power and been denied.
    Marcus reached for a cookie. “Alternatively, I’d
be happy to do the honors.”
    Over her dead body. She wasn’t a child anymore.
If she had to be tested, she could at least choose how. Trying to
tamp down her roiling emotions, she looked straight at Gran.
“Arrange the test. And when I fail, I want this to be the last. No
more scans, and no more sad eyes. I am what I am, and it needs to
be enough.”
    ~ ~ ~
    Nell slid her chair over to let Ginia fit in
beside her. “Remember, kiddo—this is probably going to be hard for
Elorie.”
    “Because Aunt Moira doesn’t think she’s a
witch?”
    Murky waters. “Well, none of us really knows the
answer to that question right now. We have two ways of knowing that
are giving us different answers, and that’s a bit tricky.”
    “Our code’s right, Mama.”
    The trouble was, Nell agreed with her middle
triplet. “One step at a time. Let’s see what the scan says, and
then we’ll have more data to work from. Go ahead and spell us into
video chat.”
    Nell had commandeered Jamie and spent all day
working with the three girls, refining and testing the scanning
code. In addition to mind and elemental powers, it now took a
reading on healing and spellcasting talents. They could distinguish
between active, trained power and untrained potential, and even get
a decent estimate of magical strength.
    It was a sweet piece of coding, and they’d
tested it on practically every witch in California who owned a
computer mouse.
    Mia and Shay were at Jamie’s place, working to
integrate the scans into Enchanter’s Realm. Ginia, who had the
deepest attachment to Moira, had asked to stay for Elorie’s
test.
    Nell hoped that wasn’t a really bad idea.
    Ginia bounced on the chair beside her. “Hi, Aunt
Moira!”
    “Hello, sweetling. And hello to you as well,
Nell.”
    Nell could see Elorie’s face. Her eyes were full
of sadness and dread.
    Her empathetic witchling could see it, too.
“Don’t be scared, Elorie. The scan is really easy, and we worked
hard all day to make it a lot better.”
    A face Nell recognized, but couldn’t name, came
onto the screen.
    “This is my nephew Marcus,” said Moira. “I think
you’ve met him a time or two, Nell, but it’s been a while.”
    Marcus spoke in a kind of arrogant growl.
“She’ll know me better as Gandalf.”
    Ginia gasped and stomped her foot.
“ Oooohh! You locked me in a high tower yesterday and gave
the key to the evil sorcerer’s apprentice!”
    Marcus raised an eyebrow. “ You’re Warrior
Girl?”
    Nell thought he should look a little more
impressed. Ginia, having just displaced Sophie, was now the
number-four-ranked player in the witch-only levels of Realm, and
hot on Gandalf’s heels. Her girl had some mad gaming skills.
    “Don’t worry, Mama,” Ginia whispered behind her
hand. “He’s toast—he just doesn’t know it yet. Nobody locks
me in a tower and gets away with it.”
    Marcus held