Serendipity: Imbolc & Incantations Page 8

  “Luckily for all of us, we were able to capture your sentient energy before it was extinguished and managed to resurrect your current life. Do you know how much work it would have taken to get to this point all over again with a reincarnation?” The voice didn’t wait for a reply.

  “No matter what anybody thinks, when you invoke a second or subsequent life, all things do not translate equally.”

  Seren groaned and pulled the soft furs that surrounded her over her head in a vain attempt to muffle the constant talking.

  She didn’t even know what the words meant. Her brain was too fried.

  Thoughts and memories and random scraps of information jumped all over the place like someone had emptied an entire trough of ping-pong balls inside her head and now they were bouncing around like some kind of rabid information dump.

  “That’s normal,” the irritating voice continued. “You’ll feel a little discombobulated until everything finally settles down again. Think yourself lucky. Trying to get back to normal when you’ve been reincarnated is far more difficult because half that information you’re complaining about is missing, and you never get it back. It’s like having to relearn what you know all over again to fill in the gaps and some of it is never, ever retrieved.”

  “Suffering spell books, shut up!” Seren mumbled, her voice rasping over her vocal cords like it was a cheese grater. She tried to clear her throat. Maybe some water would help.

  “Ah, there she is!” The voice sounded inordinately pleased, considering Seren had just told it to go away. “Speech is an important step on the road to recovery.”

  The comforting blankets were pulled away and Seren cracked open her tired eyes in time to see a blur of nothing and then the fuzzy image of a glass of water being thrust in front of her face.

  “Sit up and drink this,” the voice demanded. It had got to be joking. She could barely even pry her eyes open, let alone move. Not that that stopped it.

  “Here, I’ll help.”

  The next thing Seren knew, she was being manhandled into a slumping upright position, which there was no way she could sustain. But as she slowly slid back down, feeling like a rag doll, unable to maintain the pose, she became aware of some kind of magic wrapping around her like an exoskeleton, forcing her upright whether or not she liked it.

  And right now, she did not.

  But neither did she have a choice, it seemed.

  “There, we are, now drink this,” the voice urged once again.

  Seren peered at the glass, realising that it was not water but some kind of opalescent liquid. She reached out, but two failed attempts at trying to grasp the thing had both of them realising that she couldn’t focus well enough to take it, let alone hold it to her parched lips.

  “Hmm, you’re a little worse for wear than I expected,” The response was far too cheerful for the weight of the situation as far as Seren was concerned.

  Ya think? The less than grateful retort swam through the chaos in her mind.

  There was a flash in the corner of her vision and Seren screwed her eyes shut against the stabbing pain it triggered in her pounding temples.

  “Sorry,” came a familiar voice that Seren couldn’t quite place right now. “I was holding back, trying to avoid a teleport flare-burst until she was stronger, but I sensed you needed help,” the new voice announced as if she wasn’t there.

  “How right you are!” the first voice admitted. “She’s in worse shape than I anticipated. I could certainly use another pair of hands.”

  “I’m right here, you know,” Seren grumbled hoarsely, imagining that she must now look like some kind of crazed marionette whose central string had been hung taut, while the rest of its body flopped.

  “She’s talking at least,” the new voice remarked. “And I can detect a hint of attitude there.”

  Seren frowned and fought to uncover the hints her strained memory was giving her. “Allurielle, is that you?” she finally managed.

  “Oh, it is indeed,” both voices exclaimed at once, their pitches so high that Seren winced and wished she’d kept her mouth shut.

  “So I’m in the Spirit World?” she queried, squinting her eyes and trying her best to get them to focus again.

  “That you are, my dear,” the perky voice confirmed.

  Through the blur, Seren could just about make out two female shaped figures, but there was no detail.

  “Am I dead?” she asked in confusion. “I thought you said you saved me.”

  Death was an odd concept between the three realms. A magical being could live for centuries, invoking up to nine lives which allowed them to remain in the magic realm and visit both the mortal realm and, to a lesser extent, conversely, the spirit realm. But there had to be a special set of circumstances in place to allow the latter to happen.

  Critically, a sorcerer’s essence and body, had to remain intact and be preserved by a third party. If that didn’t happen, then they ‘died’. But in this case death meant they moved into the shadows of the spirit world, where they functioned much like a ghost. They could still visit the magic realm, but usually unseen, to carry out higher functions. The mortal world, however, was no longer accessible. And usually there was a visible transference. Everyone knew if you had passed into the shadow realm which was what made the unexplained disappearance of her parents even stranger. They had both simply ceased to exist; something almost unheard of.

  “That’s right, and it was touch and go, I can tell you. When you use the veil to gain access to the spirit world, there’s normally a very specific sequence of events.”

  “Yeah, well guess what, no one told me how to use it to get back here and it was kind of an emergency,” Seren retorted.

  “Ah look, there’s that sassy spirit showing itself. Sounds like you’ll be just fine as soon as we fix you up a bit,” Allurielle commented, approaching Seren with the drink once again.

  “Here, let’s get this potion down you. It will improve things no end.”

  With that, the Glinda lookalike all but poured it right down Seren’s throat.

  “Dribbling doorknobs!” Seren exclaimed amidst a fit of coughing and spluttering.

  “See, it’s working already. Look how much perkier you suddenly are,” the ‘voice’ commented.

  Seren’s vision had improved. She blinked as the figure swathed in white came into focus. “Who are you?” she asked, wiping her chin, relieved that her limbs seemed to be back under the command of her mind.

  The woman, who she realised had a hint of Irish in her accent, smiled broadly. “Why I’m Brigid, of course.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  For a moment Seren’s mind just went blank. “Brigid,” she repeated inanely, then frowned as realisation set in. “You mean as in Saint Brigid?” she demanded, thoroughly shocked. “The goddess of Imbolc?”

  “The one and only,” Brigid confirmed rubbing her hands and grinning so widely Seren swore she was showing every single one of her teeth.

  Seren closed her eyes and wondered if she was just dreaming. Insignificant, bumbling witches like her did not get saved by revered saints. They didn’t even get to meet them. And Brigid was nothing like she had imagined her to be. Seren had always visualised the goddess to be elegant and aloof, tall and sophisticated and graceful. The being in front of her was plump and playful with a wicked gleam in her eye and a face which exuded a comforting happiness and eternal optimism. She reminded Seren of the blue witch from Sleeping Beauty.

  Yes. This had to be a dream. On the other hand, she’d never experienced a dream which was quite this painful. It would be pretty good if she just woke up and found that none of this had actually happened.

  “Oh, it happened all right,” Brigid told her in no uncertain terms. “And actually, Merryweather is my cousin. I’m not sure how I feel about the comparison.”

  “Okay, how do you do that?” Seren asked somewhat irritably. She was getting mightily sick of her every thought being known. It was damn unsettling.


  “By the power of the all-seeing eye,” Brigid replied. “It’s a goddess thing.”

  Okay, maybe not a dream after all. She opened her eyes wide with a start. Bedknobs and broomsticks, she was in the presence of magical royalty.

  “Um, I’m pleased to meet you, your goddessness,” Seren stammered. Shitsickles, was she supposed to curtsey? What was the proper protocol for meeting one of the deities?

  “Oh, none of that now.” Brigid waved her hand. “I can’t be doing with all that standing on ceremony nonsense. Takes up far too much time and effort.”

  Seren laughed, somewhat self-consciously. The whole thing was surreal, but this down-to-earth version of Brigid seemed like Seren’s type of person. Was she allowed to be buddy’s with a goddess or was that kind of thing frowned upon?

  “I would be honoured to call you my friend, Seren Starlight,” Brigid said with a quiet seriousness that left Seren humbled.

  She was quiet for a long time, absorbing the significance of the moment and trying to grapple with the slew of emotions that simple announcement produced. It was far more than an honour. It affected Seren - the laughing stock other witches often ridiculed - on a soul deep level which couldn’t be explained.

  It was an endorsement above anything that could ever be imagined, and it felt like the validation of her entire existence.

  It was mind-boggling.

  Seren swallowed around the lump in her throat and blinked rapidly. “Thank you,” she finally replied in a voice hoarse with emotion. Completely lost for words, she couldn’t find the right ones to express just how she felt right now, so she hoped that was enough. But if this woman really could read her mind, then she’d know.

  Brigid stepped forward and placed her work roughened hand over Seren’s shaking one. Her smile this time was guileless and serene. “And I do,” she whispered into the silence.

  Allurielle broke the moment by clapping her hands. “Right, we need to get this show on the road,” she called. “We can’t take a chance on Seren being here any longer than absolutely necessary, or we risk exposing ourselves.”

  Seren shook her head in confusion and shifted to a more comfortable position, slowly realising that the spell which had held her upright was gradually wearing off and she was operating under her own steam.

  “I don’t understand,” she told Allurielle. “Why is that important?”

  There were a lot of things she didn’t understand in all honesty, but she’d start with this and hope she’d remember everything that might be pertinent before they made her leave. Maybe Brigid with that all-seeing thing could help with that.

  “It’s important because the dark forces will be watching closely, trying to ascertain whether their plan to silence you was effective.” Allurielle was all brisk, no nonsense attitude now.

  Seren rubbed her hands over her face, almost afraid to confront the implications. “You mean they tried to kill me?” she whispered, hardly daring to say the awful words.

  “No,” Brigid reassured. “Their primary aim was to shut down the incantation.”

  Allurielle, it seemed, wasn’t content to leave it at that though. “Make no mistake, your demise would have been a happy side benefit,” she said harshly, and Seren couldn’t help the shudder that rippled through her.

  “Their expectation would have been that you stopped the spell to save yourself. So, while they don’t expect you to be dead, never doubt that they will watch for signs of your signature in the shadow realm, just in case they got lucky.”

  “What does that even mean?” she asked, tiredly. Events were beginning to catch up with her and although she could feel her strength returning, she could also tell exhaustion was hot on its tail.

  “You need to sleep it off,” Brigid interrupted, answering her inner feelings. “Both for your own sake and that of the little one. But not until we’ve brought you round sufficiently to ensure there’s no lasting damage or side effects.”

  Little one? Seren latched on to the odd comment but didn’t have time to query what that meant before Allurielle continued.

  “It means that while they can’t know that your incantation was indeed accomplished and successful, they will search for any signs of what has occurred and how they might have affected it.”

  Seren still wasn’t sure it was making any sense. Thankfully, Brigid came to her rescue.

  “What Allurielle is trying to say is that those responsible for this will be actively looking for evidence of your presence in the spirit world. As far as they are concerned, there should be only two outcomes. Either they succeeded in their initial endeavour and stopped you from finishing the spell…” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Or you died by persisting with it.”

  Seren felt the chill all the way to her bones. Shit just got real.

  Brigid carried on, and Seren was beyond relieved that she didn’t have to pry answers out of the two women.

  “They can’t know which one, so they’ll watch to see if your expiration signature is recorded here.” Allurielle continued the explanation. “That would prove your transfer to the spirit world.”

  Brigid took over once more. “But if you return to the citadel after that event has been chronicled, then they’ll realise you had help from within the shadow realm, giving us away.”

  “And that knowledge is an advantage we don’t want them to have,” Allurielle interjected before allowing Brigid to finish.

  “The longer they believe that there is no bigger threat against them than an unqualified witch they’ve done their best to discredit, the better we can prepare ourselves against the final assault.”

  Seren did her best to wrap her head around the words, but they were too astounding. Still, there was one question she was burning to know. “Who are they?” she implored. “Who’s behind all this?”

  Allurielle shook her head, her shoulders slumping and her fighting spirit momentarily diminished. “Sadly, that’s something we have yet to establish. And another reason why we must bide our time and not give anything away to the enemy. We need to know who all the players are and exactly what we’re dealing with in order to successfully depose them.”

  Brigid nodded sagely. “Until then, the game must be played stealthily, and we mustn’t give them any cause to believe there’s a serious offensive being mounted against them. Their ignorance works in our favour. And to maintain it, we need to get you home.”

  Seren blew out a breath. What these two powerful shadow mages said might be true on the whole. But one thing had become apparent. This was no damn game.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Wait!” Seren yelled desperately as the two sorceresses busied themselves with everything they needed to do to send her back. “I still have questions.”

  “There’s no time!” Allurielle claimed, shortly.

  Thankfully, Brigid was a little more flexible. “Ask your questions quickly child, we have a little work to do to ensure your return and transit are obscured.”

  The moment the offer was out there, Seren panicked and her mind went blank. Shitsickles, she was wasting precious time here.

  “Umm…” the pause was long and obvious, and Brigid looked up and gave her an encouraging smile.

  “Okay.” Seren took a deep breath and addressed Allurielle. “At Samhain you told me the veil would allow me access to the spirit world, but only to seek my destiny. How do I use that? Today’s little escapade has made it obvious that I didn’t do it right.”

  It was Brigid, rather than Allurielle, who replied first. “It wasn’t wrong,” she conceded, continuing whatever it was she was doing. “It’s just that the request for passage takes time. More time than you had. I made an executive decision to grant you access before the authentication was made, but mostly that was luck since I was tuned in to your movements after visiting you last night.”

  Seren coloured. She couldn’t help feeling that Brigid had something to do with the situation she’d found herself in with Siarl, but that would have to wait fo
r another time.

  Of course, if the goddess’s rather lascivious wink was anything to go by, she already had her answer, even if she didn’t understand the significance behind it.

  “There are consequences to that, but nothing I can’t deal with under the circumstances and, thankfully, the gift of the veil validates your entrance. Normally those in the magic realm can only enter the spirit world if summoned.”

  “It’s good that you remembered you could only gain access to search for your destiny,” Allurielle added. “The execution was a little thin, but it still made a difference, otherwise all hell would have let loose and we’d be cleaning up a far bigger mess.”

  Seren bit her tongue against the sarcastic retort she wanted to make about propriety and clear thinking during the circumstances of being crushed to death, and Brigid laughed, obviously knowing what was in her mind.

  Allurielle raised her head from the potion she was tending and looked from one to the other before shaking her head. “For future reference, you need to state a specific question regarding your destiny and ask the spirit world for help. The deities will then decide if the knowledge you’re seeking is significant enough to justify granting access. You may find that you won’t always be let in. In those cases, it’s safe to assume that whatever you were seeking is inconsequential. You can’t just enter the spirit world for any old thing.”

  “So, it’s a reasonable assumption that what happened today was not my destiny,” Seren surmised.

  “Absolutely not!” Brigid agreed in her usual positive manner, but Allurielle was more cautious.

  “It’s not the destiny the fates have decreed,” she clarified. “But you need to remember that not everyone fulfils their destiny. And yours, in particular, is fraught with those who wish to subvert its course.”

  “Why?” Seren asked, the words popping out of her mouth without thought.

  “Because the oracle has decreed that you and your offspring are the saviours of the magic realm and the tri-fold world as we know it.”

  Seren shook her head frantically. “No! That can’t be possible,” she said breathlessly, rejecting the entire notion. “I’m a nobody. I haven’t even graduated.”