“You don’t have to come tonight, you know? I have plenty of backup here,” I said, looking at his strained eye. Seriously, it was so hard to look at his one eye. It felt like my vision was always shifted to the periphery.
“I have been assigned to you until this whole mess is over, so I will do what I must to ensure your safety.”
Man, he was just a ball of laughs. He was quite possibly the most literal person I’d ever met. He had started out being all rogue-like but had ended up as serious as his father. That was quite the transformation for just a few days’ time.
“Well, don’t come if you are going to be such a stick in the mud. This is a party, Bro,” Ian said, roughing my hair. We made our way to the bottom of the stairs and I saw Molly standing nearby trying to straighten her hair in the mirror.
“Ready, Molly?” I asked.
“Yep, right as rain,” she said, walking to my side and looping her arm in mine. “We need to talk and soon,” she added in my head so the others couldn’t hear.
“Spill, I need the distraction,” I answered silently.
“We kissed. I mean like fireworks exploding, kissed. Then I got mad at him for kissing me and freaked out. Then he yelled at me,” she said in my mind. She looked at me and her eyes were filled with terror.
“You need to stop yanking the poor guy around, Molly. He loves you, surely you know that,” I said back, eyeing her steadily.
“Not ready to deal with that yet,” she said silently before Kennan interrupted.
“What are you girls talking about?”
We were so busted.
“Nothing,” we said in unison.
“Sure, that’s not suspicious behavior at all,” Kennan said.
“Whatever. Where are we supposed to be going for this thing?” I asked the group. Surely one of them would have some sort of idea where we were supposed to be.
“If you will follow me,” Conall said. He walked down the hall that led to the gardens.
**********
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I looked around me as we stepped into the garden and saw that a platform had been raised in the center of the winding maze of plants. Situated around the platform were several chairs. I wondered at Isadora’s foresight and questioned if I would ever have half of her talent, or self-control for that matter. Our group made its way down to the platform. The closer we got, the more terrified I became. I didn’t know what to expect, but if Kennan said it hurt then I knew it absolutely did.
“You’ll be fine,” Kennan whispered into my hair.
“I know this has to happen but it doesn’t change the fact that I am terrified. I am kind of freaking out right now,” I said, looking at the platform.
In the center there was some sort of chair. It reminded me of one I had laid upon the one and only time I’d gone to get a massage. It had a hole where I would put my face. I wondered if I would handle being ensconced this time better than I had the last. Next to the chair was a man looking over a table filled with instruments.
As my steps drew me nearer, he turned toward me. I felt the weight of his gaze as it assessed me, determining my worth. Deep in my soul, I felt a pressure that threatened to pry me apart. In the back of my mind, a tickling sensation began. I felt the strangest sense of déjà vu when I looked upon him. I was sure I had met him somewhere. His eyes crinkled on the sides in an almost smile and I felt a wave of serenity pass through me, replacing the pressure that had been there moments before.
I stood, transfixed by the bluest eyes I had ever seen. I gazed up and up into an inhumanly handsome face. He took my breath away. His dark hair hung to his chin and he had the top portion pulled back out of his eyes. He reminded me of an Italian samurai, if such a thing could ever exist.
“You must be Izzy,” the Symbol-smith said with a soothing voice.
“I am, and you are?” I asked, entranced by the man in front of me. This man held magic, of that I was sure. But there was something more there. There was something familiar in the cadence of his voice.
“I am called Aberto, it is a great pleasure to finally meet you, Milady,” he bowed deeply. The word “finally” rang around me as if he had been waiting for a long time.
“Do I know you from somewhere?” I couldn’t brush off the feeling of comfort and familiarity as I looked into his eyes. It was unsettling.
“It is possible.”
Great, another cryptic person in my life. Would it be so hard for someone to just give me a straight answer for once? I shook off the feeling and decided to focus on the matter at hand. No need to get all angsty right now.
“So, what do I need to do?” I tried to break his gaze, but found myself unable to look away.
“I need you to change into those robes and have your friends do the same with the robes located around the circle. Then you will come back here and I will prepare you for the marking. Are you absolutely sure this is the path that you must take? Once this is done it cannot be undone.” The gravity of the situation weighed heavy in his words.
“I’m sure.” I was afraid the shaking in my voice betrayed my doubt. He smiled wanly and sent me on my way to change.
We gathered up our robes and headed to the outbuilding to change. It was closer to the platform than the house, and seemed a better place to do it. I didn’t feel like having everyone in the house stare at me more than they already were. Kennan helped me fasten my robes so that my back was left bare. The others had robes that covered the entirety of their bodies in different, earthen colors. Kennan’s was the color of the sea during a great storm. Ian wore the deep green of summer just before the seasons began to shift. Molly wore a robe the color of rust or leaves that were about to blow from the trees. Conall wore a robe made of the deepest crimson I’d ever seen. It conjured images of flames and effigy. I looked down at my simple brown robe and wondered what it all meant.
“Kennan, why are the robes different colors?”
“I have no idea. This ceremony has not been performed in a very long time. For all I know, these were the only robes lying around,” he said.
We made our way back into the garden and I snickered at the thought that we looked like a muted pack of crayons. My sense of humor needed to work on its timing. I shook my head, pulling myself back to the present.
Night had begun to fall. The sounds of the world getting ready for sleep guided my feet to the now torch-lit circle. I swallowed down my fear as Kennan led me up to the platform.
“I am with you all the way. If you need to stop just say so. Got me?” he asked as he squeezed my hand.
“If you need to chat just let me know. I have loads to distract you with,” Molly added.
I nodded as I headed toward Aberto. I had a feeling this night was going to be long and unendingly painful. I wondered if I would pass out for any of it. The thought of Ren’s company was enough to make me fight for consciousness. I looked at Aberto, waiting for directions. After all, I had no idea what the ceremony consisted of.
“If you would please lie face down on the table, we will get started. The rest of you I need to form a circle. Whichever chair you grabbed your robe from is the one in which you will need to sit the remainder of the evening. Distract her from the pain. Help guide her through this. That is your purpose.”
He looked around the circle trying to ensure everyone understood. As I glanced around the circle, I noticed two robed figures that had not been there before. I looked more closely and saw that it was Breanan and Isadora. She looked upon me with a mixture of pride and fear. I tamped down my own fear once more, and settled into the table.
I could do this.
I had to do this.
“So it begins. If for any reason you need to rest say the word. This will not be an easy task for either of us,” Aberto said as he moved away from my prone form to the table of instruments. His words echoed in my head. I knew it would be painful for me, but I was unsure why it would be difficult for him.
“I’m ready,” I said with f
inality. I was glad Isadora had been able to arrange this all so quickly. If I had been given any time to think about what I was about to do, I would’ve backed out. Just like I’d done every other time I had thought about getting a tattoo.
Aberto started to chant something in a language both familiar and completely foreign to me. It was as if everything the man did reminded me of something just out of reach. The memories hanging just out of reach.
I felt each word as it was spoken. They settled into my body and reached into the depths of my soul. His words weighed and judged me in the same manner his eyes had earlier. As soon as I opened myself to the words, a wave of serenity washed over me. In that instant, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be.
Just as I accepted the words into my soul, a fiery pain began to rip through my back. I wanted to cry out, but like the words before me, I felt that the pain was judging me. I would not be found wanting. This needed to happen. I accepted the pain. I absorbed it and let the fire burn to my very core. I felt myself separate from my body. There was two halves of me in that moment; the mortal half that was to walk along this plane and help to keep God’s plan intact, and the other half of me that could traverse the planes.
**********
I stood in a place that was neither here nor there. I was not on the plane of reality, nor was I on the plane of the dreaming. I felt as though I was in a place similar to where I’d been at the theater, watching the Seer die. I looked around and noticed I could still see myself, lying on the platform and my friends around me, looking on with a great bit of concern. Kennan’s eyes shone with anger and fear. It looked as though he wanted to jump up and break Aberto’s hand for hurting me. I wanted to soothe his anger to tell him I no longer felt any pain, but I couldn’t.
“So, you went with the mark, huh?” Ren asked, stepping toward me.
“Cheese on a cracker! Could you conjure up some bells to put on yourself or something? This ninja stealth business is for the birds,” I said, trying to settle my nerves.
“Don’t be so jumpy. How did you do that anyway?” she asked, looking at my prone form with her sightless eyes. It really creeped me out that she could do that.
“How did I do what?” I asked, staring in the same direction. Interacting with her was so much easier when I didn’t have to look at her the entire time. No matter how much I was getting used to her popping into the dreaming, I still couldn’t get over the sheer amount of gore on her.
“Split yourself like that? Your soul is here, but your body is there and you are still alive,” she said simply.
“Um, I don’t know. I am able to do all sorts of stuff I didn’t know I could. For all I know, I can conjure fireballs in my hands to toss at people. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Well, I think it is because you are the chosen one.”
“What chosen one? This isn’t The Matrix,” I replied in a hurry.
“I am just pulling your chain, stop getting so worked up. I don’t think you should separate from your body for too long, though. Nothing good comes to a soulless body.” she said, swinging her arms back and forth.
“Any ideas how I can get back?” I asked as we moved to look over Aberto’s shoulder.
“Nope.”
Just as we began to look at my back, Aberto turned and looked me in the eyes. Not the me on the table, but the soul me floating around.
“It is time to return” he said.
“Whoa, that is freaky,” Ren said as I felt my body and soul being reunited. “See you later,” she hollered as I came back into my agony-filled body.
**********
“Aaaaahhhh!” I cried out as tears burst forth from my eyes. My body was racked with more pain than I’d ever before endured. I felt as though my limbs were being stretched in four directions and my back set on fire simultaneously. I whimpered as Aberto paused in his application.
“I am sorry that I had to draw you back, but your soul must be bound to your body for the next part,” he whispered quietly next to my ear. “We are almost finished with the worst of it.”
“How did you see me?” I needed a distraction but the words barely came out a whisper.
“Because, like you, I have many gifts. Now send your pain out into the circle, they are here to help,” he said before returning to my back.
I thought about the pain and tried to send it away from me. It pulsed from me like a shockwave, knocking everyone in the circle to the ground. The moment I released it I felt better but I immediately worried I had hurt everyone else in the process.
“We are fine,” I heard Molly say in my mind.
I heard sounds of chairs being set to right and murmurs as everyone took their place once more. I wondered if that was a normal reaction to the pain sharing thing. Perhaps I had held the pain in for too long. I felt numb now; whatever I’d just done had taken away any trace of pain and replaced it with a sense of comfort.
I lay there as the melody of Aberto working sent me into a state of deep relaxation. I didn’t feel encumbered by the tight seat or my face being trapped. I felt the safest I had felt in a very long time. I allowed that sense of safety to sink into me and merge with every part of my being. I felt well and truly shielded. Just as sleep began to beckon me, Aberto announced we were finished.
**********
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I lay there a moment, gathering my bearings. I felt different somehow. I knew that something deep in my being had been changed. I sat up slowly, afraid that the pain from earlier would return with movement. Surprised by the lack of pain, I began moving more freely. I tried to look at my back and realized I probably looked about as ridiculous as someone trying to lick their elbow.
“Would you like to see it?” Aberto asked, amusement lacing his voice.
“Yes, please.”
The anticipation built until he handed me a mirror to angle to his own. My entire back was now encompassed by an intricately woven Celtic Shield Knot. I had expected something similar to Kennan’s tattoo. Something masculine and bulky. Instead, I was given the most beautiful piece of artwork I had ever seen. The lines were dainty as they moved in and out of one another, never beginning and never ending.
“It is beautiful,” I gasped. “From the bottom of my heart, Aberto, thank you.” I hopped off of the table and threw my arms around him. Clearly I’d startled him because he almost lost his footing. He waited a moment before placing his arms around me giving me a small squeeze.
“Now, if you feel that it needs to be strengthened you contact me. You can find me in the dreaming if you need me. Just call my name and I will appear,” Aberto said before moving away to melt into the night.
I was startled by Kennan’s approach. I looked up into his face and noticed lines of strain. I wondered if everyone else’s looked the same and as I took in each of my friend’s faces I noticed they bore the same marks.
“I’m so sorry if I hurt any of you,” I said, looking back up to Kennan.
“We’re fine. Whatever you did to knock us all back was a bit more than we had prepared for I think,” Kennan said, steering me towards the outbuilding so that we could gather our clothes from earlier in the night.
“Sorry guys,” I muttered to everyone as they moved with us.
“Stop apologizing. We wouldn’t have been here had we not wanted to. It is an honor to be asked to participate in such a ceremony,” Conall admonished as he walked beside me.
“Fine, but at least let me say thank you. I really appreciate ya’ll more than you will ever know. Thanks for taking that pain away.” I yawned loudly causing Kennan to snuggle me closer to his body. “What time is it?”
“It is almost dawn,” Molly muttered as she rubbed her eyes.
Well, that explained why everyone looked so drained.
“Good grief. I didn’t realize it had been that long.” I was beginning to wonder if time moved differently on the other plane. “Does time move differently in the dreaming and in visions?” I asked the group. Surely
one of them would have the answer.
“Yes.”
“No.”
They all said at once. So, mixed reviews. I was just going to go ahead and assume that time moved differently. It had not felt like I was up on that chair all night. However, the intricacy of the tattoo did belie its time consuming application. As we shuffled into the outbuilding, I let my mind wander to Ren and walking on the other plane out of my body. I wondered if Isadora had any information on it. I also wondered if this stupid mark on my arm was still going to glow now that I had the protection mark on my back.
We all changed quickly, exhausted from the night’s activities, and headed back to the house in silence. Kennan and I made our way into our room and crawled into bed almost fully clothed. As I curled my body into the heat of Kennan’s, I felt truly safe for the first time in months. With the new tattoo and Kennan at my back, all felt right in my world. I breathed deeply and let the dreaming take me.
**********
I expected to see Ren and was surprised by her absence. I searched the fog hoping to find her. Only she would be able to tell me if my mark was still glowing. Well, her or one of the other sightless Seers. I pushed through the fog seeking her out. That’s when I heard it. Laughter coming from the distance. I strained my ears and heard two people talking. As I moved toward the voices a building came into sight. I began to wonder if this was the dreaming at all or if I was in some sort of vision again.
Come to think of it, how in the world was I supposed to know the difference between visions and the dreaming if they kept intersecting? I brushed it off and made my way toward the colossus that was the building. From the exterior it looked to be a factory that had fallen into disrepair. I tried to find some sort of identifying mark but the further I moved the fainter the voices grew. I decided to worry about where I was later and find the source of the noise.
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