Read Online Shattered Circle by Linda Robertson - Free Book Online

happening at every sundown since I’d staked him. I wasn’t certain what it all meant, but I knew Menessos. It was getting worse each night.
    An upward glance revealed that all the griffons had gathered in the air and were circling at different altitudes. It was an awesome sight—until I realized they were circling the grove.
    Where the ley lines that crossed my property intersected.
    Oh no .
    Even before I really recovered, my feet were under me and I stumbled forward, gasping and choking for breath.
    As I cleared the field, Errol was cantering toward me. He turned and trotted away, then spun and trotted back, only to hurry away again. His terribly nervous behavior struck a cold nerve within me. Then I saw Celia backpedaling from the tree branches, staring downward with her hands covering the lower half of her face.
    No.
    I sprinted forward. “Celia!”
    “I can’t go in!” Her voice cracked. “I can’t!”
    Of course not. She was a wærewolf and the grove was a small ley line hub. The power there was a no-no for her kind. I should have thought of that.
    “There.” She pointed.
    I plowed into the branches. They scratched at me and pulled my hair as if they would hold me back. But my urgency would not be denied. I struggled forward, thrashing and flailing, snapping the thin wooden arms around me.
    As I emerged in the inner circle, part of my brain wanted me not to look, but my rebellious eyes followed the direction Celia indicated anyway.
    There, at the base of the biggest tree in the grove, sat Great El’s slate, like a teeter-totter perfectly balanced over a high root. Beverley’s shoes lay to the side, one upright, the other on its side.
    Beyond the grove, Celia’s hands fell to her sides. “What does it mean?”
    The slate hadn’t come out here on its own.
    Beverley had brought it—but where was she now?
    Easing forward, I crouched and studied the base of the tree. The way some of the fallen leaves were scrunched, I could assume a kid had sat there, but I was no tracker. Even the part of me that could discern differences in energy was rather useless here. The whole place was power laden, and trying to get a feel for Beverley was like looking for footprints in sand after the tide has come in and washed everything away.
    I reached out, my fingers rubbing along the edge of the slate—and instantly recoiled.
    “Damn!” It was searing hot. I jerked so hard my crouching balance was lost. I fell onto my backside.
    “What?” Celia demanded.
    “Yes, what?” Zhan asked as she burst from the field and approached the grove.
    “You could fry an egg on that slate,” I said.
    “What is that?” Zhan asked as she bent down and crawled under the branches and through the foliage to get to the inner section of the grove.
    “It’s my Great El’s slate.”
    Zhan stood and brushed off her hands and knees. Studying the board, she asked, “Is it some kind of Ouija board?”
    “Yeah. A spirit board.”
    “What is it doing out here?” Zhan asked.
    I had barely kept that question from forming in my own mind. But there it was. It had been spoken. My stomach suddenly had more knots than a Persian rug.
    My gaze lifted and met Celia’s through the branches. “She heard us talking about it,” I said.
    Beverley had been in the kitchen when Celia asked me how I’d found my mother. I remembered Celia saying something about talking to ghosts on it, and though that wasn’t exactly accurate, I hadn’t corrected her.
    Oh, Beverley, were you looking for your mother?
    “What does it mean that it’s so hot to the touch?” Celia asked.
    I didn’t want to answer that question. I felt sick. My hand moved to my stomach as I rose to my feet.
    “Where is this thing supposed to be?” Zhan asked.
    That one was much easier to speak the answer to. “Hidden in the back of my closet.”
    “Oh my God. Seph, I didn’t know she was even in your room.”
    I looked at Celia again. I didn’t want to make her feel guilty. But I