After a few deep, cleansing breaths, she got up and dusted off her clothes. She saw Catori coming around the bend with one of the men she was talking to in the front courtyard.
He was short in stature with darkly tanned skin and dark hair. He wore a fat mustache under his large round nose. He was dressed in earth tones with some kind of work boots. He had a good covering of earth on the front of his pants and shoes. He also carried a good-sized pack strapped across his chest. Mage waved and welcomed them.
“Hi, Magenta,” Catori greeted her as they approached. “This is Henry. He is one of the full-time employees here at the ranch. He does a little bit of everything, but he prefers to work the land more than anything else.” She winked at him.
Henry removed his hat, nodded, and smiled in acknowledgment. “Mucho gusto, it is nice to meet you, Mage. I have seen you around before.”
“Yeah, your face is familiar. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.” She stuck out her hand to shake his.
He did not extend his hand back to her. Instead, he looked over to Catori.
“He doesn’t mean to be rude. He just can’t touch you yet.”
Mage tipped her head, waiting for more of an explanation without being rude. She had seen enough to know there was probably a good reason.
“When Henry saw you walk onto the property, he said he remembered you from a dream he had the night before. He said he would need to speak with you, that he would need to tell you something.”
“I understand. That’s why I’m here. I can feel something is coming. Do you have premonitions, Henry?”
“Not exactly. I have dreams about people. Usually about someone who needs information. It is hard to explain. My gift is never the same, and the ways in which messages come to me are always different. More times that not, they come from the spirits. There are other times that the trees talk to me.”
“Okay, well, I was just about to make an offering to this tree here. This is where I always come when I need to clear my head and am in search of answers.” Mage stepped over to grab her bag with her compost and her shovel.
“Perfect. I can help you. I actually brought along a few things. Would it be okay if we perform a ritual and share a drink of ceremonial tea?”
“I would like that. Teas are my specialty.” She smiled.
“I’ve heard. I’m looking forward to your seminar at the festival.”
Mage grabbed her shovel, kneeled down in front of the tree, and started to dig the hole. After she removed two scoops of dirt, Henry came over to her and handed her a knife. It looked very old.
“We will cut the earth with this knife and feed her new life with your offering. We must dig the hole with our hands.”
Catori stood back and watched as the two of them clawed into the dirt with their bare hands and dug enough of a hole for her bag of compost.
“Before you put that in there, we will make our tea.”
Henry scoured the ground for a few dried twigs and sticks, placing them into the hole. There wasn’t a lot there, but enough to start a tiny fire.
Henry pulled out a small contraption and set it up over the hole. He attached a small pot the size of a large mug. He picked up the knife and sliced off a few pieces of bark and a few leaves from the old cottonwood tree and put them in the pot, then poured out some water from a canister that he also removed from his satchel.
Henry opened a small tin canister and sprinkled a few other dried leaves into the pot and lit the fire.
“We will wait until the fire burns out and the tea will be ready for us to consume. It will help us to connect with the tree, and if anyone needs to commune with us, it will be here and now through the spirit of the tree.
“While we wait, why don’t you tell me about what you are feeling?”
“Well, I have an ugly feeling in my gut. I know there is darkness coming my way. I have no true gifts, but I have learned to pay attention for signs about things to come.”
While Mage told him about what happened earlier that day with her car and the uneasy correlations that came to her mind, Henry was using his knife to cut small branches from the tree and pulled off several leaves.
Although he was busy with his hands, he acknowledged everything she was saying to him. Mage watched to see what he was doing. They were so busy with their ritual, she suddenly realized that Catori was gone and must have walked back to the front of the property.
Henry had somehow made two little dolls by carving and twisting the leaves with the sticks. They reminded her of the little worry dolls she used to purchase for Kasha when she was a small child.
“The feelings you are describing are similar to what I felt in my dream. Sometimes I have dreams about people and it is weeks or months later when I see them or meet them. The connection here is very strong,” Henry explained.
As they both released a breath, the flame went out.
“Looks like the tea should be ready. We will drink and pass repeatedly until no liquid remains in the cup.”
Mage nodded. Henry took the cup first. He lifted the black mini pot to his lips and blew at the rising steam. She watched the steam part and creep up over his face and around his head. It traveled around him until he appeared to be encased in the cloud of steam. He drank from the cup and passed it to her.
Mage too blew at the hot liquid and could feel the steam tickling at her scalp. She took a sip and passed the cup. They did this several times until no liquid remained at the bottom of the small pot.
“Mage, you might not physically see or hear anything, but you will feel what I feel. This tea will link us spiritually with the cottonwood tree. While the herbs take effect, you will notice yourself becoming relaxed, letting the veil lift for us.” Henry placed the cup back over the hole.
Mage didn’t question. She made teas for people that did a lot more powerful stuff than just let them talk to the spirit of a tree.
“Okay, Mage, let’s use your compost to bury this fire and feed the tree. We will use our hands.” Henry gave her some quick jazz hands.
She grabbed the bag and dumped a pile of compost she collected from her bin at home. She dumped the dark, rich dirt into the hole over the embers. They worked together to cover what remained of the hole with their hands. Mage looked down at her hands and the dirt was embedded under every nail.
Henry and Mage sat across from each other. “Hold out your hand,” he commanded.
She followed his direction.
He placed the three dolls in her palms and closed her hands. He took them in his and closed his eyes. They sat there for what could have been forever and a day.
Mage could feel the energy shifting around her and inside her. She could feel her energy swirling with that of the tree and Henry. Her eyes were closed, but she pictured three different colors spinning and dancing around, swirling together, blending into one. Separate but together. When she opened her eyes, she felt like they were hovering slightly off the ground. Her surroundings were blurred as if they were miles away. She let her lids fall shut again.
“The three generations you hold in your hand are ever connected by blood and heart. You share a common thread, but there is a uniqueness amongst you that will be so full of light that she will become a target.
“Darkness has come. It has taken and will continue to take. The darkness will come in varying shades, sometimes wearing a mask of innocence. There is also light hiding in the darkest of places. You can’t stop what is coming.” Henry still sat with his eyes closed.
Mage took a deep breath. She understood and could read between the lines of what he was telling her. The details weren’t there, but she knew for whom the words were meant.
“Henry, I know and understand a lot of what you are telling me, but is there anything specific I need to know? Is there something I can do to protect the youngest of us?” Mage asked him.
“First of all, you should know that the dark one that wears the skin of an animal will come for you. I cannot tell when,
but you must mark him for the light to shine on the darkest of hearts.
“The only thing you can do to protect the youngest is to keep her linked to her past and to her story. She must walk her own path. In order to bring light where it is needed most, she will need to find her true self. She must be cautious, but at the same time she must trust to know herself.”
Mage opened her eyes to look at Henry, but she could see through him, only seeing the cottonwood tree. She felt the tree smile at her. She knew in her heart that her mother was sending her love through that tree and through the man that sat in front of her, holding her hands.
She let her lids fall back down and took a deep breath. After she released the air from all the way down in her belly, she opened her eyes and everything appeared normal again.
Henry opened his eyes and let go of her hands. When she opened her hands, the dolls were gone.
“Mage, I am sorry I could not give you more details. I don’t really know what I was talking about specifically. The message was meant for you, not me.”
Mage put her hand on the man’s arm. “It’s okay. I understand more than you can begin to imagine. I want to thank you for this experience. My mother was very attuned with nature and this brought me back to our closeness. It was very special. I do not fear what I don’t know. I do, however, want to protect my granddaughter from danger.” Mage stood up and started to gather her belongings.
“Shall we walk back?” Henry suggested.
“You know, that would be nice, but I think I’m going to stay a little bit longer before I head back. I will see you at the festival.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Henry turned and walked away. When Mage looked up at him, she saw a small boy walking down the path instead of the grown man she’d just sat and shared tea with.
Chapter 3
When she got back to the front gates, the sun was setting. Mage knew it was late enough that Catori had gone home for the day. The truth was that she was just looking for an excuse to come to the property. Her instincts never steered her wrong.
She felt like she was meant to be there and have that experience with Henry. When she got to her car, she found all of her workshop materials had been brought in. She was glad that Catori had that young man bring them in for her.
She decided she would call Catori in the morning to thank her and apologize for not meeting with her before she left.
Mage pulled out of the parking lot and made her way out to the highway. The sun sank past the horizon, leaving a little bit of a glow to the night sky. The cloud covering had thickened, hiding most of the stars that she could easily see at night from their region. The underdeveloped part of town that she lived in was one of the reasons she had moved there.
She reflected a lot about what Henry said. Although she had an idea what and whom he was referring to, she was left asking herself a lot of questions. So far, Kasha had not shown any signs of inheriting any abilities from their heritage, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t gifted.
Aurora wasn’t very forthcoming about who Kasha’s father was. Mage never pushed in fear of losing them or creating a problem. She hoped in her heart that Aurora would always have Kasha’s best interests in mind.
Not knowing who Kasha’s father was, left the possibilities wide open for Kasha’s potential. Had Aurora mated with a human, the chances of Kasha developing powers or special abilities were less likely. But, Mage knew Aurora had made a few slip-ups over the years that led her to believe there was more to the story.
Kasha’s birthday had changed a few times. Mage acted like it was her forgetfulness and circumstances of old age and blew it off. A mother never forgets the birth of her baby. That day is forever burned in love in her heart and her mind. No one can take that away or change it, unless there is a reason for deception.
It had been years since Aurora disappeared. The note she left said she was in a dark place and when the time was right, she would find her way back to the light.
Mage spent many nights pondering those words, but knew that whatever her reason, Aurora left to protect her daughter. Every night she prayed for Aurora, and she knew how hard it had been on Kasha losing her mother. It wasn’t an easy thing to try and explain to a nine-year-old.
The night sky was as black as it could be. Even if the moon weren’t new, it would have had an impossible time shining through the clouds.
The only light was from the Chevette’s headlights shining on the road ahead of her. Mage looked out into the distance and in her rearview. There were no signs of any other vehicles on the road. She had the soft hits radio station on, but out there, it was sometimes hard for her old antenna to catch a signal. There was a lot of static, but she learned to enjoy the white noise when she couldn’t find an acceptable radio station.
The temperature was still cool at night, but she felt a sudden chill that shook her to her core. Mage had her windows up, but there was the sensation of a winter breeze. Something caught her eye off to the right of her car. When she turned to look out the window, she didn’t see anything. Her eyes bounced back and forth between her rearview and side-view mirrors. Still, there were no other cars on the road. She figured it must have been a bat or her imagination getting the best of her. Maybe it was a residual effect from the tea she’d shared with Henry only an hour earlier.
Another cold gust of wind took her by surprise and this time she looked out of the driver’s side door. A pair of red eyes glowed next to her window. Mage blinked her eyes and looked at the road in front of her. When she looked back, there was again nothing but the darkness.
It was the darkness she was concerned about. Mage could feel that her time was running out. She could feel what she thought might be a pull from the other side. She knew something was following her.
She kept her eyes rotating her mirrors, searching the road. Although she wasn’t afraid to die, she knew she had many things she needed to tell Kasha. It couldn’t be her time before she told Kasha about this world that they were truly tied to.
There were things and people that were more than met the eye. Many varieties of supernatural entities and people walked the Earth. There were all kinds of shifters and people fighting for power of the darkness. There was a time when her people fought the darkness until they were hunted by even the most neutral breeds looking for an answer to their own survival.
In the distance ahead, two yellow lights glowed. They grew as the vehicle approached her from the other direction. Just before they crossed paths, she looked over and saw a large black humanoid covered in black fur with red eyes. She swore to herself it smiled at her before it dashed in front of the oncoming pickup truck.
Mage couldn’t shake the shiver that ran up and down her spine. She was glad she was almost home. She knew she would be safe there. She had a white witch help her put a protection spell on her home when they first moved there.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Mage woke from a night void of dreams. That wasn’t normal for her. She usually had very vivid dreams, always in color. Sometimes she wondered if she ever dreamt of things to come. She was pretty sure Kasha had visions of the future as a small child.
Kasha would wake screaming in the middle of the night. Her dreams often consisted of her being trapped in a dark cage. She had a fear of dragons, dinosaurs, and serpents. She often told her grandmother of her dreams that someone was torturing her mother and they needed to find her.
Mage wrote down all of her dreams in case they were premonitions. Maybe one day they could help her understand what was going on. She also knew that Kasha was dealing with the loss of her mother and felt like it was her way of working through her sadness while she slept.
Sadly, she knew that no one had kidnapped Aurora for mating purposes because she had borne the only child she would bear. Aurora had her own visions, which she never shared with her mother. Mage knew she was having them when she heard about the rumors being spread at Aurora’s schools. Mage tried to dance around the subject with he
r, hoping she would just open up to her, but that never happened. She and her husband did explain to Aurora about who she was and about what it meant to their family.
She hoped she hadn’t gotten mixed up with the wrong people, but she knew better than that.
Mage spent the morning collecting a few things from around the house that she wanted to make sure Kasha would have if something bad should happen to her before Kasha made it home. She had kept a few journals, but the most important book her family owned, she had given to her friend Patience years ago. Patience and her family had kept a book documenting the family tree of the Alexanders and the families that preceded them. Mage also still had the dream journal that she kept when Kasha was a little girl.
She took the book sleeve off of Kasha’s favorite Nancy Drew book and covered the journal. She knew it was one of her favorite books as a young girl and she would not get rid of it. It also gave Mage a sense of security that if someone came to the house looking for something about them, it would be less likely that they would find anything.
She tucked the box under Kasha’s bed and put the dream journal on her bookshelf. Mage used other books from the same series to cover her recipe books. She kept recipes for all of the teas and tonics that she made.
If someone came to her looking for something special, the exchange was that the recipe and or enchantment spell went into her book. She took very minimal amount of monetary patents. All the money she took went straight into Kasha’s college fund.
Mage knew she needed a few other things for next week’s festival and for home. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and time to make her way over to The Flea at the Downs.
Mage drove into the dirt parking lot and found a spot at the back. She had a late start to her day. It was getting close to when most of the vendors would be starting to pack up for the day.
Patience and Axle’s stand was always set up in the same location. She went there first. If she ran out of time and if she made it another day, she could come back for the jars. First, Patience needed to know what was happening.
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