The Lady and the Hound- Divination

by A M Nixon

  Mary wiped her eyes. She was prepared for this moment, where she’d have to face the weaknesses that almost cost her the fate she had promised the Divine One’s before she came to this life.

  “I know I’m being given a second chance. Both at my camp and at the motel. I lost my faith in you, but who could blame me? After walking in my house to find Dickie with his new girlfriend and I could see the bulge under her shirt; it hurt me to my core, but the worst part was his telling me I had to leave. Leave my home, my pets, all I had in the world. I had nowhere to go but the Lysol ridden, roach coach of a motel. It was too much to take. I will always regret taking the pills.” Mary was reliving the moment in the motel. Feeling her throat tighten, “I’ll never have suicidal thoughts again. I’ll treasure my life. I promise you. You know, I didn’t want to die; not in my heart.”

  Syx placed her hand on Mary’s head, “I know my dear charge. Weren’t you curious where the premonition of the cottage came from? I sent that, to bring you out of your misery, and it worked. At the campsite, when you had given up again, I had to let you meet Famous and go through the motions. You have been given a second chance, because of who you are and because of your heart. Now let’s get your destiny started, shall we?”

  The ancient wood door led to another stairwell, like the one at the cottage. It was hidden from view, carved out of the limestone on the side of the mountain. Once they arrived at the bottom, the cavern opened before them. Mary recognized the smell from when she found the stairwell at the cottage.

  “This is the same cavern where I found the crystal pendulum?

  “Yes, It’s on the other side. We hid the stairwell on our side when you went to the opening. It was too early for you to find out anything yet.”

  Syx led Mary to the Priestess Isadore’s grave hidden under the stairwell.

  The grave had no markings at all. The only way to tell it was a grave was the mound of soil, with a wooden box partially buried in it. The Wood was discolored over the centuries and looked to be made of pine. “Pine was one of the first trees.” Syx said.

  “Why build the cabin and then the cottage, over a cavern? It seems a little strange to me.”

  Syx turned to her and said, “to keep the grave protected and secret. Now, this box, or traditionally, her coffin, holds the bones of Isadore’s first incarnate life—your first life of your soul’s existence.”

  “I am the soul from the book?” Mary asked, sensing she had a connection to Elena.

  “Yes. You’ve had many lives together. You have done this before. Your memory will slowly return when you need it to. We can’t snap our fingers and have your memories restored; the Divine One’s won’t allow that. It is for your own protection, so you do not get robbed of your normal life as you knew it before the Dark Spirit arrived.”

  Her normal life? Did she want that? Mary knew her life would never be the same. She sensed nothing when she first held the pendulum. She had no recollection when she’d read the book.

  “Your ancestors kept the bones throughout the centuries so they would be protected from the Dark Spirit taking them back to the Otherworld and trapping Isadore there. She was his partner. They met after they were created and knew someday they would have to separate because of their destinies. But the Dark Spirit didn’t want to comply with the order the Divine One’s gave so they allowed Isadore to live in both worlds.” Syx removed some of the dirt off the coffin as she turned to the opening in the cavern.

  “When we open Isadore’s coffin, hold the crystal pendulum and recite what’s on the parchment. You will feel as though your body is transforming into a mystical being.” Syx clapped her hands and the entire cavern filled with light. Mary could see part of the cavern, near the grave, had millions of crystals lining the walls. Mary put her hand to her mouth, remembering Famous and his reaction when she went to touch the crystal boulder.

  “Why did Famous keep me from touching the crystals near the whirlpool?”

  “The crystal boulder is a teleportation device. One we use to travel back to our planet when we need to. If you had touched it, it would have sent you home and you would not have been able to return to this life, and therefore not fulfill your destiny. The area surrounding Zropu can only be seen by angels and the immortal’s like Isadore. You were able to see it because Famous was with you. Once you have sent the Dark Spirit back to his world, you will be able to see because you will have fulfilled part of what you were in this life to do. It’s a gift you’re given for your service.” Syx said.

  Once at the coffin of the Priestess, Isadore appeared in bat form through the moonlit opening. As before, a bright oval light appeared, and Isadore stepped out of it. She asked Mary for the pendulum. When Isadore placed the gold chain around her neck, she became a white glowing orb. Syx told Mary to recite what was written on the parchment.

  As Syx had assured her, Mary was able to read the words, because they now appeared as if they were written in English. “Great Priestess Isadore, I am here to be your vessel to remove the Dark Spirit from the Earth. You may use me as you wish, with my full blessing.” Mary said.

  Isadore’s Light entered Mary’s body. She shook as if electrified from within and her aura changed to a soft white glow. After a minute, She could feel both herself, and the immortal inside of her.

  “Why didn’t Priestess Isadore mention we would be sharing a soul and fighting the Dark Spirit when I met her at the stones?”

  “First, we had to know how far you would be willing to go. Up until I met with you and told you she was sharing your soul, you had choices, freewill. As you know, she’s been with you, watching, waiting for this moment. That’s why she came to you at the cottage. To size you up and gauge your fear. You both had to be in front of the bones for the transformation to work, and you had to give permission, hence the scroll.” Syx said. “I wanted to be sure you were willing to help.” Isadore said.

  “You share the same soul and now the same body. You can change into any animal form you wish. Merely think it and it will happen.”

  Mary reached for her throat, the gold chain that held the pendulum was now around her neck.

  “Isadore has the power to call on the spirits of the dead. You will need them to increase your energy. When you are in front of the Dark Spirit, you will take the crystal pendulum off your neck and use it like you have used your own pendulum, to summon the Dark Spirit and the souls he’s collected into it.”

  “I will do the best I can. I don’t want to let you down.” Mary said.

  “That’s impossible, my charge.” Syx said with a smile. “Before you leave the woods, you must go to the whirlpool and cleanse the crystal there. It contains the water of the Divine and will remove the old residue of battles on it. I can sense your worry, but you will not be alone; Isadore will guide you, and you will intuitively know what to do when the time comes.”

  Chapter Ten

  The Chariot

  Mary left the castle and met with Famous, and his disciples. Famous said,

  “We will be your guide, from which no evil can hide.

  The spirits of the dead can be of great help to you,

  see them throughout the woods, in their greyish hue.

  Look to the cemeteries and those newly dead,

  Your friend might be of help to you, she is still at the shed.”

  Mary knew Hope wouldn’t leave with unfinished business. She was looking forward to their meeting. Following Famous to the whirlpool, she did as Syx instructed. She could see lone spirits, hovering near the trees. She hadn’t noticed them the last time she was there, before Famous took her to the stones. “The less fearful you are of the spirits, the better you will see them.” Joseph said, answering Mary’s thought.

  Mary assumed there would be dozens of spirits with the history of the area. Three of the spirits had uniforms from the civil war. Others looked like old settlers, who may have been stuck on the mountain over a bad winter and starved to death. There was a man leaning against a tree. H
e looked so real; she wasn’t sure he was a ghost. She smiled at him, waiting for an acknowledgement. As she looked intently at the man, his face suddenly changed into a hollow outline of a skull, leaving no doubt what he was. Joseph explained how to call the spirits.

  “Remember when you first started using your pendulum, and could ask questions in your mind, using telepathy to get the pendulum to move?” Mary nodded, “You do the same thing with spirit. You talk to them as you would with the pendulum, also known as Syx. You do know it was Syx reading your mind and moving the pendulum? “

  “Yes, I knew it was her, we used a letter board to spell her name once. When she answered the door and said it’s spelled S-Y-X, I was sure she was giving me a hint, since that’s exactly what we spelled. I only had our communications using the pendulum, so to see her in the flesh, so to speak, was surreal and not what I had pictured all these years.”

  Joseph continued. “It’s using the same telepathy, only with each spirit. Hold up your arms, and ask them to join you, using your mind.”

  Mary did as instructed. The spirits, as if pulled in by a vortex, came at her and in to her body. With each added spirit, she could feel herself growing stronger and the white aura that surrounded her became brighter.

  Continuing their journey, they came to the small graveyard, located beside the farm house that was part of the camp. There were two spirits, a boy and a girl. Mary felt sorry for them, lingering in the graveyard instead of going to Oapuzi. What could they have done to deserve spending their days near their graves? Mary didn’t want to ask them to help, they were children.

  “It’s complicated but I will try to explain. The souls may look like children, because that’s the body they were in when they died. Their souls however, had a mission that goes beyond the life they were in. Some souls stay behind to watch over family members. Other souls may want to wait for a resolution to a familial karmic event which may be centuries old. Or they may simply have unfinished business regarding their own death. All souls have the free will to stay or go to Oapuzi if they choose. The two spirits you see have chosen to wait here.” Joseph said.

  “But what about their guardian angel’s. Why didn’t they take them straight to Oapuzi?”

  “The children died in a flood 20 years earlier. Their unfinished business is the company responsible for the cause of the flood because they built the retaining wall with substandard materials. They chose to stay and await the fates of those involved. Their guardian angels allowed it because that’s what they wanted. Freewill prevails, always. Because they died as children is irrelevant, their souls were much older.” He said.

  “Why would they hang out here for 20 years though, it doesn’t make sense.”

  “If it helps, they can’t feel the passage of time like the living do.” Joseph said. “but I will promise to send them and all the spirits home through the crystals if they agree to help you.”

  Mary, using telepathy, asked the children if they would help her, and then move on, rather than wait for karmic justice. The spirits of the children agreed as well as those who were already a part of her.

  Mary could feel the strength of Isadore, and the spirits, but she was apprehensive. She didn’t want to fail when the fate of the world might be in her hands.

  Famous stopped outside the fence of the camp. He looked to Joseph for a moment. He walked to where Mary was standing and softened his hound eyes.

  ”You need to prepare now; you will see the spirit of your friend and she will look as she did when she died.” Joseph said.

  “I’m prepared for it. I want to know who stabbed her. I want that person so I can…” He cut her off. “You can’t take a life here, Mary. No matter what they’ve done. But…you can do anything else you can think of, and since you have the ability to change into any animal you want…” His voice trailed off, but Mary knew what he was getting at. “I think I know just how to handle him now.” And She did. She was trying to picture the form she would take but was having trouble making up her mind.

  “Speak the name of the one most influenced by the Dark Spirit.”

  “He uses the name Major Kemp; I don’t know what his first name is. He’s usually at the big house, most every night.”

  “We will go straight to him and keep him from leaving while you go where the shed stood and visit with your friend. Hope,” Joseph said.

  “Yes. I can’t wait to see her.” She walked straight to where the burned out shed stood. As she predicted the drum they used to hold her body was the only thing that didn’t burn. The camp was quiet, with everyone asleep. She hadn’t realized how late it was. She walked closer to the shed area and called out Hope’s name, waiting to see an orb, like the one on the day Hope died. Mary waited, wringing her hands and pacing as the anticipation of being able to talk to Hope grew. A faint voice came from somewhere behind her.

  She turned to see Hope, in spirit form, in the clothes she died in. Mary was thankful that the dead remained the way they were at their moment of death, it didn’t matter what happened to their body after they died. She would have been devastated to have sent her to the spirit world with charred remains. Hope went to Mary and embraced her friend. Tears welled in Mary’s eyes, wishing she hadn’t died the way she did. Wishing she hadn’t died at all.

  “Hope, I’m so sorry for what happened to you. I had no idea. I’m here to set things right. Tell me who killed you and I will make sure they pay.” Mary said.

  Hope interrupted her with a warning. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  Mary immediately said, “It was the Major or one of his henchmen, I want to know which one.”

  Hope hesitated. “It was Erika and Debbie… they were working for the Major.” Mary staggered backward, reaching for something to hold on to. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “It must have been the Dark Spirit that made Erika do such a thing.”

  “The Dark Spirit or any spirit for that matter, can’t make one do what wasn’t in their heart to begin with.” Hope said.

  The realization about Erika devastated Mary. How could she be so wrong? Disappointed with herself for falling for her maternal feelings and treating Erika like she was the daughter she never had.

  “So, what was the Major and his crew looking for after I took the drum?”

  “They were looking for me, or my body. Erika and Debbie told them they’d placed me in the drum, so you weren’t wrong about what they were looking for.”

  “So far, all of the cards I divined are coming true. I also tried to channel you when I was losing faith.”

  Hope already knew and was there with her at her camp the night she gave up. “I was told not to intervene or to come to you, that I was to wait until this moment. And yes, I will join you.”

  “I am going to miss you so much.” Mary embraced her friend one last time.

  “You can’t get rid of me that easy. I’ve decided to stay at Zropu castle. I can go to Oapuzi anytime.”

  She let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she would be able to talk with her friend again, when this was all over. Hope transformed into a bright white orb and went to join the other spirits.

  Mary clenched her fists, she wanted to strangle both Erika and Debbie. She started planning the best way to get back at them without killing either one. First she was going to change into a monster. She tried to picture one that might exist in real life. She knew the local girls at the big house had told them about the woods and the creatures in it. But the creature would have to exist for her to change into it, she assumed. She wasn’t clear on the specifics but was going to try anyway. She pictured a large Bigfoot in her mind but chose to be a different color than that of the mythical one. The transformation process took mere seconds, and she became a large off-white creature covered in thick matted fur. She remembered the first episode of Star Trek called “The Man Trap,” where an old love interest of Dr. McCoy could change into an all beige colored beast with sucker fingers and a mouth that looked like a sewer drain. She tried
to change into that creature, a combination of that and a Bigfoot. Without a mirror she had no idea if she was successful or not. She could feel her new height and hulking size and see that her arms and torso were as she had imagined, she hoped her face was as menacing as she envisioned it to be. She walked into the barracks and straight to Erika and Debbie’s bunk.

  Mary stood over the two of them and banged hard on the wall above their heads. They woke with a fright and Debbie immediately passed out. She remained a little longer over Erika and could see the fear in her eyes. She began to cry, holding her face in her hands. After Mary watched Erika’s distress for a few minutes, she transformed back into her human form.

  “When law and order are restored, I will see to it that you and Debbie go to prison for the rest of your lives. Dark spirit or not, the evil must be in your heart for it to take hold.”

  “Are you going to kill us?” Erika asked, huddled into a ball as if Mary were still the creature.

  “I wanted to, but what I have planned for you will be much worse; you will pray for death. When you do, some friends of mine will visit you.” She said, hoping to be there when it happens.

  She walked out of the barracks and straight into Famous and Joseph. “He wasn’t at the big house; he must be around here somewhere.”

  Mary decided to check the comm room. She opened the door and the Major was reading a report. As intimidated as she was by him before, he seemed small and weak to her now.

  “On your feet.”

  The Major looked at her and smirked. “Oh, your back, are you? And trying to give me orders to boot.”

  Mary wanted to wipe the smirk off his face, so she transformed into the creature she had frightened Erika with. He jumped out of his chair and flung himself against the back wall. He was reaching at his side and Mary quickly grabbed the gun from his hand. She held it in front of him and crushed it into a ball of metal. She got within an inch of his face and bared her teeth at him. She could tell he had soiled himself from the smell. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window as she held the Major against the wall. She was disturbed by how frightening she looked as a hulking beast with cold dead eyes and sharp jagged teeth. She was terrified at the prospect that the stories about the woods were true. Since she could only change into a creature that exists. The Major immediately slumped to the ground, begging for his life. Mary transformed into her human form and motioned for him to walk out the door. When he walked into Famous and the others, he became a sniveling wreck again.