by Alison Smith
‘Monique was in my vision. She held Sable in the forest and closed her eyes, sealed them, leaving her blind and to die. Anton saved her. It was Monique who performed that wicked deed, I’m sure.’
‘It would seem to fit with an underlying, quite dark, energy that I sensed tonight,’ Diana said heavily and started the car.
As she drove, Jewel continued to think. ‘Diana, Monique was in my nightmare too.’
‘You lived with her until you were two. Do you think the dream was a memory surfacing?’ Diana said as she turned the car into their road.
‘No,’ Jewel was sure. ‘It’s the future.’
‘We need to talk to Chris about this. He’s always practical and down to earth. We need that right now.’
Monique and Elijah were alone in a small anteroom. She’d been enjoying herself with the arrival of her line and the wine had been flowing, but Elijah had said he needed to speak to her.
‘The Cleary Clan have brought gossip, My Lady.’
‘Excellent,’ she loved gossip almost as much as blood. ‘About whom?’
‘You, My Lady.’
‘Wonderful,’ but Elijah looked uncomfortable. ‘Continue.’
‘Humans are mentioning your name in connection with the bell ringers, My Lady. That is not good.’
Monique frowned. ‘Oh by the Gods … I only wanted their blood. Why on this earth are humans so dithery about a small ritual?’ Elijah was right. She didn’t want her name linked with those deaths. Not yet.
Elijah cleared his throat. ‘And, it is being said, maybe you are connected to the deaths of the Tappers too.’
Monique’s frown deepened, ‘Who?’
‘The couple that raised Jewel, My Lady.’
‘Oh them! Pah.’ Monique paced around the room.
‘Elijah.’
‘Yes, My Lady.’
‘I plan to go out tonight and cause a small disruption to Anton. I need him to be occupied for the next few days, distracted.’
‘Do you require my help, My Lady?’
Monique looked at Elijah; he was always so willing to help her. ‘No. This I will do myself. But, you can be of service to me.’
‘Anything, My Lady.’
‘Distract these humans. Make them wonder if it is some of their own committing what they call crimes. Perform a ritual somewhere that is sloppy.’
‘My Lady? Such as when humans try to use our magic?’
‘Exactly Elijah. They can never do it properly. When they try it turns grey. Think of something. Hang a doll somewhere.’
‘I know exactly where to leave it, My Lady.’ Elijah looked excited as he continued. ‘There is a new swingers club which has attracted much media attention.’
‘What on this earth is a swingers club?’ Monique frowned. It wasn’t an expression she had come across.
‘It’s a place where consenting humans go to enjoy intimacies with each other’s partners, My Lady. There is a room where people are willingly chained and that is where I shall leave the doll.’
Monique waved him away and knew that he would do exactly as she had ordered. But she thought about his choice of place whilst preparing for her own task. Did Elijah go to such places? The thought made her uncomfortable. She had never considered that he might have his own needs.
Chapter 11
‘It’s Wednesday,’ Jewel said as she walked into the kitchen.
‘I know,’ Diana said dryly and turned around from where she was mixing a carrot cake, ‘that’s why I’m wearing orange. To honour Mercury, the messenger of the gods. But you know that.’
Jewel sat down and poured a cup of tea from the pot on the table. It was her turn to make lunch but she would wait until Diana had put the cake in to bake. ‘I’ve been meditating with my egg.’
Diana poured the mixture into a tin and, after she placed it into the oven, came and sat down at the table to finish her own mug of tea. ‘And?’
‘Anton called it a Woden egg and I began to wonder whether the God Woden relates to Wednesday?’
Diana sat for a moment in thought. ‘The Odin legends are Norse and connect to Mercury. In mythology Wotun is the Germanic version and Woden the Anglo-Saxon. So I’d say yes to the connection with Wednesday. What have you read of the legends?’
Jewel was excited. Finally, she might be adding two plus two and making four. ‘There’s one legend where Odin rides through the skies with the souls of the dead. He’s also known as the collector of the dead. And another legend where he rises in battle with Ragnarok.’
Diana frowned in concentration, ‘Not with but at. Ragnarok is a specific time within the Norse legends. The destruction of the earth. Where did William find your egg?’
‘He said it was in a tree but I didn’t know whether to believe that.’
‘It’s interesting that he would say it, true or not. Very little remains on earth after the destruction except for the World Tree.’ Diana sounded thoughtful.
Jewel took out a small notebook in which she’d written down as much as she could find out about Woden. ‘Information about Woden is sketchy but there’s loads for Odin. It is said that he lives in Valhalla. His wife is Freya and her priestesses are the Valkyries.’
‘Wars and fertility,’ Diana added. ‘It took Odin nine days and nine nights …’ her voice trailed.
‘Nine days and nine nights for the initiation,’ Jewel said, ‘and then he gained knowledge from the World Tree.’
‘Mercury corresponds with Merlin and also as The Magician in the tarot deck. I wish I could find Dad’s wooden box. I feel even surer, now, that you should have it. But Chris hadn’t seen it when I asked him. I wonder if Dad’s hidden it from us for a reason.’
Jewel read her notes again. ‘Odin and Mercury can be represented by the eights within the tarot as well.’
‘Occasionally the fours,’ Diana said. ‘But, in your case it would be the eight. Surely you must be beyond the eight of swords by now. Especially after meeting Monique.’
‘Maybe there’s eight layers of blindfold, ‘Jewel said quietly and then made up her mind. ‘I’m going to see Anton this evening. Perhaps either he or Sable will be able to help me with the significance.’
‘Do you mind going alone?’ Diana said, ‘I really need to be preparing for the full moon tomorrow.’
Jewel smiled. She would look forward to seeing Anton by herself. During her meditation she had realised that, despite the thoughts Monique had tried to kindle to the contrary, Jewel’s belief in Anton was as strong as it possibly could be. And, whilst she knew that Monique was her birth mother, very little else that Monique had said could be true.
Nik sat at his desk and wearily closed the last file from the bundle. He rubbed his eyes and tried to ease the tension from his shoulders. That last case was one of the worst he had read. A car had crashed into a tree next to a river taking the lives of four young girl guides and their teacher. At least that was the official version. Nik had read between the lines of the post-mortem examinations and didn’t believe for a moment that the crash had killed them. Neither did he believe that body parts had been severed by flying metal and washed away by the swollen waters of the river. One officer had noted that it was an especially long and hot summer and so the water level should have been low.
He switched on his computer and pulled up weather reports from that year. They all spoke of droughts. As he continued his research he realised that several newspapers, both local and national, had reported the crash. Later, much later, Nik concluded that several journalists had started to question the official line with one paper even asking whether it was murder. Perhaps that was why the perpetrators had stopped for a few decades, he thought. Just then his phone rang and Nik answered it immediately.
‘Are you sure that these co-ordinates are where Monique is to be found?’ his superior asked.
‘Yes, sir. I followed Jewel and Diana last night. Although they were not there long I was able to witness Monique at the door.’
‘I’l
l send someone to watch her. Continue watching the girls Nik, I am sure that their roles in all of this are far from over.’
An eerie silence greeted Jewel as she walked into the wide hallway. The front door had been open, almost as if someone had left in a hurry. A sense of gloom descended over her.
‘Anton?’ she called and then again. ‘Anton’, louder. Nothing.
‘Sable?’ There still was no answer and a shiver crept along her spine. Where was everyone? Shaking herself she decided to go to Sable’s herb garden. If they had all gone out then she would wait there, at least for a while.
As she walked under the archway that led into the herb garden she felt an energy. It lingered around her and she sensed an urgency and, behind it, darkness. Jewel paused by the sundial to let her eyes adjust to the twilight and saw the Twins amongst the sweet peas. Opening her mouth to call them she realised that they were lifting something up. Before she could speak Anton stood at her side. How had she not sensed his presence? she wondered and looked up. His face was drained of colour and of expression.
‘What has happened,’ she said and then with a surety, ‘Sable.’
Anton took her hand in his. ‘Sable, our very dear Sable, has been killed.’ His voice sounded broken to Jewel and she felt a rush of panic and of fear.
‘No. Not Sable too!’
As he nodded, she lost all strength in her legs and sank down to the ground.
‘How?’ She was unsure whether the word had actually been spoken but Anton sat down carefully next to her.
‘We have no idea. We only know that her body has been out here all day. The sweet peas gave her shelter and prevented full decay.’
Jewel heard his words as if from a long distance as she thought about her sister. Why hadn’t she felt something? Why hadn’t Anton? She looked towards him and wondered how to ask.
‘We became concerned when she didn’t appear for dinner tonight. As far as I knew she had gone to bed as normal this morning. But she did have a habit of watering the plants just before dawn.’
Jewel realised that his shock was deep, he sounded devastated as he drew a long breath to continue. ‘The Twins and I searched for her. She was here in her garden. The strong noon sun should have completely destroyed her body. Taken it to dust. But there are some pieces of her that we can inter.’
This was all moving too fast for Jewel and she gripped his hand firmly.
‘Can I help?’ she asked, whilst wondering whether there would be enough strength in her legs to even stand upright let alone assist.
‘The Twins are preparing the Mausoleum. We must perform the death ritual quickly.’
‘Anton, is this more of Monique’s work?’ Jewel didn’t want to think that but somehow, it made sense deep within her.
‘I strongly suspect that it is,’ Anton’s voice sounded weary. ‘But I must spend tonight ensuring Sable’s safe passage to the other world. Tomorrow is the full moon. I shall deal with Monique after that.’
He stood and held out his hand to her. Jewel felt a rush of strength as she rose and, wordlessly, went into his arms. He was trembling and she knew that this man, her man, was holding such strong emotions in place. Then the embrace was over and they walked through the garden. The herb garden. Sable’s work.
Moments later and they arrived at a small stone building Jewel hadn’t seen before. It was surrounded on three sides by iron railings and roses were planted in profusion. As they walked to the heavy wooden door Jewel looked at carvings on the stone walls. Crossed swords, a boat with a sail, a skull and crossed bones. She walked over the threshold and recognised the place as ancient. More ancient than anywhere she had been before. She pulled up sharply. A building couldn’t possibly be older than the stone circles she had visited and celebrated within. Could it?
Jewel walked down a few stone steps into the building. The air was fresh and didn’t smell musty, as she would have expected from a mausoleum. Anton moved around her and led her along a stone corridor. Once again there were carvings on the stone but she didn’t have time to stop. Anton paused at an entrance to a small chamber.
‘Thank you for being here,’ he said and then walked into the room. As Jewel followed she saw candles burning along each of the walls and the smell of incense filtered though her being. The Twins were standing by a long marble table and Jewel’s eyes were drawn to the figure that she expected to see there. Sable. As she drew nearer The Twins moved slightly away. They were holding clasped hands in front of them and had lowered their heads.
There wasn’t much left of Sable, Jewel realised. But there was enough to recognise that it was indeed her. Her head and shoulders were intact and Jewel reached a gentle hand to stroke her sister’s hair. So soft and glossy, she thought. But there was no doubting it; Sable was dead.
Jewel knelt on the stone floor and held her hands together in front of her. She couldn’t cry but knew that tears would come later.
‘Goddess of all,’ Anton remained standing and had raised his hands. ‘We welcome you at this most sad time for us.’
Jewel watched as Anton’s aura expanded to completely fill the room. It surrounded her, Sable’s body and The Twins. She sensed many energies from the spirit world. A sense of calm and of dignified respect descended as Anton continued to recite words and she lowered her head in prayer.
Diana suddenly realised that a glass of red wine had appeared by her left elbow and, looking around from where she was sitting, saw Chris lounging on the settee with a similar glass.
‘How long have you been sitting there?’ she asked.
‘Long enough to know that it’s not going well, is it?’ Chris commented.
Diana shook her head. She had been staring at the computer screen for hours and still couldn’t make Jewel’s astrological birth chart work.
Chris leant over, picked up a printed chart and looked at it intently. ‘I thought you had created a chart for Jewel years ago?’
‘We never knew her exact time nor her place of birth,’ Diana said and, as he slowly nodded, she continued. ‘But we had her date of birth and so I used what we knew about her and also planetary aspects for events in her life. That gave me, what I thought, was a rectified working chart.’ She sighed.
‘What’s changed?’ Chris looked confused.
‘She has the same father as me. But I can’t relate that to the chart I had.’ Diana picked up her glass and sipped. Then she took a long drink.
‘So, if we forget your father for the moment, what else has she got going on?’
‘More pain and grief. It’s not over yet. I wanted to see that it was,’ Diana said heavily.
She watched as Chris carefully put the chart down onto the coffee table and sipped his own wine.
‘It’s her path to walk, Di. If there is to be more pain and suffering then we can only help and be here for her.’
Diana got up from her chair and went over to him, taking her glass with her as she thought about Jewel’s chart. ‘She has Mercury and the Sun both in the same part of the chart as I do. Different sign but the exact position in the same house. That could explain it.’ Diana said. ‘But it’s her birthday tomorrow, the return of the sun to her birth position. A solar return, a Saturn return and Pluto is making an uncomfortable aspect to her Chiron.’
‘The planet of the wounded healer.’ Chris said quietly.
She rested her head on his shoulder and took another sip of wine.
‘A wise and beautiful lady once told me,’ Chris paused. ‘It’s necessary to honour the energy and to use it. No matter how heavy or dark it appears to be. Use the energy in a positive way. Glory in the journey. Live in the moment and grow from it.’
Diana smiled wearily. ‘I have said all of that so many times.’
Anton had completed the ritual and silence descended in the stone room. Jewel realised that her legs were beginning to protest and she opened her eyes. How long had she been kneeling? She put her hand onto the marble table and stood up shakily.
Jewel
looked at her sister’s remains and was overwhelmed by sadness. There were still no tears though and she wondered whether the grief of the last two weeks had used them all up. She watched as The Twins moved close to the table. They bowed and then quietly left the room.
‘I shall stay here with Sable tonight,’ Anton said.
‘Do you want me to be here too?’ Jewel asked and saw him shake his head.
‘No.’ He was moving towards the doorway.
Jewel realised that he was going to escort her out of the stone room. She looked at the table and reached out to touch some small bones that had been part of Sable’s hand. She was surprised that the bones were icy cold and gently murmured. ‘Good-bye, dear sister. How I wish we could have had longer together. But I am so glad we met.’
As she walked to Anton, he held out his hand. She placed her hand in his and they walked out of the building and into the garden.
‘This has changed certain things, Jewel.’ Anton said. ‘I had wished that you could join the Genevieve line for the full moon ritual tomorrow night. I thought you might like to have come here with Diana after you had completed your own celebrations. But all is different now.’
He sounded so broken, Jewel thought and her heart wanted to give him healing. She held his hand tightly but had no idea what to say.
‘I fear that Monique was behind this, Jewel. Please take exceptional care. The Twins will follow you home tonight.’
Jewel moved closer to Anton. What could she say to help?
‘I’ll speak to Diana,’ she said. ‘We’ll make sure that the house is properly sealed tonight.’
‘The Genevieve line will try to give as much protection as possible. We will be with you when your coven meets but will not intrude. The stones at the circle will also lend their energy.’
She released her hand from his and reached up to gently cup his face. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Then the embrace was broken and he moved away. Jewel knew that he wanted to do his best for Sable and would remain there until he was absolutely sure that her spirit had moved on.
Although it must have been well after midnight the moon, almost at her fullest, illuminated Jewel’s walk through the herb garden and to her car. As she started to drive away from the house she saw The Twins in her rear view mirror. She felt slightly more secure knowing that they were behind her.
