The spring storm had landed with a vengeance. Equinox was on its way, but it felt closer to winter than summer outside.
Wind smacked against the attic window and shook the mighty trees outside Raquel’s home.
Beeswax candles scented the peak-ceilinged room, blending with the smells of white sage and balsam. The ghost of frankincense and myrrh always perfumed the air, but the other smells overpowered them today.
Brenda was worried sick about Caroline, and wanted to be with her, but Caroline had specifically asked that she be here.
“I need your magic,” she had said, as Brenda held her close in the back seat of Alejandro’s car. So here Brenda was, keeping a promise to a woman she was rapidly falling in love with. A woman she barely knew, but who had somehow caught ahold of a corner of her soul.
Brenda was filled with rage that anyone had dared to harm Caroline. It tasted like metal on her tongue.
Brenda wanted to lash out, to hurl as much baneful magic at that man as she could muster, but cooler heads had prevailed. Raquel had been particularly insistent, and was right, as usual. Brenda wasn’t thinking clearly, and that was bad for any operation, especially one as important as this.
So it had been decided. Selene was in charge of the ritual tonight tonight. The coven had agreed that they had the most clarity of vision around what needed to happen. Besides, Selene was the best at making poppets, which was the major part of tonight’s work.
Tempest sat next to Brenda, teal hair clipped back off her face. She sent soothing energy toward Brenda through warm hands. It went a long way toward calming her down.
“Thank you,” Brenda murmured.
Tempest replied with a small smile, and just kept on. She was truly a master healer, the best the coven had, and that was saying something, because some of the others were very gifted.
Selene was in the center, throwing more herbs onto charcoal, gathering the red twine, the lemon, the pins, and the lock of Rafe’s hair that Moss had the foresight to rip from the man’s head in the middle of the parking lot fight.
Brenda’s thoughts kept going to Caroline, who she hoped was being taken care of by her friends. Lucy, Alejandro, and Moss had set up wards around Sydney and Dan’s home when they dropped Caroline there. She should be safe enough.
Brenda had never wanted to kill anyone in her whole life, but she wanted to kill Rafe.
So the coven was in Raquel’s attic, behind every ward and protection they could erect around the space. Arrow and Crescent was ready to call upon Diana to send out her hounds and to do what needed to be done to find and bind the man.
Archangel Michael had already seen to his punishment. The coven just needed to make sure he wouldn’t do anything like this again.
Brenda shoved a cushion behind her back and leaned against the knee wall behind her.
“Are you almost ready?” Moss asked Selene.
They nodded, and swept the straight fall of black hair over their shoulder. Selene looked serious, almost grim. Garnet winked around Selene’s neck, matching the color of their broad lips. Selene turned their dark eyes on Brenda, as though asking for permission.
Brenda gave a tight nod, barely able to move her head. When had she grown so tense? Tempest ran her soothing hands across Brenda’s shoulders, and down her arms, flicking her fingers at the end, as though casting off evil spirits. Sending the discordant energies away.
Brenda sighed with relief, then realized the whole coven was looking toward her. Her friends, her mentors, her peers.
Lucy, who was always so steady and strong. Alejandro, the businessman, the wizard to Brenda’s witch. Moss, ready to leap into the fray the minute justice was threatened anywhere. Tobias, the other healer in the group, the one she had mentored herself. Cassiel, who was finally growing into her powers.
And of course, Tempest and Raquel. Brenda’s student, and her best friend.
:They are the ones you have waited your whole life to find. They are those who journeyed far and wide, for lifetime after lifetime, to work with you again.:
And the Voice. Angel or demon, Brenda guessed it was here to stay for a while. She still hoped she would figure out why it had shown up and what was wrong. When a big power like that arrived all of a sudden, it usually was a signal that something bad was about to go down.
Or that your life was going to change in a big way.
Initiation, her own inner voice said again. Well, she didn’t want to hear that, did she? Piss off, she thought.
Before getting to her problems, or any of the other weird stuff going on, the coven needed to deal with this particular bad thing first. Brenda didn’t need to know how or if Caroline’s husband was connected with the voices the police chief, and Brenda, and all those people seeking out the Inner Eye were hearing.
Deal with the proximate situation first, then figure out the pattern.
She didn’t like to work that way. She always preferred to get to the larger picture first, but Caroline needed help, and she needed it now.
Dealing with Rafe couldn’t wait.
“Please,” she said. “Start when you’re ready.”
Selene gestured to Raquel, who stood to speak.
“We are here to bear witness. We are here to ensure protection for one who needs it. We are here to set a binding on one who has harmed others and may yet harm himself. We ask our inner wisdom to rise up and fill each of us, so we know the correct actions to take tonight to mete out justice, and no more. We invoke our deepest selves, asking for guidance. May the best possible outcome be spun.”
Brenda’s breath slowed as her friend was speaking, and she could feel each coven member around her slowing down and sinking into themselves, ready to do magic.
Selene raised both their arms, silver and leather bracelets cascading down their wrist bones, pushing back the black sleeves of their shirt.
“Diana!” they called. “Be with us! Guide my mind, my heart, my hands. Let your magic run true through my blood as I bind this man, Rafe, from harming this woman, Caroline, and from harming anyone else, including himself. May we do this work in your name, to ensure that any inevitable pain is minimized, and that the processes of healing become possible over time.”
Brenda felt the power of the words ripple through the space. She trusted Selene to unravel the necessary threads and to bind Rafe from doing further harm in as limited a fashion as they could.
Which was why Brenda wasn’t in charge. The way she felt right now? She’d tie the man up and set him on fire.
The wind moaned outside, whipping across the rooftops. Raquel’s ritual space felt warm, secure. Like home.
Sink into that, Brenda. And let Selene do their work.
Selene was carving symbols onto the lemon skin with a porcupine quill, adding the sharp, clearing scent of citrus to the blend of smells in the attic space.
Setting the quill aside, they picked up the hank of hair and the red thread, beginning the process of binding the hair to the lemon. They wound the red thread around and around the fruit, muttering a chant as they went, rocking back and forth, raising energy. Brenda could feel the magic sparking through Selene’s fingertips, wreathing the red thread, encasing the citrus with power.
The energy in the room shifted as every coven member focused attention on Selene, feeding them power. Every coven member except Tempest and Brenda. Brenda still did not trust herself to not mess up the working, and Tempest was there to steady her. It was good. This working needed to be clean. Clear. Strong.
The winding of the thread was done.
Selene picked up six straight pins, and passed them, one by one, through a candle flame. She pushed one through the top of the lemon’s flesh, and another through the bottom. The remaining four formed an equator around the central line of the fruit.
Brenda could feel the thread, the hair, the lemon. She felt the energy as the pins locked into place, all aiming toward the heart of the lemon.
Selene raised the fruit up toward the attic peak.
“Brothers and sisters, siblings, family! Witches, hear me now! Powers ancient and wise! Powers of the the Elemental Forces! Ancestors! Gods! Goddesses! Attend!”
The air felt thick, and throbbed with power. Brenda’s spine snapped upright. The edges of her skin stood at attention.
“Diana! Send your hounds to find this man, Rafe! May his spirit and flesh be bound from committing more harm! May he see his error. May he seek out change.”
Selene’s voice grew silent. A candle flame snapped. The wind and rain still blew outside. Brenda heard her own breath, entering and exiting her lungs.
Selene passed their right hand over the lemon, three times.
“And if he refuses to see his error, if this man Rafe seeks once again to harm”—their voice grew as harsh as the wind—“may he know terror unceasing, from now until such a time as he buckles, weeping, to his knees. Then offer him a vision of the way his life could be. Let it not be said you are unmerciful, our Lady. Let every human being always choose their path.”
Selene dropped their hands then, and sagged just a little as the power left them. Their shining black hair became a curtain around their face.
Moss and Raquel rushed forward. Raquel wrapped a blanket around Selene’s back, and Moss gently took the bound-up fruit from their hands. He laid it on top of a piece of foil, and carefully wrapped it, until it was completely encased in a sheath of aluminum.
“The working is done,” Selene croaked out. “And I need a cup of tea.”
They gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Or maybe a glass of wine.”
“We have both of those ready,” Tobias said. “I’ll be right back.” He opened the attic door. Brenda could hear him padding down the stairs.
She scooted her way to the center of the circle and opened her arms. Brenda had never felt as close to Selene as she did to some of the other coven members, but after that piece of magic, every part of her wanted to hold Selene close. To rock them. To thank them for doing what she herself had not been able to do.
Selene smiled at Brenda, even paler than usual, and, still wrapped in the soft teal blanket, snuggled her head onto Brenda’s shoulders and waited for Tobias to return with tea and wine.
Thank you, Diana. And thank you to everyone else who helped tonight.
She just hoped Caroline was going to be all right. And that Rafe would stay away. If he could combat a binding that strong, the coven might be in big trouble.
:You have allies.:
Usually that was a good thing, but the allies—if that was what they were—that were gathering around them all these days?
They only made Brenda feel more afraid.
22
Caroline
It was growing late, but Caroline didn’t want to go to bed yet. She was exhausted, but still keyed up from the kidnapping and assault.
At the insistence of Sydney, Caroline was ensconced on the well-stuffed leather sofa in the living room, Bella’s head resting next to her thigh. She rested, legs tucked up under the soft blue-and-burgundy weave of a throw blanket. A cooling cup of tea was close at hand on the coffee table.
Caroline had a headache.
It almost felt as though she had the dregs of a hangover—not that she’d had one of those since college—or as if she was coming down with the flu. Brenda’s friend Raquel told her she would likely feel ill for a while. It was the aftermath of everything she’d been through with Rafe—the fear, the heightened adrenaline—added to whatever the heck was going on with that angel. Archangel, she corrected herself. Michael.
Her fingers touched the medal at her breastbone for a moment, as if to reassure herself it was still there. Amazingly, it hadn’t been ripped from her neck in the struggle.
The coven had dropped her at Sydney and Dan’s home, then done some sort of magic to protect the place before they left. Brenda had kissed her gently on the lips before walking to the car.
She stretched, and slid further down the couch. Sydney and Dan’s home was comfortable, that was for sure; much as it had been hard to watch Brenda leave, she felt comforted here. Comfortable. And she knew the coven was doing what they could to make sure she stayed safe.
Caroline touched her lips, remembering the kiss. Caroline still didn’t fully trust her feelings for Brenda. They were too strong. Too sudden.
But she came for you, Caroline thought. When you needed her, she was there.
And with backup, too. Caroline wasn’t sure what to think of all of that, either. Not yet. But it looked as though she’d have a few days to ponder it, at least. She was going to have to call her parents and let them know what was happening. And get the wheels turning on a divorce.
That last thought kindled a sense of vague excitement. Possibility. It also made her tense up again. She didn’t need to think of it. Not now.
There was so much to be done, but Caroline was still tired. Brenda had just called to report that the magical working was done. Caroline had wanted to ask all about it, but Brenda sounded exhausted herself, and said she’d get a full report later.
“Get some rest,” Brenda had said before ringing off. Caroline was trying.
The yellow lab sighed, and Caroline scratched her head. Sydney had encouraged the dog to lie down on the floor beneath the coffee table. It was nice. Caroline had never lived with a dog before.
Pulling the blanket around her shoulders, she settled more deeply against the plump cushion behind her back. A small fire warmed the grate, birch logs popping and perfuming the air.
Caroline stared at the dance of the flames in the hearth, and absently petted Bella’s head. The rains lashed at the large windows, and wind still whirled and moaned through the mighty elms outside.
Portland was filled with trees. They made her feel safe, somehow. Sheltered.
Her body felt bruised, and her muscles were strained in unusual ways. But when she thought about it, she realized her spirit felt good. Better than it had for a long time.
Things had felt…different after Brenda called, saying the coven was done. It was as though the tension that had become a constant in Caroline’s life had dissipated. It wasn’t gone yet, she supposed that would take time, but she actually felt as if she could breathe again.
Dan poked his head out of the kitchen. “Can I get you some more tea?”
She looked up at Dan and smiled, “That’d be great.”
Caroline knew he wanted to help. She could also tell he was a little bit freaked out by the situation, but trying not to let on. Sydney walked back into the room, reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, staring at her phone.
“I’ll do more research,” she said. “But so far, it’s looking as though there are several support groups for survivors of domestic violence.” Sydney took her glasses off and folded them into the pocket of her sweater.
It was so good to see her old friend that Caroline practically ached with it. She hadn’t realized how much Rafe had isolated her. Really, the only people she saw were Rafe and her parents. And then the people at the gem shows. She loved the trade shows, as much for the rocks and gemstones, as for the chance to interact with like-minded people, because she never got the chance, otherwise. How had she not realized that?
“You’re beating yourself up again, aren’t you?” Sydney sat in a comfortable, blue suede chair. “None of this is your fault.”
Caroline balked at that. “Don’t you believe that once we’re adults we have to take some responsibility for our lives?
“Yes. But you do. And you know you do. But abuse like this? You can’t blame yourself. It’s a form of slow brainwashing. The changes are incremental, and by the time a person realizes it, the pattern is set, and things are so far gone it’s hard to escape.”
Caroline sighed and sipped her tepid tea. Ginger and mint. It eased some of the aching in her head. “How do you know so much about this?”
“I’ve spent enough time doing pro bono work for abused women that I’ve had to research all sorts of things. Won a lot of cases,
by the way. Give me a minute and we can talk about it some more. I’m going to get some wine. Do you want some?”
Caroline gingerly shook her head. “No, the witches all said I need to stick with tea for a day or two.”
The two women smiled at one another. “Those witches sound like wise women. I look forward to spending more time with them.” Dan was just coming out of the kitchen, and they exchanged a small kiss as they passed. Dan poured fresh tea from a small green pot, the steam fragrant and warm on Caroline’s cheeks.
“Thanks,” she said.
Dan set the pot on a coaster on the coffee table, then sat in the second chair and slung his feet up onto an embroidered ottoman. Turning his head, he called into the kitchen, “Would you bring me a glass too, love?”
She and Rafe had never had that. There was passion and heat, sure, which over the years had shifted more and more from sex and into anger, but they’d never had this easy companionability. There was never a sense of home.
It felt good here. She loved this place. She was liking Portland so far, but she loved watching Sydney and Dan, and the life they built together.
“Your home feels so…homey.” She smiled at her remark. “I know that sounds strange, and kind of dumb….”
“It doesn’t,” Dan said. “We worked hard on it. Right, Bella?” The dog raised her head and looked at Dan, then plopped her head back down on the edge of the couch. Caroline scratched behind the dog’s silky ears again. Bella sighed in contentment.
“Sydney and I decided what we wanted out of life, and set about building it. We’ve been fortunate enough that we’ve been able to do so.” He gestured around the room at the furniture, the fireplace, the dog. “This is the result. I try never to take it for granted.”
Sydney came back in from the kitchen, a glass of red wine in each hand. “We are fortunate indeed,” she said.
“What do you mean by that?” Caroline said. “You’ve used that word before.”
Sydney sipped at her wine, thinking. “Well, it isn’t just luck, though luck plays a big part in it. And it’s not just our privilege, though that’s included, too. It’s some combination of circumstance, luck, and work. We wouldn’t have all of this if any one of those had been missing. That’s fortune.”
By Wind Page 11