Luna's Sokjan (Book one) (23 page)

Jennifer kissed my cheek
and then Gabriel’s, before wrapping her arm around Angus’s waist as
they walked out of the kitchen.

“Would you care to explain
who that big warrior was?” Gabriel’s question was so casually
spoken.

It caught me off guard. He
stood at the sink staring out the window into the yard.

“Who?” I asked.

“The spirit that dared to
touch you during the shielding ritual,” he said
.

He still didn’t look at
me.

Was he jealous of a
spirit?

“The Celt, if memory
serves me right. He was a warrior from somewhere around the 13th
century. I’ll have to check, but I believe he established most of
the laws that all werebeings still follow today.” I placed my cup
in the sink, and I ran my hand over his stiff back. “Do you have
any plans for this evening?” He gave me a sideways
glance.

“What did you have in
mind?” he asked.

I slid in front of him
moving my hands up under his shirt.

“Well, I was thinking
around three, we could pay the witches a visit, just me and you.” I
purred caressing his muscular chest. “But before we go see the
witches, I thought we could go visit with the vampires.” I licked
his strong chin, “Just to play a bit
,
if you want to.”

He declined my offer to go
play with the vampires, but he did come up with a few games of his
own to play
.

At two
,
in the morning, I walked into
Jennifer’s room.

“She is your pup?” A thick
Scottish accented voice asked.

I sucked in air and looked
at the Celt, standing at the foot of Jennifer’s bed. He had his
brawny arms crossed over his big chest and was watching Jennifer
sleep.

“Yes,” I answered, “Why
are you in here?”

“Just watching the babe
sleep, little Raven. She is obviously important to you. I wanted to
know more about her. She isn’t of your bloodline. She doesn’t have
the power that your child should have.” He answered me.

I stared at him. Just how
did he know that? We needed to have a nice long talk, later, after
the witches.

“I am not of Angus’s
blood, but he is my father. How powerful is she?” I asked
him.

I touched her
hair.

“Ah, now I understand. You
found her and kept her for your own,” he nodded, “Her power is
strong and it will grow stronger in time.”

“I have to go.” I
stated.

“Go do what you need to do
with the witches, I will guard your pup,” he told me.

I looked at him and then
at Jennifer, and with a nod
,
I left the room.

The fall night was brisk
and clear with just enough moonlight to see by. The early morning
damp mist surrounded the twenty-six black-hooded, cloaked figures.
As they created two circles, thirteen people formed the outer layer
and eleven people formed the inner layer of the circle. Two figures
stood facing each other in the middle of circles, the priest and
priestess. With a signal from the priestess, two drummers began
beating out a steady rhythm. The outer circle began moving in a
clockwise direction. With another signal from the priestess, a
third drummer joined in, and the middle circle moved in a
counter-clockwise direction. They chanted to God and Goddess. Magic
licked up around the area, like flames in a fire. The priestess
nodded to the fourth and final drummer. He beat out a new rhythm,
and slowly blended it in with the others
.

It was a curious sound and
seemed wrong, no one seemed to notice. As the drumming grew louder
and louder, the priest and priestess moved away from each other,
the priestess walked over to face north and the priest faced
south.

The priestess paused for
effect, before calling the quarter and then the priest called the
other. When he finished they moved like one, until she was facing
east, and he was facing west. Again the priestess paused, and then
called the quarter and the priest called the other. Another pause,
they turned like one and faced each other. Pause, they approached
each other. Pause, the priestess thrust her knife into the air and
called the Goddess to the circle. The priest thrust his knife into
the ground and called the God to the circle. Everything
stopped.

“The master has given us a
special task this eve. We are calling one that he needs to complete
his last task here on earth. Through this calling, that we do this
eve, he will achieve the higher enlightenment he needs to open the
door to the other world.” Her voice was loud and clear, “We are his
messenger's. We carry his call. We raise the power that he will
need. We are the chosen.”

The coven members
cheered.

This was the most boring
thing I’d ever seen in my life. Gabriel and I sat in the tree line
watching the show. Hidden from sight, from sound, and from smell by
a shield I had created when we had first arrived. On the drive over
I had explained to him what should happen when the witches form a
circle. Oh boy, I was all wrong.

“Well I have to say that I
have never seen anyone call a circle with negative and positive
power, until tonight that is.” I commented when the priestess
paused yet again. “And since they have confused the hell out of the
spirits I am pretty sure they won’t be coming out to play with them
tonight.”

When the middle circle
started moving in a counter-clockwise direction, my mouth would
have fallen open, if my chin hadn’t been resting on my
knees.

“How did they confuse the
spirits?” Gabriel asked.

He had watched the whole
episode with interest.

“Well the spirit won’t
know which language to use if they have to speak to anyone,
English, old English or badly spoken Latin. If it were me, I would
go with the badly spoken Latin. I mean it’s not like any of them
would understand what I was saying anyway.” I shrugged.

“The spirit can choose the
language it speaks in?” he asked.

“Yes.” I nodded my head.
“The spirits usually speak in the language of the calling. I always
use a language I understand, that way when the spirit does speak to
me. I can understand what the hell it is saying. Makes things go a
lot easier in the long run.” I told him.

When dealing with spirits,
it is always wise to be abundantly clear as to why you have called
them. What payment you are willing to pay. A pissed off spirit is
never a smart thing to have around.

“What does that mean they
are the messenger’s for the master?” he sounded
thoughtful.

I glanced over at him. He
sat crossed legged in the grass. We both wore jeans, t-shirts and
jackets.

“I don’t know.” I turned
back to the group.

Wanting to see if anything
else would happen, secretly I was hoping for a pissed off spirit.
That would descend on the group and chase them around. Now that
would be a fabulous show.

“I am sorry I dragged you
out here. Maybe I should have just called all the covens in the
area and ask them which group is fucking with me.”

The priestess had turned
back to face the priest, and they joined hands.

“With the power of the
Goddess.” she began.

I looked around at the
power they had built up. It was drifting this way and that way. Not
doing a thing. What a waste.

“With the power of the
God,” the priest called out.

No change in the power
drifting aimless around the circle.

“I command you to come to
me,” her voice had grown louder and stronger as she spoke. It
sounded more manly, “McKenna,” I almost laughed out loud. “McKenna,
I command you to come and serve your master.”

“Who’s your master?”
Gabriel wanted to know. Hmmm, I wanted to know that too.

“I don’t know. Maybe, if
we sit here long enough she’ll tell us.” I was still watching the
power shift listless around. To see if anyone would notice I pushed
the drifting power around. Nope, no one did, nice.

“They act like beginners.
I can’t figure out how they got into my dreams.” I
sighed.

“McKenna! I demand that
you come to me. ” The priestess suddenly cried out and then I felt
it. Someone was adding power to her calling. It made the hair on my
arms stand up. I looked at Gabriel, he had felt it too.

“Hmmm, someone new just
entered the playing field.” I commented
.

I opened my mouth and
breathed deeply tasting this new power. This wasn’t the power from
my dreams, but it was familiar somehow.

“So either the master is
not as strong as he would have them believe or he is using them as
a cover.” I told Gabriel. “I think we should go in and beat his
name out of them, game?”

He stood up and offered me
his hand.

“I would also like to talk
to this ‘master’ myself,” he said pulling me to my feet. “Can we
cross the circle?”

“Oh yes, our animal magic
alone would let us. Even if they had keyed the circle to get things
out, which they didn’t, but then they didn’t key the circle to keep
anything in for that matter.” I told him as we moved towards the
group.

“McKenna come and kneel
before me and my green man,” her voice full of
authority.

For the first time that
night, I felt enough power in her voice to understand how they had
entered my dreams
.

“I think that he is nearby
using her as a conduit or a vessel if you like, to make me face
them. Why
,
is the
only question I can think of?” I searched the woods around us. “But
I can’t seem to find him.”

“What do you have in
mind?” Gabriel asked me.

We had arrived at the
outer circle.

“Well, I could show them
how to call the quarters and when the circle is up. I will ask the
priestess who the hell the ‘master’ person is. Did you have
anything that you wanted to do?” I asked him.

I used my power to push
people out of our way as we entered the circle.

“Kill this ‘master’ for
trying to take what is mine,” he replied coolly.

“Okay, but after this, we
go to Waffle House for breakfast.” We had reached the middle of the
circle. “Agreed?”

“Agreed,” he smiled down
at me. “Show them how it is done, my mate.”

I dropped his hand, and I
walked to the center of the circle to face the priestess
alone.

“Good,” she said when she
was me. “You will knee before your master,” once again her voice
held control.

I contemplated the hooded
being.

“Where is this master,
priestess?” I asked her. “Who dares to call me like a common
dog?”

“All in good time beast,
the master wants you to do some things first.” She told
me.

Her voice dipped with
disdain.

“I don’t do tricks. So
this master isn’t here or nearby is he?” I knew he wasn’t, but she
didn’t need to know that.

“The master is watching
us, he sees all.” She replied.

“Good, let me show him and
you how to call a circle, bitch.” I filled my hands with
power.

“We don’t need you to
teach us anything, beast.” She sneered at me.

Let’s see if he can keep
you, bitch, when I’m done.

I turned to face north,
“Spirits of the earth I command you come and play with me.” The
ground shook. The crowd whispered and murmured in fear. A rock
appeared at my feet.

I turned to face the
south, “Spirits of fire I command you come and play with me.” A
flame surrounded the outer circle. A small flame flared to life
next to the rock.

I turned to face the east,
“Spirits of the wind I command you come and play with me.” Wind
blew the group around and a gentle breeze played with my hair,
before teasing the flame.

I turned to face the west,
“Spirits of water I command you come and play with me.” Water
sprayed across the mass of people and a small puddle formed on the
other side of the rock.

“With the power of earth,
fire, wind, and water I seal this circle. Let none enter, and none
shall leave, so be it.” My power was growing and blended with
theirs as it locked the circle into place.

I turned to face the
priestess as I raised a hand into the air.

“Great Mother, Luna. It is
I McKenna, your Sōkjan that calls you tonight
.
I request your approval over what
I do here this night. Lend me your sight to see the guilty. Lend me
your power to bring justice to the guilty, so be it.” I called out
and closed my eyes as I felt the power slam to the ground.
Completing the circle and blocking anyone from entering or leaving
my place of power.

I grinned and opened my
power filled eyes. I watched the priestess stumble away from me and
fell to the ground. The master was no longer controlling
her.

“Still think you’re my
master bitch?” I asked the priestess. My voice was a low, deep
growl, “Give me the name of your master, so that I can call him
myself.”