The
eight stood in a circle around the small fire pit.
Outside
the shelter, the rain poured so hard it was like a
steady,
deafening sound. Cora stepped closer to the fire and
stared
into it. She glanced up and nodded to Leena. Taking
Dade’s
hand, she whispered, “Let’s hope some ancestors are
available
tonight.”
Dade
lifted her hand and kissed it before he let go. “I’ll
make
sure they are.” He picked up the shaker sitting in front
of him
and gently began to shake it from side to side. His
lips
moved in a silent chant, and he closed his eyes.
Owen
watched as Leena and Steven both turned their
backs
to the circle and faced the pouring rain. Raising their
hands,
they lowered their heads in concentration. If he
hadn’t
seen it with his own eyes, he’d never have believed
someone
telling him.
As
their heads came up, the wind seemed to continuously
circle
the shelter and block out the pouring rain. He could
no
longer see or hear the heavy downpour.
Not
knowing what to expect next, he looked back at the
others.
Chris, Kasey, and Rachel were standing with their
hands
clasped and staring into the fire as the flames rose
higher.
The flames were almost white now, and he blinked
to
make sure it wasn’t just his eyes.
Dade’s
motion with the rattle became faster and louder as
he
moved to stand beside Cora. Her head was thrown back
and
her eyes closed, and she seemed to be shaking with the
rhythm
of the rattle. Her eyes flew open, and she stopped
shaking
to look into the fire. He could see the sweat beading
down
her face, and her hands trembled. The look on her face
told
him she was afraid, but she said nothing. She reached
empty
hands toward the fire, and the flames flew higher.
Not
knowing what else to do, Owen went to stand behind
her in
case he was needed at some point.
She
stepped back and cried out in fear. He caught up her
shoulders
and held her tight as Dade instructed him to do.
Glancing
over her shoulder and into the fire he saw, he
wasn’t
sure what, images but they blurred together and he
couldn’t
understand them.
Cora
cried out again and sagged back against him. He
caught
her tight against his waist and held her to his chest.
His
own chest began to burn. He didn’t know what was
going
on, but he felt compelled to stop it. “Stop now!” He
said
roughly.
At
once, Dade stopped shaking the rattle and the three
controlling
the fire dropped their hands and gasped when
they
looked at him holding the slumped woman in his arms.
Leena
and Steven settled the wind and turned around to
see
the others crowding around Owen. He looked at Leena.
“I
have to set her down, or my legs are going to give out.”
Dade
set his rattle down and scooped Cora into his arms.
She
was still shaking and breathing as if she’d been running.
He
walked over to the table and sat with her held in his
arms.
Leena
and Chris helped Owen to sit at the table. “Hell of
an
initiation.” He put his head down on the table for a
moment
and then looked over at Dade. “Is she okay?”
Dade
looked down at her as her eyes opened. “Yeah, but
she didn’t
quite share the strength of this with us.” He
glanced
back at Owen. “If you hadn’t discovered your gift
tonight,
it would have been a lot worse.”
Owen
looked over at Leena, who was looking worried.
“Can I
drink now?” He let out a long breath and accepted
the
bottle she handed him. After taking two long swallows,
he
looked back at Cora. “I dunno what just happened, and I
don’t
know what I saw, but as soon as I touched Cora, the
fire
had images in it... images I’m not sure I even want
explained.”
Cora
sat up slowly in Dade’s arms. “I’m okay now,
Dade.
Thank you.” She pushed against his arm.
“Well,
you can just sit here for a moment or two longer.
You
scared the shit out of me! If Owen hadn’t told us to
stop,
I don’t know what would have happened! Jesus, Cora,
why
didn’t you tell us it was that strong?” Dade asked.
She
touched his cheek lightly, then rested her head
against
his shoulder. “I had no idea it was that strong, Dade,
or I
wouldn’t have exposed all of us in a negative way.” She
took a
deep breath, then climbed off Dade’s lap and looked
over
at Owen. “I owe many thanks to you, Owen Grey. I
couldn’t
pull back completely, but I felt when you took half
the
burden. You’re going to come in handy when I have
seeing
to do.”
Owen
took another drink, before offering her the bottle.
“You’re
welcome, and I’ll get back to you on answering
whether
I want to help again or not.” He rubbed his chest.
“My
chest still burns like hell.”
Everyone
glanced at Cora then back to Owen as Leena
sat
beside him and grasped the hem of his sweater. “May I?”
He
shrugged as she lifted his sweater. He heard gasps then
looked
down to see a burn in the shape of a cross on his
chest.
It covered the skin from his collarbone to the bottom
of his
rib cage. She touched it lightly. “It’s not hot; does it
hurt?”
Leena is a woman that is gentle in everything, her
personality and moods. She always feels maternal with her closest friends and
would go out of their way to look after any one of them. Her ability of
controlling the elements and knowledge of plants make her magic abilities
strong and unbreakable. She is a leader
at work and in life, always working hard to keep those around her close, but never
allowing anyone to get too close.
To the outside world she is just Leena Duncan, a quiet woman who works a normal job and lived a
quiet life.
A few times a year she can openly use her magical gifts
at celebrations within a small community of people she calls friends.
Having lived through the horrors that can come from the
hands of someone you thought loved you; she decided never loving again would
prevent more emotional scarring.
It takes one man at a rainy Beltane celebration to change
everything she is comfortable with and one killer to change her safe world.
Owen is a man that reflects humor and cavalier vibrations
to others, he is gentle and caring as is his ability to draw negative and heal
others. If you didn’t know him, you would never realize he came from
violence. Knowing how the real world can
be, he has vowed to never put himself into the position, or allow anyone else
that could open up the world he has carefully sealed shut forever.
He creates worlds and puts them on
paper to entertain others. After years
of using his imagination he finds out his friends can do things he thought only
his mind created.
For his entire adult life Owen Grey has always played it safe and kept to his own world of
writing, never getting too close to anyone.
Having lived a nightmare growing up he would never take
the chance of repeating history. He may
write about happily-ever-after, but knows it is pure fantasy and doesn’t exist.
Until her . . .
Several formats available at:
Jacqueline Paige
Step into a world of magic and passions. . .
All Things Paranormal
http://j-risk.webs.com/
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