Finally, she would reap the reward for her years spent summoning the Raven to her service and honing her ability to use its magic to manipulate human hearts. Ah, and a bonus, this time her nemesis through many lifetimes, held the sacred stone. Stupid girl did not know how to use the power.
“I will make the crystal mine and learn to wield the violet power.” Heart thudding with the thrill of success and the taste of retribution on her tongue, Regina stood before the triangular mirror in the circle. Her voice rose to a crescendo over the approaching storm:
“Raven come as black as night,
Magic take her inner sight.
Mystic carrion of the soul,
breath in her power, be so bold,
Enter through the rift now torn,
That my full power shall be born.”
Lilly squinted. Her eyes burned in the putrid smoke. She kept her half closed eyes focused on the standing mirror. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes blinked away smoke and her body trembled. A creature, larger than a man, appeared in the mirror. Her eyes widened when she saw a vulture quickly morph into a huge spider, then a scorpion. A scream clawed at her throat as a huge black raven stepped out of the silvered triangle.
Thunder shook the old building. Lighting flared at the gable window. In a moment of total darkness Lilly saw the glowing yellow eyes of the raven. Closing her eyes, she prayed she was hallucinating. Scrambling to her knees she stood searching wildly for a place to hide. She thought briefly of jumping out the window.
The giant raven approached and knocked her onto her back. It loomed over her for a moment, moved quickly and engulfed her trembling form. Discordant chimes grew louder, thunder boomed as Regina struck a gong, chanting louder and louder.
Lilly’s body grew rigid as the huge figure moved on top of her. The raven’s burning eyes stared into her soul. His razor sharp beak opened inches from her face. She twisted her body, tried to turn but the creature’s weight held her pinned to the floor. Pain seared across her cheek as the black beak slashed at her. A powerful voice invaded her mind. “BE STILL! This won’t hurt a bit.”
Her hands tingled, and for a moment, her mind cleared. She willed the tingling in her hands to move through her entire body. Gathering her Faery magic, she drew strength from her connection to her soul group, the members of Panthea’s coven, her bonding with the Druid, Roland, and the ancient crystal between her breasts. Power stirred as the crystal grew warm. The persistent thrumming heat of the Jewel energized her. She continued to struggle until she got her hand up under the beast.
In one quick motion, she jerked the crystal from around her neck and stabbed it into the raven’s eye. With a screech, the creature dissolved in a rancid plume of smoke. Dark, oily feathers drifted through the room as Regina’s scream filled the night.
The room swirled in slow motion. Lilly tried to get up from her splayed position on the floor but her legs wouldn’t work. She lay still, hoping Regina would disappear. The odor of decay filled the air. Lilly turned her head and vomited. Regina stepped forward and slapped her. Her voice, sharp as a whip lashed through the air, “Enough of your spewing.” She turned and fled through the door leaving the candles burning.
Lilly heard the key turn in the lock. Sitting up slowly, she took control of herself. In spite of being brutally violated, or possibly because the horror had passed, a calm came over her.
The diabolical machinations of Regina’s twisted mind were no longer hidden. Lilly was aware of what she was up against. ‘Goddess take me, how did I get myself wrapped up in this mess?’
Regina’s actions were unexpected, still Lilly berated herself for trusting her and failing to examine the negative vibrations the young witch masked with her friendly overtures. Lilly’s hands balled into fists, ‘I’ve been stupid, a part of me knew something wasn’t right yet I denied it. I sensed the emptiness around Regina and I knew she was shielded. If I had explored a little deeper and trusted my feelings, I may have avoided this debacle.’
The dark cupboard opened in her mind once again, as blood from the gash across her cheek, ran into her ear and hair. She tossed her body around in misery and the warm sticky blood ran down her neck and between her breasts. She was trapped in a nightmare panting in fear and exhaustion. Her hands began to tingle and Lilly paid attention. She focused on gaining control of her breathing. As she calmed herself, the dark dreams she had been plagued with recently came into focus in her mind. They had been trying to shake her memory, to warn her of danger?
Lying back, she closed her eyes. Lifetimes of study and practice rushed before her eyes. She recognized Regina in a variety of guises, as centuries passed in a heartbeat. The tableaus from her dream journey through the eye of the crystal skull came to life.
For many lifetimes Lilly had encountered the dark sorceress now known as Regina. Through centuries the sorceress insatiable hunger for power and control grew. Lilly became her nemesis using the white light to absorb the dark manipulations, lies and thievery Regina used indiscriminately. It was Lilly who had brought charges against the power hungry sorceress. It was the information and accusations the Priestess of the light brought forth that lead to Regina’s disgrace and banishment in more than one lifetime. It was Lilly’s testimony that sealed the ruthless woman’s fate. It was for this, Regina was determined to destroy her.
Recoiling in horror, she told herself it was not so. Immediately, a powerful voice filled her mind, “Her craving
