Black Coven (Daniel Black Book 2) (39 page)

              After that was supposed to be an invocation of divine favor, but Cerise paused before she began the words that would guide it. She bowed her head, and released her human disguise. Great horns sprouted from her forehead, curling around her temples before rising into tall points. Her eyes turned black, and long claws grew from her hands and feet. Her black dress dissolved into shadows that flowed across her pale skin, clinging to her sleek curves like a lover.

              “The men of iron and fire call us witches,” she said. “They came from the North to murder our gods and carry our goddesses away in chains, but we are branded as thieves and murderers. They cast down fair Olympus and plowed her fields with the salt of a million tears, but we are named the destroyers. They steep their works in the blood of their own people, and count it a blessing to be twisted into mindless beasts by their own gods, but they condemn our sacred rites as dangerous abominations. They, who have no use for magics of the heart, condemn us as heartless.”

              “So be it.”

              “We are the children of blood and shadow, the keepers of the old ways handed down from before Prometheus gave man the gift of fire. For eight hundred years we have embraced the most terrible of our secrets, and taught the men of iron and fire to fear the darkness where we dwell. But now the Twilight of the Gods comes to Asgard, and our enemies will reap what they have sown. Soon it will be their sacred realm that is cast down amid the screams of the dying, and their blood that flows in rivers through the streets. The long war is coming to an end.”

              “Now is the time for new beginnings.”

              “We are gathered here tonight to establish our coven. A black coven, for our enemies yet live and we must forge our love into a weapon of war if we hope to outlast them. But if we can stand through the end of Ragnarok, it is my hope that this will be the last of the black covens. That our children and our children’s children may finally know peace, and devote their magic to works of joy instead of destruction.”

              “In token of this resolution, I break now the ban on sharing our ancient wisdom. I am Cerise, the last mortal priestess of Dark Hecate’s ancient cult, and I invite three outsiders to partake in our sacred mysteries. Tina, favored of Bast. Elin, daughter of faerie. Daniel, wizard of a distant world. Will you share in our union, that we may forge a new future together?”

              “Yes.”              Elin was the first to respond, but Tina and I spoke practically in unison a moment later.

              Cerise smiled. “Then I commend our intentions to all of our patrons, and ask their blessing on our union. Spirits and powers of the immortal realm, are there any who would counsel us this night?”

              There was silence for just a moment. Then a shadow rose up from the space in the middle of the circle, and formed the outline of a woman. She drew back her hood, and I was looking at a translucent image of Hecate’s face.

              She smiled warmly, an expression that seemed out of place on her severe features.

              “This is the best of the outcomes I hoped for when I answered your call, Cerise. I give you my blessing, for what little it is worth in these dark days. No shade or spirit nor even death shall rend asunder the bonds you form tonight. But I will offer you one word of advice, my beloved daughter. Leave your final seal unspoken. Someday you might find a wounded soul who would be at home among your coven, and it would be wise not to foreclose that option.”

              Cerise bowed. “I accept your wisdom with thanks, Dark Hecate.”

              “Then you have passed your final test, Cerise. I name you my High Priestess, with power over all the spirits and shades who still do me honor.”

              Cerise and Avilla both gasped in surprise, but Hecate turned her gaze to me.

              “Daniel, this goes far beyond the requirements of our bargain. Will you accept the title of Champion from me?”

              Holy crap. That was… well, okay, the fact that she had all of two living worshippers made the title mostly symbolic. But still, it wasn’t something I would have expected.

              “Yes,” I replied.

              “Then I name you my Champion, Daniel Black,” she said seriously. “None other may claim your soul, and when you call upon me I shall lend you what aid I may. Now make my High Priestess happy.”

              She faded from view, and I heard a small sigh of relief from Elin. But that was premature. The shadows swirled, melting into a shower of sand that rose up again to form a miniature whirlwind. The whirlwind dissolved to reveal a dusky-skinned beauty with cat ears and a furry tail, who hadn’t bothered with clothes.

              She pouted at me. “Aw, no fair. I wanted you to be my Champion. But that’s okay. I can still call you father, right Daniel?”

              “Bast? Um, yeah.” I glanced at Tina. “I thought…”

              She giggled. “I can’t give away all my secrets, can I? Now, about this coven. Is this what you want, father?”

              I took a deep breath. “Yes, it is.”

              “Then I give you my blessings. Seriously, all of my blessings, since you’ve got mother on an infinite mana feed. You’ve got to show me how that works someday, once I’m grown up enough to understand it again.”

              She did a slow spin, her smile taking in the rest of the room. “Until then, you girls aren’t going to know what hit you. Blessing of health, blessing of love, blessings of fat babies and lots of fun making them, all the blessings. Just give it some time for the magic to grow. Mother?”

              “Y-yes?” Tina said uncertainly.

              “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You gave me my last chance to be reborn, and you didn’t hesitate for an instant. I promise you, I will make sure you never regret that. Well, I’ll probably be a little hellion until I remember who I am, but kids are always like that, right? I’ll make it up to you later.”

              “I’m sure you’ll be a wonderful child,” Tina told her. “Please, don’t worry about it. Although I think I’m going to insist that you wear clothes.”

              “Good luck with that.” She turned to me again. “You’ve got some cool patrons, father. I’m glad. I was afraid I’d have to find new alliances all on my own, but you’re really making it easy for me. Will you help me get my revenge when this Ragnarok thing is over?”

              “The best revenge is living well,” I told her. “Would you rather spend your time plotting to kill Ra, and maybe die again, or spend it building a new life for yourself someplace beyond his reach?”

              She blinked slowly. “Is that the kind of thing you’re going to be teaching little me? That’s not exactly what I expected from Hecate’s Champion. Well, I’ll think about it. But if I grow up and remember myself and still want revenge?”

              “Yes,” I said slowly. “If we can do it without getting ourselves killed, or wiping out a lot of innocent people.”

              “Good enough. Thank you, father, for taking the risk of rescuing me. For you I have the blessings of my ancient aspect. Blessings of battle-luck and might, confounded enemies and inevitable victory.”

              That sounded familiar.

              “To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women,” I quoted. She seemed like a Conan the Barbarian kind of girl.

              She smiled. “Exactly”

              “Hey, um, not that I have anything against fertility and healthy babies, but is there any chance I could get in on the ass kicking blessings instead?” Cerise asked. “Because having Daniel’s back is pretty much my job here.”

              Bast turned, seeming to really see Cerise for the first time, and slowly looked her up and down.

              “Well, well. Don’t you have a sexy battle succubus thing going on? Normally I’d get all snippy and make you go on a big quest or something to apologize for questioning me, but I can see father loves you. So sure. Actually, let’s go all out. You all get both sets of blessings. Just don’t forget to make me some little brothers and sisters to spoil. ”

              She faded away with another giggle.

              Then a fountain of golden sparks erupted from the floor, and formed into… two women? One was short and a little plump, with long brown hair and a Mediterranean complexion, wearing an elaborate toga that covered her from head to toe. The other was a buxom blonde in a knee-length dress, with practical boots on her feet and a hoe in her hand.

              The first woman spoke. “Avilla? You should call me more often, dear. We haven’t spoken in years, now.”

              Avilla gasped. “L-lady Hestia? Oh my. I, um, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be a bother, and, well, I was afraid you might be displeased about granny.”

              Hestia frowned. “Lysandra meant to corrupt the bonds of marriage into a magical enslavement. Surely you don’t think I would approve of that? What is my rule about controlling husbands?”

              “Make your man happy and he’ll do anything for you,” Avilla recited meekly. “A good wife needs no other measures. But she was the last of the great witches, and with her gone there’s no one who can take her place.”

              “Then I expect you to rectify that,” Hestia said sharply. “She gave you the potential to surpass her in every way, Avilla. Stop hiding in shame, and step up. If you’re going to be coven-mate to Hecate’s High Priestess and her Champion you need to be a worthy companion. Can you do that?”

              “Yes, ma’am.”

              “Good. Then you have my approval, and I hope you can make this work. Daniel, I understand you’ve gifted Avilla with secrets of kitchen building unknown to our world?”

              I would have laughed if she hadn’t looked so serious. “Yes, that’s correct.”

              She nodded. “Don’t be surprised when more of my people show up on your doorstep looking for instruction. We’ve always been better at hiding than Hecate’s bunch, and the Fimbulwinter has driven everyone who’s still alive out of seclusion.”

              “Now, I came to offer my blessings, but also to aid a friend. This is Idun, the Keeper of the Apples. Now’s your chance, dearie.”

              Idun? Wait, I knew that name. But she was supposed to be an Aesir.

              “Doom comes to Asgard,” the blonde said, in a soft voice full of gentle sorrow. “My garden sits among the World Tree’s branches, and I hear the winds of fate blow. The gates of Tartarus stand open, and there is no stopping the destruction that is coming. But we must not allow hope to fade entirely. My trees are the last of their kind in all the Nine Worlds, and if they are destroyed there will be no new gods to drive the Great Beasts back into the depths. No god of the Aesir will listen to my pleas, so now I turn to the heroes of the mortal world.”

              “I offer a gift of golden apples to any man who can aid me. One for each of my trees you can save, and safely transplant to a place where they can flourish. Three for my life, if you can spirit me out of Asgard with seeds in my pouch. Nine for the life of Melasia, eldest of dryads and the greatest tree of my grove. My guards are the sons of war and thunder, strong of arm but slow of wit. May I hope for your aid, wizard from another world?”

              Well, that had some interesting implications.

              “I’m not sure if it’s possible for us to help you,” I told her honestly. “But I understand your message. We will think on it carefully, and try to find a way.”

              She nodded. “Then I will hope, but I will also continue to seek others. Do not try to contact me, for the Allfather’s agents are watching.”

              She vanished. Hestia looked at the spot where she had stood, and shook her head. “Cheerful girl, isn’t she? It would be nice if you could help her, but don’t get yourself killed over it. There are other ways, and we’re going to need this refuge. Good luck to you all, children.”

              Then she was gone.

              “Well, that was considerably more attention than I expected,” Elin said after a moment, when it became clear there wasn’t going to be yet another response.

              Cerise grinned manically. “That’s us, chronic overachievers. Ready, everyone?”

              After all that, the actual ritual was almost anticlimactic.

We built the link first, a permanent connection between our magic that made combining our efforts considerably easier. But to do that each of us had to pry loose that stubborn natural barrier that isolated our souls from the rest of the world, and push it out until it met and merged with the others. All of us except Tina, whose barrier had dissolved at the first touch of the ritual and reappeared perfectly integrated with the rest as the bond began to stabilize. Little cheater.

Then came the wards Cerise had designed, to prevent anyone from penetrating that barrier or fooling our magic into letting them past it. Another layer between us, to filter out hostile mind magic and prevent it from spreading across the bond. More enchantments to allow the whole structure we’d built to gracefully transform back into a more normal set of personal barriers when we were apart, and reassemble into a shared barrier whenever two or more of us were close together. Yeah, this was much tougher than I’d thought it would be at first glance.