Page 21 of Shadowed Summer Sun

Chapter Eight

Do Not Take Lightly The Power of the Sun.

Iawokewithinmystone circle, alone and not who I was. Glancing around, my gaze landed on the pot of St. John’s Wort placed carefully in the center of my ritual circle. I was back on the shores. Reaching for the pot, it cracked, shards of clay and plant matter evaporating into nothing that flew into my veins and lungs.

My Invoking was complete.

I stood. Everything ached, and my core throbbed in time with my pulse, but the pain faded with each moment. I went to the southern shore of Cottlewick Lake, still and glassy, and looked at the reflection I cast on the smooth surface. The moon had returned to the sky, and it lit up wood, making the cold waters beneath me look like an obsidian mirror.

The black that had begun to consume me rested at the top of my biceps and thighs. My fingers were tipped with sharp claws I could lengthen at will and blended into the Darkness of my new form. Streaked through my red hair were locks of midnight that shimmered with starlight and a small set of antlers perched atop my head.

The deep gray streaks I’d draw across my face were still there, as were the glowing slashes of red across my chest and shoulders.

Strangest of all was the subtle radiant glow that seeped from the skin that had remained my particular shade of freckled pale and the mismatched colors of my eyes- one a fiery gold and the other pitch as night.

A set of conjured vines crisscrossed my body, acting as coverings, and dragged behind me as I walked. Breathing deeply, I both felt like myself and not at all - an In-Between.

On the cool air, I could now smell the vile wrongness of the Taking, sense it moving further into and beyond the land around the Vinemire Forest,myforest. Cold and hungry trickled down my spine, and I turned.

Unseen but haunting the Shadow on the beach, my King lingered.

“Go. Seek it out. And then,”his welcome claws invisibly dug into my scalp,“Return to me.”

I returned through the Guarded Wood, new confidence and purpose quickening my steps, and emerged through 100 Steps Gate. Nodding to the waiting Undertaker, who bowed low as I passed, I took in my surroundings with newfound vision and understanding.

“Stand up.” I shook my head at his gesture. “Seal the gate. I will pass through a different way upon my return.”

The reason I wouldn’t need him to open it eluded me, but I knew the fact deep in my bones. The Undertaker nodded, and I counted the 100 Steps down. Badb met me at the bottom of the steps, perched on one of the Hidden Graves and hopping impatiently.

‘Mistress,’ she cawed. ‘I have been your eyes. The Taking moves. Its master calling it toward town.’

Stopping short, I gaped at her until shaking my head. I had always known what Badb was trying to say, but understanding her clearly was a gift that would prove eternally helpful.

‘You have… ascended. I seek to continue my duty. Allow me to watch over this side when you return to the King.’

I held out my arm, and Badb flew to me, her black claws blending with my changed skin. Stroking her feathers and sending her up to one of my antlers, I started the trek toward the home of the Ol’ Willowies.

“You will always be my most trusted companion, Badb. Keep watch, guard the Coven, and fly freely between the realms so that I might hear your messages.”

And just like that, as with the power of a ritual, my simple words sealed Badb into my service and granted her passage into the Guarded Wood.

Reaching the land of Green Lands was a simple task now, and I simply steppedaroundthe lake so that I might stay in the Mortal Realm and still reach them quickly. They welcomed me readily, Fae and Beast alike stopping and intoning their heads low as I crossed their path.

The willow trees opened before me as I passed into the cool forest. The chill of the Shadow here rested easily on my arms and legs, and the flame within my heart balanced it with its furnace of warmth.

And I could see them now, the spirits that animated the Ol’ Willowies, fallen Fae snatched by the Pit before they could serve their destiny and set forever more to guide others toward theirs.

I could sense so much more in the jewel green trees and flora, a primeval existence that had always been and would always be. They dwelled in the Green Lands, their home and birthplace, which could travel and appear where necessary.

Though many believed them to be gone, I could feel the Fae hiding beneath the expansive canopy of trees. A twinkling sound rippled through their leaves as the Fae spied me, wondering at my new form.

“I will keep you safe. I will end the Taking. Do no harm to the mortals you pass,” I smirked as I pushed further on, “Unless they truly deserve it.”

A lilting laughter echoed around me, the Fae’s agreement to our sacred bargain.

Pushing past the trees, I found the remnants of the Ramshackle Hut. It lay in worse shambles, broken and caved in. No light beamed from inside the cracked windows, and the massive oak, once decorated in hanged souls, was absent. As was his blue hay field. Jack was gone.

Wishing for him never to return, I sent flames into his abandoned abode, severing its connection with the Green Lands.You’ll have to go somewhere else, Jack.

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