by Janeen Abdo
The horses guided through the caves they ran nonstop at top speeds. Caves were dark; ground covered with iron tracks they ran through them as if they were not there. Walls were covered with painted pictures, stories of the old times with rebellion symbols. Then Haresh stopped the horses, his mouth dropped as a giant steel locomotive that had crashed in the cave blocked his path. He never imagined them this large; wanting to investigate but knew Desdemona would be furious. He guided the horses around the train. Arrows came out from the top of the train, bandits were hiding in the train. He cannot let them get to Desdemona. He pushed the horses harder.
The bandits jumped from the train whistling, “The mother-load of a carriage” one yelled out. A lit torch flew out in front of the horses and with a squeal they jumped back and Haresh lost control of them. As he pulled the reins and yelled to the horses trying to get them to stop before they got them killed; he will take his chances with the bandits. The horses came to a halt.
“Do you know whose carriage you attack?” Haresh jumped as he yelled at the bandits.
“We don’t care; we want the goods in the carriage.”
As the bandits moved in on the carriage, the door flew open, Desdemona stood in the door way. The bandits dropped to their knees blurting apologies to Desdemona, groveling to her feet, praying to her for forgiveness.
“What type of Goddess would I be without mercy? A feared Goddess,” an evil smile came across her face as she whipped through the men draining their bloods in seconds. Leaving one left. She spoke to the last man, “you share the knowledge I will not tolerate thieves.” She turned to Haresh, “and you my dear Haresh thank you for the nourishment, you may travel with me on my journeys.”
Haresh smiled with pride, “yes my priestess, Zona is right outside this mountain; we will be there before nights end.”
“Well then, I will nap until we arrive.”
Chapter: 13 Waters of the Vision
STRENGTH FILLED ME from being joined with my sisters. I am almost complete, Adrianna will conclude the missing pieces; she is the key to everything. The ability to transform again is there; I thought I start with something small. Wyatt is sleeping while Sera and V are reminiscing.
This is the perfect time to test my strength disappointing no one if I am not strong enough yet. The shimmer is taking place and a small mouse I became. I scurried around until I could hear V and Sera talking.
“If Gaia would have listened to us, none of this would have happened. We cannot keep blaming the Fates for everything that happens. They do not have control over our decisions. Gaia refused to accept Terra and Wyatt, she always takes the creators side in protecting the humans. The humans killed the animals, they chopped down our trees, polluted the air and waters. Maybe we should let Gaia sleep and save the Earth.” V sounded defiant and furious as she vented to Sera.
“V, calm down, we cannot leave Mother trapped in Desdemona spell, it puts all in danger and we need Mother. We are all part of Mother and she is all of us and more... she is the very essence of life. We have to wake her and make her see the ways of the humans cannot be controlled.”
I scurried back to the cave I was sharing with Wyatt and transformed back to find him awake and shaking his head at me.
“Never learn do you?” his sighed. “You will become weak as a human if you keep transforming, we have to waken Gaia. Then transform all you want once she makes you an Elemental again.”
“V doesn’t want to wake mother, she rather leave me human forever and in the same breath destroy the humans. I don’t know what to do Wyatt, I agree with her. The humans cannot keep killing the earth and I am not even sure I can heal it with them on it in my true form. Mother will try to stop us. I am not sure what to do:”
“You are not considering defying your Mother and leaving her to the clutches of Desdemona! Terra this is not who I fell in love with, you need to find you again, eaves dropping and making decisions with only bits of knowledge”
“Tell me who I was, I have memories and see and remember situation. No idea on how I have felt about them. I do not understand how to interpret any of it. It doesn’t seem real anymore. Confusion and anger is all that is real to me, I thought the memories would tell me everything, but it’s like watching a picture wheel and none is true.”
Wyatt took Terra in his arms, ran his hand through her hair. “I am biased for you. I know you are adventurous and compassionate. Do not look at the humans just as an Elemental, you lived among them. Do you think they all should die?”
“What I think and what is necessary are not the same,” I curled into Wyatt’s arms and drifted asleep.
Wyatt is stroking my hair as I wake. I do not want to wake, just lay in his arms forever. Wish we could just go back to how it was before Gaia named me to run everything and told me I had to marry Horardo.
Sera enter into our little cave, “all right you two, I know humans need sleep but we got to go. We have to go back to the ponds and return to the Earth realm. Adrianna is hiding underground there.
“We have to dive into that pond again, where is she on the Earth?”
“They used to call it the Gulf of Mexico, when there was water in it.” V piped in as she strutted into the cave.
I am so tired; everything has been such a whirlwind since I have met Wyatt again. I glance over at him and catch my breath at how beautiful he is. He is the main reason I am leery of waking Mother, what if she still does not allow me to be with him? I cannot let him go to the Faye Queen and be miserable.
We head back to the ponds. All the trees surround this pond, bending in different directions. V wave’s good bye to her dragons as she dived into the pool of water creating waves, soaking me head to toe. So I dive after her.
I come up in the familiar slew of New Orleans, I notice the trees look different, the pure white bark is starting to crack and break away. I did not know dead trees can die more. Something has happened since we last left, I can feel something off with the Earth and nature of it.
“Should I transform and fly us all there?” I asked with a hopeful plea in my voice.
“NO!” unanimously sounded off.
“We need you to reserve your strength. We may have to face Desdemona and we need all of our gifts.”
I was disappointed, I want to transform, and I feel so free in animal form. My instincts and senses are so heightened. We continue walking and Sera starts laughing, “You may not be allowed to transform but I believe we can ride the lightning.”
“That may draw attention to us Sera,” V used a cautious tone like she could sense something.
Shadows start to move in around us. V starts watching them closely, “I do not like being human size with these little buggers swarming us”
“You think lightning bolts would draw attention to us, but not 80 foot tall women, that basically transparent and winds and flames swirling around us would not draw attention.”
“Shut up and light your bolts and get us out of here before they start to move in on us” V yelled as Sera shot bolts of lightning out. They all jumped on to ride all the way to the gulf.
Riding lightning is fast, not as amazing as a dragon, but exciting. You have balance just right or it burns you. With each crack we are moved about 100 miles or so. We arrive by the gulf in no time.
The landscape looks so familiar to me. I am not sure why, the ground is orange and desolate, rock hard and I cannot believe that this was once a body of water. How can we bring this back from this much destruction? I see the desert grounds surrounding us, the sun beating down and the heat absorbing any chance of moisture in the sky or ground. I become weaker, something is happening to me, to the Earth. I don’t know where or why, I just drop to the ground.
The pain of the Earth overwhelms me; it brings tears to my eyes. I lay on the ground staring at a crack in the ground. The dry hard rocky ground; my tears run down my cheek as I feel all the suffering that has gone on in this small part of the world. I see my tears filling the crack in the Earth an
d it starts to open more. A small stream is born as my tears keep falling, I cannot stop, and the pain is unbearable. The small stream grows into a small river that forms a pool and it starts to fill the pools where once a deep great Gulf laid. I stare into the shallow pools and remember when the Earth had more water than land, how it balanced life and prospered by its own process. My tears stop falling and where once was a barren of hard land, now a river of sorrow has grown and feeds into a small pool. This shows hope for the Earth to be saved. I look into the mirror of waters, like a looking glass into another world. Adrianna, she smiles at me through the waters. I call out to Sera, V and Wyatt. We know how to get to Adrianna now. The pool is the gateway.
Wyatt stops and looks at Terra, he looks at the river and mumbles something about the river of tears legend being reborn. V and Sera both kneel to touch the flowing water, Sera smiles as she can hear Adrianna to come to her and trust the pools and dives. They each dive in one by one. The portal they pass in and come out in a fountain on the other side. Adrianna stands over them smiling. “Finally sisters you have come.”
Chapter 14: DRUIDS, WICCA AND WITCHES
ADARA WALKS THROUGH her fairy lands remember what she saw as Terra passed through the worlds. She saw what the Fates wanted her to see. She stood atop the hill looking over the pools of clear water. The fish jumping and frogs bellowing, she tried to save as much as she could. The fires the humans set killed so much of the habitats. They turned Sera against herself and used her gifts to destroy the forests and jungles. Sera had to go into hiding to control the fires from spreading out of control. They dried the Earth forcing Adrianna into hiding and V just left out of anger and hate. Adara fluttered her wings and flew to another branch. The Fates showed her three paths of what may be the only finale she wants to see is the humans gone and Wyatt at her side. Doubt fills her as she understands that he will never be hers.
She watches her land as sees the parting the realms. Her curiosity is peaked as she stretches and flies to where the gateway has open. She sees a young man with Rune tattoos covering his body. He has dusty brown hair with round blue eyes. Her seductions instincts take over as she watches him step through the gateway. He is preparing a ritual. The druids perform these on Earth to be closest to the Mother. Adara, confused to what brings this beautiful druid to her realm. She shimmers into human form to greet the young druid.
Out of nowhere she appears in front of the young druid. He looks at her and is questioning her sudden appearance. He looks back at the candle he holds in his hands, “I am not sure what you are, but I see the magic in you. Let me call on to our great mother for mercy on the humans. I fear the Earth is in such pain she may not here my pleading over the pains the planet is enduring,”
Adara carefully looks at the druid, “what do they call you druid?”
“Dominic”, he replies as he continues to light his sage stick and incense.
“She will not hear you, the dark Witch holds her captive.” Adara admires the Druids loyalty and belief in the Great mother. Once she believed the Great Mother would always protect her and her kind. The humans ruin everything,
Dominic stops, he looks at Adara. “I have heard the stories I believe the great Mother will hear me. She will accept my offering of the magic I have used to save her. Then we may be able to heal the Earth.”
This took Adara by surprise if all the Druids and Wicca would share their magic in the Earth. They may help wake the Great Mother and weaken the Dark Witch. “Do all of you Druids feel you can help this way, would they be willing to give their magic back into the Earth?”
“I cannot speak for others, but yes many of us Druids and Wicca that will sacrifice for our Mother.”
Adara blows out his candles, “Save these and gather your Druids and Wiccans meet me when the moon wanes and is high above the swamp in Orleans. Gather as many as you can young Druid, we have a planet to take back.” The Faye Queen felt hope for the first time in centuries.
Dominic looks at the Faye queen and smiles; “You are one of magic, I will gather as many of my brothers and sisters as I can. We will meet you at the swamps of Orleans.”
Dominic journeyed back through the portal to his small town in Chalmette. He knew of many he though would join him in helping the little magic woman reach their beloved Gaia. He trudged through the heat, looking at the lands his stories have told him were once full of water and sloughs. Outside of the big swamp by Orleans nothing but hard rock, desert here now. They only hope Gaia will repair it and bring back the original beauty and most of all the joys of water.
He reached his small hut right on skirts of town and lit the torch he kept outside his door. He then took incense that when he put it to the fire orange puffs of smoke would go up in the sky. This is a signal for all the Druids and Wiccans to meet in the hidden caves. They must meet in secret their practices and beliefs are not accepted by the people. If it should get back to Desdemona that Druids still exist, she will execute them in public. Wiccans and Druids have the same magic gifts as the Witches but they care about where that magic comes from and how it is used.
The Witches do not; they will venture to the dark spirits and blood magic that has driven many to insanity because it’s not natural. Bound with the Wiccan and the magic from the small woman he had met may be enough magic to push the witches out. Get power back to Gaia so she can wake. The Elementals abandoned them and the Christians backed down when Desdemona came into power. I cannot blame them for going into hiding, torture is her specialty.
All the druids and Wiccans that lived around and in Chalmette all met in a small patch of field. Dominic stood on top of a large rock as he watched his brothers and sisters come together around him. He sits down on the rock and greets them all as they come to him and join in a circle. “I have news, I ventured to the swamps, and I found the gateway. I met a small woman that glowed and beamed of magic in her very being. She was exquisite, she wants us to join with her powers to amplify them, and try to wake the Great Mother from her sleeping spell. I ask all of you to join me and go to the swamps.”
“That would be dangerous, don’t you think they will notice that many of us missing? How do we know she is not one of Desdemona’s tricks?” The Druids were nervous and not trusting what Dominic had seen.
“I believe the signs line up, I believe Dominic can sense the positive powers of this magical-being. She has been sent as a guide.” Annabella stands to join Dominic, “my wiccan coven shall join you.”
Dominic felt relief by Annabella joining, she leads a strong coven and will influence many in his cause. “Thank you Annabella, we are to meet the magical one at the swamps in Orleans when the moon starts to wan. Two nights we should be there, we need to leave in small groups so not to be noticed right away.”
The Druids and Wiccans agreed there were twenty of them in the village. They can leave in small groups of five and meet up at the swamps and pray to Gaia. They hope that Dominic is right about this woman.
Annabella walks back to her small home in town; she knows her coven will follow her. She is the priestess; she goes down to her basement and opens a back door where she practices her gift. She lights her candles and calls the four corners, she looks into the flame as her eyes haze. Annabella has the gift of being a seer, she does see the Elementals and they are coming back. A small woman is standing before her and looking at her as if she can see her having the vision. Annabella shook her head, this has never happened before, who was that woman. She packed her things to join her sisters, they shall head out first.
Kaleb approached Annabella and her coven of four, “may I walk with you to the swamps?” He was so soft spoken that Annabella almost was not sure if he spoke. Kaleb was a quiet man, always kept to him; he is not a Druid or a Wiccan but he always joins with them. He has respect for our ways and he is kind. All the traits of the Wicca, he may be a private one, and you do not have to be with a coven to be Wicca.
She looked into soft green eyes and seen such warmth and depth in
his eyes, “of course, you may join us Kaleb. We would enjoy having you walk with us.”
Dominic gathers his druid brothers and sisters to figure out the best time and route to go back to the swamps. He knew how and when Annabella was going. The twins Gavina and Gwain joined in the conversation. “We can send out the hawks to be our eyes and make sure the path is safe for the journey.”
Dominic shook his head yes, and looked at the twins, “Will you take the last group to ensure we all get there. We are going in three groups; Annabella and Kaleb have already left with her coven. I shall take my small group and then the few who follow us but do not practice. Can you guide these people to the lands?”
Gavina looked at Gwain and back to Dominic, “Why are we bringing the humans with no gifts?”
“Everyone has a gift; it may not be as obvious as yours or mine, but they are gifts all the same. We can use all the faith we can to try to reach the Great Mother. They shall all go if they wish to join us.”
Gwain shook his head yes, “I would be honored to be a part of this journey. I think the humans will see for once that working as one, all of us, strengthens us and becomes a better race. The division our world has gone through has made each state weaker as a whole; we are no longer a nation. I believe we need to join together; Desdemona will not keep anyone she may feel is a threat. The witches are becoming powerful and dangerous.”
Dominic sensed the pride that Gwain carried in his beliefs and the faith he and his sister have and was relieved they had joined with him. They released their hawk and Gavina went into a trance- like state. Gwain held her small hand and they could see through the Hawks eyes, she is one of the last hawks to exist. Dominic thinks about how that last hawk would not exist if it was not the eyes of Gwain and Gavina. “The path is clear” Gwain announces as Gavina stays in the trance -like state.