Next Neith walked to her and smiled warmly. She kissed Danica on the cheek. “Welcome. I know the days ahead won’t be easy. Please come to me for help whenever you need to.”
Wilder was next and she hugged Danica warmly. “You’re special, Danica. Now that The Magic has accepted you, your skills will be invaluable to us. Welcome.”
Jimmu was the last. He walked up to her and took her hand. She looked in his eyes and saw acceptance. He graced her with one of his rare smiles. “I guess I was wrong about you. Now we can begin. Welcome.” He kissed her cheek and Danica felt a warmth spread through her body.
Phil stepped forward. “Thank you, Coverts. Danica, you are now an acolyte and you will cultivate your own power over the coming months with the help of myself, your instructors, and the Coverts. Your training will be intensive and will include many skills unknown to you, but your Magic will allow you to learn quickly. Soon you will fulfill your destiny and become our fifth Covert.” She turned to the crowd. In a joyful voice she proclaimed, “It’s time to celebrate! I present to you Danica!”
The crowd cheered wildly. Balloons and confetti dropped from the ceiling. The band struck up a lively tune and people began dancing in the aisles.
Phil took her hand and smiled broadly. “It’s time for you to meet the community. Come with me.”
Twelve
Phil led Danica from the stage down some stairs to the auditorium floor where they were instantly surrounded by people welcoming her, wishing her well, giving her hugs and kisses, touching her arms, hands, face. As she walked down the center aisle with Phil, more and more people greeted her. Wide doors on both sides of the auditorium had been opened onto adjoining rooms where there were tables of food and drink. Danica felt drunk with excitement and lack of sleep. From nowhere Beau appeared in front of her drinking a deep blue liquid from a fluted glass, his arm around the waist of a beautiful young man who smiled at her shyly. A striking woman was with them, her red hair falling in cascading curls almost to her waist.
Beau gushed, “That was so amazing, Danica. When you went up into the stars, I thought I had died and gone to heaven! It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!”
Danica smiled and hugged him.
Beau turned to the young man. “This is my friend Casmir. Isn’t he gorgeous?”
Gorgeous doesn’t even begin to describe him.
He looked at her with eyes that were silvery gray flecked with green in a face the color of coffee touched with cream. He smiled flashing strong white teeth and took her hand. “I’m so pleased to meet you. Beau has been talking non-stop about you and now I know why.” He bent and kissed her hand, his long, black, silver-streaked hair falling forward. His eyes slid to Beau. “And yes, the robe is exquisite on her. You really did outdo yourself.”
Beau leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially to Danica, “He’s some of my best work. He’s so pretty I can’t stand having him out of my sight.”
They all laughed good naturedly.
“And this is Monique, my protégé. She has talents like mine, and we work together often.”
Danica turned to Monique and smiled, but her smile froze on her face. Monique was looking at her coolly. “Congratulations,” she said, and then turned and walked away.
Beau laughed nervously. “She’s such a drama queen.”
Danica looked confused and Phil leaned in and said quietly, “Not everyone will be happy for you, Danica. Some who were not accepted by The Magic will be jealous. They may try to diminish you. Just be aware.”
Danica soon forgot Monique in the blur of the celebration. She met so many people and soon all the names and faces blurred together into one giant smiling face. Suddenly she felt exhausted. Wilder saw her stifle a yawn and went to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
“You’ve had quite a day and the sun hasn’t even come up yet. If your experience was anything like what I remember from my own, you are probably done in. You can sneak out at any time; this party will go on for hours.”
“Was your ceremony like mine?”
Wilder paused. “I think what you experienced was different from what the rest of us saw. We’ve never seen an ascendancy quite like yours before. You’re special, Danica. The next months will be intense but I believe you’ll be up to it.” She squeezed Danica’s shoulders companionably.
Danica suddenly felt tears threatening. She had spent her life up to this point trying to not be special, always trying to blend in, to be invisible. “Thanks, Wilder. I think I will slip out and get some sleep.”
She made her way to the back doors and after a few more introductions and hugs on the way, she found herself outside in the cool of the morning. The sky was lightening in the east and birds were singing their praises to the sun hovering just below the horizon. She looked up and found the morning star—her star--shining brightly.
“Tired of the party already?” She jumped when she heard Jimmu’s voice behind her.
“Oh! You scared me! I was just leaving. I’m not much for parties.”
He was leaning against the wall. “I’ll walk back with you. I’ve had enough partying myself.”
They walked across the wide lawn to the back doors of the hotel which he held open for her, and then he followed her inside.
They hallway was dimly lit, and they followed it to the back stairs leading to the upper floors.
Before they started up the stairs, he turned to her. His dark eyes found hers. “You look amazing tonight. Beau knows what he’s doing; he chose the perfect color and fabric for your gown. Everything about you sparkles. You really are a star.”
Danica felt the heat on her face. A compliment from Jimmu! Will wonders never cease! But she was flattered, and she realized that she cared deeply about what he thought.
“Thank you, Jimmu.”
They continued up the stairs, and when they got to her room door, she turned to him and gave him a wry smile. “Thanks for walking me home.”
He reached down and took her right hand. She almost jerked it back reflexively before she realized what he was doing. He fastened a small link chain around her wrist. The metal gleamed darkly, and a tiny charm dangled from it.
“A gift for your birthday,” he said simply, and then he seemed at a loss for words.
She held up her arm and looked at the bracelet. Light reflected off the dark metal, and the charm turned slowly in a circle.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She smiled at him, and in the dimly lighted hallway he seemed taller and darker, more mysterious. “I thought you didn’t think The Magic would accept me.”
“I wasn’t sure. And I didn’t want you to get your hopes up.”
She eyed him. “Well, you were pretty convincing.”
He smiled briefly and cleared his throat. “You should get some sleep. I’ll see you later today for your swim lesson,” and he turned abruptly and opened the door to his room and was gone.
She looked at his closed door, then at the dainty bracelet encircling her wrist. He’s being nice to me? I can’t believe it. I wonder what he’ll say later when I tell him I’m NOT taking swim lessons from him or from anyone else.
Danica stepped into her room lit softly by a small fire in the fireplace. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The lack of sleep was catching up to her. She walked to the wardrobe and stepped out of her celebration robe, carefully hanging it up and admiring the shimmering lights as she tucked the folds in between the other clothes. Then she put the headdress, shoes, and sash on the shelf above. As she padded over to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The light was low but what caught her attention gave her pause. She stopped and turned and faced the mirror fully and saw herself without any adornment. Her nude body, normally so familiar, was the body of a stronger, more vigorous Danica. Broad shoulders tapered to a slender waist from which curvaceous hips flowed into long and well-muscled
thighs. She slowly rotated her body, taking in firm, high breasts, well-defined biceps, and round tight buttocks. It was the same body she had left with earlier, but different. Stronger. More defined. The blue eyes that looked back at her glinted with the star lights from her ascendancy and dared her to recognize this new and powerful version of herself. She lingered in front of the mirror, enchanted at what looked back at her. No one else might notice the changes, but as familiar as she was with her body, she noted every alteration.
Beau said he didn’t change me much, and The Magic would create the real change. Whatever the cause, I like this new me. I look . . . powerful!
She left her mirror image and continued to the bathroom where she quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. Once in the high bed, she opened the nightstand drawer and found Bartlett’s Quotations and opened it to a random page. There was a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt: With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. She put the book away and then crawled between the sheets.
It’s a new day for me. I have a new life and a new family. I feel good. Energized. I’m going to try to change my thoughts about myself. I’m going to believe in myself.
As she drifted off to sleep, her mind was filled with images from her celebration. And then other images crept in. Memories from before the Beyond …
Just a week ago, she and Phil had met at the public library in the special collections section. It was after school, and Danica had had to catch a bus downtown. The main library wasn’t busy at this time of day, and there was no one in this area except for an older white-haired woman behind the desk at the front.
Danica wove her way through the stacks looking for Phil. Maybe I got the time wrong. Or the wrong day. She took the note out of her backpack and unfolded it:
Meet me at the main library in the special collections
section at 4:00 this afternoon. P.
An office aide had delivered it to her in history class this morning. Danica turned the corner around a tall shelf and there was a library table lit by two lamps. Phil was sitting, reading through small glasses perched at the end of her nose. She looked up when Danica approached.
“This is a fascinating book, and I want you to check it out and read it.”
Danica looked at the cover. An Illustrated Mythology of Lesser Lost Civilizations.
“Mythology? Is it important for my training?”
“Oh yes, extremely so. Especially this part.” She held the open book out for Danica to see:
Chapter 7, The Lymonians.
“Sit down Danica, we have something to discuss.”
She dutifully sat across from Phil who looked very librarian-y.
“How long have we been meeting now?” Phil asked.
Danica looked thoughtful. “Well, I first met you at the park a couple months ago.”
“And how many meetings have we had all together?”
“Mmmmm, I guess maybe eighteen to twenty. Most weeks we’ve met a couple times, some more than that.”
“I feel like we’ve gotten to know each other, and we’ve established a trust. How about you?”
“Yeah, I like you Phil. You do what you say, and you’re always honest with me.” She frowned. “What’s up?”
“Your birthday is next week, and you’ll have a special celebration. I’ve prepared you as much as I can here in this place, and it’s time to move on. Are you ready?”
Danica frowned. “I’m ready—I just wish I knew what I’m ready for. You haven’t really told me much about where I’m going or what I’ll be doing. Who will I live with? Will you be there?”
Phil removed her glasses and put them on the table. “I know I’ve been vague, and I’m sorry about that. It’s just that I can’t tell anyone who isn’t from the Beyond anything about it. Everything must be kept secret for reasons you’ll understand later. I can tell you that you will be living in a community of people—mostly young people, and you will have your own room in a large hotel where I live also. As far as what you will be doing, you will be in specialized training. After your birthday, which we will celebrate in a grand style, you will take classes and lessons that will be tailored to your specific skills and needs.”
She must have looked confused because Phil sighed.
“I can’t be any more specific, because until your birthday celebration, I don’t even know what that training will look like. I can promise you that you will enjoy some of it, and part of it will challenge you, but you will not be in any danger during your training time.” Phil raised her eyebrows. “Okay?”
Danica sighed. “Okay. I trust you, Phil. So, what’s the plan for next week?”
Phil spent the next half hour going over the plan. It was all so mysterious. A driver, the dead of night, a long car trip. When Phil instructed her to forge an excuse note from her mother for the school, Danica said, “I don’t think I need to do that. No one will check up on me.”
“Do it anyway. We want to be sure to take every precaution. It’s always best to over-plan, just in case. And because you’ve run away from home a couple of times, your parents won’t be in much trouble. The police will think you have run away again, especially when they discover the forged note. When you don’t turn up after a week or two, you’ll be just another angry teenaged runaway, trying to find a better place. They’ll put your face on the news. Your parents may put up notices. After a while, everyone will stop looking.”
Danica swallowed. “Even my parents?”
Phil looked closely at Danica. “When they are sober, your parents will feel guilty. Then they’ll want to drink more. And yes, they will miss you and they’ll feel sadness, regret, and a yearning for something they think they should feel. You’ll see them again, Danica. But not for at least a year. When you are eighteen and above the law, you can return.
Danica let out her breath. “Okay, that sounds good. Can I at least write to them, so they know I’m alright?”
“Yes, that can be arranged.”
“When I leave home and I’m picked up by this mysterious driver, will you be in the car?” Danica asked hopefully.
“No. But don’t worry. The driver knows what to do and you can trust him.”
As they stood up to leave, Phil handed her the book. “Read chapter seven tonight.” And that’s when Danica’s strange dreams had begun. The chapter was about a mythical island called Lymonia ruled by a powerful family whose females were all sibyls and priestesses. The island came under threat of an evil usurper who attempted—and eventually succeeded—in taking power and murdering the royal family.
She hadn’t been sure why this story had bothered her, but after she read the chapter, she had had dreams every night. Dreams that involved three women who were fleeing in darkness from some danger, and one of them pregnant, delivering a child in a dark wood. That child, she now knew, was her, and the dreams were portents. All of it had really happened which made her wonder about the other dreams.
I need to talk to Phil about my dreams, she thought as she fell into a deep sleep.
Thirteen
It was nearly one in the afternoon when Danica awoke, and her first thought was of her stomach. She was ravenously hungry. Then she thought about the dreaded swim lesson with Jimmu.
I’m going to get some lunch, and then I’ll meet him as planned—his stupid plan—at three o’clock, and I’ll tell him again that I’m not interested in swim lessons.
She realized she was playing with the bracelet around her wrist that Jimmu had gifted her, and she looked at it closely. The metal links gleamed darkly. The chain was thin, but not frail. She held her wrist up and examined the charm. It was a small round shell-shaped disc, and in the center was a blue wave cradling a gold starfish. Pretty! She couldn’t remember the last time she had received such a beautiful gift from anyone, and she decided to keep wearing it.
She threw back the covers and went to the bathroom to throw some water on her face. When she looked in the mirror above the sink, her image startled her. Staring bac
k at her was the new Magical Danica. It looked like her, but she noted subtle alterations. She still had the same heart-shaped face, but her cheekbones looked more pronounced, her lips seemed a little fuller, her eyes, slanting slightly upwards, had been a nondescript blue. Now they were flecked with silver and seemed to be lit from behind. Sweeping brows were the same color as her nearly black hair which fell in a thick lustrous cascade around her shoulders. It’s longer, too! Her usually problematic skin was smooth and glowing. The girl in the mirror gave her a dazzling smile. The transformation was beguiling. She moved to the full-length mirror and surveyed her body in the light of day. She looked like she had always looked but there were notable differences in muscle tone. Before, she had always been slender. Now, she looked strong and amazingly fit. Well-defined muscles gave her the appearance of a young athlete.
Wow, I’m hot! She turned sideways to the mirror and assumed a body building pose, crouching slightly, and flexing her bicep and thigh muscles. Then she laughed at herself.
She tied her hair into a high ponytail and went to the wardrobe and found shorts, a tank top, and sandals, and after dressing, she left her room and headed for the kitchen. Today there was pizza and salad and she helped herself to large portions of both, grabbing a water bottle on her way out the door. She took her tray to an empty table, unloaded everything, and put the tray aside. No sooner had she started eating when three people approached her table bearing trays full of food.
“Hi Danica, I hope it’s okay if we join you,” a short, Native American young woman asked. She was flanked by two young men.
“Er, yes, sure.”
The attractive young woman’s dark eyes regarded Danica as she sat across from her. “You probably don’t remember meeting me at your celebration. I’m Keera, and this is Marc and Josh.” The two men sat in the chairs on either side of her.
The Acolyte: Magicians of the Beyond Page 7
