David assumed she found another coven. The Arcane will not allow any lone witches to attend without a coven backing them. The coven will send a letter of recommendation for you to be accepted into the Arcane. Dad digs relentlessly for more information on Naomi. He seems pretty concerned, but
Dad
is extremely thorough. Her name is Naomi Payton and whatever else he has found gives him concern enough to plan a trip to
California
to the Willowshire coven. I didn’t find out my father’s decision til the next day. He already booked flights and hotels for both of us.
It shatters my heart to see the look in Marc’s eyes when I tell him I’m leaving for a week to
California
to deal with this Naomi situation. I don’t really want to leave him. Just the thought of being apart from Marc rips a hole inside my soul. I know he is having trouble understanding just why I have to leave. I try to explain to him that my father has a responsibility to our own coven as well as reporting a member from the coven has attacked another witch, thus making the Willowshire coven responsible. This report from my dad will allow the Willowshire coven to deal with this problem.
“Dad is well known throughout the witch world, but the proper procedures still need t
o be taken,” I explain
to Marc as calmly as I can.
“I know, I just do
n’t like it.
” Marc’s voice sounds calm
, but I know better, just by simply looking into his weary eyes.
“No one knows the whereabouts of Naomi and the coven needs to hear my testimony since Naomi attacked me
.
The Willowshire coven may or may not assist in reprimanding her. We won’t know until we
arrive there and review all
acco
unts.” I try to explain
convincingly;
starting to think this is more for my benefit than his.
Lisa calls as I finish packing my first bag, “Hey, I know you are busy and all, but can we go shopping later?”
“I can’t, I’m sorry; I’ve got to pack for this trip to the Willowshire council inquest. I’m leaving tonight. Why? What’s the occasion that’s got you so excited?”
Lisa says in a shocked tone, “Alyssa, don’t you remember…next Saturday is prom?”
I just about drop the
cell
from my hand. “What?” I must have been so disconnected from the high school world that I forgot about prom.
Marc never said a word to me; I guess he knows I’m helping my father with the business of the coven. After all this time, I’m still not too involved with the high school scene.
“Hello...Hell...O?” Lisa’s voice breaks through my wandering thoughts, “Are you still there?”
I collect myself and finally reply, “Yeah, I’m still here, I’m so sorry Lisa, I guess I’ve been so caught up with everything else. I haven’t had time to think about school.”
“You’ll be back in time for the prom … right?” Lisa asks with a real concern in her voice.
“Yeah, I should be, hey, why don’t I have my father’s friend bring his limo. He can pic
k us up and take us to the prom,
”
I offer.
“
Now, I like the sound of that,”
Lisa says as she perks up.
“I will talk to
Dad
and get that set up, okay?”
“Great, have a good trip.”
“I will, thanks,”
I answer
and we hang up.
Marc comes over to my house before we leave, I can tell he is struggling inside. We lie on the hood of his car and watch the stars, the night sky is so aphotic, there are only a few shimmering stars out. I point up at the planet Venus
,
which is barely visible, but you can still see it, asking him to count,
“How many stars can you see?”
He raises his finger
and points, “Six stars that stand out to me.” Then he turns to me and says, “Why?”
With a soft laugh, I smile as he s
tudies me,
“You really need to read
Cheiro’s Book of N
umbers
.”
I point back up to Venus and clarify
, “The number six is associated with Venus…and love. You’ll learn in the craft that there are many substantial meanings behind numbers, like the number six means love for a family, romance and love of great beauty.”
He turns over to look at me and says, “Well then six is my number, because I am in love with the greatest beauty of all.”
I start kissing him, gent
ly biting his lower lip, taunting
him, and
he comes forward to kiss me more passionately. I pull back just a bit, enticing him, making him smile. We look directly into each other’s eyes and our lips are just barely touching. We st
ay like this for several seconds, before h
e rolls over on top of me without any warning a
nd kisses me with so much spontaneity
. He kisses me with everything he has, as if each touch from his
lips holds some mystical power I melt in his embrace.
I open my eyes and look at him, amazed.
I run my fingers through his golden hair. A silent tear falls down my cheek, because I know that my heart, my very soul, will break if I never get to touch him like this again. Never able to run my hands through his hair, to have his body embracing me the way he is now. He looks down at me and smiles as if reassuring me that it will be okay, somehow.
Marc and my father pack the car, and I kiss him goodbye. As we leave we follow Marc’s Mustang down the road for a few miles. I can feel the ache deep inside my heart as I watch his car turn off the highway and out of view. As we drive on to the airport, I think to myself,
I hope this week will fly by.
We land in
California
several hours later and head to our hotel. The first day back in
California
, and I feel like this is a complete waste of time. Nobody is aware that Naomi has even left the coven. My father is losing patience with the way the Willowshire coven seems uninterested in the issue with Naomi.
We go back to the hotel to get something to eat and try to locate the high priestess of the Willowshire coven. My father is constantly talking on his cell throughout the uneventful evening. I decide to take a shower and lay down. Flipping through the music on my iPod I start listening to some new stuff from Megan. Its pretty transy and I soon fall asleep.
It takes us a couple of days to get in contact with the high priestess, Calantha. Apparently, she is out of town, but will be back later tonight. We arrange a meeting for me to present my testimony to the coven, and then, there is a negative reflection ritual. Being exposed to such negative emotions can become severely imbedded in a witch
’s
aura and can cause multiple problems. The Willowshire coven insists on the ritual.
My father and I arrive at the house of the high priestess just as the night claims the sky. There are several witches from the Willowshire coven at the meeting. We greet each member with the
Worthington
coven handshake. Then the Willowshire greets us with a simple bow and they speak the words, “
L
ove to all.”
I wonder
,
if Naomi is from this coven then she apparently forgot the greeting of “love to all.”
We move through a very impeccable mansion following a female member dressed in a black ritual robe to the fourth floor. Continuing down the twisting halls I notice a couple of secret passageways along the way. I feel like we are never going to get to the end this interminable labyrinth, when suddenly she pushes a button and a hidden panel opens. She motions for us to step inside. Once inside this large chamber, I can see Lady Calantha is a woman of exquisite taste.
Pure g
old and silver chandeliers fill the ceilings and gorgeous Tiffany art glass windows adorn the room.
Two women approach us, “Please remove your shoes.”
I glance down; I can
see my own reflection in the
polished
glossy
w
ooden floor. I sit at an enormous
round tab
le made out of willow, obviously
. My father presents the basic facts that he has gathered since the incident at the track. I give my recount of t
he e
vents of last Friday’s confrontation
. I state
everything in chronological order,
finish
ing
with Naomi being removed from the raceway.
The high priestess looks at my father and announces, “Naomi, the poor dear, is having a slight self discipline issue, but now that she has crossed a line outside of our coven, we will surely take matters to correct this.” The high priestess stands
and astutely states
, “Daniel, your daughte
r has grown into quite a beauty.
I do so regret this
truly
unfortunate incident, and Alyssa, my dear, if you would step into the next chamber, we will start the negative reflection ritual.”
The room is large just like all the others in
side
this
bizarre
house. This room diff
ers though; it has deep dark dull
wood flooring. White candles flicker across the walls bringing to life the most enchanting art glass windows I have ever seen. Spectacularly designed concave frames with glisteni
ng jewels of a daisy and spiderweb patterns are embedded in each window
.
Black candles form a circle around the center of the room; I stand at the edge and await the high priestess to open the circle for me to enter and once a sacred circle is properly closed no one can come in or out. It’s a sacred space held by Magick and only the witch that cast the circle can open it. I walk to the middle as the high priestess takes my hands and asks to repeat her words. She lays open her book of shadows on a red silk cloth before me. I begin chanting t
he words while others start wheeling in
four massive mirrors around the circle.
I begin the i
ncantation, “I call to thee, O G
oddess of the moon. Bring your power in this witches rune. For I bear the right of the symbol’s power. Hear me, as I call, in this sacred hour. Before you kneels a daughter of light. May you bless me with this ancient rite.” I anoint my forehead with the rue which I dip in a bowl that is sitting next to me
as I say,
“Goddess, beautiful G
oddess, lady of the moon and beyond, queen of all witches. So mote it be.”
A wind swirls within the room and all the candles blow out, but for only a few
passing
silent
seconds. The candles relight them
selves, and an unfamiliar r
ising energy begins building inside of me. I try to keep it in control, but it is just too intense. My body arches while I am kneeling and I raise my hands out to my sides. The energy
literally
swarms through my body, my veins, and my very essence as a flash of light floods the room.
Everyone in the room is void of any sound
. Once I
am able to stand, they place
mirror
s
facing
each cardinal direction.
The high priestess circles around me raising her hands up and chants, “Besom, Besom, long and lithe, made from ash and willow leaves, tied with thongs of willow bark. In the running stream, at moonset dark. Sacred space keeps us safe as the ritual fire lights the sage. Sweep the circle deosil, Sweep out darkness, sweep out evil’s toil. Make the round of the ground where our Lady’s will be done. Guard us all from what evil’s spun.”
I swear, I can hear the roar of thunder as lighting dances across the windows. The beam of energy streams from me and into the mirrors, placing the negative energy from inside me into each one. The high priestess closes the circl
e, and finishes the ritual with.
“
So mote it be
.” The ritual is complete and the mirrors are immediately covered with thick black velvet cloths.
Chapter 21
My father and I leave shortly after the ritual. He wants to take me out to a restaurant instead o
f eating at
the hotel. On
our way my father makes a call,
“
Hello, yes, this is Mr. Worthington. Yes, tonight, for two please.
”
He l
augh
s
lightly,
“
Oh
,
about an hour. Thank you, see you then.
”
Looking at me he smiles,
“
I think you
’
ll like this place.
”
The restaurant is excellent and it makes me miss Marc even more with all this delicious food
he prepares
. The Japanese restaurant
is called Morimoto, and
you have to make reservations months in advance to get in, but I guess when your friends
with the
owner it helps.