A/N – Yes, the long awaited fourth chapter is here! I decided ages ago to work on the story again, but decided to read all 15 books again so I could refamiliarise myself with the characters. Anyways, let us continue with the story.

Ajeeta and Stacy lead me to the sacred area of Dùbhlan Cuan for the welcoming circle, both lost in the magickal feelings surrounding us. I took this time to study both of them in this new setting.

Ajeeta looked completely different to how she had looked earlier, wearing a flowing robe made out of thin, black crushed velvet, embroidered with silver sigils. Her dark brown hair fell around waves at the base of her neck, curling naturally in a way that made her seem more youthful and relaxed. She had slipped in contact lenses earlier to avoid the 'no jewellery at circles' rule.

Stacy wore a fitted forest green robe made out of natural silk with gold embroidery, with brought out the startling colour of her eyes. Her long hair was tied back into a ponytail so that it was out of her way, emphasising her strong features. Both girls truly looked like witches.

As usual, I felt at home wearing my birth mother's robe, as it provided me with a sense of security. That my ancestors, the Riordans, were watching over me. Following Stacy's lead, I had plaited my hair to keep it out of the way. I hesitantly left my claddagh ring back in my dorm, knowing that I wasn't allowed to wear any jewellery. The ring finger on my right hand felt naked, longing to be embraced by the ring once more.

The faces of both my roommates held feelings of content, the knowledge that they were about to attend a circle- already shedding any negativity that had been affecting their day.

In contrast, my heart was pounding with anticipation and nerves. Although I had participated in circles before, with Kithic and Starlocket, I was really nervous. This wasn't like the intimate circles I was used to- where I knew everyone and they knew me- this was going to be a large circle where I only knew three people at best.

My nerves must have been quite obvious, because Ajeeta put her arm around me and gave me a gentle squeeze,

"Don't worry, no one is going to eat you in there." She joked. I laughed at her random comment,

"No, it's not that… I…" I trailed off, not knowing how to vocalise my thoughts without sounding like a total wallflower. Although that had been the reputation I had in Widows Vale, that wasn't the image I wanted projected here.

"It's a new experience, and you don't know what to make of it." Ajeeta said, and I nodded, noticing that she wasn't actually asking me if that was how I felt- she was stating my exact feelings. Her accuracy surprised me. I knew that non-blood witches had ESP abilities, but not as strong as a blood witch. She could read me as well as Hunter, Sky or Alyce… and then it suddenly dawned on me that she must be unusually powerful to be accepted at Dùbhlan Cuan.

I was going to ask her about her abilities when Stacy suddenly announced our arrival into the circle area. It was a vast field bordered with various herbs growing to create a primary boundary. In the middle was a circular altar carved out of grey rockcovered in magickal items, which Iassumed must have been the contributions from the students that Ajeeta has told me about.There were many witches already gathered, socialising and welcoming new students, who were easy to spot as they were carrying their items toadd to the stone altar.

I cradled my own contribution to the circle- choosing to make a small pillow filled with herbs to promote relaxation. Ajeeta and Stacy had taken me to a local occult shop earlierso I couldcollect what I needed. We hadn't been in there long, but the difference in atmosphere compared to Practical Magick had made me feel slightly homesick. I knew this place would take a while to get used to- at least now I had friends to share this experience with.

The chatter amongst the students and teachers died down as Shannen Alder came to the centre of the circle,

"Merry Meet," she greeted us all, "If you would please take your positions around the circle and we will begin."

I stood next to Ajeeta, who had Stacy standing on the other side of her. On my other side was a boy about a year older than me. He cast me a sideways glance and gave me a grin as though he knew me. I smiled back nervously, not quite sure how to react. He studied me for a moment and, deciding that he hadn't actually recognised me, gave me an apologetic look before turning back in Shannen's direction.

Oookay… I thought to myself. I made a mental note to ask Ajeeta and Stacy about this guy after the circle.

"Welcome to Dùbhlan Cuan's first circle of the term." Shannen announced, "We have all gathered here to welcome back old faces as well as newcomers. After casting our circle, we will begin with our usual chants to raise energy and then move onto our welcoming ceremony."

After creating the circle boundary and purifying it with salt, Shannen picked four students to call the quarters. I observed as each one displayed their connection to their allocated element and summoned it to the circle. During this time I went over the chants in my mind. Shannen had sent me (and all other new students) an email with the lyrics. They weren't anything I had heard before, but the words were in English and simple to remember. I hoped that Ajeeta and the boy who had smiled at me knew the melody well so that I could catch on quickly.

The students returned to their places within the circle and Shannen thanked them,

"The chant we're using tonight will be 'Isis, Astarte'. Those of you on the left will take on the male version, 'Pan, Poseidon'."

Many of the students nodded in acknowledgement as Shannen began to sing,

"Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Innana"

Her voice was extremely melodic and haunting. Within a few seconds, the male teacher standing on her left began the male equivalent chant:

"Pan, Poseidon, Dionysus, Cernunnos, Mithras, Loki, Apollo"

As their mixture of alto and soprano voices weaved through one another, the students and other teachers also began to sing the chants, raising energy and invoking the God and Goddess simultaneously.

As if on cue, all the participants within the circle began to move deosil, slowly gaining speed and dancing under the moonlight.

There were at least 50 or 60 people in the circle, almost all of them blood witches, and the energy being raised was more than I had ever sensed before. It was absolutely amazing. I felt incredibly elated; I felt like I was flying as the magick swirled around us and brought everyone closer together: bound together by an unconditional love for Wicca.

I was so involved in the energies within the circle that I hadn't noticed that I had picked up the melody of the chant almost immediately, following Ajeeta's lead. The dancing began to slow, but the chanting continued to become louder and faster paced. The circle came to a close when everyone stopped and threw their arms above their heads whilst singing the final note of the chant.

I looked around at everyone within my immediate vicinity, noticing that their skin was practically glowing with pleasure and euphoria. The air around us was crackling with magick, with a stronger intensity than I had ever felt in Kithic or Starlocket.

In perfect unison, everyone dropped their hands, and Shannen and the male teacher beside her walked to the middle of circle, next to the stone altar. The students who had been standing near them shuffled along to close up the gap, connecting everyone as a circle once again. Picking up my contribution to the Dùbhlan Cuan altar, I waited in anticipation to find out what the welcoming ceremony would be like.

A/N- I know, I know, the ritual isn't finished. But it will be in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading this- I expect many reviews! I have more time on my hands now, so I will be able to write more, so don't despair!