Lilly took a deep breath, “A Druid? I’m cool with it.”
Roland smiled in relief and kissed her.
‘What exactly is a Druid?’ Lilly made a mental note to find out as soon as possible.
“Okay, let’s eat,” they said in unison and hopped off the bus.
~
They were absorbed in Valentines’ menu when the waitress sauntered over to their table. Lilly looked up ready to order when she spotted Alex with his sister, Angelina, walking by his side. They were being seated at a nearby table. Lilly gasped, her chair fell over as she stood abruptly and headed for the front door.
“Hey, Lilly, where are you going?” Roland exclaimed standing quickly. Alex’s head flew up as he saw the young woman running out the front door. He bolted from his seat swept past Roland and pushed him down into his chair. Alex flew out the entrance of Valentines and broke into a run as soon as he was out of the door.
Lilly was running down the block headed for Esplanade Avenue. Alex caught up with her, grabbed her arm, and swung her around. Holding her in his iron grasp, he stood catching his breath, his eyes taking in every part of her. “You look like a whore,” he spat.
“You look like a creep! Get your fucking hands off me!”
Her fingers tingled, the Fae magic stored in her DNA ignited. Without a moments hesitation, she channeled a powerful electric charge into Alex’s iron hold on her arm. He flew across the sidewalk, hit a newspaper stand and fell into the gutter. “Don’t ever come near me again,” she said succinctly to his prone form as she turned and ran down the street.
Roland arrived seconds later to see Lilly running across Esplanade Avenue. The man who had been chasing her was lying in the gutter groaning. Roland ignored him and took off after Lilly.
Angelina found her brother climbing onto the sidewalk a few minutes later. “What happened? Did you catch her? Was it Lilly?”
Alex sat on the sidewalk, rubbing his head, “No, no it wasn’t her,” he lied. “I ran after her, only to be confronted by some asshole who shoved me. He tried to take my wallet but I fought him off.” Shaking he got to his feet, allowing Angelina to help him back to the restaurant.
Roland caught up with Lilly in Jackson Square. She spun around as he called her name, her hands out, fingers spread ready for battle. Recognizing Roland, she dropped her hands and jumped into his arms. “It was Alex, my ex-husband,” she cried.
Roland glanced down Decatur Street making sure he wasn’t being followed. “Was he the guy who grabbed you in the Square?” Lilly nodded. “He looks like a soulless one,” Roland said as he put his arm around her waist and led her back to her apartment.
A sigh escaped Lilly’s lips as she collapsed onto the couch. Roland’s stomach growled and his tone was brusk, “What’s up with this guy? You left him. Your marriage is over. Why is he attacking you?”
Lilly looked up, “Roland, he is a member of a powerful Mafia family! I stole money from him to escape. I was his prisoner. Now, he wants retribution. He wants to bring me back to his home in the suburbs and make me his prisoner again.” Roland sat back, surprised at the seriousness of her situation.
After a few minutes he took her hand, “He doesn’t know where you live and...wait, did he catch up with you?
“Yes, he grabbed me, but I was able to fight him off. I told him to leave me alone.”
“You did that to him? He looked messed up.”
Lilly couldn’t repress a smile, “Good!”
“Yea, he was lying in the gutter.”
“I thought he got the message the first time he tried to drag me away from the French Quarter. I hope a roll in the gutter conveyed the meaning of, ‘No, not ever,’ to him.”
Roland took her in his arms, “Your safe here in Panthea’s. I guarantee the wards on this building are stronger than the Mafia. He won’t get in here.”
Walking to the front door, he examined the lock for a moment. “I’m going to set a protective ward on your front door as a reinforcement. No one with harmful intention will be able to come in, even with a key, unless of course, you invite them in.”
Lilly looked baffled, “You can set a magical ward?”
“Yea, I can. I learned when I was a teenager. My dad remembers a smattering of Druidic teachings from his grandfather and he passed them on to me and my brothers. Warding, scrying and drawing energy from the earth and the oaks are a few things he taught us.”
He walked to the front door and with a simple pass of his hand, a blue light appeared to penetrate the doorknob and the lock. The frigid air of warding filled the room for a moment. Turning back to look at her, Roland gave a sheepish grin.
“Thank you,” Lilly said and tried to smile.
They sat silently eating peanut butter sandwiches at the coffee table. Suddenly Lilly exclaimed, “I forgot my flute. I left it in your bus. I was going to get it after we ate. When I saw Alex I freaked out and all I could think of was getting away from him.”
“Don’t worry Lilly, I’ll bring it over to you.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she relaxed and let Roland lead her to the bedroom. They cuddled in bed, falling asleep in each other’s arms. Roland woke early and left for rehearsal with the band. As he walked out of the front gate and through the square he kept his eyes open for lurking thugs. The threat of Lilly’s Mafia connected husband bothered him more than he had admitted to her.
Chapter 20
Love Spell
Back at work on Thursday, Lilly was ready for a lunch break. When noon finally arrived, she bolted up the spiral stairs to her apartment and ran into Madeline carrying two bags of groceries up the stairs.
“Oh, my stars, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. The lenses in these glasses are clear, but they do blur my vision a bit, Lilly explained, pushing the granny glasses up on her nose. She picked up one of the grocery bags and followed Madeline into her apartment.
“I’m glad I ran into you, well, I don’t mean it literally,” Lilly laughed.
Madeline put the groceries on the coffee table, “Yea, why?”
“I need to make an appointment to get my hair cut and colored. Do you have any time this week?”
Madeline ran her hand through Lilly’s unruly curls which were growing out quickly, “So you like it short and red, huh?”
“I do.”
Madeline dug around in her desk, pulling out a calendar. “Hey, I’m not doing anything tonight. Do you want to do it this evening, we could have some dinner, drink some wine and do your hair. You know have a girl’s night?”
Lilly nodded and gave Madeline a hug, “I’m so grateful you are my friend, thanks so much. If you had not cut and colored my hair, and suggested the glasses, who knows what would have happened? My disguise has given me time to make a new life for myself and get strong enough to rebuff Alex’s threats and abductions.”
Later that evening, with her hair cut short and dyed even redder, Lilly leaned back on Madeline’s couch with a glass of wine in her hand. The room was aglow with candlelight. Lilly studied Madeline’s altar from her seat on the couch, “Will you tell me about your altar, it is different from mine.”
“Grab a pillow and let’s sit in front of it,” Madeline said putting to pillows on the floor in front of the low altar. The two young women sat in silence for a few minutes staring into the candle flames on the altar. Madeline spoke, “You see the four quarters are represented here with candles and symbols of the elements.”
“In the center, I have a statue of the Goddess Venus with a bright red candle in front of her. I keep the red candle lit continuously when I’m at home. I’ve created this altar for a love ritual I am working on my lover, Chas. This wax figure next to the red candle symbolizes Chas. The doll is dressed in clothes I made from a tie he left on my bed. I have a spell I speak and I circle a bright red thread around him and tie it to this wax figure next to him, symbolizing me. It is simple and effective, so far.”
Lilly to
ok it all in. She sat quietly looking at the candles and the energy surrounding the altar. She bit her bottom lit for a moment, then spoke in a gentle voice, “This is powerful, I can see the energy flowing. There is something I don’t understand. Jolene, James and Sabine have told me it is against the laws of magick to put manipulative spells on people. Love spells are particularly dangerous. Your man may be enchanted by the spell and when it is broken, you are left out in the cold as he realizes he has been manipulated!”
Madeline got up and stood shaking her head, “The high priest and priestesses can say what they like. I don’t see the point of knowing how to use magick, if you can’t use it to get what you want. I need Chas to spend enough time with me to realize he is in love with me.”
“I can understand wanting to use what you know, using the resources you have to get the results you want,” Lilly said, diplomatically.
Madeline put her arms around Lilly and gave her a hug. “I knew you would understand.”
Leaning back supported by her arms, Lilly breathed in the scent of candle wax and incense. “How did you learn about this kind of spell?”
Madeline laughed, “Lyla there are many more books on magic than are stocked on the shelves of Panthea’s. Also, there is another magic shop in the Quarter.”
Lilly’s head jerked up. “There is another magic shop? Where? I haven’t seen it.”
“It opened a few weeks ago. You walked right past it only a few days ago. I was inside the shop and saw you walk by. You were with Roland and only had eyes for him. I swear Lyla, you are under his spell.”
“I am? Is that a bad thing?”
Madeline shook her head, her long blond hair glowing in the candlelight, “I can’t say what is good or bad. I can see you are so entranced by him you are not seeing the world around you. If you want to work powerful magic, you must be grounded.”
A light danced across Lilly’s face as she said, “Ever since I met Roland, my heart has run away with my body and my mind has exploded. Knowing I am free, having incredible sex with a gorgeous loving man has changed everything for me. The river sparkles, the trees breathe life into me. I’m in love with the world. Roland and I have melded together, a symbiosis of souls. It scares me and it thrills me.”
Madeline nodded absentmindedly at Lilly’s poetic rambling. As she watched Madeline adjust the clothes on the wax figurine, she said “Speaking of Roland, I have a question for you. What exactly is a Druid?”
Madeline dropped the wax figure she was holding and stared at Lilly. “Roland is a Druid? How do you know?”
“He told me.”
Madeline smirked as her eyes narrowed, “Hmm, a Druid as in he read a book about Druids and has a robe with a hood?”
Lilly shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. I don’t think that’s what he meant. He has this unique blue birthmark shaped like a Celtic knot. He says his dad and his brother have them too. They are remnants of a past life.”
“Whoa, and holy shit, Lilly!”
“What? Is it a bad thing?”
Madeline’s eyebrows flew up as she exclaimed, “It is not a bad thing. Druids have powerful magic. Some of them can shape-shift. I know they can bind and unbind anything and....oh, I don’t know what else. We will have to investigate this further.”
Lilly smiled nodding her head emphatically, “I am going to ask Jolene about it, maybe she has some books I can read.”
“Ha!” Madeline exclaimed. “She is married to a Druid, you want to talk to James.”
Lilly mouth flew open and she was speechless. Gathering her wits, she took a breath and returned to the discussin of the new magick shop. “Where is the new magic shop? What is it called?”
“It’s called Raven Moon. It’s on Decatur right past The Abby Bar.”
“Do they know Jolene?”
Madeline snickered, “They know of her. They do not know about James being a Druid so don’t mention it. Only a few people know.”
Madeline looked intense as she continued, “They know about Panthea’s, but are not interested.”
“Claude and Regina are the owners of Raven Moon. They are both extremely talented psychics. Claude follows the teachings of The Golden Dawn, a powerful secret magic society. Regina is into ancient occult teachings. She works from a centuries old Grimoire.”
“I know Regina better than Claude and I guarantee she does not hesitate to use magick to get what she wants. Go check out the store when you have time. Tell them I sent you.”
“I will. I’m curious and I’d like to meet more magick people.”
Madeline stood, put her hand out and pulled Lilly to her feet, “I’m ready for desert, how about you?”
“I’m always ready for desert,” Lilly said.
Madeline walked into to her tiny kitchen and returned with a king cake. “Come on let’s see who gets the baby,” she said as she cut into the sugarcoated Mardi Gras confection baked with a tiny plastic baby inside.
~
Lilly thought about Madeline’s love altar throughout the next day. She knew she wanted another altar in her apartment, but vetoed the idea of an altar specifically for love. She decided to create an altar dedicated to the more universal themes of love and protection.
It was near closing time the next day when Lilly collected candles for the four directions and one for the center of her altar. She splurged on a brass pentacle with imbedded gemstones and a package of frankincense and myrrh.
Sabine eyed her selections as she tallied up the items and deducted Lilly’s 25% discount. “It Looks like you are preparing for a private ritual.”
Lilly smiled, “Yes, I’m building an altar focused on love and protection. I feel safe in my apartment however it never hurts to boost protection. I want to fill my life with more love and less fear.”
Sabine smiled, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at the young witch, “You are a wise young witch, Priestess Lilly.”
“Thanks, Sabine. I have a long way to go before I am wise as you are, I truly appreciate your kindness. I think I am on the right track.”
Taking her bag of magical implements upstairs she dragged the end table from the living room into the corner of her bedroom. She wanted to put the altar together immediately but disciplined herself to take a ritual bath, dress in her ceremonial robe and place Inanna’s crystal around her neck.
A silk scarf decorated with moons, stars and planets made an excellent altar cloth. She spent time dressing each candle with oil, visualizing the elements each represented, finishing with the white pillar candle for the center. Collecting the small cut crystal bottle of water from the windowsill, where it had spent the night absorbing the light of the moon and the day absorbing sunlight. She cleaned and consecrated each magical tool with the charged water. A small bouquet of flowers was the last element she added, bringing earth energy to her ritual altar.
She sat quietly for a moment, picked up matches and lit the incense and each candle invoking the Elements of air, fire, water and earth. In the center of the later, she lit the white candle dedicated to the Goddess. Sitting crossed leg before her altar, she breathed slowly, staring into the candle flames.
“This altar is consecrated to the Goddess of ten thousand names. I ask for her blessing of love and protection.” Slowly she chanted:
“Maiden, Mother, ancient Crone,
Bless my altar and my home.
Free from all fear and woes
Now my home with joy be sown.
Maiden, Mother, ancient Crone,
Bless my life with loves true tone
Released from all doubts and cares
Now my heart I’ll truly share.”
She chanted for a long time, inviting the triple goddess, her guardians and guides to be present. Her eyes were closed as she drifted through pastel colored mists and floated through the astral plane into the fourth dimension.
A shining pink light appeared from the mist, followed by a bea
utiful face. The Goddess smiled kindly, a silver circlet shown within her golden curls. Lilly recognized the youthful face of the Maiden goddess.
The vision faded and another appeared. Ancestors, guardians and guides appeared in the misty periphery of the vision. A new aspect of the goddess appeared. Tall with brown skin and a swollen belly, the Mother goddess rubbed her pregnant belly, smiled at Lilly and slowly faded.
Milky white mist swirled through the higher dimensions as a grandmother goddess approached leaning on her staff. Her long gray braid hung over her shoulder. Lilly could feel the arms of the Crone surround her and draw her close. The feeling faded slowly. Lilly smiled, grateful for the love and protection of the triple goddess.
She continued to sit absorbing the higher frequency of love permeating her home. She was about to stand and close her ritual, when another vision appeared. The room vibrated with power as a tall woman with flowing black hair stood before her suspended in a galaxy of swirling stars. The Goddess’s deep-set eyes stared into Lilly’s as violet light shot off the crystal hanging between the goddess’s breasts.
“Greetings, young priestess. I see you hold the crystal of the violet fire. The stones greater power is unknown to you at this time. Through the centuries on earth there has been no Priest or Priestess, king or queen who sought to activate the true power of the stone. My hope is with you, young priestess. You are gifted with the desire and ability to delve deep into the soul. I have great hope that you will, in time, know the greatest power of the violet flame. I wait patiently for total activation of the crystal for that is the only way your world can be healed.
When the vision faded completely, Lilly remained seated before her alter. After a few minutes or maybe it was hours, she remembered to thank the Triple Goddess, her guides, guards, angels and ancestors for their presence and gifts of love and protection. She put one hand on the pentacle on her altar and one hand on the floor to ground herself into third dimension reality. She stood slowly, swaying on her feet, overwhelmed by the intense energy of Inanna.
Jewel of Inanna (Perils of a Pagan Priestess Book 1) Page 13
