“What the hell was that?”  The surprise and worry in Mark’s voice did little to settle my nerves.

“I’m not sure, but it was strong enough to get past the wards and can still move about during the daylight hours.”  At first I would have thought it a shade, but the sun had already risen and this thing was much more powerful.

 I leaned over, collected my chair from the floor, and sat it upright.  Usually, I would have trusted my instincts to know that it was safe, but I wasn’t sure anymore.  How long had it lurked in the shadows?  The skin along the back of my neck tingled and I could feel the tiny hairs stretching outward as if to fight off some impending attack.  I’ll never forget that feeling or the day that followed.

The sudden weight against my shoulder made me jump.  If I were part cat I’d be clinging to the ceiling.  What surprised me more was that Shadow hadn’t noticed our dark visitor.  I had become accustomed to her acute senses as an early warning to what might be coming our way.  She had always barked in the past.  Whatever it was had even fooled her.

“Ty?  You okay?” I turned to see Bry staring back at me. 

The emerald green of his eyes calmed me enough that even the muscles in my arms and legs relaxed.  The dull ache faded, but didn’t disappear completely, as I twisted my neck to relieve the built up tension.

“Yeah… you just startled me.  I don’t understand how that thing got in here.”  I muttered the words more to myself than as an answer. 

“It was a Shadow Keeper, a man-made servant demon.  It’s a cut off portion of one’s own soul infused with equal parts of good and evil.  They can be as dangerous as a major demon or as benign as a rock.  It wasn’t here to do harm.  That is how it passed beyond the wards.  It was probably here to gather information for its master.”  Kent breathed a heavy sigh and settled deeper into his chair. 

Kent and Mark stood.  Their eyes met for only a moment and the knowing looks on their faces frightened me.  The moment they shared haunted my thoughts.  It wasn’t just a look of loss, but more of regret.  They raised their out stretched arms toward the ceiling and spoke in unison. 

Let the circle that binds us be a sphere of protection. 

Let no one without a place in our hearts cross this barrier. 

Let the four corners be infinite with only two sides.

We and those we love are inside, all else are outside. 

Let the walls remain unbroken!

A sphere of white formed between them as their voices echoed against the walls of the kitchen as if it were a giant stone chamber.  It grew steadily in a growing bubble of energy and slid through them and the walls of our home.  It surged outward to what I imagine was the size of our land.  The supernatural pulse pushed through the room like a violent wind.

“I summon the creature that darkened our doorstep only moments ago.  Let him appear now so that we would know its name.”  Mark shouted the words over the violent gale.

“No!”  The roar of quaking earth beneath us swallowed Kent’s voice.

The foundation of our house shook, and the uncles fell away from each other, barely able to keep their balance.  The walls rattled as knickknacks and pictures dropped from the walls and dishes spilled out from the kitchen cupboards, shattering against the tile floor.  Shadow raced into the living room and, I suspect, to her favorite hiding place… under the couch. 

A black flash of lightning tore through the ceiling and scorched the spot in front of where Mark grappled with the countertop behind him to keep from falling.  Black lightning meant only one thing, the presence of evil.  Few ever see such a thing, but the bright white fringes make it impossible not to notice.  It was as if the life light was swallowed leaving only the edges of color in the room to contrast it.  Billowing clouds of grey erupted outward from the scorch marks on the floor like a rolling storm taking shape.  A dark, featureless, humanoid figure stood before us and leisurely bent its neck to gaze upon Mark.

“Thankssss for the invite Druiddd… Nowww… DIE!”  The creature’s voice sounded as if it held the tone of too many lost souls, all screaming the same phrase.

The Shadow Keeper’s body bent backward like a flame in a gentle breeze and then snapped forward plunging its spear like arm into the center of Mark’s chest.

Mark’s scream was cut short as a haunting laugh escaped from the Shadow Keeper.  The need in Mark’s eyes scared me.  He was trapped.  Kent scrambled over the table to attack the creature from behind, but was knocked back by a powerful sweep of its other amorphous black arm.  Mark clutched at his chest where the oozing grey slid through his sternum, as he tried to gain control of his frantic breathing.

“Give me your name, Keeper.”  A renewed vigor found its way into Mark’s words, but was wrung away by a twist of the things semi-solid arm.

“Myy nname??  Yesssss… Ddruidd.. mmy nname…”  The chorus of anguished voices erupted from its featureless face 

“Mmmy nname… is Raven.” The multiple voices converged into a single tone and I recognized it. 

It was the same voice I had heard the night of Galen’s death.  “You, however… may call me your undoing.”

“Not today, Raven.”  Mark spoke the name with such venom that it made the Shadow Keeper pause. 

Kent leapt across the table and they clasped hands.  I rushed through the chaos and held his other and Bry took our hands completing the circle.

“SO MOTE IT BE!”  We shouted the words in unison.

The spell was complete and white bolts of lightning struck the Shadow Keeper from every direction merging at the creature’s core.  It howled with an anguished rage and ripped its amorphous tendril out of Mark’s chest.  The lightning continued until the Keeper withered into nothingness.  Small grey tendrils shot outward and withered back into the dark cloud that was its center.  Soon… there was only silence.

We slumped to the floor, exhausted, and I crawled over to where they lay.  Kent cradled his love against his chest in a protective embrace and I watched Mark struggle for each breath.

“Mark… you okay?”  His face was ashen, and he looked as though he had somehow aged years in the few moments the creature and he were connected.

I placed my hands on his chest and abdomen and let my love spill out into his body.  This lesson I had learned, if nothing else.  Healing came with love and I gave him as much as my heart could manage.    No matter how much I gave, it didn’t seem to be enough.  I could tell by the steady rhythm of his breathing that he was doing better, but something was wrong.  The aged look on his face as he stared back at me didn’t change, even though a healthier pink now colored his skin.

“Thanks Ty, that’s much better.”  Mark’s weak smile did little to fight my fears.

“What in the hell were you thinking?!  Are you out of your mind?  It could have killed you!”  Kent was nearly in hysterics as he asked questions faster than could be answered.

Though Kent was angry, all I could see was the love they shared.  I’ve seen the same reaction when parents find lost children in a department store.  It’s an immediate anger for their fear, and relief in the knowledge that the one they love is safe.  It seemed strange to me in the past that someone could feel so angry and happy at the same time, but I understood it now.

“We needed a name, Kent, and you know it. Besides… I’m fine. Now help me up.”  Kent grasped Mark’s hand and helped him to his feet.

Finally standing, we took a moment to survey the damage.  The kitchen was a shambles.  I was beginning to think that more dishes were on the floor than in the cupboards but found that only a few had fallen.  It’s amazing how something small can break into so many pieces.

“I have to say... this is the first time I’ve ever been glad to be on laundry duty.”  Kent chuckled as he clapped his hand on my shoulder.

I couldn’t help but grin.  Even after all this, Kent was still Kent and he made the avoidance of housework an art form.  Soon we were all doubled over in laughter.

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I finally caught my breath and looked around.  We had a lot of work to do, but an idea was forming in my mind.  I glanced over to Bry and grinned as I called a subtle wind to blow the cabinet doors closed.  I couldn’t move things with my mind, but I could control the air, and I was about to test out how much control we really had.

Bry smiled back at me knowing what I had in mind.  I loved his smile.  It seemed to stretch all the way to his emerald eyes and shine back at me.  “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Dust devils.”  Bry didn’t miss a beat.

“It’ll be good practice.” I chuckled and nodded as I set the wastebasket upright and stood beside him.  “Let’s get to it.” 

We focused our thoughts, called the winds, and several miniature tornados formed in the room and lifted the debris from the floor.  You couldn’t really see the spirals of air except for the dust, dirt and broken glass that were trapped within them.  The first couple didn’t deposit their contents quite on target but we were able to gather the mess up with subsequent dust devils and within minutes the kitchen was clean.  Sure, we’d have to straighten up and finish the breakfast dishes, but the bulk of cleaning was finished.

“HEY!  That’s cheating!”  Kent’s jaw dropped as he stared back at us.

“Don’t you have some laundry to do?” Bry smirked, and elbowed me in the side as he looked back at Kent.

“What?!  Huh? No, we just did laundry yesterday.  What did you two do?  Put on a fashion show?”  Kent looked around like a trapped animal searching for a means of escape.

“Come on you big baby; it’s only a couple of loads.  I’ll help you.”  Mark smiled but I couldn’t ignore the tired look in his eyes.  He leaned too much against Kent for support, and again my worry for him swelled in my chest.

“Tell you what; we’ll do the dishes and then Bry and I will do the laundry.  Why don’t you two rest?  You bring the clothes downstairs and we’ll do the rest.  How’s that sound?”  Mark noticed my gaze and diverted his eyes.  He was hiding something.

“That sounds like an excellent idea!”  Kent’s answered so quickly that I never had a chance to rethink my offer. They turned to go upstairs but I caught Mark’s shoulder with my hand.  “Hey… you sure you’re okay?”

“Don’t worry about me.  You’re the one with extra chores.”  Mark grinned back at me but didn’t answer my question and that scared me all the more.

The Uncles went upstairs, and Bry and I picked up what wasn’t broken and put things back in place.    The kitchen wasn’t big, but still looked as though a cyclone had come in and found a new home.  The sink had finally filled with hot water when I heard a single set of footsteps tromping down the stairs.  Something grey caught my eye and I watched Shadow nudged out from beneath the living room couch.  If she thought it was safe to come out.. then I wouldn’t argue.  She’s always had an excellent sense for that kind of thing.

Kent came through the doorway, holding an overfilled basket of clothes and sat it on the floor. 

“Hey… where’s Mark?” I already knew the answer but needed to hear him say it. 

“He’s upstairs taking a nap.  We have to cast ‘The Call’ and he needs his rest.”  Kent’s words were filled with concern even though he tried to make it sound as though nothing was wrong.

“He’s not okay is he?”  It was more a statement of fact than a question and I couldn’t shake the feeling of doom that crept up my spine.

“He’s tired.  You two better get back to it… you’ve lots to do.  I’m going to take a nap too.  It’ll take everything we’ve got to cast tonight.”  With that he turned and bounded up the stairs and out of sight.

We finished the dishes in silence.  I suppose Bry was as preoccupied as I was, but I couldn’t focus on his thoughts.  There were too many of my own whirling about in my head.  I know it was selfish to think about how my world would be affected and how much I would miss the uncles if anything happened to them.  I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the thought of a world without them.  So… like so many things that worry me, I pushed it to the back of my mind and moved on.  Like Kent said… we had much to do and idle thoughts would only slow us down.

After our second trip down the stairs to the basement, we threw the last load of clothes into the dryer and thumped our way back up and into the kitchen. 

“So what do you want to do now?”  Bry’s voice startled me, but the smirk that curved his lips let me know what he had in mind.

“Nap?”  I couldn’t fight my smile and elbowed him in the ribs.

“Ohhh… I didn’t know you liked it rough!”  Bry chuckled and leaned into me and brushed his lips against mine.

“Come on, you perv.”  I chuckled and ran as quietly as one can up the steps toward our bedroom. 

We bounded up the steps like two soft-footed cattle and slowed as we got to the uncle’s bedroom door.  I placed my finger against my lips to let Bry know to be quiet.  I thought I heard something.  Only a moment passed before I knew they were doing anything but sleeping.  From the sounds they were making, Mark had definitely recovered from the earlier attack.  I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing out loud and waved Bry back down the stairs.  We would have to find another place. 

We made our way down the steps as quietly as we were able and Bry followed me out the side door.  I held it open and gave my thigh a slap letting Shadow know I wanted her to follow.  Listening to the click of her nails pad across the living room floor, I watched her trot around the corner.  A little exercise would do her good and I knew how much she loved to run.  For a chubby dog… she can haul ass.  ‘My little grey blur… My Shadow.’ The thought made me smile as she padded out the door and into the sunlight. 

Shadow went to the healthier and the more vibrant ‘fertilized’ grasses and did her business.  I knew that the vibrant taller grass and her choice of ‘rest area’ was more than a coincidence.  Watching her finish, we started toward the back of the house and walked down the path that led to our sacred circle of trees.  It was fall and, even though it was a sunny day, the constant breeze made it feel almost chilly.  Fall is my favorite time of the year and I took in a deep breath to savor the sweet smell of drying leaves.  This was a day where you could wear long sleeved shirts and pants and yet be comfortable as the sun warmed the fabric pressing against your skin.  There was just enough chill in the air to keep a body from sweating, but not so much that you had to wear layers of clothing.

We took our time meandering down the path as we walked arm in arm.  We leaned against each other lazily and stole kisses in the swaying shadows of branches beginning to lose their leaves along the path.  Days ago the plants and trees had slipped back from their impending winter slumber, but nature again painted them with the reds and golds of autumn. 

Shadow led the way as though she had made the trip a thousand times and only stopped occasionally to sniff the ground or a suspicious clump of grass.  As we entered the clearing, Shadow ran at top speed, hopping about through the tall grasses like a jackrabbit until she got to the center altar.  She waited patiently for us to catch up before finally circling several times and laying down for a nap.  She felt safe enough to sleep here and, even though her intuition wasn’t perfect, I did too.

I tugged Bry’s arm as I lay down in the shade of the ancient oak that towered above the stone altar.  The blanket of grass made a perfect mattress to lie upon and the cooler temperatures had sent most of the insects to sleep weeks ago.  As always, I marveled at the scenery.  The hills looked alive as the grass swayed back and forth in the wind like flowing water.  I couldn’t imagine any other place I’d rather be than here, with the warmth of Bry’s body against mine.

We lay in each others arms and cuddled.  I reveled in the feel of his arms around me and lost myself in the sound of his heartbeat as it thumped through his chest into my ear.  The wind brushed across my face like a silk sheet dancing along my skin.

A shiver tore me from my sleep.  It was past evening.  Shadow was curled up beside me in the curve of my legs and I gave Bry a squeeze hoping to steal away some of his warmth.  I couldn’t remember the last time I fell asleep outside.  It was like a little camp out without the tent, fire, and much needed blanket.  The sound of footsteps approached and I heard the rustle of grass brush against denim as I sat upright to see who it was.

Now was as good a time as any to practice our ‘blink’ ability and I pulled away from Bry and did my best not to disturb Shadow.  Once standing I concentrated on a clearing behind the approaching sound and moved.  A split second later I was standing where I hoped I would be, but nearly fell to the ground.  I was dizzy and realized that this form of travel was going to take some getting used to.  ‘Rooting’ and ‘Blinking’ are two different things.  At least with rooting there was the sensation of movement as you traveled along the lifelines of trees and other plants.  This was instantaneous and felt more like a hiccup of movement.

I couldn’t be completely sure, but I suspected the two forms I saw in front of me were Kent and Mark.  As quietly as I could, I closed the distance between us with every intention of scaring the shit out of them.  Just as I was ready to yell my surprise, they both spun around and yelled “BOO!”  I was so startled I fell flat on my ass.

“Very funny, you two!”   My whining reply did little to hide the disappointment in my voice at having failed in my attempt.

“Serves you right!” The uncles were both snickering.  “You shouldn’t sneak up on an old man.  You could have given poor Kent a heart attack.” 

“Yeah… Hey!  I’m not old!”  Kent poked Mark in the ribs as he protested.

“What’s with all the noise over there?!  Some of us were trying to sleep!”  I watched Bry’s form rise in the darkness and Shadow barked in agreement.  She wasn’t fond of waking and so long as she had some place warm to hide herself, it didn’t seem to matter if it was in bed or out here in the grasses of our grove.

“Okay you two, we need to prepare and cast ‘The Call’ before anything else happens.  You’re running out of time.”  Mark’s tone was serious and stole away what levity that remained.

It was only now that I noticed the satchel draped over his shoulder.  He pulled a sharp, curved blade that I had never seen before out of the bag.  It wasn’t our normal black handled athame, but a silver blade with a hilt that most resembled wings stretching outward from the pommel, and looked to be made of bone.  It appeared ancient even in the moonlight, and I wondered why I had never seen it before.

“Great oak, I beg the offering of wood this autumn’s eve.”  Mark raised his arms, blade in hand, and shouted the words into the darkness. 

The great oak that is the center of our sacred circle gave a violent shake and several cracks and crunches were heard as limbs of all sizes broke away from the main tree and landed before us.

“Bry… Ty… gather the wood and stack it around the altar.”  Kent didn’t bother to turn and face us as he pointed at the stone base.

We busied ourselves with gathering the fallen limbs and stacking them against the altar.  The uncles faded into the darkness as they moved out into the circle.  They primed the trees with their blood and I watched each glow to life as they passed.  Soon the circle was lit with the life of each tree and we watched their backlit forms walk back to where we stood.

“Light the fire.”  Mark nodded toward our make shift pyre.

I am not sure why I did it, but I called down the lightning and it crashed with a blinding white flash into the stack of limbs.  The pyre was lit and I watched the orange glow dance along the forms of Bry and the uncles.  Whether it was by design or by nature, we stood across from each other on opposite corners of the altar as the flames stretched toward the sky.

Shadow found herself a safe place several feet away and I caught the shimmer of light in her eyes.  She watched as anxiously as I did, but didn’t make a sound.  On another night we would have warmed ourselves by the fire, but tonight was different, and I couldn’t help wondering if she somehow knew.

“This is my life’s blood and I give it freely.”  Mark cut the fat of his palm above the wrist with the strange blade and balled his hand into a fist.  Drops of his blood fell into the fire and sizzled against the burning wood.  This was Blood Magick.  I couldn’t count the times that the uncles had told me this type of casting was forbidden save for the most desperate times.

“This blade has been in our family for centuries.  Legend says that the Slegna forged it.  It’s name is..”

“Brethren…”  A haunting echo of deep harmonic voices flowed from the blade as it lifted from Mark’s hand and floated over the center of the altar. 

The blade spun leisurely above the altar and pulsed with each word that was spoken.

“Druid, are you and your partner prepared to pay the price for this favor?”  The flashes of light did little to hide the glint of the blade as it spun faster and faster.

“We are,” the uncles responded in unison.

“What is our task?”  The reverberation of voices filled the night and Brethren became a blurred blue aura.

“The Call!”  The uncles yelled their answer into the darkness.

“So Mote It Be!”  The multi-tonal voices spread out across the land.

A low hum filled the air, and a strange smoke-like wisp danced out from the uncle’s chests and toward the blade.  Brethren sliced the air so sharply that the hum grew in pitch and was soon a hollow reed like whistle.

I watched… unable to move.  I’m not sure if it was the flashes of light that held me in place or some other power, but I looked on as the wisps of smoke-like tendrils drifted to the blade.  Soon, the uncles faded and I could see through them.  I wanted to scream for them to stop, but I couldn’t speak and, before my eyes,... they faded into nothingness.

The blade stopped and a light burst out from the tip up to the clouds.  Thousands of pin points of light gathered and then exploded outward filling the sky like a diamond dusted black cloth.  It was the single most beautiful thing I had ever seen and the breath I didn’t know I was holding finally burst from my lungs.  I could speak, but the only thing that passed my lips was my mournful cry into the night.

“They are not lost young Druid; they are now Brethren.”  The harmonic voices filled my ears, and I watched as the blade stopped and plunged into the altar. 

“It is done.”  The sound of the uncle’s final words filled the air.  Then there was only the hiss of  the cold wind as it swept across my ears like the echoing wash of the sea against the shore. 

To be continued...
 

Posted: 06/15/07