The Retreat they set up was protected by strong Magick. The war wasn't just that of humans, other forces were being hunted and trapped too. Their Magick kept the government from seeing where they were, all they saw were rock and trees. That kept them protected.
Luke opened his golden eyes. Rhea smiled down at him as she stroked his hair. He didn't seem to mind Rhea was Magical; it was something they never talked about. He guarded her secret well and she trusted him. They had a mutual understanding, and as long as she didn’t flaunt it, he wouldn’t mention it.
He smiled back and ran his hand down her arm. Rhea loved moments like this, they were limited. Luke was a reserved man, who had little to say. He wasn’t the fun playful kind; he was always clear on what he expected. He was stable and protective, which attracted Rhea to begin with; she needed that then. Unfortunately, he would often forget how much she needed just a simple touch, a look of reassurance. Rhea knew better than to say anything so she suffered in silence. She would not pretend he was something he wasn’t and she hadn't gone into the relationship blind. He made it clear marriage was not an option and she never pushed for it, which was a relief to her. He did however make it possible for her to stay home with her daughter, and he did well to praise Allora over the years and show her a gentle hand, which became everything for Rhea.
“Lynn's on her way back in. I think she's wounded,” Rhea whispered, grabbing her side to show where she thought the wound was.
“She hesitated,” he said his thick French accent sluggish from sleep. This brought a smile to Rhea’s pale lips.
“Sleep,” she said, leaning over kissing him. He made a grunt and rolled over before she could complete her task. Rhea tried not letting this bother her, but it did. She decided a long time ago her passionate nature needed to be squashed. Rhea had already had the love of her life, and she chose to walk away from that, with Luke she had stability.
Rhea grabbed the pitcher hanging on the wall and some Alder leaves for divination, Amber Resin collected off trees for mental clarity, and Nay Leaf to increase her powers. She placed all of these, while visualizing her purpose and focusing, in the water pitcher.
Rhea walked down to the river. It was about fifty feet from the hut, and she'd become used to walking in the dark. Taking a deep breath, smelling the pine trees, she thought to herself, what a busy place this was in the morning with birds singing and squirrels playing.
Deer where common visitors to the river, sometimes there was a Mountain Lion or Bear, but they rarely made it far before they became a source of food for the community.
The ground was covered with tall grass this time of year. Wyoming had hard soil, which made it difficult for vegetation to grow. To Rhea it was a sign that life still tried to find its way. She could smell the rain in the air, stepping down into the cold river, she let the pitcher fill. Rhea imagined the water being her guide. She stepped onto the river bank, holding the pitcher to the North,
“Spirits of the North hear my call and guide me to the girl we search for.”
She turned to the East, “Spirits of the East hear my call and guide me to the girl we search for.”
Rhea turned to the South, “Spirits of the South hear my call, and guide me to the girl we search for.”
She turned to the West, “Spirits of the West hear my call, and guide me to the girl we search for.”
Bringing the pitcher back down, she walked to the Retreat.
***
In Lynn's hut were all the maps, and battle plans for rescue missions. This was their reality the hut was made just like Rheas. Lynn's hut had weapons on the walls, guns lined up and ammunition neatly piled on the table. They all stayed loaded and ready to go. A smaller table stood against the far wall with pistols and knifes. It was always amazing to Rhea how Lynn would find so many weapons and ammunition to bring back.
Walking to the map table along the east wall, she pulled out a large oblong bowl. Rhea poured the water from the pitcher making sure it didn’t splash over.
“Let me see what I am looking for,” she whispered across the water. The herbs floated to the top as the water settled. Rhea closed her eyes, thinking of the name and reopened them. She looked at the surface of the water from the side of the bowl to see what she needed, after some time, the water rippled and showed her, a girl with long brown hair at a full dining table. The gold color of the napkins, and china was exquisite. Crystal glasses lined up and down the table. The girl's dress was a simple design in pink.
Next to the girl was a young man in a military outfit. There was laughter all around her, but she wasn't happy. She smiled and spoke to the boy next to her, but in her eyes it was clear, everything was an act.
Rhea saw her father at the head of the table. He was in a suit, classic, telling her he was a government agent, probably a Senator or something like that. The Senators were not people that anyone could trust, even the people working for them. They were pure evil, and they now ran the world.
A man who could be so easily bought was never worth time or attention, unless being killed. These were the ones that took control over each of these new North American Regions like they were individual countries.
Rhea concentrated on the girl again. Tara was about the same age as her daughter Allora. It was such a tender age for a girl, and Rhea could feel her sadness and her discomfort. She didn't want to be there. Rhea peered deeper into Tara's feelings, trying to call to the girl's mind. Tara looked around acknowledging she felt Rhea's presence. Taking a chance Rhea whispered their names to Tara's mind. That was when the water became murky, and a familiar face appeared in the entire bowl and then gone.
A groan passed Rhea's lips out of irritation. She pulled a map of the United States from a nearby shelf. Pulling her pendulum from her pocket, she dangled it over the map, asking to find Tara. It swung in a circle, and Rhea worked with it at the north-east part of the map.
She figured that she would be in Manhattan, but it didn’t respond. It swung in a circle as she moved across the map. Rhea couldn't help but to let her thoughts wonder. Few people got under her skin, but what a bitch, she thought to herself. When the face popped back into her mind she couldn't help but feel the anger belonging to a woman named Acacia.
The pendulum stopped in Texas. Ha! Rhea thought. That evil witch hates Texas. She hoped the bugs there were bothering the hell out of her. Rhea cleared her mind again and thought of Tara, and again it stopped at the same spot.
Crawford, Texas.
Rhea then thought of Acacia, just to see if her inkling was right, again it stopped at Texas. The results made Rhea groan in disapproval.
She could feel the barriers being moved out and then back and knew Lynn was almost there. Rhea cleaned up the map and grabbed the bowl of water. She stepped out of the house and poured it on the ground, thanking the Earth for her gift and then thanked each direction. She put the bowl on the table and stepped out of Lynn’s' hut.
Rhea crossed the retreat to the Healing room which connected to the multipurpose building. This is where they tended the wounded and gathered when they needed to. She cleared off the table she would use for Lynn. Rhea didn’t know if more were wounded, but she knew Lynn was. They trusted each other with almost everything; it had to be that way if they wanted to survive.
Rhea filled a clean bowl with water and readied bandages. She packed wet pasty herbs on some of the bandages to help with healing.
The vision hit Rhea hard causing her to lose her balance.
There was the stomping of the army, as they marched their way over the broken streets. They passed the state sign of Wyoming and were heading northwest. A man came to her mind causing a headache that was overwhelming. This was a sign he was Magickal. He had a group of people he was hiding from the government. She saw over the bridge they were hiding under, Douglas.
They were in Douglas, Wyoming.
Darkness swallowed her.
***
Rhea opened her eyes. She knew she was on the floor; glad s
he was alone. Lately, the visions were becoming worse; causing her body to hurt more from it.
Calling on the energy of the earth beneath her, she felt the tingle of it coming into her body through her chakra points. It never took long for her to heal when she did that. She thanked the earth and pulled herself up just in time for Lynn to come into the room being supported by her right-hand man Miles. Miles was a tall man with dark features, blue eyes, and a strong jaw. He was the kind of man you wanted in a fight and he was dedicated to Lynn.
Rhea picked up the horsehair they collected and attached it to the homemade bone needle. Rhea eyed Lynn to assess her Aura before she spoke to her. Just to see what kind of mood she was in and how much she was hurting.
“So, I guess I will have to stitch you up.” It wasn't a question and Lynn knew it. Lynn sat on the table, unable to mask her pain any longer. Rhea frowned, disappointment showing in her face.
Lynn’s dark eyes met Rhea's gray blue ones, and she spoke up.
“No, just let me bleed to death,” she replied with dry sarcasm. It was obvious the missions where not only getting more dangerous, but harder as they aged. Rhea raised her eyebrow to Lynn in response.
“Lay down and I'll get this taken care of.” The shirt Lynn was wearing was soaked with blood. Rhea used a knife to cut the shirt away from Lynn's body, maintaining her deep respect for Lynn. The woman was out there fighting this fight, training people in hand to hand combat; leading people to safety. It was only a few years ago when life was simpler, this lifestyle was just a bad dream turned reality.
In the beginning, they had tried to figure out what all of this was for, but none of it could prepare them for the real event. Rhea smirked as she thought it was similar to childbirth: you watch videos; you know what is coming but none of it is like the experience. Cutting the shirt loose, she could see Lynn lost a lot of blood.
Anger flashed through Rhea
“You used Magick after you got the wound, didn’t you?”
Lynn looked at Rhea, her face paler than normal. This made Rhea soften just a tad. She knew Lynn would pass out.
“Did you find her?” Lynn mumbled. Rhea leaned over closer to her.
“Yes, Lynn I found her.” Lynn closed her eyes and was out.
Rhea watched her chest move up and down. Tears stung Rhea's eyes. She'd lost so many people on this table, so many she couldn’t heal. Rhea became immune to most deaths, but when it involved those close to her, she couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness.
Rhea cleaned Lynn's wound and stitched it. She was glad she wasn’t awake, knowing how painful this would be. The wound was jagged in some parts, and there was no fixing that.
Miles watched silently, he always watched over Lynn. Since she lost her husband; Lynn needed a strong shoulder to lean on. Lynn would never admit that she needed that, being a warrior and all. Miles was ready to go into battle and die for Lynn and this cause if he needed to.
Rhea knew he wouldn’t approve of the new mission the two of them would have to go on. She applied the wound dressings with the herbs to Lynn’s wounds.
She cleaned up and Miles grabbed a stool sitting next to Lynn. Rhea spoke up, “You should get some sleep, and you know she's safe here.” He didn’t take his eyes off Lynn.
“I’ll sleep later. I owe her my life.” Rhea didn’t bother trying to be forceful with him, even though she knew she could be. She let him watch over Lynn as she cleaned up the herbs and homemade bandages.
When they first came here there were many missions into towns as far as a hundred miles away to gather hospital equipment, antibiotics, and pain relievers.
The supply trips became dangerous, not only due to troops trying to locate freedom fighters, but also the creatures who escaped from the open Gateways. Some were evil, but other creatures were just predators. The hardest part was guns didn't always stop them. The supplies became scarce.
Narcotics were used to ease someone into the afterlife. Pain relievers were now only used with surgery, which happened more often than Rhea cared for. There was talk about going to a bigger city to get more supplies, but to hike the supplies back and forth with Magickal creatures about was a bad idea. They became resourceful. They had to be.
One thing Rhea grabbed in the rush to leave was an herb book, not only did it say what herbs could be used for medicinally, but it also taught how to cultivate them, and gather the seeds. Rhea also brought with it a large bag of seeds.
Rhea sighed and glanced at Miles. When he came to the retreat, he was in severe denial about his family. Every time they went out on missions he was hoping to see his wife and child. Rhea was sure they were no longer alive. If they were alive, they remained protected by other kinds of Magick, but chances were, they were dead.
Lynn
Dreaming at the Retreat
The smell was the first thing she noticed. The cherry blossoms called to her and begged her to open her eyes, but Lynn knew she wasn’t alone and she didn’t want to deal with that idea, at least not right now. She wanted to smell the aroma of the trees and hear the water flowing in a stream near her. Not deal with the past or the present.
“No matter how hard you try to hide from me, I will always find you.” The deep voice echoed in her ears.
She opened her eyes and realized she was sitting under her favorite cherry blossom tree. Although it had been many lifetimes ago, Lynn still remembered it.
“What do you want, Kalerian?” She said. He was sitting across from her under another tree.
She remembered how he looked as it always seemed to be the same, no matter how many lives she lived. He was wearing a long dark green duster over a pair of black jeans and shirt. His black hair was cut short around his face, and his emerald green eyes stayed glued to Lynn.
“You need to stay out of our way. I don’t want to kill you.”
“Are you scared that your perfect world will fall apart around you?”
“Hardly. I don’t want to be in a position that could end our long standing relationship.”
“We have no relationship. Why do you do always do this when I’m passed out? Are you afraid to face me in the real world?”
He snickered and shifted. Lynn stood without the familiar sensation of pain and walked around the tree. There was a slight breeze causing the pink blossoms to float through the air. They danced until they hit the ground. One landed in Kalerian’s hand and he played with it before sliding it in his pocket.
“I really don’t want to have to kill you; after all we have such history together.”
“That was another life,” Lynn said turning her back on him.
Kalerian
Crawford, Texas
Kalerian opened his eyes and smiled slightly to himself. He got under her skin in the most unique ways. Lynn wasn’t like the others she was the one woman who pissed him off and made him want her more at the same time. He pulled the flower out of his pocket and ran the petals between his fingers.
His room was dark, but didn’t bother him. When he did his meditations, he liked only thinking of where he was going and not what was around him. Power meant a lot, but he wished Lynn had the desire to share it.
A knock brought him out of his thoughts.
“Come in.” He didn’t turn to see who it was he already knew. The young blond sauntered in wearing a tight pair of jeans she’d picked up from god knows where and a low cut top that stressed her frame and drew most men’s eyes. Kalerian was not amused.
“You need to wear better clothing here.” He glanced at her long enough to take in the rest of her look.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” She took a couple of steps towards him before the look on his face stopped her cold.
“That’s not the point. There are very important people here. The last thing we need is you looking like a slut.” He pulled the curtains closed. Kalerian didn’t want to get her worked up and have Acacia up his ass. Sara was her Magickal Apprentice, and that made her as dangerous as she was useful. K
alerian had to keep a tight leash on her or he might just find himself on the wrong side of Acacia’s rage. He faced Sara. “I have a job for you.”
“What kind of job?” She smiled and took a seat on his bed as if trying to tempt. Kalerian ignored it and went on. This wasn’t the time for that and he was still burning over Lynn’s rejection.
“One of the few jobs you’re good at,” he walked in front of her. “I want you to draw out the vapor sisters.”
“And how do you expect me to do that?” She was almost laughing at the idea. Kalerian never asked her to do something this strong before, but she was expendable. He had other ideas in mind for Lynn and her little friend Rhea.
“By using what’s most important to them,” He said simply, but his irritation should have been clear in the way he looked at her. She raised her eyebrows.
“Their children.”
Acacia
Crawford, Texas
The girl at the end of the table was moving as if she rehearsed for the part. Acacia could see in Tara's hazel eyes she was alone and sad. Acacia did an energy reading on her and realized it was because of her mother's death. The girl’s mother would have ruined the ambitions of the Senator; she turned her piercing green eyes to the man with gray hair. He had that cheesy Texas smile other politicians carried.
Acacia hated Texas; she despised the heat, and the bugs. The entire atmosphere was not pleasant to her, but she too had a role to play just the same as everyone else. Sipping on her glass of merlot, she again scanned the table to the girl and saw her grab her head. Acacia was up before anyone even noticed; she moved down the table to where the girl was, placing her hands on the girl’s head, as if she could crush her and felt the Magick. Acacia quickly reacted and sent her image back to the sender. Tara fainted from the pressure. The young man next to her stood up to assist.
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