“The air was freezing, I was in the attic alone in the dark. Regina came in and cast a circle. She was chanting. She is always chanting! I saw the raven step out of a mirror and stand over me. It tried to draw something from me. It hurt me and I stabbed him in the eye with the crystal. Oh, I don’t know how it all happened! When he was gone, I remember Regina slapped me and locked the door to the attic.
“I scavenged the candle stubs from the circle Regina had cast. Keeping one candle lit I called upon the Goddess, invoked my inner sight, lay down and left my body. I contacted Roland and he came and rescued me.”
Lilly closed her eyes. “That is all I can remember. Maybe I will have more clarity later,” she said putting her head in her hands. Roland sat close and put his arms around her. Jolene looked at James and lifted an eyebrow. Sabine broke the silence and gave voice to what they all knew, “Thank the Goddess your strong Fae blood and your guardians and ancestors assisted you.”
Lilly shrugged one shoulder, “How does Fae blood have anything to do with this? It was Roland who helped me.”
James answered, “The Fae have a strong talent for communicating clearly through the astral plane. You were in great distress, injured and afraid. Your Fae instincts combined with your training as a Priestess, saved your life, Lilly.”
With the help of Roland and her friends at Panthea’s, Lilly began to recover from the emotional trauma she had suffered at Regina’s hands. Jolene insisted she drink gallons of cleansing tea to wash any remaining poison out of her body. Her spirits lifted and she was feeling stronger every day. There was one constant reminder, the narrow white seam adorning the side of her face. She knew only those with magickal vision could see it, but it tightened and tingled at weird moments.
She and Roland renewed their relationship making love slowly, getting to know one another again. Roland had recovered his duffle bag from the locker at the airport and spent hours playing his mandolin. He made up silly songs to make her laugh and love songs that made her blush. “I wrote this on the beach, remembering you, missing you. As I wrote it I realized what a fool I had been for leaving. I call this one, Violet Lady.”
When the meeting of our eyes becomes obsession, emotion and longing start to play.
When getting what I want becomes, I love you, the attraction draws us closer every day.
Then bring me to your Venus violet lady, wrap me in your subtle strands of silk.
Touch me with your tender hands, have mercy, let me touch your skin as white as milk.
I hear your radiating laughter, like a holy mother goddess of the Earth.
Drive me to the center of your passion, show me the measure of your worth.
Then bring me to your Venus, Violet lady. Wrap me in your subtle strands of silk.
Touch me with your tender hands, have mercy. Let me touch your skin as white as milk.
Dream me in your nights. I’ll be your lover. Let me ride the cresting of your wave.
Thrill me with the pleasures of your body, roll me in the caverns of your cave.
Then bring me to your Venus, Violet lady. Wrap me in your subtle strands of silk.
Touch me with your tender hands, have mercy. Let me touch your skin as white as milk.
Lilly blushed to the roots of her hair, but quickly gained her composure. “Sounds like you were mighty horny. So...was it love or lust which lured you back?”
Roland’s eyebrows rose as he bit his lower lip. “Ah, I must confess it was both,” he said as he put his mandolin aside and took her in his arms.
Chapter 40
The Threat of the Raven’s Claw
Lilly resumed her classes with Jolene and Sabine, Roland spent time with James delving into Druidic teachings. He wanted to continue to study and unlock whatever powers he might have. After the attack on Lilly, he was determined to explore all possibilities in order to protect her.
On a sunny day, a week after the rescue, Roland took a walk to Frenchman Street to say hello to Jason. He sauntered down Decatur Street past Raven Moon. The energy was dense, dark and malevolent. The ‘Open’ sign was not on the door.
Feeling stronger, Lilly took her flute into the courtyard. Sitting on one of the wrought iron benches near the fountain, she closed her eyes and allowed the music to move through her.
Fields of swaying wild flowers filled her vision as she recovered her inner joy. The flute Roland had given her was not only an instrument of expression rather, as Lilly was discovering, it was also an instrument of invocation. With no warning, she felt a pressure in her head as her joyful vision began to twist and change. The sunny sky filled with ominous black clouds. The swaying field of flowers withered.
Taking the flute away from her mouth, she opened her eyes and screamed. A huge raven twice the size of the normal bird, sat on the edge of the nearby fountain staring at her. Its mouth opened and closed as it made a terrible screeching sound.
Grabbing her flute, Lilly ran towards Jolene’s kitchen door. The raven swooped after her, trying to entangle its claws in her hair. Bursting through the door, she slammed it closed turned and almost tripped over Topaz as she made her way into the shop.
Jolene and Sabine, sitting behind the counter chatting, saw the look of distress on Lilly’s face. They jumped up as she pointed to the courtyard gasping, “Raven.”
Jolene ran past her, grabbing a broom as she rushed through her kitchen. Sabine was on her heels with Lilly following cautiously behind them. The raven had returned to the
