“Keep going,” he urged me. I looked around at my friends. The lights were from deep in the woods. Ophelia and Chester hadn’t made any attempts to move, but I could see Chester mouthing the words, “Please keep going.”
I turned my attention back to the blood ritual and placed my palms above the Book of Shadows, thinking about the spell I needed. The book didn’t search as it did earlier, but went right to the page.
Once every member of a coven reached the age of eighteen and came into his or her full powers, they would participate in the blood ritual on the winter solstice following the eighteenth birthday of the youngest coven member. In order for the powers of the five to be equally shared amongst the group, they would all need to have hit what was known as the matured state, which meant a single witch’s power would be at its full strength.
There were many witches and warlocks that never became a member of a coven. In many families, it was something that was done generation to generation, each having the same blood ties as the last generation’s coven. My mother’s coven included a single parent of the members of my coven. The blood ritual would ensure the power between the families and between each other. However, the elder generation would not have access to our coven’s magic.
The spell I had to work involved the mixture of each member’s blood. I would say a prayer over our mixed blood and purified water, and over the circle, and then it would be blessed by the goddess. At the conclusion, the five must drink from the chalice.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Thunder boomed overhead as we evoked the goddess of earth, fire, wind, and water. The bright lights streaked across the sky. We knew they were not the cause of Mother Nature, but by a looming force that wished to stop us. The two outside our circle remained still, only to move when another explosion of thunder struck beyond the trees.
I held the chalice in my hand and handed Matt the knife first, then I spoke the necessary words.
“You are about to enter into a family beyond the one you were born to. A bonding of blood, melding into that which exists where birth and death, dark and light, joy and pain – meet and make one. Do you enter without fear in your heart, nor dread?”
“I do.” Matt pierced his finger and held it above the chalice, allowing two drops of blood into the cup.
Another boom overhead sounded and a light flashed, showing us that the fight was getting much closer. I kissed Matt’s forehead and he handed the knife to Crystal. I repeated the words with Crystal and Clara, and each of them pierced their fingers and added two drops to the chalice.
As I kissed Clara’s forehead, a loud crack filled the air around us. I looked behind me to see Chester and Ophelia yelling something at us as they ran for the trees. My blood pressure must have risen, because suddenly my heart was beating so loudly, it was all I could hear. Chad tugged on my sleeve and got my attention.
“Breathe . . . it’ll be okay, but we need to finish.” He put his hand on my cheek, using his magic to settle and calm me.
Clara handed Chad the knife and before I knew it, my turn had come. I settled the chalice on the altar and held the knife to my finger.
“I, Elyse Crawford-Sigmis, offer my blood and my power as the High Priestess, to enter into our family beyond the one which I was born to. I accept this bonding of blood, melding into an existence where birth and death, dark and light, joy and pain- meet and make one. I offer up my gifts as tribute, to share with the Covenant of the Silver Shadows.
The next boom was so close, we stumbled and had to grab hold of each other to stay upright. The fight was getting closer, and we were nearly done.
“Keep going, Elyse!” Clara yelled at me.
I tried to keep my mind from wandering to the fight. I was more concerned if anyone on our side was being injured or worse. I didn’t know my aunt as well as my parents did. I had no idea how far she would go to get what she felt was hers.
“Elyse!” Chad came to me. He cupped my face with his hands and again, I felt calm. “You can do this.”
I stared at him and swam in his eyes. The flashes of light had started hitting the outside of our circle. My mind snapped back into place like a rubber band and I pushed him back to where he should be.
“I call upon the goddess of earth to bless this cup, and fortify it so that the contents may grow within us and so we may prosper. I call upon the goddess of fire to purify the contents of this cup so that our power may flow. I call upon the goddess of the wind to bless the contents of this cup and allow it to blend us in blood and in life. What one has, all may have. I call upon the goddess of water to nourish the contents of this cup, so that we may continue to evolve.”
I took the first sip from the cup, and starting again with Matt, it went around the circle for the rest to do the same. By the time I reached Chad, the lights hitting outside of our circle had increased. I went back to the altar, placed down the cup, and took my place between Matt and Chad. We held hands and blessed our circle, thanking the goddess as we had been taught to end.
The power surge I had been feeling was aching to get out, and I could feel it wrap around the circle and enter each of my friends before me. The power that left me, to be shared with my new family, didn’t make the buzzing go away. I still felt like I had more power in me than I could handle.
Another streak of light came barreling at us, but this time, the candles around us went out, and I thought our circle had been broken. The one that followed headed straight for Crystal.
My hands flew out as I yelled, “No!” I wasn’t aware anything would happen. It was just a reflex. The light hit something none of us could see and bounced back to where it came from. I could hear yelling and screaming coming from the thickest part of the woods.
“We’ve done it. I can feel it.” Crystal held her hands out and her little blue spark had become a giant lightning bolt.
“Better be careful using that in the sack!” Clara smirked.
“Clara!” I bellowed, “We have to help them! There will be time for mocking later.” I closed the circle, releasing the elements and thanking them for their aid of protection.
Chad grabbed me as another fiery light came flying at us. “Then let’s go.” He dropped his robe to the ground and shifted so fast, there was no snapping of bones heard. It was as if his body simply melted into his new form. He chose the sleek black cat that he knew I enjoyed. His eyes glowed bright yellow in the dark of night.
Matt had also chosen a large black animal, but he shifted and took off at the same time. I didn’t get a chance to see him, other than black fur running into the trees. Chad the jaguar took off behind him, roaring so loud it echoed off the trees.
“We gonna let the boys have all the fun?” Clara dropped her robe and headed to the woods.
“Hell no!” Crystal and I dropped our robes as well and took off toward the thundering noise.
The night had become quiet, and just then, I realized I didn’t know who was on Sabina’s side and who my father’s coven members were. I ran forward and then to the left, where most of the lights had come from while we were in the circle.
A slight rustling of the leaves caught my attention, and a man stepped out from behind a tree. He bowed at me. I suspected him to be on our side, but the minute I turned my back, I heard a growl and a struggle behind me. I whipped around in time to see a mountain lion and Ophelia attacking the man. When he was finally subdued, Ophelia gave me a quick introduction to Hex, the lion. She was able to let me know the two men of my father’s coven, other than himself, are shifters. She then ran off towards an outbreak of thunderous noise.
As I ran behind her, I saw a man much like the ones my aunt had sent after me at the Blackwood house. He moved behind the giant lion. I slipped my hand up the sleeve of my dress and pulled at the bracelet on my arm to give it a whip. As it struck the air, it made a defining snap and flickered gold.
Successfully getting the man’s attention, he turned to come after me. I held the whip at my side until I knew he was c
lose enough and let it rip one more time. It wrapped around his throat and pulled backwards, snapping the man’s neck. He dissolved to ash, just as more came from the shadows.
They stood there for a moment, unmoving. I let the whip wrap itself back on my arm and filled my palms with the red and blue flames. A giant black bear attacked the one farthest away, so I let lose my flames on the two standing closest to me, even as blue spears of lightning hit the last one.
“Wow, this is fun!” Crystal yelled as she ran downhill to the others.
I followed behind her as the last man dissolved into the air. “How do you find this fun?”
“Because . . . she’s using golems. Not warlocks or witches. These things have no power. They’re made from dirt.”
I ran with her, following the rest of the group, who were running toward the golems. This brought us farther and farther away from the clearing. I stopped short and looked back toward the circle. A golem grabbed me from behind. I didn’t move my hand, or speak, but thought. I stepped forward as he dissolved and settled back into the earth.
“It’s a distraction. She’s not after me!”
I pulled the hem of my dress up and bunched it into one hand. I couldn’t risk it tripping and slowing me. I ran as fast as I could, barefoot and uphill, over the dead brambles of tree roots, rocks, and leaves until the jaguar stopped in front of me. It was as if he could speak to me from his mind. I hiked the dress higher, climbed on Chad’s four-legged figure, and held on as best I could as he raced uphill toward the clearing we had abandoned.
I jumped from his back and felt like I had flown over to the clearing as Sabina stood there, my family’s Book of Shadows in her hand. She already had enough time to place it in its box and was trying to stuff it into a large messenger bag with the help of one of her golems.
“That doesn’t belong to you.” I heard hissing coming from the bracelet that was wrapped around my arm.
“Of course it does. It’s my birthright.” Sabina gave up on fitting the box in her bag and hugged it close to her, moving backwards. “I wouldn’t try anything if I were you. You don’t want to accidentally hit the book.”
“I’d rather destroy that book than let you leave this place with it.” I let the whip fall to the ground at my side.
“As you wish.” She handed the book to one of her golems and commanded him to get it out of there. She let loose a bolt of green light at my feet. I jumped back three steps and pulled back the whip. I was about to let it go when she hit my raised arm with a ball of flames.
Chad moved between me and my aunt, but I pushed him aside. “Get the book, Chad. I’ve got this.”
I could tell he was looking at the scorch mark on my white dress. “Please, you’ve got to trust me.”
He glanced at me and then to the line of trees, where we saw the rest of our friends coming back to help us. One more look at me and then he was gone. His haunches tightened as he sped off after the golem, who raced away with the book in hand.
I turned back to Sabina in time to deflect another fireball with thought alone.
“How did you do that?”
“You know perfectly well how,” I told her as I moved one slow step towards her after another, until only the circle was between us. I filled my hands, one blue flame and one red. I heard her gasp and saw her eyes widen as I balled the two flames together and created a large purple ball of energy, hurling it at her.
Sabina did a back flip to miss it and the magic grazed her shin. It hit the ground behind her and caused the earth to shake. Soon, Clara and Crystal were beside me. Matt, I guessed, was the large black wolf creeping up behind Sabina.
Sabina twirled around when he let out a low growl, and she started backing up. Matt stopped when she stepped over the line, into the circle. Clara stepped forward and cast a wind tunnel around Sabina, holding her inside. Sabina held out a hand, effectively cutting an opening into the tunnel to step out of it.
“Please . . . No child can hold me.” She stepped out of the wind tunnel even as Clara let it fall. “Maybe you should practice a bit.”
Sabina turned on her heel. I let my whip fall to my side long enough for the end of it to brush the ground before pulling back and snapping it toward Sabina. Instead of pulling backward, I let the whip go and the snake came to life. It grabbed at her midsection, and she screamed in terror. I walked to her, slowly stepping around so she could see my face.
“Not a fan of snakes, Auntie?”
Her hands pulled at the growing beast as it wrapped further up her torso and down to her knees. The laughter she expressed, as she started walking away from us, turned to shrill screams. I couldn’t help but turn away from her as her hands continued to pull and push, as much as she could, against the ever-tightening snake. My pet stopped its attack and held her still. I stepped up to her so she would be the only one to hear me.
“This is nothing, Auntie. You see, I’ve called on my powers, from both of my parents.”
I watched as her eyes grew wider. “I’m preparing to free my parents from their current predicament. Rumor has it that you put them there. Boy are they gonna be mad at you . . . so maybe you should practice up.” I hissed at her, then stepped away. “Now, leave this place. If you know what’s good for you, you will never return.” I held out my arm and my pet released its prey, slithered to me, and replaced itself on my arm.
Sabina stood there, either too scared to move or in shock, until Crystal stepped up behind her. “Boo!” she yelled, and Sabina took off running. Her golems in the clearing and the wood dissolved back into the dirt.
“We’re just letting her go?” Matt asked as he pulled his robe on.
“Yes, she might be able to take a life for what she wants, but I can’t. I’m beginning to think she can’t either.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because she could have had whatever it is she wanted years ago, but instead of killing my parents . . . she trapped them. Not exactly a murderous action.”
EPILOGUE
“Well, that was interesting. Do you think she’d been after the book all this time?” Clara asked. She sat next to Crystal on the floor of the small cabin, each holding a cup of hot cocoa to warm their hands. Matt threw a few logs onto the fire that was in the small living room fireplace on the first floor.
“I honestly don’t know what she’s up to or what she’s after. Maybe she’s looking for a spell to take the powers for herself.” I leaned back into Chad on the little sofa, with my hot cocoa.
Chad made it back only ten minutes after Sabina left, with the book in his mouth. The box apparently didn’t make it out unscathed. I didn’t care, so long as I had the book returned.
“Maybe she’s trying to throw you off. If she’s not after your magic, there is no reason for the attacks.” Chad pulled me closer as he spoke.
While we were fighting the horde of golems in the woods, the adrenaline had kept me from feeling the December air. Once we settled inside, I felt like I had frost bite on my fingertips and toes.
We all changed into warmer clothes. Ophelia set about the kitchen preparing cocoa on the stove in a large pot. I had never seen it made that way, and almost didn’t try it.
She introduced us to those that my parents had sent to help. It was a good thing, too. Even though I didn’t believe my aunt had it in her to kill anyone, I don’t think we would have gotten the book back if we didn’t have the extra hands to help.
Hex, the mountain lion, was my father’s best friend since childhood. He hadn’t married or had any children; none that he knew of, anyway. Finis was another shifter, and apparently, another jaguar for the evening’s festivities. He was also a good friend of my father. Seraphine Knotley was the only one of them, besides Ophelia, that I knew. I recognized her as a lawyer friend of Elle’s. I had met her a few times over the years, at Crystal’s house.
“Well if she wasn’t trying to kill you, and was simply interested in the book, then that would make sense why the first two she sent d
idn’t follow you and Chad out that day. They knew the book would be at my house.” Chester couldn’t sit still. The bear form makes him jittery, as if he’d consumed gallons of caffeine.
“Yeah, that does make sense.” Chad rubbed my arms to help warm me up. The plus side to shifting into a large furry animal was the warmth they held under the fur. None of them seemed affected by the cold at all.
“Okay, so what’s next?” Matt sat on the floor with Crystal in front of him.
Everyone’s gaze met mine.
“Why are you asking me?”
“For better or worse, we’re with you,” Chad said.
Crystal held up her cocoa as if she was about to toast. “Yup, we are your family, and we’ll be here for you. You just have to let us know what we’re going to tackle first.” She put her cup to her mouth and took a large gulp.
“Well, I guess the first thing we need to do is . . . get my parents back!”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A huge thank you to my publishers at Burning Willow Press, LLC for taking on this series. With your support, my flame shall always shine bright.
To my editor, Christine LoBianco, thank you for making sure my words were the right words. Your hard work and obsessive nature were greatly appreciated. I look forward to working together again.
And to the talented Loraine Van Tonder, thank you for the amazing cover. Your work is inspiring.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S.L. Perrine is a wife to a mechanic and mother of four crazy teenagers (3 are boys) who eat her out of house and home. While raising her children, she has obtained three degrees; Associates in Art and Criminal Justice is among them. She now works to feed this bunch as a Registered Medical Assistant in a private physician’s office in the city she currently resides. She is a native of Schenectady and Saratoga Springs, New York, having spent equal time growing up in both cities.
“No one writes to make money. Authors write stories to fill the world with imagination for those who have a hard time finding their own.”
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