Healing Hands (The Queen of the Night series Book 2) (11 page)

I told them I wanted to master healing hands, get straight A’s, and do well in the Sleepy Creek Youth Chorale. To myself I admitted I’d give up all of those things if I could just find a way to stop aching for the one thing I could never have: Evan.

Chapter Sixteen

Groundhog Day

“Hello,” I heard a voice call out from the foyer, “Is anyone home?”

“I’m in the kitchen,” I called back, scooping a fresh batch of oatcakes from the skillet and placing them in a plastic storage container. The breakfast feast would be held after Corey and I completed our initiation into the clan. Evan was our designated ‘Guide’. He would officially lead us to the sacred meadow. He entered the kitchen. I dropped the oatcake, spatula and my jaw.

“What the hell are you holding?” I cried in shock.

“I found her on the front porch. Isn’t she yours?”  He reached into the doll bed he held with one hand and picked up the Brideog with the other. “Look at her,” he said, I cringed, “She’s got brown hair like you do and violet eyes.”  He looked confused. “There’s a ribbon tied around her neck, too.”  He held the effigy up for me to see clearly. The pink ribbon I’d left out for Brighid’s blessing was tied to the doll.

“Get it out! Throw that thing away!  It’s not my doll. It’s Madison’s.”

“No…Madison’s doll would have short black hair, with a purple stripe…” 

I took the offensive totem and, opening the back door, tossed it out. I looked at him pointedly, then at the doll bed. “Out,” I commanded.

He still looked deeply confused, but he tossed the toy bed out with the doll and I slammed it closed.

As I cleaned up the pancake mess, I explained. “She played a nasty trick,” I started, “because she hates me. She wanted you to find the doll and think I was hitting on you.”

“Oh,” he said, taking a seat at the table, “does this mean you’re not hitting on me?  Darn…and I treated her well, too. I took the doll home, introduced her to my family, and everything.”

“Shut up,” I snapped, throwing a kitchen towel in his face.

Luckily Rose entered the kitchen. “What’s going on?”

Evan responded. “Good morning, Rose. You’ll be happy to know I stepped over your ashes on the porch, but they were disturbed anyway. The dairy products are gone as well. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Evan. Are the ribbons still out there?”

“All of them except for the pink one,” he answered.

“What happened to the pink one?” she looked at Evan and me.

I lowered my gaze and grumbled, “Never mind.”

She narrowed her eyes and looked as if she would demand an explanation. Her expression changed as she consciously decided to let it go. Instead she said, “You’d better get changed into your robe, Maggie. It’s time to leave.”

***

Once in the car, Evan continued to tease me. “Should I hold the door open for you?  I held the door for your dolly.”

“Cut it out.”

“What dolly?” Corey queried from the back seat. When neither one of us responded he said, “You guys are so weird.”  He pulled the ear buds for his ever-present MP3 player out of his pocket and stuck them in his ears. He sat back in his seat and pretended to ignore us.

The whole incident still upset me. “It’s not funny,” I grumbled.

“Then you’re in trouble,” came Evan’s reply from my side. “If you let it get to you, if you let her upset you, she’s won. Don’t give her that, Mags. Joke about it. Ignore it, if you can, but don’t let her win, okay?”

I nodded, soaking in his words. “Okay.”

***

Corey had never been to the sacred meadow. Evan let us walk on our own as far as the Well of the Young, where he made us stop. He blindfolded both of us and apologized about doing so.

“This is part of the initiation ceremony, I’m afraid.”  He tied Corey’s blindfold on first.

“That’s okay,” I replied. “You didn’t let me fall last time.”  I referred to events from the feast of Litha. Dariene had cursed me into seeing the auras of every creature around me, including microbes. I had been so overwhelmed by the sensory deluge I’d gone into a semi-catatonic state. Evan had blindfolded me and guided me on this same trail. He smiled sweetly before he put on my blindfold.

“There better not be any smooching over there,” my brother announced.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, kid,” Evan replied as he took hold of each of us and started walking. After a while he stopped.

“Are we at the temple yet?”  I asked.

“No, we have to wait in the trees, outside the meadow, until they call for us.”

“What’s going on?” asked Corey.

“Well, right now they’re setting up the altar. There are three people who will perform the ceremony. The first person is the Fire Bearer, performed by Fiona. The Keeper of the Well is performed by Dariene, because she controls the Well of the Young. Lastly, Buach is the Tender of the Tree, since he’s the King Dryad. Most of the clan is here also. They’re standing around the meadow, grouped by households. Wait, they’re ready to start.”

Fiona’s voice rang out across the clearing. “Welcome, members of the Cacapon coven of Appalachia!  Welcome to the sacred and mysterious Temple of the Crossed Rings. We are here today to bring two more into our fold. Let us begin.”

There was a loud whoosh. Evan narrated, “She lit a small bonfire that’s a couple of yards behind the altar. Now she’s walking back to stand with the other two.”

Fiona said, “
I kindle the sacred fire and call upon its power to strengthen our coven.”

Evan continued, “She’s using a censer to spread incense smoke around the altar. Okay, Dariene is holding up a pitcher of water. Now she’s pouring some of the water into a cup.”

Dariene intoned, “I pour the sacred water and call upon its wisdom to enlighten
us.
”

“Dariene is using an aspergill. She dipped it into an asperorium, and she’s sprinkling water on the altar.”

“What’s a aspa…asp…aspa-whatchamacallit?”  I was glad Corey asked, because I wanted to know, too.

“It’s a long-handled brush and a bowl of water. The water must come from the Well of the Young. She dipped the brush in the water and is flicking it to spray water all over the place. Okay, Buach just placed a cauldron filled with dirt on the altar.”

Buach called out, “
I bring forth the sacred tree and call upon its compassion to grow within us.”

“I love this part,” Evan said as he continued to narrate for us, “Buach is forcing a sapling to grow out of the dirt in the cauldron.”

The three of them, Fiona, Dariene and Buach, said together,
“The fire, the well, the sacred tree,
f
lame and flow and grow in me!  By Mother Earth and Father Sky, one below and one on high, grace this temple, Blessed Be!”

Fiona called out, “Who approaches this sacred space?”

Evan, calling from the forest, replied, “I bring you two who wish to know the mysteries of this coven, and who wish to honor the King of the Sun and the Queen of the Night.”

Fiona asked, “Seekers, state your names.”

As I had been instructed, I said, “It is I, Margaret Fiona MacDougall Stewart, who seeks to join this coven.”

Corey then said, “And I, Corey Lawrence Stewart, who seeks to join this coven.”

Fiona responded, “You have been deemed worthy. Please enter the sacred meadow, approach the altar of the Crossed Rings, and kneel in the presence of the gods.”

Evan led us out into the meadow. He guided us to stand on the opposite side of the great stone table which served as an altar. He helped us to kneel. Then he took a couple of steps back.

Fiona said, “Margaret Fiona MacDougall Stewart and Corey Lawrence Stewart, before you are initiated as a member of the Cacapon coven of Appalachia, are you ready to be purified?”

Corey and I both said, “Yes, we are.”

Fiona continued, “Stand and be blessed.” 

I felt the heat and smelled the smoke from the censer as Fiona swung it toward my face. She must have done the same thing to Corey, because he coughed. There was a moment of silence. Suddenly, I felt water being sprinkled on me. Lastly, someone, probably Buach, threw a handful of dirt on my head.

Fiona spoke, “By joining this coven, you become part of a greater spiritual family. As such, you are part of an endless circle of kinship and hospitality. Hail Arianrhod, the Queen of the Night! Hail Llew, the King of the Sun. Hail to kinsmen and clan, to the ancestors who watch over us, and to those who may follow.” 

She raised her voice and called out, “Here before you kneels Margaret Fiona MacDougall Stewart, soon to be a sworn part of this coven.”

In a softer tone, she said, “Maggie, are you prepared to follow the mysteries of the deities on your journey through this life and the next? By dedicating yourself to the clan, you will learn these mysteries. You will grow from your discoveries. Let Mother Earth and Father Sky, the Queen of the Night and the King of the Sun, guide you on your travels. Are you willing and able to uphold the values and principles of this coven?”

I responded, “I am.”

Fiona continued, “Are you prepared, Maggie, to be born anew, to begin this day a brand new journey, as part of your new spiritual family, and as a child of the Cacapon clan?”

“Yes.”

Fiona concluded, “Rejoice Margaret Fiona MacDougall Stewart, and be welcomed into the light and love of the magical community. You are no longer a mere Seeker, but a servant of this coven.” 

Evan stepped up behind me and untied my blindfold. The clan applauded and we took a step back. The process was repeated with Corey. Afterward, Fiona walked around the altar and kissed both Corey and me on the foreheads.

Then she called out, “Welcome, Maggie and Corey, to your new family. Blessed Be.”

When Corey took off his blindfold and saw the sacred meadow in all its glory for the first time, he said, “Whoa, this place is awesome.” 

The cleared area was larger than a football field and stationed all around the clearing like a silent platoon stood massive standing stones made from locally quarried Bluestone.

“This place is like Stonehenge,” he said, the awe evident in his voice. Instead of being laid out in concentric circles, like Stonehenge, these stones formed two overlapping circles. Most of the stones were much shorter than those in the famous Neolithic temple and only stood about two feet tall and about 8 inches in diameter. Positioned at equal intervals around the two circles, every fourth stone stood about four feet in height and ten inches in diameter. At each end of this figure eight shape, two massive archways were formed by a pair of gargantuan stones standing eight feet in height covered with a stone lintel. In the center of the clearing, where the two circles overlapped, sat a tremendous altar or table made from a huge, waist-high, slab of stone set on top of two wide legs, also quarried from the same rock.

“Why are the stones in the shape of a figure eight?” Corey asked.

I was pleased that I knew the answer. “The two overlapping circles form a ‘vesica piscis’ symbol. It’s an ancient symbol of peace.”

“Cool,” he said. “Why does the clan meet here?  Is it magical?”

“Yes,” I assured him.

Just then we were approached by Dariene and Buach. The Queen of the Sidhe addressed me first. As usual, Buach didn’t speak. He merely hovered at her side.

“Young Healer, I am glad to formally welcome you to our magical community. Of course, from your brother,” she turned her attention to Corey, “we expect great things. We have been waiting for you for a long time. For now, I am needed elsewhere, but we will speak again soon. I have foreseen it. May blessings be upon you.”   She lifted one hand as a gesture of blessing and turned to leave. Buach had been staring at Corey, scrutinizing him, but when Dariene turned, he snapped up his head. He nodded briskly to us, turned on his heel and followed her through the inter-dimensional portal under the southern archway.

“Holy Sherbet!  Did you see that?  They disappeared!”  Corey said.

At this point, Evan had joined us. He chuckled at Corey’s surprise.

Corey, stunned, asked, “How’d they do that?”

Evan shrugged. “The harmonic frequency of this stone combined with the nexus of several ley lines makes the sacred meadow a conduit for inter-dimensional travel. Of course, we’re making our best guess at how it all works. The sacred meadow predates all history, even that of the local Native Americans who lived here before the first settlers arrived. The Sidhe probably know more about why the temple is here and how it works, but they won’t tell us.”

“I don’t get it,” Corey shook his head.

“It’s magic, Corey. You don’t have to understand how it works. Come on, let’s get a table. They’re gonna bless the old plow and then we can eat.”

“I like eating,” said Corey.

“At least it’s a beautiful day for a picnic,” I commented as we sat down near Rose and Pat.

Pat responded, “Yeah,
everyone
’s complaining about the weather.” 

“Huh?”

“You’ll get your brothers to bring us more firewood, won’t you Pat?” Rose asked.

“Of course, I’m not going to let you all freeze for another six weeks. Oh good, the Macgregors have brought the plow out.”  A group of young men wheeled an ancient, rusted hand-steered, mule-powered plow into the meadow. They stopped right in front of the altar. Luckily, no mule pulled it, only a bunch of goofy guys, joking with each other. They pushed it out to the center of the meadow so everyone could see the ceremony. They’d decorated the plow with cow bells and ribbons of many different colors. It looked even uglier as a result of their attempts at adornment. Once it was in place, they stepped away, still teasing each other.