Catee's Grace

by Keith Holmes

  “But there are so many…,” Tara marveled.

  Joli’ laughed as they made their way through the halls. “It isn’t always this busy. It’s the time of year when we all come together for sodality and just to relax. We’ve had a lot of good news lately,” Joli’ grinned coyly and winked.

  “What kind of good news?” Tara wondered.

  They paused before a pair of oak pocket doors. Joli' turned to the young mother. "You Tara. And Catee," she reminded.

  "Oh, right," Tara chuckled. "Sorry. I'm just not used to being anybody's good news."

  Joli' closed her eyes and took both of Tara's hands into her own. "Listen. When you meet her, you need to make a good impression. She's very nice, but she's also very old and she sees things differently than we do. Agree with her, compliment her, but be sincere. She'll know," Joli' instructed.

  "Who am I meeting?" Tara asked, getting a bit nervous.

  "It's very important Tara. This is her place. Her money will provide for you two. Her wisdom will guide you. Hopefully, if all goes well, then she'll ask you to join us."

  Tara felt butterflies form in her stomach. "What if she doesn't?"

  Joli' chuckled and shook her head dismissively. "I'm sorry. I'm making you nervous. She's going to love you as much as I do. You are the mother of the Dawn Child after all."

  "I don't know what any of that means, but I'm grateful," Tara said. "I promise, I'll do my best."

  “I know you will. You’re so beautiful,” Joli' gazed into Tara's eyes and moved her palms to claim the young mother's cheeks. Swept up in the moment, she tried to claim a kiss.

  Tara tried to pull away too late to avoid the tender kiss. Nervous, she allowed it to linger. But as it began to deepen, Tara became more resistant until finally she broke it all together and took a step back. The lust in Joli’s eyes was fully bared for the first time, all pretense finally pushed aside. The raven-haired benefactor blushed and spoke softly.

  “It’s okay. You just need to relax.” She’d spoken the words more in convincing herself than Tara. “I’m sorry. I’m moving a bit too fast aren’t I?” she asked.

  “No… it’s okay. I’m just… a little nervous.” Tara's mind was reeling. She figured that they'd finally arrived at the root of Joli's kindness. In a way she felt vindicated. She'd suspected such back in Paris.

  “You’re a smart girl Tara. You’ll know when the time is right,” she explained, reaching out to gently touch her cheek. Then Joli' sucked in a breath and pushed back her desire. “More importantly, I need for you to impress who you are about to meet.” An encouraging smile spread across Joli’s face but she hid a deeper concern.

  Joli' turned and opened the doors to the study. A massive library of tomes lined the high walls. This room was also circular and held many of the fineries that Claudia had come to adore during her long life. She had excellent and expensive taste. A single, oval window that covered nearly the entire back wall displayed the symbol of the Sponsas Draco and overlooked a rose garden, dead in winter. There were no desks. Instead Claudia chose to offer several seating options, from a pile of harem pillows upon the marble floor to a gold-lined Cleopatra-style couch. The room was opulent and soft; the walls decorated with bunched purple silk and drapery. A large, sunken hot tub billowed steam in the center of the room, it’s sides lined with lotions and soaps of all kinds each in ancient-looking vessels representing virtually every period of history but kept as though they’d just been made this morning.

  Tara looked around the room; each one in the house brought more wonderment to her eyes. It was so magnificent that she overlooked the statuesque blonde in the center of it. Claudia had adorned her tall, model frame in a Roman-style dress. She was a vision; the v-neck cut low down to her naval revealing the pristine flesh of her chest, her blonde hair piled atop her head in luscious stacks. Had she not spoken Tara would have figured her a life-like statue of Venus, but with a smile the ‘goddess’ drew the young mother’s attention.

  “You must be Tara,” Claudia said, stepping toward her.

  Tara was a bit startled, intimidated by the woman’s beauty. “Yes ma’am,” she replied, looking around the room once more.

  “Tara, this is Claudia,” Joli’ said, knowing fully how unbelievable the statement would seem. The young mother's face filled with doubt.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, her head darting between the two.

  “You were expecting an old woman,” Claudia explained. “Well I am one. Though I don’t look it, I am far older than anyone would guess.”

  Tara smiled nervously and turned to Claudia as she spoke. “How old are you?” she doubted.

  “I’m very old Tara. If you’ve read the Bible, you’ll find me in it. Long ago I was the wife of a certain infamous governor.”

  Tara began to laugh though it quickly dissipated when she realized she was alone in her amusement. "Wait. You guys are serious?”

  “Is it so hard to believe?” Claudia questioned, eyes narrowed.

  “Well I… Yeah,” she replied, “it is.”

  “Think about it Tara. You've seen faeries, monsters, knights..., ” Joli' guided.

  "So what would that make you?" Tara asked. She didn't mean to sound disrespectful, but she'd offended them.

  "Heroines. Champions. Queens." Claudia's lips drew tight and she raised her chin regally, but her eye twitched a bit.

  Tara realized she'd offended the 'Great Mother'. “Okay… you were in the Bible… but how?”

  “I was just about to have a bath. Join me and I’ll explain.”

  Tara looked to the luxurious bath, then back to Claudia and gulped. She thought of Joli's kiss and wondered just what 'price' she'd be paying for her stay at the priory. But the young mother also knew that she had no recourse. She felt powerless. Perhaps her choice to trust these women was a mistake, but it was done. Now she needed to stay in their good graces. She lifted her head and offered a polite smile. “That’d be nice,” she said.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  "Christ it's dark in here," Ethan chuckled.

  Nightfall had filled the boxcar with shadows. To lessen the cold draft, they'd closed the door, shutting out any light save for what little filtered through the slats.

  "Ain't so bad from 'ere," Jahleel added with a chuckle of his own. It'd been dark long enough for his hazel eyes to begin to softly glow. Ethan stared toward the hovering orbs for a moment and then shook his head.

  "God, your eyes are creepy."

  Jahleel didn't answer. Instead he popped up from his seat and moved to the door. A gush of cold rushed in as he slid it open. Moonlight reflecting off the snow blinded the young father for a moment but when his eyes adjusted, he looked to Jahleel's silhouette against the scrolling Austrian countryside. The knight pushed his head out of the door and looked forward.

  “What's up?” Ethan inquired, as an unnatural light began to wash into the car, brightening it for as long as it took the train to rail past a light pole, followed shortly by another and another until the light came in succession.

  “It’s time to get off.”

  Ethan stood and stepped to the door, a hand placed on the frame to brace him as he took a look up ahead. A factory of some sort was coming up, bustling with activity. A train-height loading ramp indicated that they'd probably be stopping there. Suddenly brakes began crying out and the freight car lurched forward in protest. Ethan looked out as the ground beneath them began to gradually slow. The railway was raised and so the drop was a steep one. The young father glanced to his companion. “You first,” he chuckled.

  Jahleel grinned and shook his head. “Coward,” he teased. With that the knight took the leap, sliding down the loose gravel that built up the elevated track, duffle bag flailing upon his back.

  Ethan marveled as the knight never lost his footing, sliding to the bottom of the incline. He felt challenged. He took a deep breath, wishing that his knees were younger, and toed the edge of the railcar. But in that breath something beckone
d. Ethan's eyes squeezed shut for a moment as he lost himself in the sweet, coppery smell - an abundance of it calling him to its source. Rather than jump, he looked ahead and as the factory drew closer the smell grew stronger. He felt his mouth begin to water, his mind numbed by the promise of a satiation he didn't understand.

  “Ethan!” Jahleel shouted, waving his hand trying to entice the young father to jump.

  Ethan's eyes darted back to the disappearing Vigilant. His brow drew in with concern as he prepared to jump. And then the smell beckoned once more and claimed his full attention.

  Jahleel called out again, Ethan growing farther away with each moment of hesitation. They didn't need to be seen.

  "Ethan!" Jahleel shouted again, moving as quickly as he could in the rocky terrain, trying to close the distance.

  Ethan stood, digging his fingers into the wood of the door frame. His chest had begun to rise and fall as a feral look crossed his face, like a wolf stalking prey. He was aware of Jahleel's calling but it was lost in the overwhelming desire to feed. To the young father, the train was suddenly moving far too slowly. And so he loaded his legs and leapt. It was an impossible distance he covered, twenty-feet or more. The moment his feet met cold, wet concrete Ethan dashed past the group of workers unloading the train and into the building.

  The leap caused Jahleel to slow in disbelief. At first he denied what he'd seen, that the jump couldn't have been as far as it seemed. But as he ran again, he realized that it was. His denial turned to concern and he climbed up onto the dock. He knew the moment he saw them unloading the sheep that this was a slaughterhouse. He prayed that what he feared was happening, was wrong.

  CHAPTER FOUTY-SIX

  It's just a bath, Tara told herself silently, but her hands were shaking. It was the intimidation of sharing a tub with these two powerful women that had slowed her progress in removing her clothes, or perhaps the suppressed concern of their intentions.

  Just a bath. She repeated, trying to convince herself.

  Claudia had already shed her clothes and moved into the warm waters, glancing to the young mother. "Don't be ashamed of your body," she instructed.

  It snapped Tara too. "Hmm?"

  "Your clothes," Joli chuckled, slipping her panties down her legs.

  "Oh!" Tara exclaimed, her hand slapping to the top button of her shirt. She offered Joli' a nervous grin.

  Claudia and Joli' had already taken a seat in the big tub when Tara finally finished and sheepishly, she entered the water.

  "Ooh... this is nice!" She beamed, seating herself out of arm's reach of the pair. But her plastic smile would fade when she watched Joli' rise and move behind the Great Mother. The Priestess began filling her palms with the contents of one of those bottles. The smell of Sweet Alyssum filled the air as she gently stroked the shampoo through Claudia's hair.

  "I have seen many things in my life," Claudia said, drawing Tara's eyes to her. "I was there when they crucified the one that claimed he was Christ. Whether he was or not, who's to say? But he was powerful. I begged my foolish husband to spare him but he wouldn't listen."

  Claudia closed her eyes as Joli' massaged her scalp. "You see, that is the greatest secret of our order. And it isn't a secret at all. If a man can't eat it or make love to it, he has little use for it," she explained.

  Tara chuckled and nodded.

  "Ah, this much magik you know?" Claudia grinned.

  "I don't know if it's magik, but I know it's true," Tara said.

  "But it is. It is a key. Do you know who the most powerful woman in the world is Tara?"

  The young mother puzzled for a moment. "Is... is it you?" she asked sheepishly, trying to be complimentary.

  "Adulation I suspect," Claudia accused, "but not incorrect. It's me. It's you. It's any woman who takes up a post behind a powerful man. It's the First Lady. It's the Queen. It's the peasant-girl who goes to the king's bed and gives him a night worthy of a crown."

  Tara's brow furrowed. "That doesn't sound very empowering."

  "What a well-trained answer," Claudia said, a hint of disgust upon her face. "You're mistaking pride for power."

  "I don't think I understand," Tara said.

  "There once was a king that slew many powerful enemies. In fact, he'd never lost a battle. The legend of his prowess as a warrior spread throughout the land and to other lands. One day, a courier came with news from a far off kingdom. The master of the land was a powerful fighter as well. He challenged the king - the winner, would have both kingdoms and all their treasures. His queen begged him not to fight, but sure of his prowess, he accepted the challenge.

  On the day of the battle, people came from all the lands to fill his great city. The queen played hostess to them all, dressed in her finest, a stunning vision to behold. She went in to him and renewed her plea that he cancel the fight. But fearing nothing, he wouldn't. The battle raged and the opponent would taste the steel of his sword, but in the end, the king was killed. He'd lost. And on that very day, his kingdom was given to his opponent, including his queen. Who then, was the victor?"

  Tara pondered for only a moment, the answer obvious to her. "The other king." Claudia shook her head lightly. Tara looked to her, then to Joli', who tried to hide the disappointment in her face. "Right?" the young mother asked, questioning her answer.

  "The wife of a Roman Governor was but the first chapter to the Femina, my own book of magik. I would meet many more powerful men in my time, manipulating them to my own ends. Such was the life that kept me satisfied for a great many years. But I began to realize that there was a power greater still, than any throne or office could provide," she explained, leaning back to let Joli' rinse her hair.

  "Do you believe in dragons Tara?" The Great Mother asked. Tara considered her answer carefully this time. The discontent in Joli's face made her more wary of what she said.

  “I didn’t used to. But things change,” she replied softly.

  “Indeed they do. I’ll bet Catee believes in them. I’ll bet she always has. Tell me, is she fond of them?”

  Tara marveled at Claudia’s insight.

  "No," Tara said, shaking her head. "She draws them but they're always big and scary..."

  "She is only a girl. When I think of the things her young eyes have already seen…" Claudia paused and collected herself. “Yes, they are big and scary. But only to those who don't understand them. Catee can heal but that is only the tip of her sword. Your daughter could be the queen of this realm, – is, in fact - her eyes affixed on the other. She can see the spirit world. That’s why she knows there are dragons." The Great Mother’s exuberance, her passion for what she believed was clear in her confident voice.

  "I... guess," Tara simply couldn’t wrap her head around Claudia’s words. Her realm was preschool toys and dinner, not existential contemplation.

  Claudia could tell she was speaking over the young woman’s head. “It exists. For Catee claiming the power of the spiritual world, bringing it to the physical is a simple thing - rather it will be as we teach her. She can do on a whim, what we study our entire lives for. Do you want that for her Tara? Do you want for your daughter to be a goddess upon the Earth?"

  Tara's brow grew heavier as she considered. "I just want her to be happy; to have things I couldn't."

  "She will have anything she desires. And what about you Tara? Would you like to become a goddess? Would you like to touch the ethereal?"

  “I mean... I guess so?” Tara shrugged, struggling to comprehend.

  “But… how do you do that? I mean, are we talking about ghosts or… Bible stuff or…?”

  Tara glanced to Joli'. The Priestess filled her face with worry and tried to communicate it to her. Immediately Tara sat up, as though she were at a job interview.

  “Dragons are the archons of both realms. We are their brides, their queens, their equals. and if dragons are the archons of both realms...?”

  Tara nodded kindly but it was clear she didn’t understand a word of it. "I... what'
s an archon again?" She asked. An awkward silence loomed.

  “Exploitation!” Claudia shouted, trying to 'dumb down' her sermon. Tara jumped in fright.

  “It is the battle cry of the ugly woman and the preacher. There is a beginning to all things Tara, and the beginning for you is to learn to use what the universe has given you to your advantage. First the body and mind, then the spirit.”

  Tara pushed her entwined fingers to her lips, trying to avoid chirping with fear as Claudia preached. She nodded as the Great Mother looked to her.

  “You are given gifts. For example, you are very beautiful. You must learn to use that beauty to an advantage. Who is offended by a woman who uses her body to get what she wants? Only those who can’t.”

  “Use my body? Like… prostitution?” Her eyes were wide and serious as she asked the question.

  “No Tara,” Joli’ quickly interjected. “We use our beauty to gain what we want. Have you ever flirted with a police officer to get out of a ticket?”

  More understanding lit in Tara's eyes. “I don't drive but yeah, I get it."

  Claudia sighed and continued. “Once you’ve mastered the power of your beauty then you must broaden your mind. We all have special skills. You must find your strengths and perfect them. Joli’ has a keen business sense. This is her strength, a gift she gives to her sisters. Only once you’ve perfected the material can we begin to manipulate the spirit, to break the rules of this world and manifest what we wish.”

  “Like money? Like red carpets and champagne? That kind of stuff?” Tara asked. Growing up a poor girl, the idea of having money was the pinnacle of her dreams.

  “Yes," Claudia droned, "like money. Like pretty dresses and limousines. Tell me Tara, what would be your greatest wish for Catee? Assume whatever it is, she’ll be happy. Any aspiration, completely limitless.”

  Tara paused to consider for a moment and then she looked to the woman. “I have always secretly hoped she’d be a model. I tried to be when I was younger. That she’ll meet some quarterback and they’d give me lots of grandbabies.” She smiled at the answer. She’d never shared it with anyone save Ethan, who only added that he hoped the guy played for the Bears.