A few minutes passed, and then a few more, and nothing seemed to happen. The room looked the same, and although her throat still burned a bit from the wine, she didn’t feel different, and she certainly wasn’t having any visions.
“Well?” she yelled at the room’s ceiling. It seemed like the right direction to yell in, as didn’t higher powers and beings always come from above? “What the hell are you waiting for? Show me my future!”
Apparently, someone was listening. Terra’s eyes shot shut, and then she was watching a hallway from above. A man was standing near a doorway, and he had large, flaming horns, and then Terra noticed another person there, one who was floating and enveloped in flames. She watched for a while, and then she realized something—the person on fire was her, and she knew, in that instant, that the Terra below her was close to death, only moments away from dying, in fact, and it was probably already far too late to save her future self.
“No! No! Stop!” Terra-from-above screamed this out, but it didn’t stop, and she watched as she felt the Terra below her dying, more and more of her life force burning to ash in each passing second. Then the room began to grow dark, and all Terra could feel was fear, immense pain, and the closeness of death.
Her eyes shot open. She was gasping for breath, her skin sticky with sweat, her eyes watering and burning a bit. But she was back in the cottage, and she wasn’t on fire, wasn’t dying. Everything was back to normal.
“Motherfucker!” was the first thing Terra thought to say. She slowly got up from the table, her legs shaking, and Onyx dashed to her side.
“What is it, Terra? What happened? Are you all right?”
“I…I don’t know. I saw a man, with horns—horns that were on fire—and I was beneath him, and I think…” She lowered herself onto one of the beds and lay down on its edge, placing her head on one of its fluffy, white pillows. “Onyx, I think I was just about to die.”
“Motherfucker!” Onyx yelled. Then he jumped up onto the bed. “Nope, yelling that didn’t help me either. What…what do you mean, about to die? Like, for sure? And where were you? And what did his face look like? And how were you going to die?”
“Slow down, little guy, slow down. I don’t know who he was, or where I was. I think it was dark, and big…it was indoors, I think, with very little light coming in. Just the fire from his horns and the fire he was holding. The fire he surrounded me with. Oh, Goddess, Onyx, what am I going to do?” She reached out a shaking hand and ran it down his side, mussing up his fur as her hand jittered back and forth. Her hand shook less the second time she stroked him, and by the third time her hand was steady.
“I think…I think I should just go to sleep, Onyx. There’s nothing I can do about it right now. First, though, I’m going to use the bathroom door in its usual way, and then I’ll change for bed.” She got her toothpaste and toothbrush out of her overnight bag and patted Onyx on the head on her way to the back of the cabin.
Once Terra was in the bathroom, she realized she had nothing to wear to bed. The forest folk were fine with her seeing them naked, but she wasn’t really comfortable with them seeing her that way. So she’d have to figure out something in terms of clothes. After she’d washed her face with the soap by the sink and brushed her teeth, she decided to take off her clothes and picture herself in pajamas. Maybe that would work?
She got naked for the second time that night (it wasn’t nearly as much fun this time) and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them, tentatively, and yep, she was wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, both black with white clouds floating across them—literally, because the embroidered clouds were moving across the cloth, some of them with rain coming from them, and one where the moon was just starting to peek out from behind the cloud’s shimmery gray shape. “Wicked!”
She couldn’t wait to show Onyx, so she bounced out of the bathroom and headed to the bed where she’d left him. But he was out cold, snoring softly and twitching a little as he slept. He looked so happy sleeping there that Terra couldn’t talk herself into waking him, even to show him her totally awesome new PJs that she’d made herself. Soon, she felt a yawn coming on, so she yawned wide and loud without covering her mouth, and then she climbed into the bed. She hoped she wouldn’t wake up with someone in it next to her—especially Freddy, although he seemed pretty darn taken and very in love with his wife. She also hoped she would sleep through the night, and with that, all thoughts of what the forest folk and the horned man were up to, and even thoughts of her vision of the future left her head. Only a little while after her head hit the pillow, she was asleep, but it seemed she’d only been asleep for a few minutes when something woke her up.
“What?” Terra mumbled at the sudden disturbance, still halfway in dreamland. She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. “Who’s there?” she asked, and then she gasped when she recognized the glowing form in front of her. “Mom? Mommy? What are you doing here?”
Her mother laid a finger to her lips and whispered, “Shh.”
“No, tell me, please, Mom. Why are you here? Am I…am I still asleep?”
Her mother’s eyes slowly opened then, and they were bright, glowing, and red. Fire danced and leapt inside the whites of her eyes, and Terra knew then that this wasn’t her mother, and that her life was in danger. What was she supposed to do? And was this threat, this false vision of her mother…was it in her dreams or in reality?
“Go back to sleep. Go back to sleep!”
Terra couldn’t fight its order—the being’s power was much too strong. She lay back down and got ready to close her eyes. She didn’t want to, she wanted to stay awake, but she was so, so very tired. But somehow, she managed to keep her eyes open, just a little, and she watched with fear as the woman who wasn’t her mother began to grow flaming horns and start walking toward her.
“Get back,” Terra whispered. Then her arm whipped up into the air—had she done that? “Get back!” she shouted, in a voice that was not her own. Bright-green light shot out of her hand and hit the horned being, and it screamed and shook and then turned and ran, shrieking as it did.
“I’ll find you, wherever you go! You can’t beat me, you pathetic little warlock! No one can!”
She wasn’t sure if she was safe now, but she was so very tired, and so she climbed back into bed, her dreams full of half-animal, half-human creatures playing music and taking turns leaping over a bonfire while their singing voices rang out into the moonlit night.
Chapter Sixteen
Terra was relieved to find that the only things sharing her bed when she woke in the morning were two squirrels and Onyx, the squirrels both sleeping with their heads on his stomach. What a cute sight—if only she had a camera! Then she could torment Onyx with the photo for the rest of their lives.
But how long would that be? she wondered, as memories of her night began to return to her. That dream, well, she found herself thinking that if it had indeed been a dream, it also probably had held real power, and real risk. And whatever power had saved her that night might not be there the next time she needed it. Where had that powerful light come from? Not from her, because her final words to the horned being had not shot from her lips in her own voice. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and pushed back the covers, getting up out of bed and heading to the bathroom.
It seemed to be unoccupied, so she went inside and turned on the faucet, splashing some cold water on her face. She doubted there would be coffee. Magical forest animals wouldn’t need coffee, would they? Even if they were in human form half of the time, they probably woke up with the sun’s light, nothing else required. She dried off her face on a lovely towel with a dark-green ivy pattern and left the bathroom, heading toward the kitchen and the smell that was probably part of what had woken her. It was a lovely smell, like cinnamon, sugar, and freshly baked bread, and she found the two raccoons sitting at the table munching on some meat and seeds. She saw some thick toast at her spot, buttered and with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on
top. Next to the toast were two fried eggs and some berries, which she guessed had come from the surrounding woods. And what do you know, she spotted a mug of what looked to be steaming-hot coffee. Terra sat down and reached for the mug, full of gratitude for the caffeinated beverage.
“Mornin’.” Freddy had been holding Lizzie’s paw with his free hand, but he reached that one up in greeting as Terra approached the table. “Ya sleep like the dead, li’ul lady.”
She shook a little at his words. “Don’t say that.”
“Oy, I apologize. I guess last night was ’ard for you too, eh? We managed to scare the big fooker away, but ’e almost got to ya. Ya can thank us later, missy. But not wit’ sex, as I’m taken.”
“Shut up, ya big fat fool.” Lizzie smacked Freddy on the arm. “Miz Terra’s got ’erself scared, didn’t ya? We may’ve scared the ’orned beast off, but we di’n’t warn the poor girl enough. We apologize, Terra.” She smacked Freddy again.
“Yes, Terra, we both do.” If raccoons could look affronted, that was how Freddy looked right then, but there was a touch of embarrassment to his face as well. Terra hoped he was embarrassed for teasing her, and not for having to apologize.
But she had more important things to consider than whether he meant what he’d said—like whether forest animals made good coffee. Terra took a big gulp from her mug, burning her mouth a little. But oh, was it worth it. The coffee was just perfect, and the rest of the meal hit the spot just right, too. As she ate, the other animals joined them, one by one. Most of them stood next to the table, but the squirrels jumped on top of it, as did Onyx. Terra decided not to mention the cute sight she’d awoken to, instead telling everyone about the dream she’d had—or whatever it had been.
“That wasn’t a dream,” Uther said, once she’d finished.
“No.” Woodbyne was in the same seat as the night before, and she placed her hand on Terra’s arm as she said this. “The words that left your mouth—that was the forest, and the light was it as well.” She flinched a little as she removed her hand, and Terra saw that her arm was pale green at the elbow, and she had what looked like burns on her chest as well.
“Woodbyne! You’re hurt!” Terra felt instant regret that she had let them protect her and, that in the process, her new friend had been injured. A glance around the room showed that the other animals also had wounds. Uther had a cut near his left cheek, and Lizzie’s fur was singed all the way down her left shoulder. “I’m so…I’m so sorry.” She began to cry, her body shaking a little as the first tear slid down her cheek.
Woodbyne cupped Terra’s chin. “You were not ready to face him yet. Your mother thought that would be the case. And we weren’t ready either. But the forest—it likes you, Terra. It showed that last night, when it came to your rescue. He had made his way through us and had reached the cabin, and we couldn’t stop him. The forest…it saved us all. We will be giving our mother and father an offering right after you leave.”
“I’d like to give them an offering, too, if they’re the ones who created the forest.”
Woodbyne smiled at this, her smile as bright and glowing as the sun coming in through the cabin’s windows. “You needn’t do that, Terra. And besides, you aren’t like us. You are a witch, not a forest dweller. You can’t talk to our father and mother.”
Terra ate the last bite of her toast and wiped her mouth on the napkin she’d used the night before. “I should be going now, I think.” But she sighed at the end of that sentence. Although Woodbyne’s words had stopped her from crying, she felt like she might start all over again at the thought of leaving this cabin and these charming creatures—these charming creatures who had fought for her life.
She packed up her things and walked over to the cabin’s door, Onyx at her heels. She paused there, her hand on its knob, and turned back toward the animals. “I should leave all you guys an offering, too. I never even thanked you for what you did.”
“You don’t need to, Terra,” said one of the squirrels.
“Your mother already did,” said the other.
“You all never told me about her, actually. Not a thing, really. What was she like? How did you know her? And how could she see into the future?”
“You’ll know soon enough, Terra,” Uther said. “She told us that, too.”
After one last good-bye, and a leg-hug from each of the raccoons, she left the cabin and got back into her car. The water tires were still there, but the car’s hood had what looked like burn marks on it. Terra ran her fingers over them; they were still warm.
“I hope the Jag runs okay with those,” she said, getting in on her side.
Onyx climbed over her lap and settled into his seat. “I’m sure it will. I bet your new friend the forest made sure of it.”
“My new friend? Silly, being friends with an ecosystem.” She gave the cat a small noogie and started the car. It seemed to run just fine, the engine purring like it always did, so she pulled away from the house and back onto the driveway.
Once they were back on the main road, it didn’t take long before it became pavement. Terra had turned on the radio, and she was singing (and Onyx was yowling) to “Yellow Submarine.” The song was just getting to a good part when Terra noticed for the first time that Onyx was sitting on something that didn’t match the car’s leather interior.
“Onyx, what are you sitting on? What the hell is that?” She quickly pulled over to the right and turned off the car, yanking Onyx into her lap. Where he’d been lying, beneath a light dusting of white cat fur, was a jacket, a jacket made out of material that matched the cabin’s dark-green bathroom towels exactly.
“I believe it’s from Woodbyne, based on the fact that she told me that last night when she came back inside the cabin. Will you please put me down now? I was enjoying the music. It was just getting to my favorite part.”
“What’s the deal with it, then?” Terra put him down, but picked up the jacket before he had time to settle onto it again—or the chance to get more cat fur on it. “It’s pretty, and it looks like it’s my size, but other than that, does it serve a use?”
“It’s protection, she said. Wear it and you’ll be safer. That’s all I know. She was tired when she told me, and so was I. I insist you turn the car back on—right now! I don’t want to miss the rest of the song.”
“Fine, you whiny bugger, we’ll get going again. Right after I put on the jacket.” She picked off most of the cat fur and then began to slip into it—it was a perfect fit. It was also slightly cool against her bare arms. And it smelled good, like the woods she’d just left, mossy and rich. “I guess I get to take a bit of the forest with me.”
“I guess you do.” Onyx was sulking now, but soon he was happy again, singing even louder than before as the song drew to a close. And then some very familiar notes came on, as the next song started up.
“You bastard, you cursed us!” Ringo was singing the same words he’d sung only about six minutes ago, and they were treated to his charming voice again and again for the next fifteen minutes.
“Make. It. Stop.” Onyx sounded miserable by the…what was it now, Terra wondered—the tenth time they were hearing it? The hundredth? However many times it had been, it had been far too many, and they both breathed a loud sigh of relief as one of Terra’s favorite Ramones songs started playing next instead.
“I’ve never liked punk much,” Onyx said, “but anything is better than hearing that horrible song again.”
“Don’t tempt the car to play it again. Seems like Athene put in a fail-safe—or something—to make sure we would get along during this trip.”
“I’ll have to talk to her about that when we get back.” Onyx didn’t sound like he merely wanted to “talk.”
“You could talk to her, or we could tie her up and make her listen to ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand.’”
“I’m guessing she wouldn’t only be hearing the song once?”
“No, more like twenty or so times.”
“Sound
s like the ideal punishment.”
The radio seemed to think that they were getting along again, because instead of the Ramones, the next song was Pink Floyd, and the one after that was U2. Terra and Onyx went back to singing and howling along with the music—and, more importantly, they went back to getting along.
Chapter Seventeen
They’d been driving for about three hours when Terra spotted a fast-food restaurant by the side of the road. “I’m starving, Onyx, how about you? Maybe I can get you a burger sans bun and accoutrements?”
“Yum” was all Onyx said. Terra took it as a “Yes, please,” and she parked in front of it, then got out of the car, stretching before she went into the restaurant. It didn’t appear to have a drive-through, so she had pulled into a spot in its almost-empty parking lot. Only one other car was there, and when Terra saw it was the one Pan had been driving when she last saw him, she couldn’t help smiling. She also couldn’t help looking forward to seeing her fellow queer member on the completely stupid quest.
Inside the restaurant, rainbow flags were everywhere, and Pan was, surprisingly, behind the counter in full drag; he wore a sequined gown and a large, bright-blue bouffant. “Thought I’d have some fun,” he told Terra with a grin. “How do you like the place?”
“I just love it. Any chance Onyx can come in? I didn’t know you’d be here, Pan. It’s great to see you!”
Pan came out from around the counter and gave her a hug. “Sure, of course Onyx can join you!”
Terra went outside and told Onyx about the restaurant. She couldn’t help noticing that he sounded a little wary when he told her he was going to join her inside. Nor could she help noticing his hesitant tone when he asked her, “Are you sure this is the real Pan we’re dealing with?”
Under Her Spell Page 13