Sacred Circle

by James, Rachel

“The earth needs time to neutralize the stash of energy, Brad,” Devlin stated. “When Brianna’s safe to touch, everything else will be too.”

  Brianna felt a tap on her elbow and jumped under the sensation.

  “You’re still a live-wire,” Devlin admonished, dropping his hand and shaking it.

  “It’s a fitting punishment for the wicked,” Brianna replied, brushing her goose-caked arms.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I performed an ancient ritual that no solitary witch should’ve ever tried.”

  A chuckle sounded in her ears.

  “No other witch would’ve had the power to do it, so your reasoning makes no sense,” Devlin muttered. “You’re not your mother’s daughter for nothing, you know. And just because you don’t care to follow in her footsteps, doesn’t mean you didn’t get some of her abilities passed on via your DNA.”

  He was right, Brianna knew, and there was a time when she would’ve considered those abilities a great treasure. But now, too much time had passed and she had traveled too many miles away from the spiritual path of her parents. She gave a huge sigh. If the last few minutes had taught her anything, it was that some roads were dead-ends, and should never be traveled again. Brianna shook off her shivers.

  “I can finally feel my toes and fingers again.”

  Her eye caught the objects scattered around the circle, and she wondered why the little voice in her head was suddenly nagging her to look at her mother’s body rather than the desecrated objects.

  “Rrr-oww.”

  The loud cry sounded a second before Brianna felt a black form hop in her lap and take up residence there.

  “Go away, Nicodemus,” the doctor shooed. The cat growled at the doctor, but held its course. Brianna petted the sleek fur, drawn to the loud purrs now emanating.

  “His name is Nicodemus?” she asked, scratching his ears.

  “Your Mother’s cat,” the doctor replied. He glanced at the feline curling into a ball in Brianna’s lap. “She loves him, though I don’t know why; he’s an obnoxious creature.”

  “I know why,” Brianna said, scratching his head. “He’s a royal cat; I can feel it.” The purrs got louder at her words, and Brianna sensed the cat would not give up her lap, no matter how much coaxing the doctor might try.

  “Praise the Lord and Lady. I feel a pulse.”

  His words had Brianna shoving Nicodemus off her lap. He spat at her angrily, but she ignored the hiss. She watched as the doctor felt along her mother’s neck artery and then listened to her heartbeat with his stethoscope. “She’s alive, though I can’t explain how or why.” His gaze skipped to Brianna’s. “I don’t know what you did, but whatever it was, I think you pulled your mother back from the River of Souls. Her lungs are barely working, but I detect a trace of life still there. You’ve managed to create a miracle.”

  Brianna scoffed at his compliment as Devlin dropped beside her.

  “There is no possible way I c-could’ve pulled my mother back from S-summerland with that ritual. If she’s still alive, it’s because she c-c-chose to be. Whatever happened to her, she was not willing to let the sin stand.”

  “Either way, you’ve managed to help us avert a catastrophe.”

  He raised his hand and gave a frantic wave. Brianna heard the sound of rushing footsteps and scooted out of the way as two tall teens with dark hair, dropped to their knees. In a matter of seconds, the boys had lifted her mother’s listless body to a stretcher, hoisted it up, and left the clearing with Brad calling out instructions to a third youth, who met them when they reached the crest of the hill.

  Brianna scrambled to her feet, feeling a brush along her ankle, and a loud meow. She glanced down at the form rubbing his chin along her lower leg and smiled. Nicodemus—ever vigilant, she mused, a true Priestess’ familiar. She felt a tug on her arm, and the cat bounded a few yards away.

  “How are the shakes?” Devlin asked.

  “Gone, and my vision’s back.”

  A long sigh emanated.

  “It’s a good thing the elementals wanted to leave the circle more than they wanted to exact punishment for being trapped.”

  Brianna’s brain shot to attention at his words.

  “What did you just say?”

  “You heard me.”

  “That’s it. I couldn’t imagine why the elementals were so furious at being released. They should’ve been elated to leave, but they weren’t. I could sense it.” She turned to Tommy. “How long would it take to file charges against the coven, Tommy?”

  She felt a touch on her arm and jumped under the shock wave. Devlin’s scowl was fierce.

  “You’re not filing charges against anyone. Not without proof.”

  “I have proof.” Brianna ticked off the reasons on her fingers. “The circle was closed; there was no leakage of energy anywhere, and the quarters were left inside the circle on purpose.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure. And you know I’m right because Mother’s still alive. It isn’t possible to be alive after five days comatose—unless you’re a High Priestess with the skills to thwart an attack.”

  “Which means one of the Elders is behind the collapse?” Tommy asked, from their right.

  Devlin’s scowl deepened.

  “We do not know that. We only have Brianna’s hunch to go by, and I don’t think we can rely on that at this stage. She’s not fully recovered from the cleansing.”

  Anger suffused Brianna’s cheeks.

  “I’ll pit my intuition against yours any day, Devlin Janus, and if you remember, you told me to pay attention as I dispatched the Guardians. Well, I did, and now I’m going to do something about it.”

  Brianna’s elbow was snatched roughly, and her body propelled towards the rise.

  “Before I let my wife make a complete mockery of her heritage by accusing a coven member of an evil deed, you and I are going to have a little chat. And this time, you’re not going to invoke any of that High Priestess crap with me.” He flashed a wave at Tommy. “Stay and take notes on the items in the circle, Tommy. Rufus will want to claim them, and I want a complete inventory before he does.”

  Tommy nodded his head and Brianna wondered why Tommy agreed to follow Devlin’s orders; however, Devlin’s tight hold on her arm propelled her up and over the rise so fast that all she could do was attempt to catch her breath and stay on her feet. In less than thirty seconds, they were entering the wooded path and approaching the standing footbridge.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THE FOOTBRIDGE

  Reaching the shade, Devlin swung Brianna to face him.

  “Did you lose all your senses during the ritual? Or is it that you hate this commune so much that you would jeopardize its existence by formally accusing a member of the congregation of a sacrilegious practice?”

  Brianna pulled from his grasp.

  “I don’t see why you are accusing me of what you should be doing. After all, you don’t owe them anything. They turned their backs on you, so why do you care what I accuse them of?”

  “Because it matters, deep in my soul, what you do,” Devlin stated, giving her an airy wave. His voice suddenly turned brittle. “Now that the crisis has been averted, Mrs. Janus, we’re leaving.”

  Obviously stunned, Brianna took a step back.

  “Leaving?”

  “We’ve done what we came to do, and now it’s time to let the Elder Council handle the rest.”

  “Are you insane?” she croaked at him. “The Council will mark this incident down as an incident the Ancients decreed.”

  “Let them. We won’t be here to challenge it.”

  Dismissing his words, Brianna skirted his shoulders.

  “I’m not going home until the sinner is found and brought to justice before the Council.”

  Stepping forward, Devlin yanked Brianna back around.

  “The Council’s more than capable of finding the sinner without your help.”

  B
rianna shook her head.

  “They won’t punish the sinner without a push from me, though.”

  “And just how do you intend to push them?”

  “By reminding them that I am the current High Priestess of this coven.”

  Her words stunned him, but he recovered quickly. Snatching her shoulders, he shook them.

  “Invoking rights that you have no intention of honoring isn’t the game you want to play here. It’s unfair to use your status against the Council.”

  “It’s the only leverage I have,” Brianna responded. “You’ve seen how we’ve been treated so far. Nothing but half-truths—or outright lies.”

  He frowned at her words.

  “So we respond to their bad manners by lying to them?”

  “If that’s what it takes, yes,” Brianna replied. She whirled about, continuing towards the footbridge. “We’re finally making headway, and I’m not going to start going backwards at this point.”

  Devlin re-grasped her shoulders and spun her around again.

  “Suppose you do bully the Council into sanctioning the sinner, what then?”

  “I leave here knowing that I’ve atoned for Brenda’s death.”

  Devlin’s gargled croak rent the air.

  “My God, you earned that forgiveness ten minutes ago—when you saved your Mother.”

  “And when she’s well, I’ll recant the invocation and leave.”

  Devlin glowered at her, his tone turning surly.

  “We don’t belong here anymore, Brianna. I know you’ve sensed it, because I’ve sensed it through you. There’s no further reason to stay, but at least when we leave, it’s our choice this time—not theirs.”

  Her eyes suddenly ringed with tears, but Devlin hardened his heart to them. Her tears were not going to sway his decision. If she wasn’t going to think of her own safety, he would. Her voice broke through his thoughts.

  “Why can’t you understand that I owe it to Mother not to leave here with things unfinished?” she asked.

  He pounded his forehead.

  “How can you be so smart, and yet so blind? Have you not noticed the damn cat?”

  A startled expression crossed her face at the question.

  “Nicodemus?” Devlin’s hand waved impatiently, to a spot behind her. Brianna turned, spotting the cat sitting just beyond the footbridge, staring at her. “What does he have to do with anything?” she queried, swinging back.

  “He has everything to do with it. If you weren’t so focused on hammering out justice, you’d notice that since we cleansed the circle, he is continually skirting the fabric of your aura, attempting to cement the Binding.”

  “Binding?”

  Devlin gave a fractured growl this time.

  “Have you forgotten your studies?” He ticked off on his fingers. “The Hand-fasting, the Joining, the Binding, the Crowning.” His signaled the cat again. “Nicodemus is a royal cat, and like his ancestors, he can only bond with a High Priestess.”

  “An old witch’s tale,” Brianna scoffed. “Nicodemus belongs to Mother, and always will. When she’s herself again, he’ll resume his allegiance to her.”

  “Your mother will never resume her position as High Priestess,” Devlin exclaimed. “You saw to that when you invoked your rights. Can you not see that your mother knew if she transferred her powers to you, Nicodemus would transfer his allegiance to you too? She knew that by using his powers, and hers, plus your own, the spell could be fractured and then reversed.”

  Intense astonishment touched Brianna’s face, and Devlin realized she had never once considered the possibility that her mother had made an incredible sacrifice that couldn’t be undone. The thought must’ve made her heart flutter though, because he saw her clutch the front of her blouse. A ring of tears surfaced again.

  “You’re saying Mother chose to die? That she lost all hope of survival?”

  Devlin leaned into her, tilting his head towards hers.

  “I’m saying that she initiated a change of power in the hopes that you would find a way to keep her alive. Though we didn’t know it then, your invocation was what she was banking on. With you as High Priestess, your powers will be hard to thwart. It’s clear your mother recognized the sinner, and knew the only way to stop him, or her, was to make you as powerful as possible. Now, you’ve managed to pass the first two evocations—with flying colors, I might add,” he told her, softly. She colored up fiercely, and he squelched a desire to kiss her soundly. “The Binding is now in motion,” he stated, grasping her shoulders. “Nicodemus will continue to attempt to merge with your essence, and once he does, there will be no going back, no chance to change your mind. Is that what you want? To give up all you own, and take responsibility for the coven?”

  Brianna shrugged from his grasp, and Devlin knew she was dissecting his question. Was she ready to throw her current life away? Perhaps, days ago, she might’ve been. But now? He saw her suppress a sob as Nicodemus inched closer to the footbridge.

  “You’re right,” she finally stated. “Nicodemus is skirting my aura.” She fell silent and Devlin wished she hadn’t. When she went quiet, her energy pulled away from him, and it took a lot more of his energy to cross the distance and re-merge with hers. He stepped closer, and his words held a degree of warmth and concern.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking. It unnerves me when you go all quiet like this. Do you want to stay and hope that you can evade Nicodemus long enough for us to push the congregation for answers?”

  She whirled, her eyes widening in surprise.

  “And if I say yes?”

  His lips twitched.

  “I’d have to stay and push with you. That’s a no-brainer.”

  Brianna made a face at him.

  “There’s no need for sarcasm.”

  He made a face back at her.

  “Don’t tell me my insults have finally managed to prick that tough hide of yours, Mrs. Janus?”

  “Stop calling me Mrs. Janus in that condescending way. And yes, your insults have worked. You’ve shamed me into seeing the big picture.”

  Devlin’s fingers raked through his hair.

  “I know I’m going to be sorry I asked this, but what is the big picture?”

  She leaned against the bridge railing, surveying his face.

  “If I leave, I betray Mother’s faith in me, and her unconditional love for this community, especially if I don’t consent to the Binding. Any continued refusal to bind with Nicodemus will cause him harm, and if that occurs, I will lose my soul.” She straightened from the rail with a sigh and frivolous wave. “Besides, I can’t have the Ancients condemning you for what are clearly my Karmic debts.”

  Devlin’s wave dismissed hers.

  “Slow down, Rapunzel. You aren’t living in that ivory tower of yours alone, you know. I have sins of my own to atone for here.”

  Brianna held up her hand.

  “I think we’re way past that argument now, especially since you sensed Mother had a premonition of all this and I didn’t.”

  “It’s a hunch, nothing more.”

  “But it makes perfect sense—and that’s why we’re staying.”

  An amused grin came her way.

  “You’re one hell of a she-bear, Mrs. Janus.”

  “And you’re an incredible ass,” she stated, whirling. Devlin chuckled again, tracing her footsteps. Hearing the laugh, she spun on her toes, walking backward as she railed him. “If you don’t stop calling me Mrs. Janus, or Cinderella, or Rapunzel, I’ll be forced to place a curse on your head that not even you can reverse.”

  “I’m not that brave, Sleeping Beauty,” he muttered, as she swiveled and headed towards the distant trees. His footsteps soon dogged hers on the mulched path, and then, taking charge, he snatched her fingers, passed her, and pulled her along behind him. When they reached the intersection to the cottage, he slowed their steps.

  “We’ll make a pit stop at the cottage first, then go and check on your mother, and then afte
r that, we’ll start pushing for answers.”

  “And if there’s time,” Brianna interrupted. “We’ll visit Papa and tell him we’re not leaving.”

  Devlin clasped her fingers, and lifting them, he kissed the digits.

  “Your father will hit the ceiling when he learns we’re married,” he stated. Brianna pulled her fingers from his.

  “He’ll be fine when we sign and present the annulment papers to him.”

  “If we sign the papers,” Devlin emphasized. “Right now, I’m enjoying having a powerful High Priestess in my life. And, as my wife.” He winked at her, and then whirling her about, he pushed her towards the driveway ahead. “Get a move on, Cinderella. I need to use the bathroom—stat.”

  “You can use the little boy’s room without me. I’ll meet you at the clinic,” she said, pulling away. He snatched her elbow back, holding her in place.

  “We need to stay together. Now that you’ve cleansed the circle, you will be our sinner’s next target.”

  “He’ll have to go through Nicodemus first,” Brianna retorted, signaling the cat traversing the road behind them.

  “Damn cat!”

  “Be nice,” Brianna warned, “Or I might have to unleash his powers on you.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “I don’t believe in threats,” Brianna answered, “I prefer the real thing.”

  “I’m not your pet mouse, Cinderella.”

  “No, you’re just a sex toy I can dispose of when I choose,” she shot back. A black silence followed the taunt and, obviously seeing the dangerous glitter of his eyes, Brianna took a hasty step back from him. “I was kidding. I’d never use Nicodemus to terrorize you.”

  “You really are an infuriating brat.” Devlin stated, studying her posture. “And while we’re on the subject of sex, I intend to make love to you tonight—all night.”

  He didn’t wait for her reaction, just turned and headed towards the rooftop now peeping between the trees.

  • • •

  Watching him go, Brianna’s cheeks became warm. Merciful heavens! He wanted another sexual interlude with her—twice in one day. And what do we think about that? her inner voice asked. She grinned amiably. That the Joining was extremely pleasurable—in its entirety. Her alter ego sent up another thought. What if he just wants a little sex to curtail his frustration with the turn of events? Her shoulders sagged suddenly. Her mother’s investigation would be sacked, that’s what. And it would be written up in the Coven Book of Shadows as “one of those things.” The thought depressed her so much that she gave a choked sob. A moment later, strong fingers shook her frame.