KISS THE WITCH (35 page)

She offered her arms to Ursula. The two
embraced. Carlos, perhaps caught up in the moment, tried joining
them, folding his big arms around their shoulders. Lilith broke off
and slapped him on the head.

“
Excuse us, Fidel. Does
this look like an orgy over here? We didn’t ask you to join
us.”

He backed away, more surprised than hurt.
“What? I thought––”

“
You thought. See, that’s
what you get for thinking. Stop it.”

“
Lilith,” I stepped
between them. “There is no need for incivility.”

“
And you. Don’t you dare
start.”

I splayed my hands in surrender. “I’m not
starting anything.” She softened her stance and I knew immediately
it was a done deal. “Does this mean you will do it?”

“
If by do it you mean will
I link myself to your sorry ass so that Dominic and Ursula can get
on with their lives in peace, then yes. I will do it.”

“
Oh, you do love me.” I
went to hug her, but she palmed my chest and pushed me
back.

“
Maybe, but right now I’m
too angry with you to admit it.”

“
Think you just did,” said
Carlos.

She faked a backhand. He didn’t even flinch.
I started to laugh at that, when she grabbed my left nipple and
damn near twisted it off. “YOU,” she said, and in case she did not
have my full attention, she grabbed my right nipple and twisted it
the other way. “I am letting you know that I will do this, not for
you, but for Ursula. There is just one stipulation.”

She eased her grip enough to let me catch my
breath. I inhaled through clenched teeth and answered in the same
manner. “Anything. Name it.”

I could see Carlos and Dominic wincing and
cupping their nipples in solidarity.

“
You will conduct the
ceremony. You will open the circle, summon the old coven and close
the circle yourself. Think you can do that?”

I hesitated, thinking she wanted an honest
answer. But when she tweaked me harder, I knew what to say. “Yes.
Yes. I can do that. Of course. I’m a witch. No problem.”

She smiled, released my nips and slapped
them pink. “Good. Let’s get started.”

The five of us headed out to the four corners
of the property in single file: me, Lilith, Ursula, Dominic and
Carlos. We stopped at the ring of stones. The candles were still
there, as were the peach crates, the chalice and the now faded
kaleidoscope of dead flowers. Lilith carried in the black mirror,
not trusting anyone else with the task. I carried the athame,
Carlos and Dominic the flashlights, although those were not allowed
once the ceremony began.

I entered the circle at the eastern edge,
and from the moment I stepped over the stones, I could feel it. The
sensation of energy entering my body, filling me with a sense of
invincibility. I held the athame as if it were an extension of my
arm and set the circle ablaze with just a sweep of my hand.
Surprised, though I was, Lilith seemed even more so.

“
Greetings and merry
meet,” I said, my arms splayed in a gesture of welcome. “Behold the
circle of the coven.”

I pointed the athame to the sky and waved it
about in a circular motion. At once, a spiraling vortex of
yellow-green vapors formed overhead. It grew in size and intensity
as I walked the circle clockwise reciting these words.

“
Spirits of the east,
guardians of our souls, protect us from false friend and foe. Watch
over us who gather here, that we may live and breathe thy
air.”

I know. Right? Like who’d have thought I
would have remembered that?”

The four outside the circle echoed, “That we
may live and breathe thy air.”

I completed the walk around the stones
before dismissing the vortex with a flick of the athame. It danced
overhead in a nervous sputter, collapsed into a tiny bright light
and then shot off into space in the eastern sky.

The southern end of the circle is where
Lilith burned a willow branch the previous night, beckoning the
southern guardians. I, of course, had no willow branch. Instead, I
dismantled the peach crate altar and stomped one of the crates into
kindling. I then lit a piece of wood off the circle’s own flames
and began my clockwise trek.

“
Spirits of the south,
guardians of our souls, protect us from false friend and foe. Feed
thy flames and take them higher. Warm us with thy breath of
fire.”

From the four outside the circle. “Warm us
with thy breath of fire.”

With their words, the kindling in my hands
exploded. Bits of burning wood gave rise to thermal waves. Embers
sizzled. Sparks fizzled. White-hot ash drizzled down my back and
arms. I clapped my hands over the southern stone and wiped them
clean on my pant legs.

I continued to pay homage to the guardians
of the west and north, respectively, just as Lilith had done the
night before. I begged protection from false friend and foe. Made
offerings of pure water and sacred earth, remembering the essential
elements of nature. Funny how it all came to me so easily. Lilith
later told me it was because I was a natural. It is the reason she
took me through the rite of passage, the ceremony that endowed me
with the powers of witchcraft. Though I seldom exercise those
powers, I must admit, I feel stronger when I do.

Following the call to the guardians of the
coven, it was time to open the circle to the others. I used the
athame like a tent zipper, slicing through the flames and opening a
door wide enough for them to enter. As soon as the last of them
entered, the door zipped shut behind him.

We assembled in the center of the circle,
forming a huddle with our backs to the fire. Lilith stood to my
right. Ursula to my left. Carlos faced me in the huddle, and for
that reason, he got to hold the black mirror.

“
Is everyone ready?” I
asked.

“
Like it matters?” This
from Lilith, whose acid tongue I recognized could be a real
showstopper.

“
What does that
mean?”

She rolled her eyes. “It means you’re going
to do things the way you want to anyways. Aren’t you?”

“
What? You don’t like the
way I’ve conducted the ceremony so far?”

“
You lit the fire
first.”

“
Excuse me?”

“
The fire. You lit the
circle of fire before you summoned the spirits of the coven. You’re
supposed to do that afterwards.”

“
Then why didn’t you say
something?”

“
How could I? You jumped
in there and started waving the athame around like a second penis,
all-proud, high and mighty. Next thing I knew, whomp.
Fire.”

“
What now? You saying it’s
not going to work?”

“
No. Try it. What is the
worst that can happen? The elders can strip us of our powers and
banish us to the eighth sphere?”

“
Are you
serious?”

She looked me square in the eye, her
furrowed brows scolding my incompetence. “What do you think?”

My heart sank. My eyes fell away in shame.
What did I think? What could I think? I thought of Ursula. How I
let her down. And Dominic, who wanted only to start fresh. A new
life with his new wife. But no. I had to screw it up. My gaze
returned to Lilith. She read like a stone. Cold. Emotionless. I
realized then I had let her down, as well.

“
You’re serious,” I said.
“Aren’t you?”

Her expression softened, and in her subtle
way, I knew she would find forgiveness for me. I saw her chest rise
and fall on a shallow breath. She wet her lips. Parted them softly.
Smiled.

“
Naaah. I’m just fuck'n`
witcha. Go on. The spirits are cool. They like you.”

“
Lilith? What the
hell?”

“
What? You can’t have a
little fun? Man, you’re a stick in the mud sometimes. Aren’t
you?”

“
Please,” said Dominic.
“Can we get on with it?”

“
Okay. You’re right. Let
us get on with it. Carlos.” I reached out and straightened the
mirror in his hands so that it angled up at me. “Hold this like
that.”

I waved the athame over the black mirror
three times and tapped the glass once. “Spirits of the coven, I
call to thee. Show thy selves that we may see. Come forth to us
this starry night to free Ursula from thy witch’s light.”

“
Hey, that’s good,” said
Lilith. “Did you just think that up?”

“
Yeah. It came to me off
the top of my head.”

“
Not bad. You know I think
maybe you––”

“
Excuse me.” Again,
Dominic. “Can we?”

“
Of course.”

I waved the athame over the mirror once more
and tapped it twice. Both times the blade made a solid sounding tic
on the glass. On the next tap, the blade dipped into the mirror.
Ripples from the disturbance radiated out in centric patterns like
a pebble dropped in water. As the ripples faded, faces from the
night before appeared in the reflection. They looked upon us
warmly. I remember feeling a sense of welcome, a sense of
belonging. This was especially so when Lilith leaned in and
whispered in my ear, “Nicely done, kiddo.”

I smiled at that. “Thanks.”

To the spirits I said, “Welcome all. Merry
meet and happy ties.”

“
Happy ties,” said
Carlos.

A soft chorus returned. “Merry meet you
all.”

I cleared my throat and began. “I’m new to
this, as I’m sure you know. Maybe that’s why we are here tonight.
Oh hell, what am I saying? I know that’s why we are here tonight.
You see, last night after the wedding ceremony, I kissed Ursula
here.” I hiked my thumb up over my left shoulder. Ursula smiled and
waved. “Anyway, I didn’t know better, but that kiss sparked a
witch’s light between us, and well…. I was hoping you all could
help us break it.”

A scratchy old voice came from the mirror.
“You want to break the witch’s light?”

“
Yes. If it’s not to much
to ask.”

From the throngs of many came a singular
face. It filled the entire picture frame like a portrait. This was
the face of a witch’s witch. Not ugly. Not pretty either. But
definitely a seasoned old gal with more experience than Old Man
Time himself.

“
Anthony of New Castle.
Yes?”

I tried to answer. Couldn’t. Swallowed the
lump in my throat and tried again. “Yes.”

“
You are new to the ways
of witchcraft.”

“
I am,” I said,
nodding.

“
We have but few males
among us.”

“
Oh? I uh…I didn’t know
that.”

She looked to Lilith. “Lilith of New
Castle.”

“
Yes ma`am.”

“
Your mother, the one
called Gypsy.”

“
Yes?”

“
She is dead?”

“
You asking
me?”

“
Aye.”

“
I think so. Not really
sure. She kissed the front of a moving train you know. Never found
her after that.”

“
A bad seed that one
was.”

“
Yup, but I’m not like
her. You can ask anyone.”

Ursula piped in. “`Tis true, Milady. But for
the kindness of her heart I would not be.”

“
That’s right. I brought
Ursula back from a pile of bones. She’s some of my best
work.”

Carlos said under his breath, “I always said
she was a piece of work.”

The old woman scowled some. Her eyes came
back to me. “Anthony of New Castle. Thou doth wish to break the
witch’s light?”

“
I do, Ma`am. Madam….
Milady.”

“
Doth thou have another
for to link?”

Lilith said, “He wants to link with me. I
mean I want to link with him. We want to link together.”

The old lady maintained her scowl. Or
perhaps it was simply etched upon her face through the course of
time. Either way, she clearly had not yet made up her mind to allow
the transfer of links. At the risk of pissing her off, I thought I
would try one more thing. I took Lilith’s hand in mine and held it
to the mirror so that she could see it.

“
Milady,” I said. “As
mentioned, I am new to witchcraft. I have made mistakes. There were
times when I could have embraced it more than I have but did
not.”

“
Ha,” said Lilith, though
I believed softly enough that the old woman could not
hear.

“
The point is I love
Lilith. I am truly grateful to her for taking me through the rite
of passage. I know she took a daring chance in doing so. She didn’t
know how it would turn out. No one had ever done it before, taken a
mortal through the passage. But that’s how she is. Living on the
edge all the time. For all she knew it could have killed her. And
Ursula, that was a huge gamble, too. When she brought Ursula back,
all she had to work with were some old bones and a witch’s key. She
sacrificed parts of herself so that Ursula might know love, sorrow,
pain and joy, all the emotions she knew as a witch back in ole New
Castle.”

I felt Lilith squeeze my hand tightly then.
I turned to her. Her eyes were pooling. “Yes. I know what you did,”
I said to her. “Ursula is as much a part of you as any child could
be. That’s why she looks like you. You gave her as much of the good
in you as you could spare and as little of the bad.” I smiled
teasingly. “But you did give her some bad. Didn’t you?”