Sabine was suddenly hugging herself as if the temperature inside their house had plummeted. Her beautiful face had shadowed and her energy dimmed. Worry, great worry was what Fawna was reading from her mother.
Dex rubbed his face vigorously. He suddenly looked tired, his dark eyes turning red and droopy. “Let’s go to bed. We can talk more tomorrow.” He pushed off the sink and walked towards her mother. He wrapped his big arms around her small waist, and urged her toward their bedroom. “Let me kiss away your worries, Mi Corazon.”
Sabine nuzzled into him before elbowing him playfully in the gut. He laughed, hearty and bright. That was all that was needed to bring her mother’s energy back up.
Sabine escaped Dex’s affection momentarily to give Fawna a hug. “Thank you for the tea, Love. Make sure you drink some yourself. You need a good night’s sleep.”
She smiled as she watched her parents disappear into their room down the short hallway leading to the back of their modest home. She remembered when Dex had built the extension. It was going to be a craft room for Sabine, a place for her to practice her craftsy-crafts, but also the craft of magick. But one thing led to another and her mother decided it would work best as the master bedroom.
Fawna loved how in-love her parents were. She wanted that same deep love for herself someday. But the way things were going, she had a better chance of becoming a nun on the island than somebody’s love interest. She sighed, a twinge of loneliness threatening to damper her spirits. Maybe that was why she didn’t want to leave home. Being on her own also meant being alone and she couldn’t stand the thought. She cleaned up, deciding sleep was not coming anytime soon.
She left her tea on the laminate topped kitchen island that doubled as their dining table. It had only been a few minutes, but she could already hear Dex’s rhythmic snoring coming out of her parents’ room. She chuckled wondering if she made the tea a little too relaxing.
She could see the glow of the moon shining through the square window near the front door. She took a deep breath wanting to feel some fresh air as she tried to work through the muddle of thoughts swimming through her brain. She opened the front door softly, not wanting the hinges to squeak and wake her parents. If she pulled and lifted just right, it would swing without a sound. Carefully, she pulled the door open and close as she stepped out onto the front porch. The warm and gentle breezes wrapped around her, making the hem of her night dress flutter lightly. She loved this time of night when the moon was full and bright, and she could see the gentle ripples curling the top of the ocean.
She loved Bimini. The island had always felt like home. She’d been with Dex and Sabine all her life. She knew she was adopted; it was obvious, but that had never mattered. She knew she belonged with them. Her parents were both exotic, caramel skinned, multi-racial beauties. Looking at them, it was hard to tell what cultural heritages they hailed from. Dex was big and solid with black hair and eyes so dark, they almost looked black. She used to tease him about being a brown-skinned Incredible Hulk. Sabine looked like a fragile ballerina, with straight and silky black hair and big almond eyes. She’d often wondered if some part of Sabine’s DNA was from Asia. She was certainly graceful and lithe, but fragile she wasn’t. Sabine was not a woman to be messed with.
She loved Dex and Sabine fiercely. They were her family, but there were times when she wondered where she came from, and what happened to her blood mother and father. Why hadn’t they wanted her?
Stretching her arms in front of her, she admired the soft honey-toned tan she finally got the nerves to fake. Spray tan, she mused. Sabine teased that spraying chemicals on her skin might make her look like a kumquat, but she dared to spray anyway. True, she did feel itchy afterwards, her sensitive skin not used to the inorganic substances, but it was nothing a little aloe vera couldn’t fix. Besides, she was desperate to try something different, even if it was just a tan. All her life, getting any color besides pink or red on her skin had been impossible. She was fair skinned, dark haired, and with heterochromic eyes; one blue, one green. It was like her genes couldn’t make up its mind what color palette would work on her, so it gave her a little bit of everything. Odd. That was how she would describe her looks.
Sabine, being the great mother, always commented how beautiful she was, but wasn’t that what mothers were supposed to say? She sighed. No use worrying about her looks when there were no eligible men on the island. Well, none that were interested in her anyway.
Fawna.
She turned, expecting to see Dex behind her.
Fawna. The voice was a whisper, carried gently on the warm night breeze.
She closed her eyes and held on to her pendant for security. She called upon her elemental light, letting it bloom around her heart before releasing it in the wind. Her light flickered, separated, and dissolved into tiny flecks of energy, shifting and floating all around her, gathering information and feeding it to her immediately. She was one with her light; an ability unique to her.
Her gaze swept across the yard, past the shore, and into the horizon. Everything was still, as it should be. Her brows crooked, questioning the discrepancy. She held out her arms, trying to sense for any unfamiliar energy around their home. Nothing. But she was sure someone called out her name.
She prickled, letting her energic frequency spike outward, infusing it with as much menace as she could muster. She was sending a silent warning to whomever was out there. She backed into the door, opening it slowly without taking her eyes off the grounds.
She stepped over the threshold, her bare foot catching the one squeaky board on their floor. The wood bent and protested against her weight, making her heart stop. When nothing happened, she let out her breath. She backed away, careful to divert her step as she threw a ward on the door. It was a sealing spell she’d learned from Dex a long time ago. He taught the protection spell to her the first time he had to be away from home. He had told her it was from his cousin, Rosa, a powerful sorceress from Mexico, and the spell had never failed.
She looked out the window, watching every sway of a shadow, focusing her energy to spread around their home. Nothing. Everything was clear, but she did not feel convinced. Dex and Sabine were still asleep, their door closed. She should keep an eye out while her parents slept. Besides, there was no way she would be able to sleep now.
Chapter Seven
January 19th, Bimini Island
Early morning
The neighbor’s rooster caca-doodled with loud purpose early in the morning hours. It was still dark, making her wonder if it was really morning already. “Shut up,” she grumbled, wishing the blasted bird had a snooze button. She had stayed up for hours after the weirdness of last night, finally getting to sleep only about an hour or two ago. She curled tighter on the couch, pressing the pillow on top of her ear, and squeezing her eyes shut.
Caca-doodle-doo! The rooster cried. It was louder and closer. Caca-doodle-doo! It insisted.
Fawna groaned. Exasperated, she pushed up from the couch to look out the window. Grr! The rooster was on their porch, strutting around, like it was his house. “You getter get going, before I fry you up!” she barked at the bird. “You are too loud. Go home!”
“Why you fightin’ with Mr. Snow’s bird?” Sabine asked with a chuckle.
She looked at her mother with sleepy, unfocused eyes. She was groggy, her head felt clouded from lack of sleep. She shrugged. “It’s too early.”
Sabine chuckled as she went into the kitchen. “I’ll make coffee and breakfast. You go take a shower.” Her mother was humming as she went about her business in the kitchen, looking as relaxed as can be. She was glad Sabine was feeling better.
Maybe she hadn’t really heard anything last night. It was probably just her overactive imagination. Her energetic filters hadn’t picked up anything. If someone had been on their land, Sabine would have detected it as well. She would have said something, asked something. She wouldn’t be humming. Fawna decided to shake it off; a shower would be good
and refreshing, a good boost to clear her mind.
By the time she’d dressed and gone back out to the kitchen, Dex had already scarfed down breakfast and a couple cups of coffee. He looked quite satisfied and content as he flipped through the comics section of the local paper. “Did you leave me any food, Pa?”
He gave her a hearty belly laugh. “Of course, Mi Fuego.” He pushed a plastic covered plate to the middle of the table. “Hurry up and eat, before I decide I’m still hungry.”
Sabine scowled at him.
He laughed again and played with a small toothpick he held at the corner of his mouth. “Hurry up and eat so we can see Mariana.” He peeked over his paper, waiting for a reaction.
“Pa!” she scoffed.
“Hahaha! You should see your face, Mi Fuego. You look like you’ve lost your appetite.” He pointed to her plate. “I’ll eat your breakfast for you. No use wasting good cooking.”
Sabine scowled again. “Let our daughter eat. She’s ‘ad a long night. Can’t you tell?”
Dex stopped chuckling and looked at her. His dark eyes studying her tenderly, all the concern making the deep brown of his irises seem almost black. “I’m sorry, Mi Fuego. You eat.” A big loving hand covered hers and patted it.
Dex and Sabine readied themselves while she sat at the table pushing her food around the plate. It was still early, but she knew they would be on the road within minutes. She covered her plate again, saving her breakfast for later. She didn’t have much of an appetite. Not with the impending meeting with Mariana taking all the joy out of eating. She would have to suck it up. Swallow her nerves and hopefully not make a fool of herself in front of the coven’s High Priestess. Mariana had always made her feel nervous, making her fumble and stumble, not only her words, but her actions as well. She couldn’t even count how many times she had dropped something in front of the woman. Needless to say, she usually wasn’t asked to participate with ceremonies that required any type of handling; which was all of them.
It was bad enough she felt like a complete idiot. But she knew Dex and Sabine must have got the receiving end of some talks with the formidable Mariana. It was not uncommon for their coven leader to counsel coven members. The island was small and the coven even smaller. They stuck together, thick like family, and Mariana was the matriarch.
“Come on, Fawna. It’ll be fine,” Sabine reassured as she urged her into the car.
She slumped in the back seat, choosing not to respond. She may not have been crazy about this trip, but she wanted to please Sabine. If she felt they needed Mariana’s input, then she’d acquiesce. Sabine believed Mariana could help with the dreams. If the coven leader could help her gain back some sleep, it would be worth it. Maybe.
Fawna nuzzled her back against the corner of Dex’s car. The back seat was made of soft brown terrycloth as comfortable as the fabric on their couch. The drive was slow, rocking her lazily side-to-side, lulling her into a drowsy trance. She was nodding off, her attempts to stay alert making her head jerk repeatedly. It was no use, the lull was winning, making her lids feel too heavy to keep open. A short cat nap wouldn’t hurt. It would make her feel less nervous.
Toqeph twisted, his sight directed where the edge of the Island met the sea. The waters were churning, spinning, the waves growing as the volcano beyond began to spew ash and rock into the air.
“Save them all!”
Fawna jolted, her eyes wide open as the car pulled over in front of the Sanctuary. She was breathing hard, her heart aching from remnants of the dream. She gripped her pendant, letting the rock’s energy calm her. Why does it hurt so bad? She thought. She looked out the window towards the sea. The turquoise waters sparkled under the rising sun, peaceful and welcoming. Focus on reality, she told herself as she worked to erase the images of an angry ocean away from her waking mind.
Dex knocked on the window, his big knuckle shaking the thin pane of glass. “Fawna. Let’s go, Mi Fuego.” He cocked his head a tad, his brows pinching in the middle. “Are you okay?” he mouthed.
She nodded and gave him a tight smile. She opened the door quickly so as not worry him any further. “Just tired.” She let out a yawn and started walking, avoiding looking at her father in the eyes. She hated lying.
“After your meeting, I’ll give you a swig of my famous island toddy.” He snickered, his eyes crinkling happily at the corners.
“I’ll be out for days.”
“You won’t complain about being tired again.”
They caught up to Sabine waiting outside of Mariana’s office door. Her mother knocked on the dark, heavy wood panel of the door as they got closer, urging them to walk faster with an upwards flick of her slender wrist.
Dex reached for her shoulder, stopping her from going in. “I know Mariana makes you feel like throwing up, but don’t let her get to you. She affects everyone that way.” He was trying to stifle a smile. “Give her a chance. You might end up liking her.” He winked and let her go in after Sabine.
“You’re not coming in?” She was trying not to whine or cry or both.
“Mi Fuego, you will be fine.” He nudged her in and gently pulled the door closed behind her.
There was no escape now. She waited past the click of the lock. She stood, facing the door, wishing she could run outside, wishing Dex would barge in and ask her to help him with an errand. Her shoulders drooped as she stared at the fortress like panel of the old door.
“Fawna?” Sabine called to her gently.
She forced her feet to back away, turning slowly to make sure she didn’t topple anything over. She’d been in Mariana’s office before when she and her parents were preparing for her rites. Most of the furnishings in the office were old. Passed down from one elder to another. There was history in each piece. Breaking a table or a picture frame, would not be acceptable.
Sabine and Mariana were sitting on the couch, their curious gazes fixed on her as she took painfully slow steps towards her mother.
“Fawna, take a seat next to me.” Her mother scooted over to make room.
Sliding behind Sabine’s petite frame, she wilted quickly to avoid looking at Mariana.
“I’m glad you took the time to come out and see me. I know how dreadfully early it is.” Mariana gave her mother a warm smile. She looked almost friendly.
Sabine cleared her throat before speaking. “We could really use your counsel.” Her mother twisted around to look at her. “Fawna ‘as been ‘avin’ terrible dreams. They seem to be intensifyin’.”
The Elder cocked her head to the side trying to catch a glimpse of her. “What are the dreams about? Nightmares?”
“No. Not exactly.” Sabine paused trying to think of how to explain her dreams. “Fawna says she feels as if she is witnessin’ somethin’. She feels all the emotions of the dream. She wakes up upset many nights.”
Mariana looked contemplative. “Fawna,” she called. “Can you come out where I can see you?”
Fawna’s stomach twisted, releasing butterflies all at once. She swallowed and inched forward, just enough to peek beyond Sabine’s shoulder. God, she felt like an idiot.
“I will not bite you, child. You cannot expect me to treat you like a grown woman if you don’t act like one.”
Oh no, she thought, aghast with herself. She couldn’t embarrass her mother like this. Suck it up. She stood up, squared her shoulders and took the extra seat to Sabine’s left, away from her mother, but across from the Elder.
Mariana was smiling. “That’s better. I need to see you if I’m to understand what is happening in your dreams.”
She should say something to distract Mariana and her mother. This was not needed. So what if she woke up upset from bad dreams? Who didn’t? It was normal and she didn’t understand why her mother was so concerned.
“Can you tell me about your dreams, Fawna? What do you see? What is happening?” Mariana was looking directly at her, her voice soft and calm. Non-threatening.
She cleared her throat, preparing to sp
eak with the Elder. “I see a man being freed. He’s in pain. He’s been betrayed. Then his home is lost to the ocean and it ends there.” She glanced at Sabine. She didn’t know how much detail she needed to share.
Her mother urged her to continue with a lift of an arched brow and a slight tilt of her head.
“The man’s name is Toqeph,” Fawna added.
Mariana’s head rose slowly until their gaze was even. The woman’s pale green eyes darkened as her energy tightened for a moment. “Are you sure that is the name?” Mariana swallowed nervously.
“Yes.” She nodded. She’d heard the name many times in her sleep. It was like watching a movie over and over again. She knew exactly when his name would be said, and when the emotions would blast through her as Toqeph held his dying friend in his arms.
Mariana’s gaze shifted to Sabine. “Is this why you asked for my counsel?”
“Yes, ‘igh Priestess.” Sabine confirmed. “The significance of the name cannot be coincidence.”
“Agreed.” Mariana was nodding as she stood from her seat. Her sun dress reached the floor, the bell shape making her look like an inverted flower. The bright oranges and yellows flowering the dress were a too-happy pattern for the Elder’s serious countenance. Mariana stepped to the bookshelf lining the wall behind her desk. She reached for a thick book above her head and was quick to finger through the pages until she found what she was looking for.
She hurried back to her seat, slipped on a pair of reading glasses, and read from the book. “Great mysteries of ancient times. What happened to thee? Great Toqeph, come hear our plea.”
“What is that book?” Fawna’s curiosity was piqued.
“Legends and Folklore,” Mariana replied quickly. “Toqeph was supposed to have been a Dark One, a Great Angel serving within the cadre of the Carrions. He was mighty and strong as all archangels are, but he also led the Dark Ones, until he was lost.”
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