Free today! Just for Halloween : )

She placed the lavender and mint in the bowl, followed by the basil and
rue. Then the bit of tansy, the native plants that were written in the
book, as well as the sachet of secret spices handed down by her
great-grandmother. When all were carefully laid in the bowl, she took
the wooden match and lit the candle. The vanilla fragrance filled the
room and as she said the last line of
the verse, the candle flared. Probably a draft, but she smiled at the
drama of the moment. She would take it as a good sign.

She poured a bit of the wax on the herbs and then added the rum. She
had forgotten the vodka, but the rum would have more meaning. She’d
seen that, in her mind’s eye and had decided to write it down in the
book. They might appreciate that, when they discovered their heritage.
At the last moment, she decided to take the bowl and candle out onto the
balcony. The last of the trespassers might appreciate the light show.
She could use all the help she could get.

She waited until the
herbs had wilted in the rum and then she took a breath, as she readied
herself. With a final look out over the forest and bay, she began.

“This is for all who have come before, and all who will come after,”
she said, knowing these first words by heart. “For them and for myself, I
ask that everything we love and everything we guard, be protected by
the ancient spirits of this island and the ancestors from our Scottish
homeland.”

She looked up at the night sky and continued, “I offer
all that I am and all that I will ever be, to ensure that the children
of my children find their way and be protected from the evils that walk
the earth and dwell in the hearts of weaker beings.”

She took the
candle and quickly lit the herbs, now soaked with rum. The flames
jumped up and she took a step back, still watching the woods. “The evil
that knows no limit, no fullness, only hunger. I ask that all that is
good, light and helpful in this world watch over my children’s children
and help them on their journey. Give them the time they need to learn,
to grow and to become all they must, to protect everything we know and
love.”

As she spoke, she raised her arms out to her sides and
then up to the sky. She could feel all her power, all her might,
draining from her. But she kept going, until the words were finished....

The second book is now available! : )

https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Burrows-Bay-2-ebook/dp/B01N2J3CH1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479857155&sr=8-1&keywords=the+magic+of+burrows+bay+2