Jewel of Inanna (Perils of a Pagan Priestess Book 1)

by Hannah Desmond

  “I was initiated right before Candlemas, but it feels like I have always been part of the coven. Living at Panthea’s feels like coming to my true home. Jolene says I am a pagan priestess reborn. You spoke of it in my reading. I was amazed you picked up on it. I hope I can remember everything you said.”

  “You will. I had the tape recorder on. I’ll give you the cassette before you leave so you can listen to it again.”

  “Super,” Lilly said, taking another sip of wine.

  Claude leaned towards her as he spoke, “I haven’t had a chance to meet Jolene, the famous Witch Queen of New Orleans. Do you get along well with her?”

  Lilly laughed, “I haven’t heard her called the Witch Queen, but the title fits. Jolene is knowledgable, powerful, kind, ethical and a great teacher. I feel blessed to be a part of her coven.”

  Claude nodded. “I hope you will have time to take part in some of my rituals. I know my process would be good for you.”

  Lilly took a deep breath. “I don’t know what to say. Until recently I knew nothing of rituals or magic. I am part of Panthea’s coven. Is it okay to do ritual with someone outside of my coven? I’ve never thought of it.”

  Claude smiled and took her hand, “Lilly, it is okay for you to do whatever makes you happy. I believe in the philosophy of Alistair Crowley, ‘Do what thou wilt, shall be the whole of the law.’ I like to say: Do what you want, do what you will, what gets you off will fill the bill.”

  Lilly laughed, “I feel like I’ve been trying to obey the rules all my life. In retrospect, it seems it has gotten me nowhere. Possibly you are right, I should do what feels good.”

  Claude laughed and squeezed her hand, “I knew I was going to like you.”

  After Regina served a three course gourmet dinner which they ate from platinum rimmed china plates on the coffin table, she opened a bottle of champagne. “Okay, its time to partake of my favorite beverage. This is a night for celebration. I have a new friend and we all survived our first Mardi Gras.” She poured champagne for each of them and lifted her glass in a toast, “To Lilly, may your power and beauty increase with every passing day.”

  Lilly lifted her glass and took a sip. “Wow, this is delicious. I’ve never had champagne. Until a few days ago I had never had a glass of good wine. I’ve been a beer drinker. However, this champagne makes me want to change my mind.”

  Claude spoke in a mock serious voice, “Well, Miss Lilly, hopefully you have the pocketbook to afford a champagne lifestyle. Regina has the good fortune to be born in the lap of luxury. She is able to indulge her expensive tastes.”

  Regina poured herself another glass of Pierre Jouet. “Pay no attention to him, Lilly. He is jealous because I have a small income from my family and he has none. The money is my parent’s way of saying, ‘Don’t bother us.’ I’m happy to oblige.”

  Claude laughed, “How astute of you to observe my minor fit of jealousy, Regina. I have had to scrimp and save and work since I was thirteen. I am delighted to have the good fortune of going into business with someone with bread to spare.”

  Regina’s looked stricken by Claude’s words. “I may have an income, but you know I didn’t have and still don’t have, a family. My parents were traveling the world, living in grand hotels, wheeling and dealing the Valraven fortune. I have no idea why they had a child. I imagine it was a mistake.”

  Claude put his arm around Regina’s shoulder and pulled her into a hug. “You have a family now and the longer you live in the Big Easy the larger your family of friends will grow.”

  Regina, lingered in Claude’s embrace. Lilly thought she saw her flick a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. She stood and joined Claude in a group hug around Regina, “I want to be a part of your family. We can be sisters,” she said genuinely.

  A weak smile flitted across Regina’s face as she pulled away from the supporting arms of Claude and Lilly. She poured everyone another glass of champagne and sat on the red velvet couch.

  Her sadness was soon replaced by a bright smile as she turned to Lilly, “This was your first carnival, right?” Lilly nodded. “Did you costume for Mardi Gras day?”

  Lilly smiled remembering her Faery costume and Roland as the attentive musketeer. “Yes, I was a Faery. Madeline did a great job of painting my face. It was the first time I’ve costumed since I was a kid. Did you go out into the madness?”

  “Of course,” Regina replied. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Some of the costumes were more elaborate than anything I’ve ever dreamed of. Walking through the streets I felt I was a part of a moving, breathing work of art.”

  “Did you costume?” Lilly asked.

  “Yes, I was a witch and Claude was a sorcerer. It was the most fun I’ve had in ages. The costumed people in the streets played a part in the great comedy, drama of the day. I saw the soul of New Orleans, crazy, colorful and unselfconscious.”

  Lilly laughed, “You have summed it up perfectly! Were you on Frenchman Street at the end of the day?”

  Regina looked puzzled. “No, I was in the Quarter where everything was happening? Why do you ask?”

  Lilly proceeded to tell Regina about the Krewe of Kosmic Debris and the Bacchanalian behavior on Frenchman St. “You and Claude have to check it out next year.”

  Chapter 29

  An Unexpected Oath

  Lilly noticed gray light filtering through the lace curtains of the living room. Fuzzy from the champagne, she stood on unsteady feet. “I better get home.”

  Claude stood up with her. “Okay, if you must go, let me walk you back to your apartment. I don’t feel good about you walking through the Quarter alone.”

  “Thanks Claude.”

  Regina hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You must come back soon and often.”

  “I will, I promise,” Lilly said as Claude opened the door and lead her downstairs.

  The chilly evening air had Lilly turning up her collar as she and Claude walked up Decatur St. towards the Square. “It feels like winter is finally arriving,” Claude mused.

  Lilly agreed, “The weather has been beautiful. It’s only fitting the cold comes now.”

  Claude took her hand in his as they walked, “It’s been a magickal time and it will be again. Winter is the time to go within and reflect, to fortify ourselves for new growth coming in the spring.”

  Lilly blinked away tears, “Yes, however I wasn’t planning on reflecting through the winter by myself. My Aunt Pearl told me, ‘In times of hardship and disappointment, the universe is always unfolding the way it is supposed to. It is our resistance to what is happening and laying blame outside of ourselves that makes our lives difficult.’ “It’s hard to embrace that belief when I feel so sad and abandoned.”

  “Your Aunt Pearl sounds like a wise woman,” Claude said as they approached the gate to Panthea’s Apartments.

  “Yes, she was. I wish she was here to help me now. Her words are meaningful, yet don’t seem help me much without her strength behind them. I am grateful for the time I had with her. I wish I knew what happened to her. One day she was simply gone.”

  Claude looked pensive, “Maybe we can find out what happened. I’m sure the two of us together could scry the astral plane and the physical plane. I want to help. I swear I know we can find her.”

  Lilly gave him a hug, “I am glad I landed on your doorstep today. I’ve been lost the last few days. I needed a friend. You and your wife have come into my life at the perfect time.”

  Claude stepped back, “Whoa, Regina is not my wife. Regina is my business partner. She came into Spell Caster’s Emporium in New York. Later, over drinks in the Village, she convinced me to open an occult shop with her. She had the funds, lots of magickal knowledge and the will. I had the psychic ability and muscle to get it all happening.

  At one time, I thought there might be more between us. In the long run, I knew I couldn’t pursue it. I’m not attracted to her in a romantic way. S
he has some serious baggage around her family. It seems they have a lot of money and the power they once wielded through the magickal realms is gone. Regina is determined to discover and reclaim the power her family once took for granted. From what she says, no one else in her family is interested.

  Lilly gave him a puzzled look. “I didn’t want to get intimately involved with someone so focused on the past,” Claude explained. “She was disappointed when I told her I didn’t want a romantic relationship. She is cool with our situation now. We are roommates and business partners, nothing more.”

  Lilly nodded her head, “I didn’t sense a romantic vibe between the two of you, I assumed you were an old married couple.”

  “Well, we are not. I am hoping you and I can be close friends,” Claude said as he put his arm around her. “I meant what I said, Lilly, I swear I will help you discover what has become of your Aunt.”

  Lilly smiled grateful for his offer of assistance. “Goodnight, Claude” she whispered as she slipped from his embrace and stepped through the gate.

  Regina sat in her bed, the cushioned red leather head board supporting her back. She heard Claude’s footsteps on the stairway and released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. He was back quickly, which meant Lilly had not invited him into her apartment. When he passed her open door she called out to him, “Claude, wait a minute. I want to talk to you.”

  “Yea, about what?” He asked, stepping into the door frame of her room.

  “Our new friend. Do you like her?”

  “Yea, what’s not to like? She has an appealing innocence and vulnerability in contrast to the depth and magic in her eyes. I’d say, she is very interesting and definitely worth getting to know.”

  Regina’s mouth puckered, “Did you sense power in her?”

  Claude shrugged his shoulders. “Powerful lifetimes showed up in her reading. That is all I’m going to say about it” he said and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

  The next morning business at Raven Moon picked up as the Mardi Gras daze lifted from the inhabitants of New Orleans. Claude was managing the store while Regina guided a young guy with a fuzzy beard to the red velvet tent for a Tarot reading.

  “Would you like me to record your tarot session,” she asked smiling at the nervous young man. “You can listen to it again and gain more insight.”

  The young man responded with a vigorous “Yeah!” Regina slid her hand to the shelf underneath the table and grabbed a blank tape.

  Her blood red fingernail clicked on the button when she opened the recorder sitting next to her on the table. “Oh,” escaped her lips when the machine popped open. There was a tape in the machine, wound to the end. A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she slipped the tape into her pocket.

  After an interminable hour, Regina handed the young man his recorded tarot reading and directed him to Claude at the checkout counter. She pulled the velvet flap closed, grabbed the braided cord, and tied it into a tight knot. Her hand wrapped around the tape in her pocket. In one swift move, she had the tape rewinding. When the rewind motion stopped, Regina hit the play button, turned the volume low and leaned close to hear the voices on the tape.

  “Your talents spring from an ancient Fae bloodline strengthened by lifetimes of esoteric study and ritual. You have followed the path of the priesthood many times. The ways of magic are not new to you.”

  Regina tapped her fingernails on the table as her mind absorbed the information, ‘So Lilly LaCouer, her new best friend, held Faery magic in the present and past life powerful magic lay dormant within her.’ Regina’s finger nails continued to tap on the table as her eyes stared into the past.

  Chapter 30

  An Interlude with Lucky Star Diamond

  Lilly closed the gate and heard the sound of Claude’s boots walking away on the brick banquette. She slowly walked through the carriage way, pausing in the courtyard. The Fountain, liquid silver in the starlight, made gentle music as the water danced from tier to tier. On any other night, the music of the fountain would have soothed her. Tonight, it brought tears. The visit with Claude and Regina, the excitement of making new friends, had temporarily distracted her from her grief.

  She walked into her apartment, the scent of roses permeating the air unleashed an avalanche of emotions. Her heart clenched and her stomach bloomed with nausea. The taste of bile filled her mouth and mingled with her salty tears. The velvety rose petals so soft earlier, lay dying, staining the sheets like drops of blood. Scooping up the sheets filled with dying rose petals, Lilly wadded them into a ball and held them close to her body. She swayed as she stood beside her bed, resisting the urge to vomit. Blinking away tears, she took a deep breath, ran down the spiral stairs to the courtyard, through the carriage way, out the gate and onto the street. The metal dumpster cast a shadow onto the banquette as Lilly walked into the street, opened the heavy top and threw the wadded sheets into the dumpster’s dark maw.

  Her hands clung to the railing of the winding staircase, the last vestiges of Regina’s champagne spinning through her head. She reached the gallery to find a narrow line of light spilling from her front door. In her haste, she had left her front door slightly ajar. She pushed the door open, slipped inside and turned the key in the bolt lock. Leaning back against the door, her breath lay stagnant in her lungs. Her eyes surveyed the apartment and her ears listened for any noise that did not belong. The air burst from her lungs, she pushed herself off the door and strode into the bathroom. She soaked in a hot bath for an hour. With her muscles relaxed and her heart still aching, she wrapped herself in a crimson towel and crawled into bed.

  The next morning, she awoke to an empty cupboard and no coffee. She made a quick trip to the store returning with food, coffee and new resolve. Recalling her talk with Trudy, the nurse at Tulane Hospital, she decided it was time to implement step three. She was going to make an appointment to audition for work as a musician. Her musical plans had taken a detour but now she resolved to get her life on track. She couldn’t work at Panthea’s forever. Determined to avoid spending any more time grieving for Roland, she sat in the center of her bed and placed the flute to her lips. The music, awkward at first, spiraled upward as she relaxed and opened to the magick. The easy flow of music she had become used to with Roland came back, but cosmic visions failed to appear.

  The day crept by. Lilly thought about taking a walk around the square or down to the river but her legs felt heavy and her head hurt. She made a pot of coffee, toasted a croissant and sat in her rocking chair dipping the croissant into her coffee. She sat rocking slowly until her coffee was cold and the croissant was soggy. The clock ticked and Lilly remained in the old rocking chair staring at the front door. A chill ran down her arms, her throat unlocked and a bellow of grief filled the room. She slipped from the chair, lay in a ball on the floor and sobbed.

  Eventually, she uncurled from the fetal position, stood and found her flute. She played for a while, her music formed nothing, but flat notes which hung limply in the air. Frustrated, she lay the flute on the coffee table, stretched and walked out onto the gallery for a breath of fresh air.

  Topaz, Jolene’s cat, was sitting at Lucky’s front door. Lilly watched as the cat stood on his hind legs, lifted his front legs and scratched on the door. The door opened just enough to let Topaz scoot inside. Before she allowed herself to think about it and lose her nerve, Lilly grabbed her flute and rushed down the stairs and across the courtyard. She knocked on Lucky’s door. He opened it and enveloped her in his intense gaze. A smile spread across his face as he invited her into his apartment.

  Lilly’s jaw dropped. She stood in shock for a moment. Lucky’s apartment was stunning. It looked more like a New York penthouse she had seen on TV than an apartment at Panthea’s. The living room was large with white shag carpets, a baby grand piano and sumptuous, soft leather furniture. Track lights illuminated rows of paintings hung along the walls.

  She looked around and
looked at Lucky. As usual, he was staring at her. “Hi, she said nervously.”

  “Hi, come in and sit down. I see you have your flute. You want to play some music?”

  “Yes, I do. I want to learn the Shaharazad piece. I think it might be perfect for an audition.”

  Lucky grabbed his guitar and sat on an ottoman covered with tooled Moroccan leather. Lilly made herself comfortable on the piano stool.

  As Lucky tuned his guitar he explained, “You won’t find sheet music for this piece. I listened to the original music many times. I played with it until the piece took on a life of its own. It is my version of Shaharazad.”

  “Would you mind if I used it as an audition piece?”

  “Not at all, I would be honored.”

  He strummed the first cord. Lilly listened as the music built. She sensed the moment to join in. Together they played a beautiful piece of music. However, Lilly failed to visit the desert dwellers who had been so vivid a few days ago. She tried to visualize the desert scene, the camels, but the look and feel of it eluded her. The guitar stopped and Lucky looked up at her. “What is it, Lilly? Is something bothering you?

  She put the flute aside and stood up stretching her back and legs. “I’ve been having a full blown pity party. Roland left unexpectedly while I was out on the boat with you. I’ve been grieving like a school girl.”

  Lucky’s eyes filled with compassion as he gave her a rueful smile. “Let me cook you something delicious. I bet you haven’t had a decent bite of food in days. My mama always said, ‘A good meal can cure much heartache.’”

  Lilly nodded, “I don’t know if it will heal me, but since you mentioned it, I am hungry.”

  She sat on the butter soft leather sofa and listened to Lucky in the kitchen. He was cooking and singing Neil Young’s Heart of Gold along with the radio.

  Delicious smells drifted through the apartment. Lilly’s stomach gave a low rumble as she stood and walked around the living room examining the painting hanging on the wall. She stood in front of each painting for a few minutes amazed at the emotions a painting could evoke. They were mostly seascapes. One had rugged faces etched in rocky cliffs, watching tall ships list in a heaving sea.