“Annabelle.” Angelique said softly.
“Angelique, hi.” I said, struggling to gain my equilibrium. “What’s up?”
“I know that you’ve been dealing with some issues,” she said gently, “and I’ve been trying to give you the room you’ve needed. But I fear that the time has come where I have to help you with certain things, and they cannot wait.”
“Oh, okay.” I said, trying to sound casual. “When?”
‘There’s no time like the present.” she said as she glided out of the room.
Are you sure that Vincent and you aren’t actually related? I wondered inwardly. Because you guys can act REALLY similar at times!
* * *
“I want you to reach out with your perceptions,” Angelique said, “send them out in all directions.”
Cake I thought. It’s been a while since you’ve worked with me… I’ve gotten better!
I sat in the meditation room, eyes closed, with all lights extinguished save for a single candle. I was still in my shorts and dragon skin top from earlier, and I felt like my body was starting to meld into the surrounding air.
“Reach out with your bones to the earth… “ she continued, taking me down a familiar path. “And then reach out with your breath to the air… “
I connected with each element in turn. Okay, now what?
“Now I want you to reach out with your spirit… with your very soul… reach out to spirit.”
Her voice carried me along, and soon I started feeling immense… everything. Immense power, immense wisdom, immense… life!
“I feel it.” I whispered. “I feel it but I… I can’t connect.”
I couldn’t, either. I could sense it all right beyond my fingertips, but I couldn’t finish the connection.
“This isn’t like the other, base elements.” Angelique continued. “This is spirit, and it may only be present when all five other elements are flowing within you.”
“Five?” I asked. “Air… fire… water… earth… and?”
“Heart.” Angelique replied. “Love. Passion. Call it what you will. But without it, the other pieces cannot come into alignment.”
I thought, for a moment, about connecting with my heart.
My love.
My passions.
“Nope!” I said, opening my eyes and returning to my normal perceptions. “Nope! Can’t do it!”
Angelique sighed. For a creature that doesn’t have to breathe, every sigh was intentional. “What’s wrong, Annabelle?”
“I am not connecting with my ‘passions’ right now.” I said firmly. “Not here.”
“Annabelle, need I remind you that ‘passion’ entails far more than base intercourse?” she asked me.
“I know it does,” I replied, “but it includes it nonetheless. And, as my failure at your recent exercise shows us, I need to worry about a bit more than my complicated love life right now.”
“The Sorceress is a fully integrated being.” Angelique lectured. “The idea that you can compartmentalize aspects of yourself and develop as the Sorceress in a healthy way is illogical at best… “
“So now you’re going all Vulcan on me?” I retorted. “Make up your mind! One minute you want me to connect with my emotions, the next minute you want me to be logical. The perceptual see-saw is starting to make me nauseous!”
“Please,” Angelique countered, her hand on her hip, “do you really mean to tell me that you can’t see the inherent harmony of logic and emotion when approached from a holistic angle… “
She actually sounds annoyed! At last, a human emotion! “Oh my Gods!” I cried as I jumped to my feet. “Can you even hear yourself?!? You lecture me about not compartmentalizing my emotions and my cognitive centers, and then you talk about the whole thing with all of the emotional investment of stereo instructions! ‘Make sure you align the approach vector with the holistic equilibrium...’ It’s insane!”
“What’s insane,” Angelique said, her freshly calmed voice reducing the tension level in the room greatly, “Is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.” She looked right into my eyes. “You may have qualms about my methodologies,” she said, “but know that they are borne of many lifetimes of failures, with uncountable heartbreaks along the way.”
She reached out and cupped my cheek. My body responded, aching for more.
“I do love you, agra.” she said, smiling. “And once you stop fearing that, perhaps you’ll see the method to my madness.”
And she was gone.
* * *
“Fae weed, fuck me.”
Raina, bong in her hand, exhaled a long stream of smoke into the air, shaking her head. Gaia grinned.
“I don’t know about the weed fucking you,” she said, “but some of my Fae sisters were asking if you were still single. It seems that seeing you at Angelique’s report ignited some… pleasant memories.”
“Which ones?” Raina asked, obviously interested.
“All of them.” Gaia replied.
“All of them.” Raina sighed. “Sweet Morrigan, Goddess, you can deliver for your sapphic sister!”
I exhaled a long, thick stream of smoke from my own bong into the thickening cloud. Wow, I am DAMN near numb! I thought. Fae weed for the win!
“I beg to disagree.” I said, raising my hand. “Surplus is not always bliss. I mean, here I am… gorgeous boyfriend, an instantaneous deep, personal connection with him, and he’s someone who can fuck continuously for seventy-two hours if he needs to...”
A sharp intake of air from both Gaia and Raina roused Tiffany, who had been napping on the sofa behind them as they sat on the floor.
“Wha… what?” she said, groggy.
“Annie’s boyfriend fucked her for three days once.” Raina said quickly.
“I didn’t say that I… did that, that long.” I said, waving her off. “I said that he can, that he has, with Angelique one time… “
“Daaaaaammmmmnnnnn...” Raina said slowly. “How long have you two guys done it for?”
I stared at her, and three sets of eyes looked back. “I dunno… “ I hesitantly began, “maybe… two, two and a half hours?” I thought for a minute. “No, it was two hours forty-five, I know it! We were listening to the earbook edition of ‘Endless Forms Most beautiful’ by Nightwish, and we started right with track one. We did it through the entire album, the instrumental versions, and was halfway through the orchestral version of 'Weak Fantasy' when we finished, so that would have been two hours, forty-five, give or take a minute." I paused. "And that overshare was brought to you by Fae weed!"
Everyone laughed, Raina choking on her hit.
“Fae weed!” I continued, sounding like a radio announcer. “Bringing you stories of chafing from your friend’s sex life since two minutes ago!”
“Holy shit!” Raina coughed. “And… and I thought I was hardcore with Drucilla’s vibrating Fae strap-on!”
“I’ve experienced that.” Gaia said, pointing at her. “And it is hardcore. Especially when she sets it on variable...”
Raina shuddered, and Tiffany perked up. “And this is the same Drucilla who’s here?” Tiffany asked.
“Yes.” Raina replied, grinning. “Though I must say, for the record, that we are a full, enthusiastic consent society in this household. Therefore, I must preface my further comments with the notice that all are just my opinion, and you must obtain said enthusiastic consent before exploring such options. That being said… “ She looked Tiffany up and down, and grinned. “Oh yeah, they’re gonna like you!”
“I love my job.” Tiffany sighed and rolled a little on the sofa. “But hey...” she said, sitting back up.
“Yes?” Gaia replied.
“How would they feel if I were to have a friend stop by?” Tiffany asked. “I mean, I’m sure they’ll love her. If you like me, you’ll love her, you know? So… do they get set in a mode, or might they… play a little?”
“Who do you have stopping by?” I sai
d, confused.
“Jazzy.” she replied. “The vampire’s caretaker.”
“And you’re sure you want to share her?” I asked in turn.
“She’s going to become a vampire, and soon.” Tiffany explained. “She’s trying to experience as much as she can before the change, so she can enjoy how enhanced everything feels after. And I want to help her experience as much as possible.”
“Wow.” Gaia said, impressed. “I have no doubts that my sisters will join me in offering our services to fulfill your friend’s laudable journey.”
“You too?” I asked her, surprised.
“I may not be as libidinous as my sisters at times,” Gaia said, her skin darkening with embarrassment, “but I’m still a sensual creature, and this kind of selfless dedication...”
She looked at Tiffany with a lusty grin. Tiffany swallowed.
“It makes me excited.” Gaia continued. “So, of course I’ll take part.” She paused, and then winked at Raina. “Dru’s toys are incredible!”
“You kids go play.” I said as I exhaled yet another thick stream of smoke. I scrunched deeper into the sofa that I sat on. “I think I’m gonna sleep right here...”
I closed my eyes as I heard everyone else get up. I soon forgot all about the impending orgy somewhere in the house as sleep claimed me.
* * *
“Hello...”
I heard the voice in my dream. At least, it felt like a dream.
“Hello… Miss… Sorceress? Annabelle?”
I opened my eyes and saw a blonde woman standing in front of me, dressed in clothes from a Northern Europe from long ago. She stood across from me, the forest crowding close by.
“Yes?” I said.
“Hi.” she waved. “I’m… Norn.”
“Norn is your name?" I asked. "Because of my studies of Norse mythology… "
“It’s… more of a title.” she said, cutting me off. “My sisters and I… we’re all Norns.”
“And what’s your name?” I asked, probing deeper.
“We… “ she began, clearly uncomfortable. “We don’t… we’re not supposed to… “
“Okay.” I said, letting her off of the hook. “But I’m not gonna call you ‘Norn number one’ or anything. Let’s see… “ I trailed off, scrutinizing her closely. I snapped my fingers. “Got it! You remind me of the blonde woman from Abba, so I’ll call you Agnetha.”
“Very well.” she smiled.
“So, what are we doing here?” I asked, looking around.
“We… “ Agnetha began, “I have been sent here by… mutual friends… to show you something. Something to help you understand.”
I shrugged. “Show me.”
“Okay.” Agnetha waved her hand and an image of me appeared in the air between us. “Here you are.” she said. “And here is Vincent.”
She waved her hand again, and Vincent’s face hovered near mine.
“Yay!” I said, smiling.
“Now, you and he have a history that goes back ten thousand years.” Agnetha continued. She pulled her hand away from our faces, and myriads of other faces appeared in her hand’s wake. Lines went back and forth between the two lines of faces, and soon I realized that all of the faces were us, and these were the hundreds of lives lived in some way together.
The past life tree rotated in front of me until I was looking at Vincent and I’s daces once again.
“But you two are not alone.” she said. “You have friends… “
Agnetha waved her hands again, and soon everyone… Raina, Jack, Hatsu, Katsu, all of the Fae I’ve met, multiple humans, and… hovering close by Vincent and I… Angelique. Some faces were bigger than others, but all were connected to me.
“And you and Vincent aren’t the only two who have a past life connection.” she said, pulling with both hands. What looked like millions of lines… some thicker than others… started crisscrossing each other over and over and over again.
I walked around the three-d multi-incarnational map, my jaw hanging open. So many faces, so many lives! I saw many… many… lives that connected to either Vincent or Angelique, over and over and over.
I also saw lives that weren’t connected to either of them. In these, I wound up being connected to Raina, Jack, my Mom, and a few Fae. Not all were romantic, but the ones that were glowed with a peculiar glow.
Lots of those with Gaia I observed. Including a few on my side with the same incarnation for her… her current one.
I looked farther and farther back in time until just a few remained... Vincent, Angelique, Jack, Raina and myself. They all went back ten thousand years.
I looked farther back, and only one name remained with mine. One out of all of them.
Angelique.
* * *
The sun was shining on Jazzy’s last day. She got up before dawn… woke Tiffany, who had spent the night by her side… and sat to watch the sunrise, the last she would see for four hundred years or so. I had crossed their path earlier, but left them undisturbed… this was a private moment for lovers.
It had been some months since Tiffany had arranged for Jazzy’s wild weekend, and I was ready for something to happen. I had been training with Angelique to no avail… I still couldn’t make the full connection of the five elements with spirit. I had almost given up, but saw the current weekend as my chance to start over.
Making a vampire can either be a lonely experience or one filled with pomp and ritual. Vincent and Angelique, having been sired by the same vampire centuries apart, shared the experience of being made and abandoned.
Jazzy would have a better experience.
She and Tiffany spent the day nude, so that the sunlight could bathe their bodies every moment it was out. They walked back to Seamus’ castle arm in arm right after the sun sank over the horizon.
“I will see you soon, my beautiful one.” Tiffany said, kissing Jazzy’s human face one more time. Jazzy smiled, and then went into the room beyond, shutting the door.
“How are you doing?” I asked Tiffany.
“Good.” she smiled. “She’s been wanting this for some time.”
“I’m happy for her.” I replied.
Tiffany, Gaia, Raina, Vincent, and I waited outside until well after darkness had completely descended upon the land. We were all smoking our herbs of choice as the night stretched on.
“So, how long does this take?” Raina asked.
“Every vampire’s different.” Vincent said. “Some go through body death and rebirth in a matter of an hour or so, others take more time.”
“What about their first meal?” Gaia asked next. “Don’t they tend to eat before they come out and say hello?”
“I’ve already arranged for a suitable first meal.” Vincent said. “Sex slaver, kidnaps young girls to sell into prostitution and sex slavery. He’s awake, so he’ll suffer.”
Good. “So, it should be any time now.” I said.
I was immediately cut off by the door opening. Seamus walked out, smiling.
“May I present,” he said with a flourish, “the vampire Tara Brennan.”
Jazzy walked out, and the change was striking. Everything about her… her skin, her black hair, her blue eyes… were the same, it just looked more vivid. She seemed to slide over the light reflecting off of my eyes.
“Greetings, ya bastards!” she said with a wide grin, her canines looking fresh and sharp.
We all cheered, and there were hugs all around.
* * *
I was hanging out in the library with Raina later, her pouring through Seamus’ collection of rare magickal books while I enjoyed more of Gaia’s Fae weed.
“Damn!” Raina said, turning the page in a hand-written magickal spell-book… also known as a grimoire… and shaking her head. “This guy really had a thing about researching legends of the Sorceress.”
“What does he say?" I asked, exhaling a thick stream of smoke.
“Well, he got a lot right.” she began. “For example, not a heredi
tary position, nobody knows who will be called until the year before they come of age, discerning who is to be the Sorceress is an unknown skill… “
“Which Vincent can’t help us with, either.” I cut in. “Petronia, Angelique’s first Sorceress, came to her in a vision and pointed them in the right direction. It still took them months to find me.”
“See?” Raina turned another page. “Shit’s hard.” She read on. “Now here is some interesting stuff.” she said, pointing at the page. “It says here that the ‘Court of the Sorceress’ always includes Fae… that your magick is closely related to Fae magick.”
“You should know a thing or two about Fae magick.” I said.
“Actually, I’m still pretty clueless.” she replied. “They’ve built up magickal spell shortcuts over centuries. ‘Say word ‘X’ while focusing your will through the Fae crystal produces ‘Y’ result’, and so on. Most Fae don’t learn the inner workings until they’re much older.”
“Does it say anything else about this ‘Court of the Sorceress’?” I asked, leaning in.
“Not very much here… “ she replied, turning a few pages. “It says that the Court has Fae, other Witches, and a Warlord, who directs the legion of the Sorceress.”
“Legion?” I said, eyes wide. “Past Sorceresses have had legions? Where did this guy hear that?!?”
“See, there’s this book.” Raina said, turning a few pages back. “I’ve seen it referenced by a few different people… here it is!” she said triumphantly. “It’s called ‘In the Court of the Crimson Cauldron’, and it’s by ‘Geoffrey of Manchester’. Ridiculously difficult to get, some fear that it’s lost… “
“Oh, it’s not lost.” Tiffany said, walking into the room. She walked over and sat in the last unoccupied chair by the fire.
“Hey there.” I replied. “How’s Jazzy doing?”
“Ah, she’s off on a hunt with Seamus and Vincent.” Tiffany said, pulling out her own joint. “Intel just came in on a pedophilia ring that has a video location in a nearby residence. Newborn vampires are very hungry, so they decided to go clear it out.”
The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga Page 33
