by Bonnie Lamer
The next tree, I draw a chalice. Okay, my chalice looks a little bit like a sippy cup but, hey, I’m not an artist. “The Divine chalice filled with love, water, salt and wing of dove, from your lips to mine, this elixir of life, hold me fast against nameless strife. Fill my body, cleanse my soul, wash away thine enemy’s hold.”
I have to draw a candle on the next tree. I sure hope I’m not graded on the quality of my symbols. “By wind and fire, this molten flow, brings light from dark in a hollow soul. Bless me now with your love, light and power, become one with me this fateful hour.”
Next is the shield. Or in my case, the almost circle with a couple of points on the top. “Defender of sky, forest and field, breathe upon me your heavenly shield. Humbled by your mighty presence, fill me with your holy essence. With my life force held in hand, protect me as I make my stand.”
“This last tree will bind the spell and close the circuit,” Grandma says as she moves to an elder tree.
“Shouldn’t it be another oak tree?” I ask.
Grandma shakes her head. “The elder tree is a magical entity that has enough power to bind the oaks.”
I look at the elder tree with more respect. I guess the term ‘mighty oak’ isn’t as accurate as I thought. Looking down at my paper, I groan inwardly. I have to draw a pentacle and then place a drop of my blood on each point. Yeah, I need to take those iron supplements. Hope that won’t affect Kallen when he kisses me with his sensitivity to iron.
Drawing the pentacle with the last of the clay mixture, I then take Mom’s athame out of my pocket and jab the end of my finger. Squeezing a drop onto each point, I read the final part of the spell. Grandma called it the Act of Drawing Down the Moon. Mom was familiar with it, but not that its origins were this old. I read through it once in my mind before reading it out loud, making sure that I say it precisely.
“Bewitching Goddess of the cross roads
Whose secrets are kept in the night,
You are half remembered, half forgotten
And are found in the shadows of the night.
From the misty hidden caverns
In ancient magic days,
Comes the truth once forbidden
Of thy heavenly veiled ways.
Cloaked in velvet darkness
A dancer in the flames
You who are called Diana, Hecate,
And many other names.
I call upon your wisdom
And beseech thee from this time,
To enter my expectant soul
That our essence shall combine.
I beckon thee O Ancient One
From far and distant shore,
Come, come be with me now
This I ask, and nothing more.”
A gentle wind begins to blow through the trees and it takes me a moment to realize that it’s following the circuit of the trees I marked. It picks up speed and soon loose snow is spiraling around us, marking the walls of the protection spell as it circles around the house. I’m assuming this means that I did it right. If the proud smile on Grandma’s face means anything, then I’m assuming correctly.
“Remarkable,” Kallen whispers. Why is he so awestruck with this?
Narrowing my eyes, I say quietly enough so Grandma can’t hear above the now whistling wind, “What, are you her number one fan, now?” Okay, that may have been a little testy of me. But it was just a few hours ago that he was just as leery of her as me. If he’s not going to tell me what changed his mind, then I guess he has to put up with me being grouchy about it.
Kallen says something but I don’t hear him. The wind is whipping around the protections circle now and there’s a loud piercing sound underneath it that makes me put my hands over my ears. I fall to my knees; the sound is raging in my head, deadening all my other senses. I wonder if this is how dogs feel when one of those high pitched dog whistles are blown. Kallen is kneeling in front of me. He’s saying something but I can’t hear him. He looks worried and he doesn’t look like he’s bothered by the sound like I am. I wonder if he can even hear it. Maybe it’s the Witch part of me that’s being affected?
Grandma’s in front of me now. She’s kneeling in the snow in her skirt again. I wonder why she hasn’t changed her clothes. She’s pulling on my arms, trying to get me to uncover my ears. She’s saying something but I can’t hear her any better than I could hear Kallen. She turns to him and says something, and the next thing I know, Kallen is pulling my arms down. Why are they doing this to me? The sound is so painful now, it feels like it’s piercing my brain, fileting it, and then shredding it to pieces. Kallen gets my hands away from my ears. He shrinks back slightly, I’m assuming from the death glare I know I’m giving him, but he holds my arms firm.
“Xandra!” Grandma shouts. “Accept it! Stop trying to block it. Let the magic take hold!” Let the magic take hold? Is she crazy? It’s trying to kill me.
“Xandra, listen to her,” Kallen shouts. I shake my head adamantly. I don’t want to die like this. He puts his hands on my cheeks. “Trust me!” And then his lips are on mine.
And I thought I was mad at him a second ago. Now I’m really angry. How dare he kiss me, thinking that’s going to make everything better? I’m not Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. In this world, a kiss doesn’t solve everything. I put my hands on his chest to push him away so I can tell him exactly what I think of his egotistical, chauvinistic, Dark Ages, macho crap, when I realize something. The sound isn’t as deafening as it was a minute ago. It’s quieting in my head. As my body begins to relax, Kallen’s kiss becomes gentler and I feel myself responding. My kiss becomes hungry as the last bit of pain dies away. Now, all I feel is passion – and power. My body feels as if it’s glowing from the inside out. This is different than using my Fairy magic. This is power that radiates from my pores, makes my skin tingle as my internal light shines through. I wind my arms around Kallen, pulling him closer. He hesitates for a heartbeat but then is swept away with my passion. He is mine. I have become the Seductress, the Huntress, Guardian of Mind and Body, Talisman of Peace and Safety, Defender of Light. The Wisdom that has filled me will lead us down the path of Justice.
I feel the light become brighter within me as our lips dance in passion and love. With eyes closed, I see it stream forth, filling the circle created by the trees, shining its protection on everyone and everything inside of it. As the light swells to a climax, I am filled with a sense of divine peace that settles in my very core. That’s the last thing I remember before my body collapses in Kallen’s arms.
Chapter 8
It’s always so disconcerting to pass out one place and wake up in another. Not that I’ve passed out a lot, but it seems to be happening more and more lately. I’m lying on my bed and the blinds are closed, but I’m pretty sure that it’s getting dark out. I must have been out for a while. I turn my head and Kallen’s face comes into view. He’s lying on his stomach next to me, with his arms folded under his head. His eyes are closed, but as soon as he realizes I’m awake, he opens them.
“You were sleeping the sleep of the dead. I am glad to see you have returned to us.”
I lift my arms over my head and stretch. For some reason, I’m sore all over. “Did I miss dinner? I’m starved.”
His eyebrows rise in amusement. “You only missed it by several hours.”
I frown. “What do you mean? It doesn’t look that dark out yet. Why did you guys eat so early?”
Now he looks even more amused. “What time do you think it is?”
I cheat and glance quickly at the clock. “Five thirty.”
He chuckles. “Good guess. AM or PM?”
No, he can’t mean what I think he means. “PM,” I say obstinately.
“Guess again. That is not the sun setting,” he says as he points to the window. “That is the sun rising.”
“What? Why did you guys let me sleep so long?” There’s so much to do and they just let me lay in bed all day? Mom and Dad never let me do that. This seems like a st
range time to start.
“It was not our choice. You proved to be a more powerful conduit for the spell than your grandmother thought you would be. You were unable to be roused as your body adjusted to the onslaught of magic racing between you and the protection circle.”
I groan. “I can’t believe I wasted a whole day being passed out. Is there ever going to be any magic that I can do right?”
Kallen chuckles again. “The question is not can you do the magic correctly, the question is, are you too powerful to perform certain spells without ramifications. The answer is yes.”
“Maybe I should just have you and Mom bind my powers again and call it good.”
Kallen looks surprised. “Why would you willingly give up your magic?”
I shrug. “I haven’t needed it the last seventeen years. What do I need it for now?”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Namely, to keep yourself alive.”
“But if my powers are bound, no one would have to worry about me. I wouldn’t be a threat to anyone.”
Now he’s looking at me like I have the naiveté of a two year old. “The simple fact that you exist at all is enough of a threat to scare even the most powerful Witch. No one would trust that you would allow your magic to remain bound.”
“That sounds like a great future – constantly battling to stay alive. What if I let the Witan do it?”
His answer comes out as a growl. “I would sooner see you dead myself than let those monsters get their hands on you. If they bothered to keep you alive at all, they would keep you in a mindless stasis for the rest of your days. You would cease to be, either way.”
That was pretty intense. “Wow, tell me how you really feel about it.”
His brows slam together. “I did...”
I put my hand up to stop him. “I was being facetious. I get that you really don’t want me to have the Witan bind my powers. It’s just a little overwhelming that there are always going to be people who want me dead.”
He slips his arm out from under his head and uses it to pull me closer. “Then maybe you should spend more time thinking about people who very much want you alive.”
That makes me smile even if it’s not a solution. I kiss him lightly and then pull back. “Seriously, my life is always going to be one battle after another, isn’t it?”
He takes several heartbeats to answer. I assume he’s trying to decide between saying what I want to hear and saying the truth. “Hopefully, once you have proven yourself stronger than the Witan, you will be left alone.”
I can’t help a strangled laugh. “Do things really work that way in the land of the Fae? Because they don’t work that way here. In this realm, there’s always someone who wants to prove that they’re stronger or meaner or better than you. I might as well hang a sign on the door that says ‘challengers welcome.’ It’s dangerous for anyone to be around me.”
He pushes a strand of my hair back behind my ear and then strokes my cheek with his thumb. “Your life may be difficult, yes. But that does not mean that you give up. You have a generous and courageous heart and you are surrounded by people who love you – myself included. I will gladly take the danger you bring with you to keep you in my life.”
I try to smile through the tears that have decided to well up in my eyes. “That’s not fighting fair.”
He looks honestly confused. “What do you mean?”
“You know you’re irresistible when you’re being so nice and sweet. You could probably convince me I can fly when you act like this.”
His confusion morphs into a sexy grin. “I will keep that information safely tucked away for later. I can think of several things I would like to convince you to do with me.”
I laugh. “I’m sure you can.” I lean in and kiss him again. Just a sweet, gentle kiss. Then I lean my forehead against his. “Can’t we create a circle between realms and live there forever?”
“As much as I would like to have you all to myself like that, I am afraid you would miss your family.”
“You miss your grandmother, right?”
Sadness touches his eyes. “Very much.”
“Then why is it different for me?”
“I knew when I came here that I would never see her again. We said our good byes, and I know that she is content to have me live here with you.”
I sigh heavily. “I just wish life could be as simple as it was before I found out I had magic. It really hasn’t done a lot of great things for me.”
He strokes my cheek again. “That is a tragedy. You should be able to revel in the fact that you are a magical being.”
“Maybe the reveling will come later. Right now, I’m pretty mired in the woe is me aspect of my magic.”
He’s about to say something when there’s a whisper through the door. “Kallen, is she awake?”
I groan. I’m not really ready to face everyone yet. I’m sure they’re all pretty disappointed in the fact that I just passed out on them. What are we going to do now that we’re not even close to being prepared to face Grandpa and his Witches? “I’m awake, Mom. We’ll be right out.” Turning back to Kallen, I ask, “Are you sorry you stayed in this realm, yet?”
Instead of answering me, his lips meet mine and for several delicious moments, all I can think about is how good he makes me feel. Pulling back slowly after a last, lingering kiss, he says, “I would risk any amount of danger to be able to do that.”
I run my hand through his hair and pull him back to me for one more kiss. “Thank you for staying,” I murmur against his lips before releasing him and forcing myself to sit up and get out of bed.
After a quick trip to the bathroom and running a brush through my hair and a toothbrush over my teeth, I go in search of my parents. They can be surprisingly hard to find, sometimes, seeing as they can travel from room to room without using doors. They’re masters at the game Hide & Seek. Zac and I always lose when we play with them.
Surprisingly, I find them outside. “What are you doing?”
Dad practically jumps out of his skin. At least, he would of if he had any. “Xandra, you about gave me a heart attack! I didn’t hear you come out.”
Of course, ghosts can’t have heart attacks. Or hearts. “Sorry, Dad. Why are you outside?”
Mom smiles sadly. “We’re enjoying the peace and tranquility of the mountain.” She doesn’t have to add ‘before it’s ruined later today.’
“Where’s Grandma?”
“She finally laid down a few hours ago. She was busy all night getting things ready.”
Color floods my face as I think about how I was sleeping instead of helping out. “I’m sorry I slept all day. I know you guys are all probably disappointed in me. I really had meant to be more helpful.”
Mom laughs. “Xandra, don’t be ridiculous. Your body needed to recharge. The protection spell you worked is amazing – and far bigger than your grandmother had thought possible. You’ve done plenty to help.”
“It doesn’t feel like it,” I grumble but a little part of me is proud of myself. If the shield is that good, maybe we do have a chance to have everyone survive. “Any news on when Grandpa should be here?”
Dad’s face looks grim. “He called your grandmother last night. He didn’t know she was here, apparently, until he finally got it out of her assistant. She had the phone on speaker phone so we could hear what he was saying.”
“What did he say?”
Dad’s eyes flash in anger. “He tried to convince her to see reason and to leave you here alone so ‘what needs to be done could be done.’ I wish I could get my hands on that man.” Dad’s sociopathic side is trying to come out again. I would hate to know what he would be doing right now if he still had a body. I don’t think he’d be above going after Grandpa himself. Which probably would have gotten him killed. Again.
“What did she say?”
“I told him that he would regret the day he tried to kill my granddaughter.” Now it’s my turn to jump out of my skin. It’s so qu
iet out here in the snow; you’d think we’d hear each other moving around. I guess that’s testament to how frazzled all our minds are right now. Probably not a good thing if we’re going up against super stealthy Witches in the very near future.
Grandma has finally changed out of her pink wool skirt and is wearing brown pants and a pale yellow sweater. Both are wrinkled as if she had fallen asleep in them. “He will be here in just a few hours. He is coming ahead of the Witan, though I told him not to bother.”