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From Chapter 10 I watched as the people began to disperse to their homes for the night. Some would remain awake in their huts to cast the bones and look into the future. Others would seek their beds; still others were already snoring soundly on the earth around the fire ring, full of good humor and drink. I would be atop the hill, setting ablaze the pile of wood I had prepared earlier. I would then remain awake through the night and keep the fire burning until dawn when the women would arrive to call down the sun. I waited until the last person left the circle of firelight before nodding to Dominic that it was time to go and grabbing the bag I'd prepared earlier. We set off into the darkness for the stone circle on the hill. To do my job properly, I knew I would have to remove all other thoughts from my mind and concentrate on the words I said as I lit the fire. I didn't know if I could do that this time. I glanced at the silent, stoic man that walked beside me. It would be next to impossible to clear my mind. Every Beltain since my mother had died, I had been the Delbaeth, the Firemaker. It was a tradition that came to my mother when she wed Padruig. As he was the healer, his wife became the Delbaeth, and, upon her death, the honor passed to their eldest daughter. We walked slowly along the trail, the shadows surrounding us completely. Everywhere, it seemed, secrets lurked like soldiers in the shadows. Was it only that it was Beltane, and the link between life and the world of magic was clear? Or was it coincidence? I knew I had made a conscious decision to remove the stones from the clutches of the earth, but what about everything else? I could see the thread that linked everything together in my mind's eye, but it was, as yet, distant and unclear, like a man on the horizon heading home. The stones, Dominic, my mother's writings and prophecies, my father's secrets, Aiden's death, Weylin's involvement, the strange man by the spring, the dream... everything seemed connected somehow. We stood now atop the hill, but I did not move inside the circle. I felt the earth's thrumming beneath my feet, and knew that I dared not enter until my mind was clear. Magic was alive tonight; it touched my skin and moved my hair as easily as the breeze that now rattled the leaves of the rowans nearby. It was always there, but tonight, it was a living thing. I looked at Dominic pointedly. He rolled his eyes, but obediently strode into the trees just out of sight. Perhaps now, I can concentrate. I glanced at the stone around my neck, and saw it through the layers of clothes. Its light shone brightly, far brighter than it ever had before. What was it Brigit's writings had said about the moon? I glanced up into the sky, but the only light there came from the star, its tail stretched out behind it. The moon was in its last phase - its rebirth - and was obscured in the sky. "...no person should lay hand on the stone except during the time when there is no moon or when the sun has gone black at full day...." I shivered slightly at the thought. I had thought that the absent moon caused the stone to be less powerful, and that was why it could be touched then, but, as I looked at the gem again, I began to reconsider that notion. Perhaps the light of the moon suppressed the powers. The wind picked up slightly, and the rattling of tree limbs and leaves hissed loudly through the stones. I heard the sound of something heavy as it hit the ground, and I turned to look behind me. Nothing. "Dominic?" I called. No answer. "Dominic!" I repeated, louder this time; still no response. My heart leapt into my throat. Where had he gone? Was he deliberately ignoring me? The fire had to be started before midnight; I could delay it no longer. I let my breath out slowly and shook my hands at my sides. Let him be obstinate. I closed my eyes and stepped into the circle, all the while acting the ceremony out in my head. Bless the circle for Beltane, call upon the elements, perform the incantation, and make the motion of fire coming out of the sky. Then, I would get down next to the wood with my flint and tinderbox and start a flame beneath the pile of wood. Simple. I just had to do it. I stood before the pyre and faced north. "I consecrate this circle of power to the ancients. Here, may they manifest and bless their child." The tongue of the Old Ways fell musically from my lips and I felt the stone become warmer next to my skin. "This is a time that is not a time, in a place that is not a place, on a day that is not a day. I stand at a threshold between worlds. May the ancients help and protect me on my journey." I walked to the western-most stone and reached into the bag. I pulled from its depths a stone jar filled with water. Pulling the stopper free, I poured the liquid over the face of the stone. "Bless this creature of water to your service. May we always remember the cauldron waters of rebirth." I had made the journey around the circle a dozens of times in my lifetime, yet tonight, there seemed to be another presence here with me, following me as I moved to the stone on the southern edge and blew gently on the stone. A tingle of foreboding started in the center of my back and moved outward. "Bless this creature of the air to your service. May we always listen to the winds that bring with them the voices of the ancients." I moved on to the next marker - the stone of the east - and placed an unlit candle at its base. The gem felt uncomfortably warm against my skin, as if a spark rested there, burning me. How appropriate. I began to speak once more. "Bless this creature of fire to your service. May we always remember the sacred fire that dances within the form of every creation." I turned to the north again. "Bless this creature of earth to your service. May we always honor the blessed earth, its many forms and beings." Here, I lifted a handful of soil from the ground and allowed it to filter out through my fingers onto the breeze. I stood before the pile of wood again, and raised one hand into the sky, my finger pointed. "Powers of air," I said, bringing my hand down once toward the wood and then back up. "Powers of water." I repeated the motion, quicker this time. "Powers of earth." I made the movement again, still faster. "Powers of fire... I call upon you to guard this rite and protect this circle." I brought my hand down a final time, and screamed as fire erupted in the center of the pile and instantly engulfed the timbers in flames. I staggered back several paces and fell backward, landing on my bottom. That had certainly never happened before. I touched the stone around my neck, noticing how it now felt cool against my skin. Perhaps it had spent all of its power starting the blaze? No matter, I thought. At least now I knew for certain that the gem contained magic within it. My breathing slowly returned to normal. I watched the flames devour the wood more quickly than I had ever witnessed in my life. I would be awake most of the night keeping the fire ablaze if it continued to burn at this rate. I glanced toward the trees where Dominic had gone. Had he seen it? If he had, he would have come out by now, I thought, and said something to me. Had something happened to him? The shaking in my limbs began to subside and the words to the end of the ceremony filtered into my thoughts. I closed my eyes. "This circle is bound, protected by me. I am the servant, the hands to obey. I am the weapon, the body to serve. I bind all power of this spell into this circle." I opened my eyes. Shadows danced strangely against the white stones, like ghosts of a time long removed. As my eyes adjusted, I became aware again of another presence in the circle. Inhaling deeply to regain my composure, I came to my feet unsteadily. The pervasive odor of rotten fish wafted to me. I swallowed hard to keep my gorge down. I glanced from side to side but saw nothing. Shivering, I turned at the feeling of eyes on my back and screamed as Weylin grabbed me, holding me against the northernmost stone. |
