The Sorceress (8 page)

Unless deliberately inflicted by another, pain and illness was practically nonexistent on the Goddess Realm. Zeta looked confused as she searched Tara's eyes for truth.

Tara looked away. “We must hurry. I'm late.”

Zeta didn't question her. They resumed walking, their bare feet moving swiftly. Zeta unlaced her fingers and held Tara's hand in a protective, tightened grip.

“I know that you're troubled, mistress.” Zeta's blue feathers rustled nervously. “Were it not for your urgent appointment, I would lift you in my arms and soar heavenward where you could rest upon a cushiony cloud.”

Tara set appreciative eyes on Zeta's face. “Thank you.” She didn't have it in her to say more. With each hastened step, Tara was haunted by a mosaic of horrid images and maniacal moaning and wailing sent telepathically by Eris. The loud sounds and
crude imagery crammed every corner of her mind and made her head throb. Though she wanted to ease her pain, Tara did not possess the power to shut out the images from her mind.

Zeta kept caring eyes trained on Tara's face.

“My sister's confinement is appalling.”

Zeta nodded acknowledgment of the statement. Eris was wicked. Zeta, having been on the receiving end of Eris's cruelty, knew that firsthand, but she kept her judgment to herself.

“Eris doesn't deserve to be trapped in that hellish place. My poor sister is surrounded by dreadful beings—” Tara's bottom lip trembled. “Those evil-doers she dwells among are all thieves and murderers. Incorrigible! I'm so afraid they'll influence my sister. Involve her in some ill-doing that will lengthen her sentence.”

“She's serving a life sentence, mistress,” Zeta reminded Tara. “The goddess of destruction is doomed to the Dark Realm for all of eternity.”

“Good behavior and repentance could grant her clemency. As her compassionate and loving sister, it is my obligation to speak to the council on her behalf.” Tara turned to Zeta, her blue eyes moist and unhappy. “She's suffering, Zeta. And when my sister suffers, I suffer too.” Her sinewy fingers brushed across her forehead.

“Without a doubt, Eris has engaged in a great share of wrong-doing and many unkind acts were committed against you. But, in my heart, I believe my sister's behavior cannot possibly be compared to the depraved misconduct of those deviants she's imprisoned with.”

Tara's troubled thoughts propelled her to walk swiftly. Her gown swirled around her as she sped along. Zeta's wings fluttered as she quickened her step to keep up.

“She uses her gift of mind power to get in my head and communicate with me. My sister especially regrets her transgressions against you, Zeta,” Tara said softly. “She pleads for your forgiveness.”

Zeta walked with her mistress in silence.

“You will forgive her, won't you? I'm certain that Eris can be rehabilitated if she were granted clemency and returned to the Goddess Realm—under close supervision, of course.”

“I agree, mistress. No one is beyond redemption,” Zeta said, lowering her head to conceal doubtful eyes. Kindhearted, Tara could not bring herself to believe that Eris was so callous she was beyond redemption. She was certain there was a misunderstanding or some reasonable explanation for why or how Eris had managed to escape captivity from the Dark Realm or why she'd revisited the Earthly plane. While on earth for the second time and this time without permission, Eris had not communicated with Tara. Tara did not possess the details of her sister's crimes on earth or why she'd been handed down the harsh life sentence.

She did know that the warrior goddess, Kali, was summoned to earth and was forced to wage battle against Eris. Kali had returned to the Goddess Realm so infirm that not even the magic of the highest healer could restore her health. Her silenced lips could not report the extent of Eris's misdeeds.

But Eris's laments, her cries for mercy, were agonizing; too much for Tara's compassionate soul to bear. If Eris was not released, Tara worried that unbearable sorrow would wither her own radiant smile. The vibrant health she so enjoyed would eventually fail and, unlike her mother, she would not ascend to the heavens. She'd be doomed like Kali, to convalesce inside a crystal tomb, waving between life and death indefinitely.

Zeta accompanied Tara down the glittering gold path that led to the healing chamber. When they reached the door, the winged maiden opened her arms and Tara moved into her embrace. They kissed softly, and then Zeta held open the door and bade Tara farewell.

The goddess circle had already formed around Kali's vault. Instead of praying, their voices resonated in a humming chant. At first, Tara's questioning eyes drifted around the circle and then rested on Kali's still form. Tara took her place inside the circle and reverently bowed her head and, with a heavy heart, she joined in the single-chord mantra, now understanding that Kali's health would not be restored. The goddess chant would help with her transition. It was only a matter of time before Kali ascended to the Heavenly Realm.

E
ris was a fool. He'd masterminded an ingenious escape plan, created a pathway from her world to his, and she'd bungled all his work. Now he was exhausted; too tired to make another attempt to free her. She was lucky he needed her help; otherwise he would gladly leave her trapped in hell.

Being caged inside the body of a small child restricted him from wreaking havoc or doing physical harm to his parents and the hired help the way he wanted to. Every time he was referred to as “Ethan,” the child went into frenzy. His name was Xavier but these imbeciles refused to address him properly.

Since he was perceived as odd and unable to master speech, he went along with the farce, expressing his disdain for the name he'd been given with snarls and wheezing. Xavier could manipulate his facial muscles into numerous unsightly contortions that terrorized anyone unfortunate enough to set eyes on him. But it wasn't enough. He wanted to cause pain.

Daniel and Catherine Provost had betrayed him many lifetimes ago and now that he was inside their home, a member of their family, he intended to make them suffer far worse than they'd done to him.

As parents, they were as detestable as they'd been in their last lifetime together, when they'd conspired to topple him from his
throne. Xavier was king and Catherine was his queen. Daniel, the cad, was Catherine's clandestine lover. The two sexual deviants had copulated in practically every room of Xavier's castle.

But committing adultery wasn't the worst of their crimes. Catherine and Daniel had masterminded a scheme, accusing Xavier of treason, leading him to an untimely demise at the guillotine.

The deceitful twosome reigned together for many years and grew old and died peacefully while Xavier's tormented spirit was contained in the Dark Realm.

Happy and successful in this lifetime as well, Catherine and Daniel had yet to pay for their crime. Oh, but they would. Xavier's hatred for his parents knew no bounds. Their demise would not be a gentle smothering or a simple slitting of their throats. They would die brutal deaths. It would be a hellish, bloody massacre splattered on the pages of newspapers for the entire world to see.

The mental pictures of the revenge he would exact upon them filled him with thrills. Pretending to be a child wasn't easy at times like this. Xavier was centuries old in spirit and he had emerged from the womb with the intelligence and the urgent desires of an adult male.

Sexual relief did not come easy. He could look at porn on the computer, but why do that when there was a living and breathing female in the bedroom a few doors down the hall. From past experiences, he knew his current nanny slept nude.

On numerous occasions, he'd used her unclothed body as a backdrop for self-gratification. Controlling his breathing and the accompanying wheezing, he had stealthily eased the sheet off the nanny and gazed at her luscious body.

He didn't even have to touch her perky little breasts or her
genitalia. The exquisite form of a living and breathing naked woman was a decadent work of art and the very sight of it was more satisfying than cyber sex could ever be.

As much as it reviled him, he had visited Catherine's room numerous times throughout his short five-year earth life. Though he hated Catherine, to his chagrin, he'd been left no choice but to relieve himself while standing over her wretched body on more occasions than he cared to count. Even during infancy, when he lay close to her breasts. He didn't have a choice.

The cowardly nannies always fled the household as soon as they suspected hanky panky had been going on as they slept. A dollop of telltale moisture on the bed sheets or a sticky splattering upon a thigh or a taut tummy always sent them packing.

Gripping a painful erection, Xavier slid off of the bed and crept out of his bedroom. He struggled to control his wheezing and panting breath, telling himself that relief was only a few feet away as he toddled toward Jen's room. This ineffective child's body that imprisoned him was a nuisance, particularly when adult urgings came down on him.

Stealthily, he twisted the doorknob. In a crouched position, he crossed the threshold. Satisfied that she was fast asleep, Xavier straightened his body when he reached the side of his nanny's bed.

Even in the darkened bedroom, he could see the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest; her peaked nipples taunted him, silently asking to be pinched or bitten. But he restrained himself.

He slithered closer to the bed, caressing his penis as he admired the outline of her perfect feminine form beneath the sheet. Sexual tension radiated from his groin in powerful waves. Spittle dribbled down his chin as he cunningly lifted the sheet. Jen squirmed. He released the sheet.

In the midst of a dream or perhaps a nightmare, Jen fitfully
turned away, tucking the sheet beneath her body, offering Xavier only a covered, rear view.

Making the most of the situation, the demon child sneered at her rounded derriere while he lowered his underwear and released his erection. His child-sized palm skillfully encircled the large limb that plagued him. With his face twisted in a grimace, he thrust it in and out with such ferocity, the sound of flesh against flesh, together with his ragged breathing, filled the room. Xavier was too far gone to concern himself with being discovered.

Wheezing and salivating, he stroked his penis. A rush of adrenaline accelerated his heartbeat. Groaning, he ejaculated into his cupped palm, careful not to leave a stain on the bed linen or on the floor. He wanted this nanny to stay awhile. He needed her as his unwitting sex partner until Eris arrived.

As if aware of his presence, Jen twisted in her sleep. The sound of his pounding heart and loud, wheezing breath seemed to disturb her but she didn't wake up. Frowning, she turned over. Lying flat on her stomach, Jen buried her face into the pillow, as if on some unconscious level she was hiding from the pure evil that lurked at her bedside.

Xavier slithered back to his bedroom and powered on the computer. Time to toy with Eris.

M
ore than ever, Eris wanted out of the Dark Realm. She knew exactly where her jewelry was hidden—inside that abominable Stovall child's bedroom, encased in a childish music box. Using her third-eye vision, and without any assistance from the prankster, Xaxier, she'd figured out a way to connect with the thieving, young rascal.

Through the moving picture box!

A sharp crackle and flashes of light woke Kali. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, and then glanced around. Her bedroom, dimly lit by a nightlight, appeared normal. The room was peaceful and calm—no unusual noises—no sparks of light. Thinking she'd been dreaming, she settled back down, nestling her head deeply into a plump pillow.

A sudden harsh click and the TV powered on. Kali sprang upright and stared at the TV mounted on the wall that faced her bed. The screen was lit, but there was no picture, only a series of sizzling sounds.

She whipped her head around, her eyes frantically searching for the remote. Locating the device on a table near her bed, Kali grabbed it, and quickly hit the power button. Nothing happened.