“The main cord is strangling her heart. It’s not good. I think something happened to it, and that’s what made Lawrence scream.”
“Because Sharon was about to die.”
Cold swept through Caroline. “What do you mean? What…”
Raquel spoke again, as she traced her hands over Sharon’s body, hovering two inches from her clothing. “Get me some salt water.”
Joshua rushed to comply, ducking into the back room and returning swiftly, ceramic bowl in his hands.
Raquel began grabbing things Caroline couldn’t see, and flicking them away with her hands. Alejandro caught them in a bowl of water.
“If Sharon had died from her own magic, it would have affected everyone she’d tied up with her. Thank the Goddess Brenda saw you all were in danger here.”
Brenda took Caroline’s hand. “If you’re willing, we can do this work together.”
Caroline pulled away. “Me? I don’t know what I’m doing! Are you crazy?”
“You’ve got the protection of an angel now. And that’s just what we need. Two angels, and two women, working together. That just might be the thing to see this through.”
Caroline licked her lips, then rubbed her hands on her jeans. Hoo boy. How was she cold, but sweating?
Touching her Archangel Michael’s medal again, she felt better. Looking into Brenda’s eyes, she saw a change there. Her face was luminous. More luminous than before. And in the pupils of her eyes? Caroline could see the faint shimmering of stars.
“In for a penny…” she said. “What do I need to do?”
“Stand up,” Brenda said. “And hold on.”
The two women rose to their feet and clasped hands.
“Raquel, you ready?”
“Alejandro and I are good to go. Joshua? Stand guard?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Close your eyes, Caroline, and no matter what happens, keep them closed. This should be quick.”
Her stomach lurched, but she did as Brenda said. She felt Brenda’s hands in hers. Felt the roiling, pulsing strangeness that was Sharon, who lay beneath their clasped hands and arms.
Then she felt what could only be Michael, at her back.
She heard the ring of steel as he unsheathed his sword.
39
Brenda
Nothing had ever felt this right. Or this clear. The moment etched itself around her, as though every sense she had was turned up a notch.
Caroline’s hands in hers, so soft and strong. The scent of incense, potent, filling her nose. Almost overwhelming. The crunch of glass beneath her shoes. Distinct. Too loud. Alejandro and Raquel, strong and steady.
The angel inside her. Now part of her. She felt the light, heating up her skin from the inside out. Felt the trace of wings at her shoulder blades.
She breathed in the whole world, in one moment, on one breath.
Everything felt new. Fresh. As though she’d never really sensed any of it before. She wished she had time to take it in, but for now, there was work to do.
Brenda could feel the Arrow and Crescent coven, back in Raquel’s ritual room, doing what needed to be done. It was good to have a well-trained group to put your trust in, knowing that key players could be called away in an instant and the working would still hold.
And that two workings could be done simultaneously, from a distance.
They were getting better at this world-saving business.
“Angels of all that is, Michael and the Nameless One, guide our human hands. Unravel this magic, this poison, that has its grips in this woman, Sharon, and that she has spread throughout this city, causing harm to herself and others.”
Caroline adjusted her grip beneath Brenda’s hands.
Brenda took a deep breath, and dropped her attention more deeply into center, showing Caroline what to do through the connection in their hands. She felt the other woman’s energy deepen. Once she felt secure, Brenda allowed her own attention to broaden. She felt the Angel Michael with his sword, and the power of Raquel’s ocean. She tasted Alejandro’s magic, and in her mind’s eye, saw the sphere Joshua built around them all, locked into the permanent protections of the Inner Eye.
Everyone played their part.
“Know this: that I, Brenda MacMillan, call upon the forces of righteousness within this city. And I call upon the power of the coming Equinox to shift the balance toward justice here.”
The power built, slowly and surely, one layer at a time.
“And I call upon the winds of change. Blow through!”
Her hair began to whip around her head. Glass shards pelted her ankles. The bells above the door rang.
She hoped Caroline’s eyes were still closed. She needed her now.
“Let the winds of change bring both healing and justice! Heal this woman, Sharon, of the illness rooted in her soul. Untether Lawrence, and all the others her magic has its hooks within. But do not let the need for justice die.”
Her voice grew in power, building with the wind.
Sharon started moaning, louder and louder. Brenda felt her knock into her legs. She must be rolling on the ground.
Then Raquel’s voice. “Be calm. You are safe here. Be calm.”
Alejandro took up the chant as well. Brenda felt Sharon’s panic subside.
The words filled her whole being. The wind roared through the shop, almost deafening now. Brenda gripped Caroline’s hands more tightly, holding on.
“Let it be said! Let it be known! There is no healing without justice! There is no order or rebalancing while wrongs refuse to be put right! Angels! Allies! Protectors! Spirits of Portland itself! You of land and river, you of bridge and sky! Shift the balance of power. Let every woman in this city feel protection. Let every child feel safe tonight. Let everyone who is struck by their partner’s hand find an end to their abuse. Let every abuser fall.”
Over the wind, she heard the sound of weeping. Caroline.
Stay strong, she thought.
This was the most difficult piece of magic Brenda had ever attempted. To loose the cords without giving up the magic. To send forth healing, while not releasing accountability for harm.
The light surrounded her, infused her, overtook her. She breathed it in on the roaring wind.
:True healing always re-orders the cosmos.: The Voice. Her Voice.
Brenda nodded. She Knew now that this was true. And so, it was time.
“Michael!” she called. The archangel behind Caroline stepped forward.
“Cut these cords! Slay the dragon of sickness and abuse of power! Bring justice for the raped, abused, and beaten! Set these people free!”
His sword came down, severing every cord at once. Sharon arched her back and screamed. The cords flew off, whipped away by the power of the wind.
Brenda let go of Caroline’s hands and began drawing symbols in the air. She caught up fragments of stained glass, and shaped them into one bright, glimmering sigil, fused together with her magic and her will.
“Bind those who wish to harm! Free those who need their freedom. Bind those who wish to harm! Free those who need their freedom!”
Raquel’s voice joined her. Then Alejandro’s. Then Joshua’s. And finally, yelling, came the strongest voice of all. Caroline.
The chanting built and built around Brenda. She charged up the sigils, pouring the magic into the glass, until it was enough.
She Knew that now. More than ever before.
Then she raised her arms and felt her wings unfurl.
“As I do will! So mote it be!” Her hands, like blades, sliced down. The wind stopped.
She caught the stained glass sigil in her hands.
“It is done,” she said.
And Brenda MacMillan, priestess and witch, would never be the same.
Ever again.
40
Caroline
Caroline gasped, her whole body rocked from the sudden cessation of the wind, the sound, and the wall of energy that had suddenly collapsed. It
was all she could do to remain upright.
And to breathe. Who knew that pushing so hard against something only to have the object you were pushing against suddenly vanish would leave a person breathless?
She slowly opened her eyes, and blinked at the sight of Brenda, a gorgeous piece of stained glass in her hands, seeming to float several inches above the ground.
“Oh.” That was the only sound she could push out, past her lips. She blinked again, and watched as Brenda slowly settled back down, feet flat on the floor.
“How?”
Brenda just shook her head, then walked around Sharon, whom Raquel and Joshua were slowly helping up into a seated position.
And then Caroline was encased in Brenda’s arms. She could feel one hand, resting just behind her heart. The other hand must have still held the stained glass, because she couldn’t feel it. But she felt Brenda’s warmth, and breathed in the fresh, spring day scent of her.
“Ice cream,” she murmured into the soft skin of Brenda’s neck.
“Ice cream?” Brenda murmured back into her hair.
“I want some. And you smell kind of like ice cream right now. Caramel.”
Brenda held her more tightly, breasts pressing softly against breasts, belly touching belly, hips supporting hips.
“I’ll get you as much ice cream as you want,” Brenda replied, then tilted her head back until Caroline was looking into the star-pupiled eyes. Then lips were on lips, warm, firm. Tasting of heat and light and things Caroline didn’t even know how to describe. All she knew was that she wanted more.
When they finally parted, they both had stupid smiles on their faces, and Brenda’s eyes were her own.
Good Gods. Caroline actually falling for this woman. Or was it some strange, trauma-induced rebound?
Shut up and enjoy it, she said to herself.
They turned then, and followed Raquel and Joshua, who had actually managed to get Sharon on her feet and were walking her into the back room, toward the round table and chairs.
“I’ll put the kettle on for tea,” Caroline said, “after you give me one more kiss.”
Brenda obliged, then drew Caroline into another embrace. She sighed. “You feel so good. But I guess we need to deal with clean-up first, don’t we?”
“We do,” Caroline said. “But I want more of this, and soon. Okay?”
“You’re on.”
Brenda looked around the Inner Eye, at the tangled display case pieces scattered on the floor, and the shards of glass Joshua hadn’t managed to get with the broom.
Then she held up the glass in her hands. It was gorgeous. A seamless swirl of amber, red, blue, and green. No leading held the pieces together. They flowed together as though they’d come out of the fire that way.
“Magic,” Brenda said, as they both looked at the glass. “It’s something else.”
Caroline took in a huge draft of air. The edges of her skin still vibrated, and the medal at her chest was warm to the touch. Her amethyst point hummed in a way that she could only describe as happy.
Maybe she had a chance at happiness now, too. It sure felt that way. She gave Brenda another kiss, soft and quick this time. Both a question and a promise.
Caroline looked at the swirl of glass again. This woman had made that, in an instant, and it shouldn’t have been possible. This was her life now, if she chose it.
“I guess I better figure out what magic means to me.”
41
Brenda
Four days later, Equinox dawned clear and fresh.
The wind had blown through the whole city, it seemed, not just the Inner Eye. The Arrow and Crescent coven was gathered in Raquel’s backyard. They’d decided on a Saturday afternoon party. After the two intense rituals they’d all been through in quick succession, no one had the heart to do more than eat some food and drink some tea in the company of friends.
Raquel’s vegetable beds were just sprouting, sending up runners for sweet peas, and a variety of lettuces had taken root. They looked like they’d be ready to eat in another week.
A Japanese maple was the centerpiece of the backyard, nestled in a clearing in the middle of an otherwise ivy-choked hollow. Brenda always felt the fey lived there. It was wild and untamed, as were the corners where the compost barrel lived and the corner opposite, lorded over by a towering pine.
Daffodils added color around the fence. The coven members and their partners and friends looked like flowers themselves, all wearing different shades of purple, orange, and green. Lawrence was there, in a sky-blue T-shirt with some sort of mandala printed on the front. He was talking with Frater Louis, who had livened up his black dress shirt with a mint green pocket square.
Joshua’s waistcoat was patterned all over with turquoise and yellow flowers.
Everyone was ready for spring, it seemed.
Raquel and Cassiel had taken the day off from the café to join in, and had laid out several fat teapots, all steaming under cozies, filled with six different kinds of tea. Moss and Cassiel took it in turns to run back into the kitchen to heat more water when one of the pots got low.
Tobias had made a chocolate sheet cake with fresh mint frosting. Brenda had never tasted anything like it before. She watched Caroline across the garden, talking with Sydney and her husband, Dan. Brenda liked both of them. They seemed stable, and just what Caroline needed. She was introducing them to Shani, who ran the shop down in Salem. Their laughter carried across the ivy-filled hollow in the middle of the yard.
Brenda wandered over to drop off her cake plate and grab a cup of tea. She gave Raquel a hug before choosing a cup. “Any particular tea you recommend?” she asked her friend.
“The hibiscus blend is particularly good, I think. How are things going?”
Brenda gave the “so-so” hand gesture, then took a sip of the tea. It was tart and fragrant, cut with lemongrass and rosemary.
“You know, still unsettled, but the shop is back in order, at least. Rafe seems gone for good, and the magic from the fused glass charm seems to be holding.”
Raquel drank her own tea and nodded. “And that judge that came to you is setting the wheels in motion to prosecute the officers who raped Sharon’s daughter?”
“Yes. And that’s a good thing.”
Tobias’s new boyfriend, Aiden, carried a fresh pot of tea out from the kitchen. He had a stupid grin on his face, as did Tobias, who followed him out onto the small brick patio, hands filled with mugs. She supposed that Aiden would say it wasn’t justice, not yet, but it was at least a step in the right direction.
“Hi Aiden,” she said. He worked in a local soup kitchen and seemed really good for Tobias. They were good for one another. Lightened each other up.
“And Sharon?” Raquel asked.
“Alejandro and Aiden helped get Sharon and her daughter into a program for trauma victims and survivors,” Tobias said. “But, you know. They’ve both had it pretty rough.”
“Healing takes time,” Raquel replied. Wasn’t that the truth?
Brenda turned her gaze back to Caroline, whose dark sheet of hair was loose today, falling around her shoulders. She wore a crisp white shirt beneath a fuchsia sweater. Her slim hips were encased in blue jeans. It was still early days, but Caroline seemed to be bouncing back just fine.
Caroline looked up and caught her staring. Brenda’s face cracked into a smile. She couldn’t help herself. Caroline waved her over.
“Excuse me,” she said.
“Don’t let us get between you and a hot woman.” Tobias laughed.
Brenda smiled, and smacked his arm. As she carried her tea through the garden to the other side of the small maple tree, Brenda reflected that this had been one of the hardest months in her life. But it was also turning into one of the best.
She slid an arm around Caroline’s waist. They were only two or so inches apart in height, which meant their bodies, so far at least, were a nice fit.
And the sex was great.
Brenda noticed wha
t she was calling The Angel Part of her—she really was going to need to come up with a better name—responded to the traces of Archangel Michael that still wrapped around Caroline like a shawl. She wondered if he would stay with Caroline long term, or move on, the way some entities did.
Her angel, though? It was there to stay. Thick or thin. Rich or poor. At least now that it was rooted in her energy field, she didn’t feel the need to vomit and pass out all the time.
You can call me Sariel, the Voice said. If you need something to call me.
Sariel? Brenda thought. That’s your name?
She got the sense of a shrug and a “good enough.”
“Sariel,” Brenda said out loud.
“What’s that?” Dan, the big, bearded, sunny man towered over the group, but it was funny, he wasn’t intimidating at all. Just warm, like the sun. Definitely good for Caroline to be around.
“Well…” How to put it to a civilian at a party full of witches and magic workers? “I’ve got this being attached to me now, I guess you could say. It’s here as a helper, and it feels like an angel. It just told me its name.”
Frater Louis and Lawrence walked up as she was speaking, each holding a plate of cake.
“Sariel is the angel of guidance,” Frater Louis said. “So that’s a good thing.”
Brenda felt Caroline’s arm squeeze her waist.
It was a good thing. It was all a good thing.
For the first time in too long, Brenda realized she felt happy.
She raised her mug of hibiscus tea. “Happy Equinox, everyone!”
“Happy Equinox!” The phrase echoed through the garden.
“May balance find this city once again,” Raquel said, still standing next to the tea table. “Arrow and Crescent, I’d like us to say the Equinox Prayer, all together here, now.”
The coven members raised their teacups, and everyone else followed suit. Taking Raquel’s lead, nine voices filled the garden.
“May light and dark, day and night, teach us what it means to softly tilt with the cosmos, balancing strength and weakness, fear and hope, love, joy, and power.”
By Wind Page 19