"But Celeste..." Von's voice was actually pretty close to my right. My head snapped to see that he had just emerged from the outline of the trees. Maybe he had tried to look for Celeste. "She is nowhere in the surrounding area." Well, I guess that answered that question.
"No." Cora turned around and pointed to the northern section of the clearing. "She's headed this way—she was preparing herself and she is now in tune." She smiled at the northern tree line until Celeste emerged.
We were immediately frozen in our places. Well, all of the men were frozen anyway. Someone even let out an audible gasp although I was very sure that it was not from me. We were in awe and it was hard to believe that we were truly experiencing the same thing—complete and utter euphoria. Euphoria from just laying eyes on such a breathtaking spectacle.
Celeste now stood in a full-length glowing gown of white. Her hair was down and waving with the breeze as the fabric of her gown swayed in rhythm to the same tune. There was magic surrounding Celeste—pulsating, vibrating, humming magic. The energy in the air seemed to provide her with a halo—a glow that was beyond comprehension or comparison. But it wasn't the glow that made my breath catch and finally stop—it was her eyes. They were sharp and utterly sky blue. It was a clear and crisp blue, so clear that it appeared to be back-lit. Her eyes had never been this blue for as long as we had all known her. Even the blue that she had donned after her attack on the beach with Leo had been different—this was new. With her long, brown hair and dainty waist, it felt like we were in my past. She was a noble woman glowing with brilliance and beauty that was so breathtakingly shocking that you could become consumed with just the thought of her.
My senses instinctively scanned the clearing and it appeared that every man within throwing distance was entranced by Celeste's beauty. My heart hammered underneath my shirt as I walked to the northern position of the clearing and assumed my spot. Keeping my eyes on Celeste, I saw the others take their positions through my peripheral vision. Von now stood directly across the circle from me. We flicked our eyes towards each other and then back to Celeste—she was all that we wanted to see.
Celeste seemingly floated to her position in the middle of the circle. She did a 360 degree turn to eye the clearing around herself as she took each one of us into consideration. Was she trying to figure if we were in the correct positions? Was she assessing if we were capable, let alone worthy of being chosen for this ritual? No one spoke. Maybe they were afraid to say anything as well.
My eyes scanned the circle and I noticed a few things—Von was pensive, Gabriel seemed alive and alert, Celeste looked unconcerned and regal while Leo...well, Leo looked incredibly...nervous. He actually looked as if he had been beading sweat on his forehead, but that couldn't be possible. A demon as old and powerful as he was would be incapable of sweating, basically because he would never truly be nervous. My eyebrows pulled together tightly enough that I could feel my eyes narrow. He's nervous. Damn us all to hell—the demon is nervous.
My eyes flicked back to Celeste and I noticed that she was glowing.
"Hold your hands out to Celeste in offering." Mortisha's voice carried over the clearing. "You must willingly offer to Celeste what she cannot take, and she must willingly accept your offering as a gift to conceive the child of legend." Mortisha was nowhere to be seen—it was as if she was projecting her voice to the middle of the circle for all to hear.
I held my hands out with the palms up as if I were offering Celeste something physical. Really, it was more symbolic than I would have felt truly comfortable with—I had already given her everything that I could offer. I had given my kingdom, my life, my future, my hopes and my fears. They had all been sacrificed to stand a single chance of being with her. I would give that much and more if it meant that I would be able to spend a lifetime with her.
My eyes swept over Celeste in the middle of the circle. Please let this strangeness wear off after all of this madness. Please bring back my old Celeste.
I closed my eyes and then opened them again to find Celeste and Cora standing back to back. It only took my vampire senses a second to see that Cora was in a defensive stance while Celeste's right hand glowed as the handle of a long, etched Gaelic sword was held within her gentle fingers. It was just the right length for her, a sword for a Maiden of War. I was dumbfounded. But I still had more to experience, more to be stunned by...
Celeste slowly began to emit a soft glow as her hair began to braid on its own, bands of silver appearing in between the magically manipulated strands. Her gown took on more of a glimmering white appearance, the dress morphing into a low-belted dress that was typical of maiden dress back in an era long forgotten. She now had room to move as she and Cora shifted to stand closer to each other.
Reaching out with my senses, I immediately knew that we were in danger. Shadow demons...at least twenty were now descending on our position, skirting the clearing and cackling to themselves with their raspy breath. I felt my fangs burst from my gums as well as my claws flick out of my fingers. If I knew my own body, my eyes would be a moon-glow white and my senses were immediately heightened.
"Pull in closer! We must protect Mother!" Cora's voice chimed within our minds as a command that was not to be ignored—her voice held weight and power. "Bring everyone..." She didn't get a chance to continue before Celeste's voice took over.
"No!" Celeste waved her sword in the direction of the swarming mass of shadow demon flesh, which was basically all around us. "I will not run and I will not be protected like a child." She backed into Cora so that they stood even closer than before. She held her hand over her shoulder and grasped Cora by the shoulder as well. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth slightly and breathed in. Then, releasing her hold on Cora, she turned to face the demons, squaring herself into a defensive stance just like Cora's. "Mirror image." Celeste breathed and Cora nodded even though she knew that Celeste would not be able to see the movement.
"Where should we stand?" Von's voice carried over the growling and drooling sounds coming from the forest.
"Out of our way." Cora nodded in Von's general direction. "You don't want to be around for this. In fact, maybe you should leave."
"The hell we're going to leave!" Jack's voice boomed through the clearing as the movement towards the circle began.
"Jack, we don't have time to play this game. Do as we ask you." She pleaded with him gently although I wasn't sure why she decided that this moment was the best time to be gentle with him.
I squared my shoulders and shared my view as well. "We aren't going anywhere."
Cora nodded and her hand reached over to me, offering me a broadsword. "You were always good with the sword." She smiled up at me as I nodded and took my position at the elbows of Cora and Celeste.
There was a swift movement in the outer reaches of our clearing and then we were being descended upon by the largest number of shadow demons that I had ever seen in one place during my long life. Their numbers had actually more than doubled, but we all held our ground.
All of my gut instincts told me that Celeste was the sole target for this attack, and she was the only one that they would concentrate on. Celeste would be the goal, and possibly anyone else that might be standing between them and their ultimate prize. My back went stiff and my shoulders squared as I began to move toward the mass of shadow demons—their dark shapes inching closer with every breath.
"Stop!" A new voice sounded on the other side of Celeste and Cora. I turned my head around to see who it was. Standing with his back to Celeste and Cora, hands held high above him, was the albino that had appeared on the wing of the plane. "Stay within the circle!" His voice rang out over the growls and grunts from the shadow demons.
A subtle glow began to form around the circle, creating a barrier between us and the shadow demons. Leo's growl rose over the din of the shadow demons as he leaned in towards our little center circle. "What are you doing here, Enrique?!" His voice was menacing and full of anger.
"
I'm here to help." The albino turned towards Celeste and Cora as he tilted his chin uncomfortably towards Leo. "Sophia sent me." His eyes were covered by the darkest sunglasses I had ever seen. My mind wondered how he saw anything behind those pitch black lenses.
"And why would we accept her help?" Leo snarked. "She tried to..."
"Forget what she wanted." His words were heavy and abrupt. "She sent me to ensure that the shadow demons did not harm Celeste." He eyed Celeste up and down as if he were just noticing that she was...different. "But I now see that you didn't really need my help." His voice trailed off as he took one step away from the center of the circle.
Celeste turned towards the albino and nodded. "This is true. I did not require your help." She allowed her eyes to sweep the outskirts of the circle and came back to nod at the albino. "But I will accept it in the spirit it was offered." Turning to Cora, she laid a hand on her as tension seemed to roll away from Cora's shoulders. "We must carry on before our moment of opportunity has passed." Her voice and phrasing didn't sound like Celeste in any way. She was so radically different, and that left me shuddering in my frozen shoes.
Cora turned to look at Celeste with deep sorrowful eyes. "Yes." She nodded sullenly and then took a step away from Celeste. "It is time."
20
There are moments when time seems to freeze and the entire world shines like a diamond in a sea of confusion and beauty. That's what this moment felt like—frozen in time with no sense or reason, but it was frighteningly beautiful.
We had each taken our places around the circle again but stood closer inside to allow for the others that were now trapped inside with the five from the ritual. We held our hands out like we were bearing gifts to Celeste and that's when the world turned upside-down.
Celeste held her hands out to her sides and began to glow with a light that was at first subtle, but then grew to be so bright that it was blinding.
I crammed my eyelids shut but held my stance to ensure that I could continue to participate. The light was so incredibly bright, that even with my eyelids closed, my eyes ached from the radiance and heat. The heat began to flow around me and I could feel the movement of wind. After a few breaths, the wind began to tear at me so swiftly that I was afraid that I was going to lose my footing. Eventually the wind began to lift my feet up off the ground, which caused my eyes to pop open in response. I felt weightless and slightly frightened—a sense of helplessness burst through me for one brief moment. A vampire should never feel helpless.
We were all hovering several feet above the ground. My eyes caught the figures of our party that were still standing firmly along the outsides of our circle, eyes wide open as the shadow demons screamed and clawed at the barrier that separated them from their prize.
My eyes turned to Celeste and I watched as she smiled eerily, mouthing words that she was possibly only saying to herself. She began to spin in a lazy circle, curling into herself and then coming out as if she were finding enjoyment in the sense of weightlessness.
My body twitched and curved with the wind and finally, with a sudden sense of release, we all fell like hard lumps of clay against the cold ground. Scrambling to my feet, I ran to Celeste's body, which was now lying on its side with her back to me. Throwing my arms around her, I could feel her body shudder under my touch.
"Celeste," I whispered as I pulled her into my arms, "Celeste, are you okay? Did the ritual work?" My voice sounded panicked in my own ears.
"It worked." Jack's voice shook from the outskirts of our group. He sounded like he had tears in his voice. My head jerked in his direction and I saw he was standing alone, almost hugging the line of salt that was our protection. "She's gone." He turned his back and faced the tree line to see that the shadow demons were still there to attack us at the first sign of weakness. "She's gone," he said again as his shoulders heaved in pain.
Celeste pushed up from her spot and took my hand to allow her to stand. She didn't brush herself off before she turned to eye the perimeter. Earth was clinging eagerly to her gown, dusting it in a rich brown, but not taking any of the beauty away from her appearance. I had my arm around her, which gave me comfort. I hoped that she felt the same way. My eyes followed hers as we scanned the circle, noticing finally that Cora was gone.
"Shadow demons? Did they get into the circle?" My voice asked the question although I was positive of the definitive answer.
"No." Celeste turned around again to look me in the eyes. "She has returned to her time. We shall see her again." She turned back to eye the shadow demons. "We still have much work to do." She shrugged my arm off and I immediately felt dejected, unneeded.
Celeste walked along the perimeter of our circle, eyeing the men inside our cozy ring in between glances towards the hostile entities eyeing her hungrily.
"Hmmm, this will not do."
She returned to the center of the circle and held her hand out to Mortisha who was standing just out of her reach now. "I will need your assistance." She nodded at Mortisha as she kept her hand outstretched in her direction. Celeste didn't even offer a smile. That is definitely NOT Celeste.
Mortisha's lips formed a thin line as she walked over to Celeste, grasping her hand and turning towards Von. "You too, Von. We need your magical energy as well."
"And Henry." Celeste said simply as she turned her eyes on the albino. "You will assist." She wasn't giving him a choice.
The albino tugged slowly on his black glasses as he eyed Celeste with reserved respect. "Of course." He walked over and took Celeste's free hand.
That one simple gesture made me instantly uneasy. I didn't want this man anywhere near Celeste. There was something off about him, besides the fact that he was completely foreign from everything I had ever seen or known.
The four of them turned so that each was facing a corner of the world—North, South, East and West. Celeste began to glow and the rest of them followed suit, filling with energy and light.
For a moment it seemed as if nothing was happening, but we all knew better than to assume that. The air around us eventually began to crackle, building up energetic tension, and then a huge explosion sounded all around us in a burst.
BOOM!
The ground shook and the barrier wavered. There was a wave of force that was so strong that shot out from the center of the inner circle that it threw all of us surrounding them down to the ground as it passed over us in an expanding halo of power and destruction. Smoke filled the clearing and swirled past my head as I pushed up on my shaky arms.
Once the air cleared of magic, and the smoke on the ground began to curl and dissipate away, I reached for my sword...but it was nowhere near me. Cursing myself for allowing it to fall from my hand, I darted to my feet, ready for a fight. But there was nothing left to fight—everything outside our circle was gone. There were no shadow demons left to dispatch, there were no bodies littering the ground—they were simply gone.
"What? What happened?" Jack's voice coughed out from the other side of our clearing. "Where did the shadow demons go?" He sounded completely oblivious to what magic had been wielded right in front of his own unbelieving eyes.
Celeste turned around the circle and nodded. "Yes." She reached over to the albino and laid her hand on his shoulder. "You. We will have a conversation in the future." He nodded back at her. "Just not now." She sighed and then suddenly collapsed on the spot.
My blood ran cold as I raced to catch her in my arms. Please! Not now!
21
Celeste
It was like I was standing outside my body watching myself do things that I would never try or even think to do.
What? I'm cold and dispassionate towards Solomon? Am I kidding myself?! What did I just do with that sword? What is a mirror image spell? What in the HECK was I wearing before and AFTER the shadow demons attacked? How did I do that conception spell? How the HECK did I just knock out all of those shadow demons?! CRIPES!
I felt so out of control that I wanted to cry—but my face was a
s cold and hard as stone. There was no expression that I could get across to anyone. I felt separated from everyone, a prisoner, even though I could have reached out and touched any one of them.
I was overwhelmed with frustration and fear—I felt like my body had a mind of its own, and it was a little witch. I heard myself ordering people around, acting arrogant, strutting around like I was lethal. Was I lethal? That was reason enough to pause and assess what was really going on. Was I actually alone?
Hello! I called out in my mind. Who's there? I can feel something is different—I'm not an idiot. I thought to myself. Well, maybe I was, because I was trying to have a conversation with myself.
No, you are not an idiot—it will all be over soon. Just sit back and relax—you won't be harmed. Trust me. The voice sounded in my head.
It's off-putting to hear someone else talking in your head. The sound could be extremely familiar or absent of all familiar markers. This voice was clear as a bell and easy to recognize—it was my own.
What the hell is going on? Why am I taking over my own body? I wanted to shake my head but Other Me was in control.
Because you don't know what to do and it is much too complex to do by yourself. Don't worry—I have been preparing for this for a very long time and you are not alone. You have never been alone. The voice sounded reassuring.
What's your deal with Solomon? You can't be me if you are treating him like that. I shivered mentally, as if a knife's edge was shearing down my thoughts, attempting to strip my mind of all happy memories of Solomon. It was as if Other Me was attempting to purge my memory of all warm thoughts of Solomon. I pushed against the invasion and struggled to hold onto everything I held dear, as far as memories went.
If you only knew what that man is capable of, you wouldn't allow him to touch you.
My thoughts raced. What in the world could he have done to cause such...loathing?
Ritual Magic Page 21