At some point I come back to my senses shaking and hot with clothes wiping my body down and cold water falling along my skin. I try moving my arms and legs but find my limbs bound while they hold another cup to my lips.
At some point I left my body and float above myself.
It seems I am hallucinating now... right? This can’t be real.
I watch my body convulse on the cold stone floor. I am mortified looking at my bound naked body. All these people can see everything. Soon it becomes clear why I am naked. Excrement is leaving my body and I watch as my body vomits. This causes people to untie my body. Circe and Jadis pour water on my me and wipe up everything that is coming out. I see the disgusted look on Circe’s face and some concern as my convulsion continue.
Damiana forces another potion down my throat and I see the convulsions ease. Mages in red cloaks with hoods up come forward with a goat. Leading it near my body they slit its throat, allowing the blood to pool around my body. They drop the dying goat and raise their hands up and outwards, circling me and chanting. A slime oozes from my pores and I am convulsing again.
If this is real, I want to hurt whoever killed the goat, that is just wrong!
Jadis and Circe rush to wipe the ooze off of me. Jadis looks worried as she continues to wipe me down.
At one point I watch as they lay stones from my forehead to pelvis. People talk about my chakras. Then Damiana calls forward a Chaos wizard. Others stand back chanting and doing whatever. He is in the mix of blood mages and the witches with the stones. If there is chaos anywhere, I’d say it is this damn ceremony.
I do not understand the time that has passed. Everyone looks exhausted, especially Jadis and Circe. Finally, I float back into my body. Hands wrap a fur robe around me and help me kneel. With a fuzzy head and bleary sight, I watch as shapes walk towards me. People, it is people approaching. Wasn’t it?
They have various shapes, many are thin or small. I try focusing as they come forward to lay kisses on my forehead. Some are more than people. They have to be. One is tall with a long face and huge horns and then there are so many more. This must be a dream. Escaping back to sleep, I let this dream continue on its own.
I wake warm and snuggle into thick furs. Then I smell the dank cave, hear water drops falling from stalactites and wake remembering the ceremony. I realize I am still naked and see the cavern is empty. I feel neeter losing the audience. Circe and Jadis lay sleeping on the cavern floor next to me, wrapped in their own blankets. I see that Jadis looks like hell, and glancing at Circe, I realize that she is in no better shape. Shaking Jadis’s shoulder, I work on waking her. Those light-blue eyes slowly open and widen at the site of me.
In her soft voice Jadis says, “You look different. Not a lot, just small changes. Your eyes look longer and the cheekbones seem to stand out. You look like you almost glow. You look regal.”
Shocked, I reply, “That’s impossible. I probably look gaunt from the ceremony.”
Jadis answers, “You will see when we get to the cottage and a mirror.”
I shrug my shoulders to see Circe staring at me, “Holy fuck, you look hot. Like... stupid hot.” Pausing and thinking on it she continues, “I will go through that horrid ceremony if my eyes and cheekbones improve like that.”
Jadis chuckles as says, “You don’t need any help to look pretty. Your cream and peaches skin, ruby red hair and boobs men will kill for don’t need improvement. You are dangerous as it is.”
Circe smiles looking happy from Jadis’s observation.
I am not paying attention to their conversation on looks. Circe says I look different, just like Jadis. That is where my head is. I run hands up my face and don’t feel a difference. They are exhausted and they will see out with daylight, food and a good night’s sleep.
But, there is something different and I can’t feel it with my hands. I feel a connection to Circe and Jadis. It’s tied within my chest, like the three of us wrap around my heart.
Interrupting my coven mates conversation, “Hey you two, can you feel me? Are we wrapped around each other's hearts?”
Closing my eyes, I try to ‘feel’ more from the two. It’s like they are part of my body. I feel more than their bodies, it’s their feelings and some of their power resonates between us.
They smile and nod their heads. Circe states, “Well, if I am going to be tied to someone for the rest of my life at least she is beautiful and powerful.” Circe looked like a cat that caught the bird its chased for years.
Jadis smacked Circe, “Stop that. Gwen isn’t going to understand that she is powerful. Not right away. Stop thinking of her as your own personal battery. Becuase I know you Circe and that is exactly what you are thinking.” Jadis scolds.
I ask, “Battery?”
Circe purrs, “Yeah... your level of power swimming around inside of you is immense... I think I love you.” She says this and leans forward for a kiss.
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Now it is my turn to smack her, “What the hell?” I yell. “You hate me remember... what the hell is wrong with you? Now you're in love?” I interrogate her.
Jadis giggled, “Circe is a fickle one. She loves them and leaves them begging for more. And never mind her... she is a little drunk on your resource.” Jadis suggests, “Stop reaching for us.”
“Aw, no fair!” Circe complains.
“Please explain.” I ask.
“I really don’t know yet. Usually a witch or wizards builds up power or asks for power. Either way, it doesn’t swim around inside of us. We build power through rituals and such. We we build it up, we focus on our intent and then the power leaves us to fuel the creation of our will.” She explains.
Finishing, Jadis says, “You have performed no ritual, spell, runes or anything and you just have the power. Witch craft doesn’t work that way.”
Standing Jadis suggests, “Lets head to the cottage we woke up in. It seems it is ours for the time being.”
We all keep the furs and wrap up for the short journey out of the mystic cavern. Walking out of the cave I can’t tell what time of day it is and ask, “How long did the ceremony last?”
Circe answers, “It is midday. We went into the cave yesterday morning.”
“Damn that is a long time,” I answer in a stunned voice.
Jadis suggests, “Lets talk about all of this in the hot springs. We need to clean up, munch on food and get some sleep. I suggest sleep until tomorrow.”
Circe agrees, “Sounds wonderful.”
I nod my head because I had nothing better to offer.
Our walk is short to our little place, it is secluded from the other cottages and quant looking. In the midday Oregon misty weather, I imagine this as a fairy tale with a happy ending. I didn’t have time yesterday to inspect our housing arrangements. Herbs hung in the kitchen, the sink contained a hand pump and a large wood stove to cook on.
Looking around I ask, “Damn, is everything antiquated?” Then I had a horrid worry. “Showers, please tell me we have a shower and a flushing toilet... please.” I plead.
“Nope.” Circe smirks. “Throw lime down the hole and it is the stream all year long.”
How am I going to survive? This is barbaric.
Jadis opens a trapdoor into what I assume is the larder and reappears with a basket of cheese, bread and sausage.
Standing in the middle of the room in complete shock, the two women laugh at me. Circe has towels, soaps and says, “Drop your furs and lets get clean. We can discuss indoor plumbing, our fucked up lives and how the hell we will move forward.”
Now I am further shocked. First, Circe is acting nice. Second my laughing coven mates are now butt-ass naked and walking out the backdoor. It seems we have a small garden plot without plants. Walking through the small area led to a small path lined with stones, fern and foxgloves. It is still misty with the sun barely able to break through the moisture and tree limbs. A small river funneling swift water and smelling of sulfer welcomes us. Along the edge manmade pools line the bank. The water is crystal clear and I can see the river rock bottom sparkling, while steam rose and dissipated into the air. The beauty took my breath.
Jadis leads me past the pools and into the swifter water... the cold, swift water. We soap up and rinse... fast. Then we get the hell out of the cold water. I feel great sliding into the sulfur hot springs pools. I learn that the closer to the bank, the hotter it is. I find a spot that has a bit of the cold river water mingling with the steamy water and sat back with a huge sigh.
Jadis passes round bits of food and juice from her basket. It tastes wonderful and as this is my first time skinny dipping; I feel a thrill of freedom. The freedom from my grandmother and her proper ways. But, I can’t forget the aches and pains of my body. My forced binding into a coven and the separation from my mother.
Circe spoke first, “I know this is a pretty fucked up situation. You don’t know us and I was pretty pissed to end up bound into a coven.”
Jadis asked, “Why don’t you tell us about yourself and we will do the same. We need to start somewhere.”
I explained my background in Arkansas and the family store. There isn’t much to explain. I knew nothing about Damiana.
Circe speaks up, “As her apprentice I knew she worked on a special project that she kept me away from. Then the mystery man, Abramelin, arrives and my training with her stops. I am sent for intensive training sessions with the senior blood and sex mages.”
I don’t hold my shock back, “Blood and sex? Are you serious?”
Circe laughs at my shocked expression. “Yes. Don’t you know anything about magic? I mean, you worked in a divination store.”
I shake my head, “No, my grandmother said it is nothing but parlor tricks. That people are easy to read.”
Jadis explains, “There are many schools of magic. While Circe prefers blood and magic, I work through meditation and with tools such as the tarot cards. I know some wards and we both know basic potions. We were both raised here in Cave Croft.”
“You know this is a lot to take in.” I reply.
Circe asks, “Why? Magic is coming back to the lands. Elves and mystical creatures walk the earth again, how can you not understand that magic grows?”
Jadis holds up her hand, “Remember what Damiana said? Gwen’s grandmother kept her power withheld. It makes sense that she lied to her as well.”
I nodded my head. She is right, my grandmother lied.
Circe stubbornly continued, “No, it makes little sense. The rise of magic is on the news, magazines and websites. How in the hell can you be oblivious of the facts?”
Thinking about it, I tell them how I was raised. No television, homeschooling and my access to the internet stayed monitored and controls placed on what I had access to. They kept me busy at the store. “I tried leaving, but she always caught me and somehow I followed her commands to return to the store or house. She controlled me.”
Circe added, “And now Damiana will control you and us. This pisses me off.” She finished with a slap to the water.
We became silent thinking over our situation.
With a small cough Jadis grabbed our attention. “Gwen, there is more. Do you remember people kissing you on your forehead?”
“Slightly, it was strange. It all felt like a bad dream or a giant hallucination.” I answer.
“Well, it seems you are Elven. They came to the ceremony to awaken your Elven powers.” Jadis explains. “I think that is why your features have changed. It isn’t huge but, you look different now. You have a glow about you and an elegance. You need to look in a mirror.”
Nodding my head at them, I stand and say, “I think I need alone time. There is so much to absorb at this point. Everything has changed for us all. I am tired, my body hurts and I think I need to look in a mirror and go to bed.” And grabbing a towel to wrap around myself, I walk back through the misty air and to the room I woke in.
In the room I gaze at my reflection in amazement. Jadis and Circe are correct, my features are different. My cheek bones seem higher and I look... polished? Like I was missing a component and now it is... just there. That this person was always in me and now it is finally free. And it isn’t just my cheek bones that are higher. My eyes have a slight tilt and the eyebrows have a distinctive upward sweep. My olive skin now shines with a golden glow.
This is flipping weird and I need sleep. I will ignore the world for a while.