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While the rest of the world saw longitude and latitude, ic users knew about another kind of map Lines of power crisscrossed the earth, so due to unknown forces Whether conscious or unconscious in intent, sacred sites were often built on the fixed lines, like ancient Stonehenge or a plaintranquility The fault lines weren’t h it was certainly helpful thatthee ideas and chakra stones

Fault lines provided the divine arteries that kept the earth flourishing, a spiritual flow as essential as the rivers and ays that nourished physical life Sorcerers like Derek kne to draw on theic users connected to them in certain ways At specific points, the fault lines also contained portals to other realic users kept finding out new things about those lines

Quite helpfully, Linda’s place was on the fixed fault line that needed reinforcing Her ho woodland and ravel drive through a thick cover of pines and scrub, she frowned The old energies were strong here, and there was a decent overlay of recent ritual to bolster the the line to use for its reinforcement What weakness had the Underworld detected to et? She needed to quiz Derek further, but even if she hadn’t et her own first i to wonder when she’d reach the house, the forest thinned and she pulled into the s that had been allowed for Linda’s houesthouses and a large gazebo on the property The gazebo had swings Ruby suspected could be removed for rituals that were done under its cover The house was North point, the three guesthouses at the other coazebo in the exact center To avoid the aesthetic faux pas of it looking too syled differently, but there was a ritual purpose to that as well Magic was often an i of chaos for reinforce metal a certain a

Winding stone paths ran between the buildings, expanses of grass liberally broken with natural areas dotted with flowers and frond-type plants that flourished at the southern coast There was an herb garden near the kitchen entrance of the house When she stopped the car, got out and stood in front of the van’s heated bu in silent evaluation, she located statuary, wind chirated into the landscape, everything was chosen and placed so it provided the uide and raise the spiritual awareness of the inhabitants Son

As she heard the screen door from the house thud, she turned to see a woret had thick blond hair cut in a shoulder-length style around her attractive forty-soested she’d recently co stage that softened the face and padded the hips in s were siram nestled between her breasts, visible fro a center round geed, such that Ruby could feel its protective and calrill behind her

"I would have coive you about five minutes when you arrived" Linda had a warm voice, smooth and assured "He knows you well You didn’t even look for me until about that fifth o to the bathroom, and I didn’t want to water your azaleas"

Linda smiled at that, extended her hand Ruby took it, pleased with the firrip "He also said you were a s is Coet you settled in the guesthouse"

"I brought a dog," Ruby said as they uy, won’t cause any problehted They love to herd guests, four-footed or two-footed"

"Herding Theo will be like directing a lu elephant with a cat’s brain, but they can knock themselves out"

THE GUESTHOUSE WAS ALSO A COMFORTABLE, REINFORCED space, a one-bedroo of the house, the screened porch was private, not in direct view from the main house

"This place could be a bed-and-breakfast," Ruby commented

"It’s fairly new The owner built it as a B and B, a spiritual retreat destination, or his ho on where the years take him He asked if I’d like to live here rent-free in return for watching over it and keeping it up, because right now he travels a lot And he has a house in town"

Ruby stepped back out on the front stoop of the guesthouse, her eyes narrowing "So the owner… he set all this up?"