SWNOVELS Chapter CHAPTER 18
Jean ran into High Priestess just as she was leaving her office. High Priestess dear, may I have a word with you?”
High Priestess turned from her door and smiling pleasantly towards Jean, High Priestess spoke sweetly. “Of course, my dear Crone. Do you wish to sit in the office and chat?” Jean nodded her head indicating that she would, and High Priestess turned back to her door, swinging it back open.
Taking a seat in one of her high-backed sitting chairs, High Priestess waved her hand towards the other chair directly across from her, offering it to Jean.
“I was curious as to whether you remember the teachings of the soul bond when you were in grade school?”
“Um, I believe so. Why do you ask Jean?” High Priestess tilted her head in curiosity because the question seemed strange coming from the old Crone.
“Well, there seems to be a phenomenon occurring within Dominic’s group of friends.”
High Priestess raised an eyebrow, intrigue taking hold, she urged Jean to continue speaking with a nod of her head. “A visitor that has been staying with me from the Night-Sky Coven, Raegan Knight, has brought to my attention that Dominic and his friends all seem to be finding their soul mates.”
“Really? You don’t say… but you are worried by this fact, Jean? Please explain what concerns you in regard to his group coming in contact with their soul bonds.”
“That’s the thing dear, I can’t figure out why I’m bothered by this. I thought maybe you would be able to recall history lessons from your youth, trigger memories that I no longer have access to, and we could figure out what is nagging at my mind.”
“Most definitely, Jean. I am more than happy and willing to assist you in any way that I can. Let me grab a white-flamed candle and a crystal ball so I can project my memories for us to view together. I will be right back.”
Jean nodded and then a sigh of relief left her lips as her anxiety began to calm a bit. There was something unsettling about the whole thing and she felt that remembering the past was the key to understanding the present situation. As she waited for High Priestess to return, she nervously rubbed her hands, one around the other.
“Okay Jean, here we go.” High Priestess said as she sat the white candle stick in a candle holder and placed it on a small table stand that was situated in between her chair and Jeans. Next, she positioned the crystal ball on the stand in front of the candle and then she and Jean began to chant a simple incantation. “Light to dark, bring the nights’ past sight.” This was chanted between the two until an image began to take shape within the grey smoky haze of the crystal.
Pictures began to flicker and flash. Slowly at first, images trickled into the ball, but then they began to pick up speed until it could be viewed like a movie. Each leaned in closer to the ball, so they could see better the images before them that swirled into view. Tapping the side of the ball twice, audio could suddenly be heard coming from it and they listened intently to the words being spoken.
A lady stood in front of a chalk board looking around the room at the students who sat in front of her. The crystal ball provided an image of a very non-descript lady in a long floral dress, speaking in a melodious voice, the teacher spoke unaware to the outside intruders.
“As I’ve just said, the soul mate bond is a very rare occurrence. And, as rare as it is, it is even rarer for an entire generation of circle members to all find their mates at once. Only one time in history has this occurred. In the early to mid-17th century, a Coven in England all suddenly started coming into contact with their soul mates. Later this Coven would come to realize there was a reason why this was happening to them.
The twelve who were the center of this circle would battle a most wicked vampire unlike any that have been dealt with before or since. The vampire’s name was Cal, a very ancient and evil creature. The Coven realized that the only way to defeat Cal was if they and their soul mates joined together as one unified circle. The magic they could produce as one whole, would be their only way to vanquish the vampire, ending his life on this earth…”
The flame of the candle went dark as the crystal ball turned back to a smoky grey haze. “Curious, is it not?” Jean questioned as her eyes fell back upon High Priestess’ face.
“I would most readily agree with you Jean. I would pose one question for us all though, what nemesis should we be preparing our young group of people to battle…” High Priestess let the words trail off as she and Jean contemplated the question at hand.
Dawning realization lit up Jean’s face as she recalled the conversation, she had had with Death hours earlier in the day about the Greek vampire that had been tormenting Alina. “I wonder…” Jean began, placing a hand against her chin in contemplation.
“What? What thoughts do you have swirling around in that head of yours Jean?”
“I recently spoke with an old acquaintance of mine about the spirit both Alina and Dominic have been dealing with. Maybe he is the reason why the kids are all finding their soul mates…”
*
Jean paced across the plush beige carpet in her living room anxiously waiting for death’s return visit. With just 24 hours until the hibernal solstice, she needed his answer, so she knew how to prepare for the coming event. Having spoken to Dominic early that morning, she now had suspicions as to why the menacing spirit was trying to prevent them from pulling Alina back to them.
“There you are,” she said in a clipped tone as death appeared before her; a grimace upon her face as she watched him walk into her living room from out of nowhere.
“I said I would return, did I not,” death responded with a sneer on his face and ice blue eyes boring into Jean’s soft warm, brown eyes. “I will stress one more time before I agree to give you some assistance; you are aware of the high price to be paid for returning one’s soul to its earthly body?”
“I am well aware and am most willing to pay that price. Jean looked back at death with a stern glare of her own. He smiled at the answer given before sticking his hand out in front of him.
“Once we shake upon it, the agreement cannot be broken.” A leering smile touched the corners of his lips as he waited for her to take his hand, sealing the deal. Jean clasped her hand in his and her entire house shook, as a loud rumbling rushed past her ears. For the briefest of moments, it felt as if Jean’s world would implode upon her and then nothing but silence. It took a second for her to gather her bearings and then she noticed that death had once again, vanished.
*
“Sssshhheee isss minnee! They cannot havvveeeee heeeerrr. Sssshhheee isss the kkeeeyyy to set meeee frreee!” Cal muttered to himself as he paced amid the confines of his space within the spirit realm. His rage was barely contained as he walked about. “Her magic is what will set me free from this Hell, making me earth bound and human. I cannot allow her to leave here without first taking her magical essences. I will drain her to gain access to the earth. The boy can have her empty shell! I think I shall visit her now, in fact…” With a sound like ‘poof’, Cal disappeared from where he was a second before.
Reappearing near Alina, he had made himself invisible to the naked eye and set to a round of tormenting her for his pleasure. A menacing laugh escaped him as he tugged her hair and pinched her skin. Manic laughter falling from him all the while.
As Alina began to rile herself up in anger because she was unable to defend herself against the antagonizing spirit, her magic began to build up with inside her. Her powers started to swirl about her, climbing over her body, giving her skin a blue-ish hue. Pouring off her in waves, her power desperately wanting to lash out against the cause of her pain but not having any definitive direction to flow. She huffed as her anger reached a boiling point, and then, not being able to contain her frustrations any longer, her eyes flashed with white light, and she let her magic explode from within her, sending it outward in waves, hoping that it connected with Cal and was finally going to cause him some pain in the process.
*
“I’ll be down in a second!” I shouted down to Devon. “I just have to grab my phone from my room.” As I enter my bedroom, I can hear Alina crying before I actually spot her huddled in the corner of my bedroom crouched below my window as if she is trying to hide herself from something. “Alina? What’s wrong?” I asked rushing over to her. Allowing my knees to fold beneath me, I kneel next to her. I try to tip her head upwards, but she won’t let me. Instead, she leans into me, cutting off her sobs as she buries her face into my shirt, against my chest. “Babe, what’s wrong?” My voice cracks with worry as I ask, my arms automatically wrapping around her as I try to comfort her.
“I-I,” she stammers out as she tries to gain control of her emotions. “I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with that spirit!” She turns angry green eyes on me that seem to glow bright like a traffic light as she speaks. “How much longer until I’m back here for good?” The tears are threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes once more and her bottom lip quivers as she tries to hold them back.
Taking my thumbs, I wipe both sides of her face, removing the streaks that the tears have marked along her cheeks. I next stand and take her hands in mine, pulling her up with me as I do so. As I wrap my arms around her shoulders and neck, she automatically wraps hers around my waist. “I am so sorry my love. In 24 hours, you will permanently be back in my arms.” I lean into her pressing my lips gently against hers. Ali sighs, smiling against my lips before pulling me closer than we already are to each other and deepens the kiss. I feel it before she utters the no, that pulling sensation trying to tug her back to the spirit realm and I release my hold of her only because tomorrow night, I won’t ever have to worry about having to let her go again! I step back from where we were just standing and sigh myself. “I love you…” her words echo inside my mind, and I smiled.
Hearing my mom shout out my name from somewhere down below, I exit my bedroom and head towards the stairway. Just as I go to take my first step down, I am slammed from behind like a tackle being done in a football game. I am launched about a foot into the air, and it takes a second for my brain to process what is happening. “MOOOOOOOM!” I yelled out as I saw my landing come rushing towards my face. I clenched my eyes shut tight with the imagined sound of cracking bones and a smashed nose echoing in my ears. Within an inch of my face being plastered all over the floor, I am frozen, hovering in the air.
Mom rushed into the hallway in the nick of time and breathing hard she eased me to the ground with a gentle flick of her hands. Once I was resting on the hardwood floor of the entry way, mom ran up to my side to see if I was hurt or not. “What in the world? Did you trip? Are you okay?” I see her worried eyes checking over me to make sure I haven’t sustained any injuries.
Getting up from the floor I lift my eyes to hers and look at her stunned. “Something pushed me from behind as I was heading down the stairs.” Her eyes go wide with shock, and she takes a look behind me as her mouth falls open into an ‘O’. “Oh my gosh. I’m going to phone Grandma Jean right now. I’m hoping she has sorted out a solution for us by now.” She turned on her heel and walked into the kitchen to retrieve her phone and make the call.
Entering the kitchen, I hear mom finishing her conversation with grandma. “Okay Jean, we will see you shortly then.”
“Is grandma coming over?” Mom nods her head yes at my question as she sits her phone on the kitchen counter and I see her hand shake slightly before she pulls it back to her side and then decides to jam her hand into her back pocket.
“Yeah, she was already in her car getting ready to head this way as it was. She said she thinks she knows why the spirit is hung up on Alina.”
*
In the time it takes Grandma to pull into our driveway, Devon has called ‘our’ group and told them all to come over. Once everyone arrives, grandma gathers all of us into the living room, and I mean our entire group. Raegan, Riley and Chris occupy the large couch. Jessica and Vince have taken over the loveseat, mom and dad claimed the reclining chairs while grandma sits in the one rocking chair. Dev and I stand, leaning against two of the walls in the living room as Jean begins to speak.
“I have spoken with an acquaintance of mine, and he has sorted out why this spirit doesn’t want Alina to leave the spirit realm.” Everyone begins to whisper but Jean raises her hand and all conversation hushed or otherwise, comes to an abrupt end. “He has said that this spirit whose name is Callicantzaros or rather Cal for short, is a nasty one. Cal wants a being powerful enough to help him get released from the Spirit Realm and we all know that Ali is probably one of the most powerful beings in the realm at this time.
I don’t know what will happen to Alina should he manage to obtain her, nor do I know what will happen should he be released from the spirit world. We can safely assume though, that none of it will bode well for Ali should we not succeed in removing her from that world.”
“What can we do to help, grandma?” I asked as I pushed myself away from the wall and walked towards her, with Devon following right behind me. I clench my jaw in determination, I will do whatever is needed to rescue Alina from that place!
Jean puts a hand on my arm as she comes to stand beside me. “I ask that all of you meet me in the cemetery in one hour. We must begin to prepare for tomorrow night.”