by L E Gordon
Thunder sounded again, a roaring following behind it, far away to begin with, then getting closer and louder. Lightning cracked and lit up the sky, showing the source of the noise. The Undine was coming. And she was bringing the tide back in with her.
Cait quickly threw up a bubble of air to protect us. Flora crouched down like a sprinter about to start a race, placing her hands on the wet sand and pushed. A ripple of sand grew like a pulse out from the circle, building and gaining height to form a barrier against the mite of the water rolling towards us, lessening it’s force and slowing it down.
The water crashed over the top but the strength of the wall held back most of the volume on the other side, Flora still pushed her earth energy into the wall and physically forcing the tide back out to sea.
I pulled the Undine and the remaining water to the circle, holding tight to Kira’s hand to draw more power in and control the elemental creature. “Open the bubble now, Cait! She’s nearly here!”
Cait threw open a door and I yanked the Undine inside, the door closing quickly behind her. Kenna erected a wall of fire round the Undine to help keep her in place.
Flora let go of the sand wall, which slowly disintegrated and spread out, her magic no longer forcing it into place. She slumped slightly, her energy depleted until she could draw on the circle again.
We all turned to look at the Undine, which was shifting her shape inside the fire, furious at being caught by us. “How dare you call to me witch. I control the water here, the energy of the people. I come and go with the tide as I please. Who are you to hold me in one place?”
“I am Tarn, Water Witch and Keeper of the West for Kilbrae, the town you claim to be helping with your elemental powers. I know you’ve been stalking human males, looking for a mate, and am here to tell you it’s not happening. You don’t take kindly to the human weakness of infidelity and I’m not going to stand by and see someone under my protection die because they didn’t love you enough.”
The Undine seethed within the fire “I will take who I want as my mate. You can’t stop me!”
I drew myself up and walked towards the flames. “Can’t I? I already have you trapped, one word and Kenna will unleash fire and you will no longer be a problem to me. I could freeze and shatter you, Cait could disperse you so far into the wind that you cannot find yourself again and Flora could trap you inside a stone so hard you can’t erode it. So don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. You are at my mercy.”
Hearing the truth in my words, the Undine let out a scream of rage that made our bodies vibrate. I let her get her anger out and spoke again, “We don’t want to do any of those things to you. We are witches, our desire is to protect and that includes you. I will only ask you this once, will you give up on your quest to find a mate in our town?”
“I cannot. I was called by desire. It has awakened the need for a mate in me. I am unable to stop it,” she replied.
We looked at each other, glad we had planned our options out before we trapped her. “Would you accept our help to rid yourself of this desire?”
She looked at all of us, wondering what her fate would be. “What does it entail?”
“You were drawn to my sister’s energy although she didn’t call you. We can use that energy to work a reversal spell and remove the unwanted need from you. Do you accept our help?”
She stopped shifting her amorphous body and slowly took the form of a woman, her energy more contained. “I would welcome it. I only wish to live in peace. This has been difficult for me, I’m drawn to find a man, but have no wish to let this take over my existence. I’m not a cruel being, but once the desire has been sparked it is difficult to get out of its hold. It is taking all my power to control myself right now, so if you are going to do something, I suggest you do it now. I may not be able to keep this form for long.”
We quickly took our places, this time with Kira and the Undine in the centre of the circle. Kira began the working by recreating the calling she had done at her own Mabon ceremony within our larger circle. While she was doing this and raising her energies, we began our own calling to gather energy for the reversal spell.
We all raised our arms, hands facing the two people closest to us in the circle. Flora began. “Power of the Earth, I call you to me. Join our energy to my sisters three.”
Cait was next and repeated the call to her element, “Power of the Air, I call you to me. Join our energy to my sisters three.”
Kenna called out to the south, “Powers of Fire, I call you to me. Join our energy to my sisters three.”
Finally it was my turn. “Powers of Water, I call you to me. Join our energy to my sisters three.”
A ring of white energy blasted out of our palms to form a circle, each element rushing through us all with immense power. Kira had reached the pinnacle of her own calling and threw her head back in pleasure, sexual energy being released from her body, causing the Undine to lurch forward, drawn to the bliss Kira experienced. She began to lose her shape as she fought to escape the flames and join with Kira.
As Kira cried out in ecstasy, I released the power in our circle and sent it through Kira into the Undine, joining us all together. “Mother Moon, hear me, we seek your mercy. Release your daughter from her desire, give her freedom to do the work you set out for her kind. Goddess, I call to you!”
The energy built round the circle, then released each of the other Keepers and channelled into me. I pushed the energy through Kira and into the Undine who began to glow. The Moon appeared from behind the storm clouds, almost as if she heard us call to her, and shone down on the Undine, making the glow look even brighter.
The brightness grew until it was painful to look at and I put up my arms to shield me from the light. Then, in an instant, the light diminished to a soft glow, allowing me to look at the Undine again. Except the Undine wasn’t alone. Kenna’s fiery trap had disappeared and there was a glowing figure beside her.
I recognised the figure at once and fell to my knees. “Mother Moon, you bless us with your presence.”
“Tarn, daughter of mine, I heard your call, but your spell is not required. Undine, you are also my child, and the world will have need of you. I will take away your desire and ease your anguish. You need not seek a mate, it is not the path for you.”
The Undine bowed to her goddess, “Thank you my goddess. I have no need of a soul, my happiness is bound to the water and the people who need my help. Tarn, I ask the forgiveness from the coven for my actions. They will not be repeated.”
I nodded to her. “It wasn’t your fault, you were driven by primal needs you had no control over. We had no wish to take action against you. However, if you regress and try to claim a soul, it won’t end well for you, or any of your kind who do this in our town.”
The Undine nodded “I understand and will be sure to tell others who pass this way.”
The Moon Goddess walked to the Undine and took her hands; a brightness passed from the Goddess to the Undine and they stood quietly until it dimmed. “You are free now, child.” The Goddess told her. “Be at peace with the ocean and trouble yourself with humans no more.”
With that, the Goddess turned and looked at us all. “Rise, daughters of magic. I thank you for what you did for my child. Blessed Be, I am watching over all of you.”
And with that, she disappeared.
We all looked at each other, amazed that we had been in the presence of a Goddess. The Undine simply stood where she was, waiting to see what we were going to do. I addressed her again, “We’ll break the circle and you’ll be free to go. I hope if our paths cross again it will be in better circumstances. If you’re ever in need of our help, I welcome the Goddess each full moon in a cove near here. I would be pleased to see you and build our friendship.”
“Thank you Tarn, I would be pleased to see you as well. Now that I’m free of this desire, I can relax again. Look for me at the full moon.”
She stood back, letting us finish our ceremony and break t
he circle. Working in reverse, I started the incantation this time
“We give thanks to the elements who have held us safe. Powers of Water and the West, thank you for your insight. Hail and farewell.”
Kenna then thanked the element of fire for its part in our ceremony. “Powers of Fire and the South, thank you for protection. Hail and farewell.”
Stepping forward, Cait gave thanks to air. “Powers of Air and the East, thank you for carrying our prayers to the Goddess and providing protection from the other elements. Hail and farewell.”
Finally Flora took her place. “Powers of Earth and the North, thank you for giving us strength and protection. Hail and farewell.”
Kira took her place at the centre again to finish the ceremony. “The Circle is now open, you are free to leave. May the powers of the goddess go with you. Hail and farewell, sisters”
The air crackled round us and then the magic holding our circle fizzed and drained away. We were all free to go.
Chapter seventeen
The circle dropped and the Undine took her leave, “I am sorry for the trouble I have caused. I hope to repay you with the same kindness you have shown me someday. If I can help you in anyway come to the sea and call for me. I will come as quickly as I can.”
It appeared that we were gaining allies in the face of adversity, which could only be a good thing if things were going south in the Fae lands. The Undine would have followed my bidding if I pressed, but to have her help of her own accord would be far better, especially as she could bring other water elementals to our aid.
Exhausted by the night’s endeavours, we gathered what little we had to remove and walked slowly back towards the pathway to the road. We kept silent as we made our way back to my home, too tired to talk and not wanting to make any more noise than we had during the spell casting. We were lucky that Cait could whisk the noise away from the land, but the storm was pretty loud and there was nothing we could do about that.
I was still in shock at having met my Goddess and wondered what she saw in store for the Undine. None of our paths were clear, but the possibilities of what was to come could be more distinct for some and, like me, she was lucky, or unlucky to be one that fate had chosen for a specific path.
Unlocking the door, we were all glad to be inside. Michael had left the heating on so the kitchen was warm. I skipped the tea and got wine glasses out for us all. After the night we had maybe even a whiskey would be more appropriate, so I put a bottle of malt on the table along with a bottle of red. They could help themselves to whichever suited them best.
I poured a dram for myself and threw it back, the whiskey burning my throat, then warming me from the inside, working against the chill of the night. Kenna did the same, but Kira, Cait, and Flora settled for a glass of wine.
Kira broke the silence, “It’s been a while since I did magic like that. I had forgotten how amazing it is to have that kind of energy flowing through you. And to be in the presence of a Goddess, now that is something I will never forget. Here’s to us, ladies, may the Goddess bless us all.” She raised her glass in a toast to the Moon Goddess.
Everyone raised their glasses and repeated her toast, “May the Goddess bless us all. Blessed Be, sisters.”
“Kira, how did you know Tarn needed your help in the circle?” Flora asked, wondering how Kira had come to my aid when I needed more power.
“I always know when someone needs a boost, don’t you?” she replied.
“Never. I could guess by their actions, but feel it? No. Could you sense me in the circle?”
“Yes, and Cait and Kenna, you used up a lot of energy when you threw up the wall. I was torn between helping you and Tarn, but I knew Cait was protecting us with the air and Tarn needed help the most so I went to her. Is this unusual?”
We all looked at each other, unsure. Cait chipped in “I think it is, I’ve never came across a witch who could sense power like that or offer their own to help where it was needed. Kira, the elders should look into this. Maybe you were never meant to be a water witch at all. You’re something quite different!”
Kenna agreed, “This kind of power can’t be ignored. Fate has always had a plan for you, Kira, but it seems it wasn’t the path you were born into. I think you need to be tested. You could be a Keeper after all, just one we haven’t had before.”
Agreeing this was a discussion for another day we put it aside and finished our drinks. As we were putting our glasses in the sink Michael came into the kitchen, sleepy and dishevelled. “I saw the storm, it was spectacular. Did the working go well?”
“It did indeed, the Moon Goddess heard our call and set the Undine free. She’s in control of her emotions again and has pledged to be of help if we need it. Not only that, Kira has shown a new power; it seems like she can sense and be a conduit for our power. We’ll have look into it more and have her tested as soon as we can.”
“Mother Moon blessed you with her presence? That is a reason to celebrate for sure, which I can see you have all done. Does anyone want me to drive them home? You all look tired out.”
They all accepted a lift home from Michael, got their coats on and wished me a good night. Well, what was left of it anyway. We agreed to meet in two days to give us a chance to recover and think about the evening’s activity.
Feeling like I had been awake for days, I went into the bathroom and turned the shower on to hot. I stripped out of my sandy clothes and got into the steaming water, choosing to sit down to rinse myself off, not trusting my legs to hold me up for much longer. After a quick wash, I dried off with a fluffy towel, put on flannel pyjamas, and crawled into bed.
I was so tired I didn’t hear Michael come home, or get up with the kids and take them out for the morning. The sound of them coming home for lunch woke me up and I put on my slippers and a robe and met them in the kitchen.
Ailsa ran over to me. “Daddy said you met the Moon Goddess last night! What was she like Mamma? Was she beautiful, did you tell her about me?” Her enthusiasm was catching and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Pulling her onto my knee, I told her about the Moon Goddess and how she had helped us free a water elemental from emotions she couldn’t manage. That yes, the Goddess was beautiful, that I didn’t get to tell her about my little girl this time, but would make sure I did if I saw her again. Ailsa sat there listening, soaking up the events of the night like they were a common occurrence.
Meeting the Goddess and the hours of sleep left me with enough energy to face the world. I found my phone and sent a text message to all the Keepers:
Coven meeting to discuss last night? Or do we want to go through things ourselves and figure out what to do with Kira first?
Kenna message back first:
Discuss it ourselves first, meet tomorrow night at my place?
Everyone agreed and I invited Kira to join us too, seeing as she had been part of the working and we would need to discuss her place in the coven or even a role as a new Keeper.
That afternoon we hung out as a family, went for a walk along the beach and found some interesting things washed up by the tide. No one had the inclination to cook so we made the rare choice to go out for a meal and give us all a break.
In the morning I went into the shop and saw a few clients as well as tending to the shop. At five o’clock I closed up and went home, tired but happy that we had figured out the town’s problem and people were safe once more. I had told Michael I was going straight to Kenna’s that evening; we decided to meet early as we were all still tired. I drew up to Kenna’s workshop and parked outside the door.
I loved Kenna’s home, probably because it was so close to the harbour. I opened the workshop door and saw Kenna working at her bench. She didn’t need tools to craft the jewellery, but always had them sitting out in case a client happened to pop in. Seeing it was me, she put the hammer in her hand down and continued to work her magic on the piece.
“I’m nearly finished, what do you think?” she asked holding up a
beautiful pendant with one of Michael’s stones in it.
“You already know the answer to that hun. Is this a commission?”
“Yes, the lady had already bought a brooch and wanted a necklace to go with it, she said the brooch needed company. Funny how people attach emotions to things. I’ve put a happiness charm into this one. I got the sense she also needed a bit of a lift in her life. He husband is sick so it might help ease a little of that burden for her.”
“I’m sure she’ll be delighted with it. I’ll leave you to finish off and go upstairs to wait for the others.”
Flora, Cait, and Kira would be finishing work and coming over shortly then we could discuss the Undine and Kira’s new powers. I grabbed a can of soft drink from the fridge and settled on the sofa, looking out of the huge picture window that Kenna had installed when she renovated the old warehouse. The view of the boats in the harbour bobbing about on the dark water soothed me and I was almost nodding off when Kenna came up the stairs.
“The others just pulled up. I’m going to order Chinese food for us all and we can eat while we talk.” She picked up the menu for the local takeaway and called to get our food delivered. By the time she had finished the others were in the shop and had locked the door behind them.
Everyone settled round the huge table separating the kitchen and living area. They turned to me to start the discussion.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I‘m still exhausted from the other night. I’m happy with the outcome. Everyone worked well together, our defences were perfect, we caught the Undine, and I think our spell would have done what we were asking, but we’ll never know because of the Goddess. I’m still in shock at finally meeting her! Kira, how are you after finding out about your powers?”
Kira sat back on her chair, silver bracelets tinkling as she picked up her drink. “I’m actually relieved. I knew I was never suited to being the Keeper of the West. It would never have worked out. I’m so happy to know my powers are actually going to be good for something instead of jumping from one element to another and never having any real strength. I’m not average in one element, I’m meant to work in all of them. I’d like to be tested as soon as we can arrange it.”