I groan. “Really? Now, in the midst of all this, you want me to find my balance.”
“Racquel you hold so much power, but you haven’t learned how to harness it! With the help of the Perigee Moon and a little more balance, you could finally break through your barriers.” Addie has her hand on my arm. She looks at me earnestly.
I sigh. “But is right now the time? Shouldn’t we focus on tomorrow instead?”
“What else are you going to do tonight?” Danika asks skeptically.
“Well, I thought I would go skinny dipping, take a flight, and then cap my night off as I drag Coy away for a night of mischief.” I grin at their dropped jaws.
Addie narrows her eyes. “Skinny dipping? You? The girl who fears being naked where anyone can see her?”
I hold my head high, “Yep. I’m going to face that devilish problem head on. Why should I be ashamed? My body looks good, might as well flaunt it while I can.”
Danika, Meira, and Addie all shake their heads and laugh. “Hundred bucks says she won’t even take her shirt off.” Addie says.
“I’ll take that bet.” Danika challenges.
I put my hand over my chest like I’m wounded. “Your lack of faith in me hurts.” I shock them even more by grabbing the hem of my shirt. “I’ll pull it off right now.”
“You hussy, there’s a room full of guys in here.” With a chuckle Addie says, “I didn’t know you planned on adding slut to your title.”
“I’m not a slut. I’m just providing some inspiration for the guys to make it through tomorrow. Once they get a glimpse of these babies,” I say gesturing to my chest, “they will be very inspired to get back to find a woman of their own.”
“I think Brynn’s already found his woman, and he’s not willing to let her go.” Danika says. We all watch as Natahala walks out of the house, presumably in search of Brynn. Thad starts to follow her but Natahala waves him off.
I nudge Addie and Danika. “She’s not the only one spoken for.” Addie giggles but Danika blanches. She abruptly gets up and walks out of the house too. Ethan watches her go with yearning. Dammit, stuck my foot in that one.
“What’s wrong with her?” Meira asks.
Addie and I both say, “Nothing,” at the same time. Yeah, like that wasn’t suspicious. Addie had picked up on the strange vibes between Ethan and Danika when we arrived at the Covenant. When she asked me, I didn’t lie but I did tell her if she said anything I would put Trinidad Scorpion sauce in her mouth and write blabbermouth in permanent marker across her forehead.
“Anyway,” Meira says bringing the conversation back to me, “skinny dipping and boys aside, you really need to work at this, Racquel. If you succeed you may be Cerelia’s biggest threat, and our best hope.”
Meira’s request is cut short when Dagna calls her over. Witten asks the guys to follow him outside. He’s worried about the younger ones being unprepared in a fight. He was planning on showing the guys and some of the girls a few defensive moves. Even Coy follows Witten outside. I wasn’t sure they were going to allow him to go tomorrow and I hoped they wouldn’t.
“What do you think?” Addie asks as she watches Reed go out the door.
“I don’t know. He’s easy on the eyes, definitely has a body that can hold a girl softly but passionately, and his lips look tasty so I can only imagine what they feel like.”
Addie blushes, averting her eyes from Reed. “I cannot believe you just said that.”
“Well you asked.” I say innocently. Addie still has a deep blush that radiates across her face. With a pleased expression pulling up my lips, I lean in close to her. “So tell me, is he tasty?” Addie covers her face trying to hide her beet-red face.
Gathering some dignity, she sets her shoulders as she lifts her head. “Very.” She says with a wink.
I shake my head, “Shame, shame, a girl that kisses and tells.”
Addie shoves me as I giggle. “Says the one ready to flash the whole room.”
“Did you see me actually raise my shirt? No. I’m a modest girl, unlike your flaunting butt.” I shove her back giggling myself. It was a nice teasing one another, stealing a moment away from reality.
Addie stands, “I’m going to go see if they need any help in the kitchen. Try to keep your shirt on.” I roll my eyes as she walks away laughing. Before she turns to the kitchen she glances back at me. Now she’s somber. “Think about what Meira said. Seriously.”
I nod as she walks into the kitchen, and glance around to find that everyone is gone. Rather than sit there doing nothing, I walk outside to join in on the defensive lessons. A circle is made around Ethan and Thad, who are lunging and blocking light punches they throw at one another. They’re showing the others how to fight a Vampire using only hand-to-hand combat skills. How interesting, a Vampire and Lycan playing nice in the ring.
Ethan blocks Thad’s jabs but makes sure to pull his hands back quickly. Thad stops to explain the move. “As you see, Ethan is keeping his distance from me and when he comes in for a hit, he quickly moves back. That’s vital when fighting a Vampire. If we ever get a strong hold on you, it’s over. As you know, Vampires are strong and swift. We can snap bones in an eye-blink, and drain you dry before you can open your mouth to scream.”
The boys go back to sparring, stopping every once in a while to explain certain moves. Gasps fill the air as Thad tells Ethan to break his neck. Ethan doesn’t hesitate. He swings in fast from behind, snapping Thad’s neck to the right with a sickening twist. I don’t know if anyone else sees it but Ethan’s eyes glow for a moment as a satisfied smirk crosses his lips. Apparently his wolf-side is pleased.
Thad’s lifeless body falls with a limp thud to the ground. Everyone watches in anticipation until Thad finally gets up again. A small shiver jars his body as he stretches out his neck. “Remember, a Vampire cannot be killed by simply breaking their necks, but it can immobilize us. The only true way to kill a Vampire, besides forcing the older ones out into the sun, is by either using a true golden stake to pierce their frozen heart or by using your own abilities. Vampires are fast, so doing that will take some skill.”
Thad walks over and grabs a golden stake from Lucas. “We don’t have very many of these stakes so we will be handing them out accordingly. Shifters, I’m sure you will be in your familiar forms so the stakes will be of little use to you. That goes for the Lycans too. All the Vampires Natahala’s calling in will have their own weapons, so the few stakes we have can be used by those of you that feel the need to have one.”
The crowd sits quietly as Ethan and Thad show them how to properly use a stake. Ethan takes the stake and jabs at Thad in an upward motion toward his chest. Ethan explains that this is to get better leverage through the rib cage and into the heart. Ethan never makes contact with Thad’s skin, although he comes close.
“What about the Chimeras? How do we kill them?” Filek is standing off to the side, leaning up against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest.
Ethan steps away from Thad and addresses Filek’s question. “Our advantage is the Chimera don’t have the powers of the Shadows. Even though they appear like a mix of us, they are powerless. They’re strong and fast but killing them is simple if you can get a hold of them.” Ethan should know how to kill them, we’ve had our fair share of opportunities so far.
The boys continue teaching the others techniques as darkness completely takes over the sky. The streetlamps and porch lights are the only light illuminating the warm night. The moon starts peeking over the horizon and although the Perigee Moon will not been in effect until tomorrow night, it’s bright and full.
As I stand, I notice Dagna and Witten talking off to the side. I figure I’ll take the opportunity to speak with them in private about a few questions I have. As they see me approach, they fall silent.
“Hello, Racquel.” Dagna says. Witten has a thoughtful expression on his face as he looks back at the assembled group.
“Am I interrupting?” I ask.
&nb
sp; Dagna shakes her head, “No dear, we were just discussing our concerns about the Covenant. We left no Elders behind and if something happens to all of us, we are concerned with who will handle things back home. We left our strongest acolyte, but we are unsure if she will be able to handle the Coven if we didn’t return.”
“Why didn’t an Elder stay behind like last time?” Witten jerks from my comment like I slapped him. When the Elders had met with us in Greenland, Witten had stayed behind. I’m sure that weighed on his mind, considering Eldrida had been killed.
Witten straightens his back. “That was a mistake on my part. I should have never insisted on staying behind to protect the Covenant. If I had been there-”
“No Witten, you did the right thing. You’d both be dead now.” Dagna says interrupting him. She lays a reassuring hand on Witten’s shoulder as she turns back to me. “But we can’t afford for Cerelia to get away again. If she does, the whole world will suffer. Right now, the best option is for the strongest forces to stay together, especially when facing her. Before, no one knew what Cerelia’s plans were or how great her power has grown.”
“That makes sense,” I say, trying to erase any question about me doubting them. “I was just wondering why we didn’t leave Lucas or Danika at least?”
“As much as it pains us, we need them here. They are from the strongest blood lines, they carry more power than some of the weaker lines. And like I said before, we need our strongest here. I would have had Fawn come with us but she’s not ready. She hasn’t fully descended into her powers,” Dagna says.
“I understand.” I remember when Danika first explained that I was descending into my powers. It was after my first premonition. I had freaked out a little then but thinking about my last premonition sent a shiver down my spine. I never wanted to face that power again.
I decide not to involve myself in their Covenant politics right now. Whatever decision the Elders made when it came to the Witches, would probably be the best they could come up with. In the meantime, I’m interested in another subject. “I wanted to ask you two about the crystal. I know you said there was no record of its location but shouldn’t we be doing something to try and find it?” Do what, I don’t know, but we need to try and figure out something.
“We’ve been working on it.” Alanis says, as she walks toward us. “While Witten and Meira went over the battle strategies with the others, Dagna, Laveda, and I made some calls.”
“Did you find anything?” I ask.
“We did. We called each Ruling Council member to see if they knew of any information on the crystal’s whereabouts. When a Ruling Council member steps down, they find a replacement and share everything they know with that replacement. After talking with each current leader, the only one who knew of anything was Kaya.” Alanis shakes her head with laughter. “She’s a forthcoming fairy, in her own way.”
“Oh, I know.” I know all too well how Queen Kaya could give clues through twisted words. “Did she give you a weird, cryptic answer?”
Alanis nods with a chuckle. “She did. But she also gave me the answer I was searching for. Before dismissing me, she said ‘maybe you and yours are not looking deep enough.’ Of course, I had no clue what she meant until I went outside. Whenever I’m frustrated, a nice walk on the beach soothes me. While I stood at the water’s edge, Kaya’s words kept running through my mind. That’s when I thought of the Merfolk.”
“We often forget the Merfolk since they are not so involved in the walking world.” Dagna says.
“After I finally got in contact with them, they told me that Apollo had buried the crystal deep within the reef. Apollo then had one of Hecate’s daughters put a spell on the crystal to keep it from being detected, and asked the Merfolk to keep watch over it.”
“Is it still there?” I can’t keep the hope out of my voice. If we get the crystal, there’s still hope after all.
My hope dies as all three of them shake their heads. “Somehow she found it.” Alanis says, with disappointment.
I throw my hands up in frustration. “How are we supposed to kill her? She seems to have all the power in the world on her side.”
Dagna and Witten have a stare-down. Dagna finally breaks his gaze and turns away. Witten straightens up and addresses me. “We think we know of a way to kill Cerelia but it’s going to take someone of great strength to help us.” Witten pauses a moment, it appears like he’s going to back out of what he was going to say, but he continues. “The Elders and I have been talking for quite some time now and we believe that person is you. I believe that is why Hecate came to us and insisted on your involvement.”
“You think I can kill Cerelia. How?” I ask with disbelief. If I could have got my hands on her in Greenland, I would have been more than happy to take her out, but I couldn’t. No one could. How did they expect me to do it now?
Dagna purses her lips. “We think you can get to Cerelia and hold her while we trap her essence in the staff.”
“Wait, you want me to hold Cerelia? How am I supposed to do that? Last time we couldn’t even get through her protective bubble. How are you going to break through her shield?” I ask.
“We have the Goddess Crystal.” Witten pulls out a crystal that looks to me like any regular quartz crystal. He holds it in his palm carefully. “This was Hecate’s crystal. She gave it to her eldest daughter, who hid it but kept a documented record of where the crystal was in case we ever needed it. Then she hid that document in a secret Covenant records vault that only the Elders can access. After Eldrida’s passing, I went in search of the crystal.”
“What advantage will that give us?” I’m hoping this crystal will be as powerful as the one Cerelia has.
“Hecate enchanted it with a tremendous amount of her power. We’re hoping that it will help us break through Cerelia’s shield. With this crystal, and the power of the moon, we believe we can overpower Cerelia.” Witten places the crystal back in his pocket, zipping it shut.
“So you want me to hold her while you take the staff? What makes you think I can do this?” I don’t seem to hold more power than any other Shadow being so why do they keep coming to me?
“That is why Meira has been encouraging you to find your balance. If you can center yourself and learn how to control your powers, you will be more powerful than Cerelia. No one knows what you’re capable of, not even you.” Dagna says.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?” I ask, furious.
Dagna steps forward, placing her hand on my shoulder. “We didn’t want to pressure you. We thought if you were pressured you wouldn’t ever find your balance.”
I shake her hand off. “Sometimes a little pressure is what we need.” I turn away from them and walk toward the beach. I guess it’s about time I really try to accept myself and my powers, even though it terrifies me.
Chapter Twelve
I find a quiet place on the beach, with the moon light resting on my face. I sit down, crossing my legs Indian-style. As I look at the moon, rising over the water, a calm pull sings a siren song to my body. I let its cool calm rush over me. As my body relaxes, I pray to the gods and goddesses for the first time. I’m not sure of what to say but I try anyway.
“Goddess of the Moon, I ask you to pour your wisdom over me. Bring me guidance so that I may find inner peace with the one you created, allowing your creation to become greater than any other.
Hecate, goddess of the earth, sea, and sky, I ask you to give me power of knowledge and insight. Allow me to use the wisdom you created so that I may live side-by-side with the greatest of Shadows.
Athena, goddess of the Shape-shifters, grant me the compassion and wisdom you once gave the shifters. The eagle is a great honor that has been bestowed upon me. Allow that eagle to be free yet tied evenly to coexist along with my other Shadows.
Hades, god of Vampires, you established strength and eternal life. Provide me with that strength so that I may thrive in the power you created.”
I close my
eyes, facing my palms up to the sky. I don’t connect my fingers in a circle, I just leave my hands open to absorb the moon’s light. I draw in soothing calm breaths as my mind relaxes. Strands of lights, which are jumbled in so many knots it seems impossible to untie, become visible. I push my doubt aside and focus on the knots.
I pick the blue strand to work with first. It’s intertwined with the other threads but not as bad. I start pulling and tugging, working the thread through the knots. After a few minutes, the thread breaks free from the others and floats off to the side on its own. The strand glows brighter and stretches out farther now that it isn’t hindered by the others. I gasp as I feel the power on its own. If this single strand can send such a jolt through me on its own, what will they all feel like?
Fear tries to grip me but I shove it away. I have feared myself for too long. I need to quit worrying about what will happen when I let go, and embrace the possibilities.
I focus back in on the knot, going for the green strand this time. Out of the three colors that are left, it’s the least messy. I work the green thread through the loops, imagining it free like I did with the blue. It takes a little more concentration compared to the blue thread. I start to get agitated, but see the thread start to waver. Taking a calm, soothing breath, I release the agitation and focus on the calm energy emanating from the moon. I can feel its soothing light as it pours illumination over my body.
I grasp hold of the green thread and finally work it all the way out. The thread floats off to the side to align itself with the blue. More power surges through my body as the energy strands stand side-by-side. Okay, I’m halfway there just keep calm, focus.
I repeat this to myself several times before grabbing onto the golden strand. But when I grab it, I’m met with resistance. I try to tug on the strand but it won’t budge. I decide to try the black thread. I concentrate on it and move it through one loop before I’m met with the same resistance I had before. As I closely observe the two strands that are tied together, I see a dark cloud swirling around them. What is that?
Blood Burdens (The Shadow World) Page 17