The doors to the hall opened and Citrine walked out. She was dressed in a black robe identical to Kiernan’s with a black veil covering her face. Kiernan only knew it was Citrine by the distinctive red braid peeking through.
“We’re ready for you.”
Kiernan took a deep breath and nodded.
“Don’t be nervous, Kiernan. This is the shortest and most straightforward of all our rites. It will be over quickly.”
Kiernan lowered her eyes. “I’m not nervous, it’s just that everything has happened so fast.”
Citrine smiled through the veil. “Do you not wish to be one of us?”
“I do! It…has been difficult, that’s all.”
“I know, but we’re going to be sisters soon. I’m here for you any time you wish to talk. Do you hear me?”
Kiernan nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Good.” Citrine reached for her hand and led the way into the hall. Hundreds of candles were arranged in a semi circle in the center of the room. Soft chanting from many feminine voices drifted to her from above, but she couldn’t make out the words or see faces in the concealment of shadows where the candlelight didn’t reach. The strong smell of incense filled her nose and she breathed in the piquant scent.
Citrine led her through the breach in the circle of candles to the lone veiled figure standing in the middle and knelt, pulling Kiernan down with her.
“High Priestess,” Citrine intoned, “we ask for your blessing in naming this woman, Kiernan Grace Everard, a Friend of the Coven.”
“Who asks?”
“We all do!” was the reply from Citrine and all of the Gems in attendance in the dark behind her.
“Please rise.”
Kiernan rose to her feet shakily and felt a moment of panic when Citrine left her side and departed back through the glowing tapers. She stood alone now in front of the figure she knew to be Gemini, but kept her eyes lowered.
“In the presence of the Highworld spirits and the entire coven, do you come to us of your own free will? Unencumbered of material possessions?”
“I do,” she replied, as instructed earlier by Citrine.
Gemini’s hands reached out and gently opened Kiernan’s robe and pushed it along the top of her shoulders until it fell to the ground. She trembled as the cool air accosted her body.
“Do you swear to keep secret the arts of our practice? Keep secret the rituals and ceremonies for which you will now have knowledge?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to protect and defend your coven of sisters from all harm?”
“I do.”
Gemini lifted her veil back over her head.
Kiernan swayed as she watched her, suddenly feeling light-headed from the strong incense. She closed her eyes and her head rolled back. This feels wonderful.
The chanting stopped.
Very softly, almost in a whisper, Gemini said, “As High Priestess, I find you worthy of this coven.” She reached out her hand and lightly cupped Kiernan’s chin and kissed her on the lips.
“I accept you mind…” she said and kissed Kiernan on the side of her temple.
“Body…” she whispered and leaned down to kiss Kiernan’s stomach, right above her navel.
“And, soul...” she said, placing a kiss on Kiernan’s left breast over her heart.
Kiernan kept her eyes closed during the intimate ritual and flinched when she felt Gemini walk around her and drape her robe back over her shoulders.
“Let us now close the circle of sisterhood and let it never be broken.”
One by one the Gems approached and filled the gap in the circle with one of the candles in the outer ring.
It’s over. I am committed now to the sorceresses of Elloree, just as Mother wished.
When at last it was Kiernan and Gemini alone in the ring of candlelight, her emotions ruptured and she began to sob.
“Now, now,” Gemini consoled. “Why the tears? You are a Friend of the Coven for now and evermore.”
“Forgive me, Gemini. I…I have just felt so alone. I’ve missed my mother for so long.”
Gemini folded her into her arms. “I miss her, too. She was a remarkable woman, and you know what? You’re pretty remarkable, too. She would be very proud of you.”
“Thank you, Gemini, your words mean more than you will ever know.”
“You have us now, Kiernan. You have all of your Gem sisters and you have me. I already think of you as a daughter.”
And, that made Kiernan cry even harder.
Chapter 31
Elloree
Forced to wait for a ferry at the pier in Iserport, Beck paced impatiently. Instead of traveling east as originally planned, he and Bajan would now be traveling west on the Illian River directly to Elloree. In the opposite direction I need to be.
No one could tell him exactly where the sorceresses lived, but cautioned him to be wary. Although, the people of Iserport had known about the Gems for some time, unless a shifter daughter was born, they generally stayed as far away as possible.
He wondered why the Gems, a coven of witches by all accounts, would kidnap Kiernan. He asked Bajan to try and reach her, but the Draca just shook his head. Beck wasn’t sure if that meant they were too far away for communication or he had already tried and she hadn’t answered.
“Beck Atlan?”
Beck turned to a thin man with a tanned, weather-beaten face walking toward him with his hand extended.
Beck shook the man’s hand. “I take it you will be our captain to Elloree.”
The man laughed good-naturedly. “Well, I’ll be navigating the ferry if you can call that a captain, lad. The name is Rafe Wilden, but just Rafe is fine.”
Beck smiled. “Rafe it is. When do we leave?”
“Now.” He pointed to an open-sided, flat-bottomed boat with sloping square bow and stern. “There she is, the Blue Lady. Make yourselves comfortable.”
Beck and Bajan boarded and were apparently the only passengers on the Blue Lady that afternoon. A cool breeze ruffled his hair as he grasped one of the vertical beams that supported the canvas roof of the ferry and gazed out over the Illian River. The sun sat brilliantly in a red-orange ball right above the western horizon.
The ferry lurched when Rafe jumped aboard with his crew of two young oarsmen. The three men worked as a well-practiced team to push away from the dock and steer in a westerly direction out of Lake Traverse and onto the Illian.
As they set out, Beck’s thoughts were a jumbled array of hopes for his fellow Savitars. He hoped Rogan had been able to retrieve his pendant and discover word of his birth family. He hoped Airron survived his ordeal in Havenport and was awaiting them in Sarphia. And, he hoped more than anything else in this world that very soon he would be able to hold Kiernan in his arms again.
That final, particularly incredible wish was his last conscious thought as he slid down the rail at his back and fell fast asleep.
He awoke reluctantly sometime later to what felt like a large file being dragged along his cheek. He waved the affectionate Draca Cat away and opened his eyes. “I’m up, I’m up,” he said groggily and realized it was afternoon—of the following day!
“Good afternoon to you, lad,” Rafe greeted cheerfully.
The short oars of yesterday were replaced by long poles as the three oarsmen navigated shallower waters.
Beck stood, sore from sleeping up against the boat’s rails the entire night. “Good afternoon. How much longer to Elloree?”
Rafe pointed with a jerk of his chin. “Right around the next bend. Rope!”
One of the men put down his long pole to retrieve a mooring line with a noose on one end. When the Blue Lady steered around the next curve in the river, a lone dock with two wooden pilings came into view.
“Welcome to Elloree, lad!”
Elloree? There was nothing within sight except the dock, a small, pebbled beach and a dirt trail that led into a heavily-wooded forest.
The m
an with the rope tossed it over the side and looped it expertly over one of the pilings pulling the ferry up tight to the dock.
Bajan jumped from the boat in an impressively long leap that caused Rafe to whistle in appreciation.
Beck followed hesitantly.
“The witches live somewhere along that trail,” Rafe said. “Never been there myself, so not sure how far. Good luck to you, lad.” Rafe gestured for Beck to unhook the rope and throw it back to him.
“Wait! When will you be back? I’ll need to travel back to Iserport as soon as I locate my friend.”
Rafe shook his head. “Not going to be back.”
Beck stood at the end of the dock with the rope in his hand. “You must have heard the stories,” he growled in panic. “I’ll need to get back to Iserport!”
Rafe’s features were unapologetic. “Of course I’ve heard the stories! And, that’s why I have to get back!” he shouted. “I have a sick wife and children to see after.”
The pebbled beach under the dock began to stir with Beck’s anger. “You would doom the island to destruction, then?”
The ferryman glanced with unease at the beach. “I’m no hero, lad, out to save the world. I only wish to protect my family.”
Beck glared at Rafe and then reluctantly threw the rope back onto the ferry. The oarsmen hastily swung the Blue Lady around to head back east. Rafe looked back once more, and this time Beck detected remorse from him.
I need more than remorse, Rafe Wilden!
Turning away in disgust, he gestured to Bajan and they walked along the beach toward the forest, the name of which escaped him. He should have known it with all of the time he spent studying Gage’s maps, but he didn’t.
Doubt plagued him. Even if he found Kiernan this very minute, how were they to travel to Sarphia in the five days left before Earthshine? Short of sprouting wings, it was entirely impossible.
Yet, I have no choice but to keep moving.
The thought sent his heart and legs pumping. “Let’s go, Bajan!” He ran toward the opening in the forest and onto the faded trail, the thick boughs overhead immediately blotting out the sunlight, and the long line of trees along the path reminding him of shadowed sentinels rigidly keeping watch and ready to engage in battle at the slightest provocation.
They ran for a full hour before Beck stopped.
“Bajan, do you think you can try and reach out to Kiernan before we go any further?”
The Draca Cat nodded, sat back and closed his eyes.
***
Princess? Princess, I am in Elloree! Can you hear me?
Nothing.
Enough of this silence, Princess Kiernan Everard! I know you can hear me. As your friend and protector, I demand that you answer me!
Nothing. Then…
Go away, Bajan.
His body convulsed in relief. Thank the Highworld you are unharmed! Where are you?
Bajan, you must go. I am happy here with the Gems.
Gems? What are the Gems?
The witches of Elloree. I have learned much since I have been here, my friend. About my mother, her last wishes and the ancient bond between our ancestors.
I understand how you must feel as you have longed for your mother ever since I have known you. But, Princess, have you forgotten your duty? We must go to Callyn-Rhe. All of our lives depend on it!
Pause.
I no longer believe that Bajan. It was the half-mad mutterings of a dying man. That’s all.
That is not true, Princess! I have been fighting Ravener’s demons for weeks. They are very real and we are teetering on the brink of war!
Silence.
Beck is with me.
Silence.
We are coming, Princess. We are coming to get you.
Silence.
Princess! We are coming!
The connection was severed.
***
Beck darted impatiently around the Draca like a hummingbird. He could tell by Bajan’s posture and black eyes that he had finally made contact.
Bajan closed his eyes and when he opened them once again, the icy green orbs were furious.
“Well? What did she say?” The Draca turned his back on him. “Is she still here in Elloree?”
Bajan nodded his head in the affirmative.
“Ah, Bajan! This is the best news we have had in a long time! Come!” Beck strode forward onto the path, anxious now to keep going.
The two alternately walked and ran until nightfall before emerging from the forest into an inviting moonlit valley dotted with wildflowers. Unsure how much farther they would have to travel before reaching Elloree, he decided to stop for a rest. After waving Bajan back into the forest to hunt, he sat on an old log and pulled dried beef and cheese from his pack.
As he ate, Beck reached out to the landscape with his magic and found what he was looking for. He waved his hand over the earth between his feet and beckoned the seed of a pink dendrobium orchid to life. The reed-like stem pushed through the soil, the short leaves and dormant buds blossoming with life.
He picked the rare flower with great care as a gift he intended to present to Kiernan when he saw her again. As he was wrapping the orchid to put into his pack, he heard Bajan whine.
“What is it, Bajan?” he asked and walked over to find the Draca digging at the ground.
His eyes widened in surprise at sight of a black grate built into a small hillock. That’s odd. Why would there be a grate here in the middle of nowhere? He peered through the bars, but could see nothing beyond the inky darkness inside. Grabbing the iron in his hands, he gave it a sturdy pull and the door swung open.
He looked at Bajan. They simply didn’t have time for idle explorations, but he was curious to see where it led.
The Draca Cat nodded his silent consent, and the pair stepped into the black hole.
Beck immediately felt around with his hands and his magic, but it wasn’t fast enough. He had only taken two steps when the ground disappeared from under his feet, and he plummeted downward into oblivion.
Chapter 32
A Family for Rogan
Avalon Ravener stopped her horse at the edge of a sharp precipice and peered out across the Valley of Flame. The deep vale had been named for the profusion of red and yellow birds of paradise that carpeted the valley floor and gave the appearance that the terrain was afire, but now all that carpeted the floor was a profusion of soldiers.
The formidable Starfell Keep sat perched on the eastern hill looking exactly as it had the last time she had seen it despite the passing of centuries.
If only I can make it there, she thought, fighting an exhaustion that threatened to tumble her from her saddle. It had been weeks since she killed the Elven Savitar, and it had taken all of her skill as a bodyshifter and sorceress to evade the Elves and animals that pursed her relentlessly ever since. Added to that misery was a string of bad luck with horses and getting lost a time or two in the Puu Rainforest. Oh, yes, her mood was foul indeed.
Her body still pained her where that blasted eagle ripped a chunk of flesh from her back and scored her face. If she had been an amethyst user, she could have made the potion necessary to heal her wounds, but her calling had always been to the sapphire and spell casting.
It may be too late, but she would ask Adrian to reopen the wounds and restore them properly when she reached the safety of Starfell Keep. Her hand lifted to her face to gingerly touch the three raised welts. If I’m left with these scars permanently, I’ll rouse that insufferable Elf from the Highworld and kill him again!
At least now, her brother had nothing to worry about. The prophecy was dead. Without the Elf and his pendant, the other Savitars had no way of finding their way to Callyn-Rhe.
Her mount snorted impatiently in the cool dawn air, anxious now to go down into the valley after catching scent of other horses below. Avalon lashed out and struck the horse cruelly on the side of her head. The mare neighed in displeasure, but didn’t bolt. Avalon had too tight
of a rein on the animal. “Stupid beast,” she muttered, and kicked the mare’s ribs to get her moving down the hill.
As she descended, she wondered what her brother had been up to while she had been gone. She heard many disturbing stories during her travels of demons in the night attacking the citizens of Massa. My brother’s doing? She wasn’t aware that he was capable of summoning spirits from beyond, but learned more years ago than she cared to remember not to underestimate him.
The first Cyman sentries that spotted her sprang to attention as she drew near.
“Stop there!” one of them shouted and more men ran forward, creating a wall of defenders.
She continued to approach, and when she was within ten paces of the soldiers, she lowered the hood of her cloak. The sentries recognized her immediately and shrank back, eyeing her distrustfully. Booted feet pounded away to the east and she guessed that a runner was off to tell Adrian of her return. None of the soldiers made any further move to stop or address her, so she directed the mare forward into the heart of the camp.
She passed thousands of soldiers asleep on the bare ground, and those that were not sleeping were engaged in various camp activities. Most watched her pass with thinly veiled hatred. She knew they didn’t like her, but it mattered very little to her. As long as they were frightened of her, she was content.
Women’s cries could be heard from inside one of the tents. So, my brother has managed to get his hands on some of the female Elves in Haventhal. Good for him.
The mare whinnied again as she neared an improvised corral containing half a dozen horses. Spoils for Adrian, certainly. She knew the Cymans wouldn’t ride them.
It took her hours to pick her way through the camped army, but she eventually made her way to the road cut into the eastern side of the valley that led upward to Starfell Keep.
For the first time, she noticed shadows in the darkened woods off to her right. At first she thought it just the pre-dawn light playing tricks on her eyes, but quickly realized it was something more. The shadows moved and slithered between the trees with purpose, and the sight sent shivers down her spine.
Arriving at the top of the hill, she found Adrian waiting for her in the courtyard of the Keep. He stood there in all black with his hands clasped behind his back. Seeing him again caused unexpected emotion to well inside of her. Despite his shortcomings, he is my brother. Love may be too strong a word for what I feel for him, but there is something indefinable there.