Chapter 6 #2
But Penn didn’t seem distraught. “I don’t. He deserved what he got. I seldom ever regret decisions I make—and I certainly don’t regret taking him out. But thank you. I couldn’t have managed it without your help.”
“I’m just glad I was here.” I realized that I had just helped her in a similar way that Dante had helped me, four years before. “Hey, you want to go have a glass of wine somewhere? I’m still feeling the adrenaline rush.”
Penn let out a long breath. “That, sounds like a good idea.”
And from that day on, Penn became my second best friend.
* * *
Penn refused to let me eat the cold food. She swept it back into the kitchen and slipped it in the microwave. I pulled out a couple sodas from the fridge. We drank, but not a lot, and more often than not, if it wasn’t coffee, I preferred root beer.
“Here,” I said, handing her a can. “So, we’ve got an odd case.” I told her about Wendy and Mark Ryle. “Have you ever heard of the Tetrachordian Temple?”
Penn frowned, thinking. “For some reason, it rings a bell, but I can’t recall where—or why—I heard about it. It’s not a magical thing, that I can tell you. But…” She paused. “Hold on, let me look something up.”
She handed me the plate of fish and chips and then pulled out her tablet and brought up her email.
As she sifted through it, I bit into the fish.
A few drops of water on the plate had kept it from getting dry.
I carried the plate and chips to one of the stools by the counter and shifted onto it.
At that moment, Jangles jumped up on the table.
I had two cats—Jangles, who I’d found as a kitten, and Murdoch—who I’d taken in after his owner died.
They were best buddies now, and I’d discovered that Murdoch was, more or less, a familiar.
He didn’t bond with me in that way—he’d been the familiar for his owner—but he had a magical streak that I was slowly discovering was stronger than I had expected possible.
Jangles, on the other hand, was emotionally bonded to me, and I was her human.
I pushed my plate away and scooped her up in my arms, breathing deep into her fur.
A calico, she had that dusty, warm scent that cats tended to have, a comforting fuzzy smell that made my heart sing.
I gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head.
She looked up at me with wide, round eyes and let out a little meep, then began grooming my face.
“Aw, does mom need a bath?” I asked.
She wriggled in my arms and, purring, bounced down to the floor and ran over to her dish. Penn had fed the cats, and Murdoch was already eating. I returned to my food.
“This is so good, and you’re right—it’s much better hot.”
“Of course. Cold fries suck. Okay, here—here it is,” Penn said, glancing up from her tablet.
“I found it. I thought it was in my email, and it was, but it was an ad on one of the shopping sites I shop on. It was in one of their newsletters. It’s a notice that they’re having an open meeting Thursday night at seven. ”
“An ad?” I asked.
She handed me the tablet. The newsletter for a local store—Cast A Spell Books—was open, and at the bottom was a banner ad for the Tetrachordian Temple. Sure enough, they were offering a free meeting for anyone interested, Thursday night at seven PM.
“I think I might just mosey on down to take a look. Want to come with?”
Penn shrugged. “I guess I could. Oh, you said you have something you want me to suss out?”
“Yeah, if you can get anything from this watch, I’d appreciate it. And here’s the actual flyer. I thought maybe something might still be attached to it.” I pulled the watch and flyer out of my purse and handed them to her.
Penn took them. “Let’s go sit by my altar. It amps up the energy.”
I finished off the fish and chips and followed her to her office, shutting the door behind me to keep the cats out.
She’d set half of it up to handle her online business, and the other half was a ritual space.
An altar to Hecate was spread out on a large credenza, with a statue of Hecate, a ritual blade that witches called an athame, and a crystal ball.
A few other items were spread out in front of the bronze statue, including a wooden box that I knew contained a mandrake root.
I sat to the side while Penn picked up her dagger.
It was a wicked looking blade, double edged and razor sharp.
The blade was cast from copper, and the hilt was carved from ebony, with three serpents entwined around the sides.
Their eyes were inset with rubies, and a copper wire wound around the dark wood.
She held it out, tip pointing toward the north, and began to circle the room.
“I cast this circle in the name of Great Hecate, Lady of the Crossroads.
Open the gates, open the door for me to make magic in your name.
I cast this circle once, in the name of your Maiden Self, fresh as the morning breeze.
I cast this circle twice, in the name of the Mother, blood ripe and heavy with creation.
I cast this circle thrice, in the name of the Crone, spinning magic with every breath that comes from her body.
Great Hecate, seal this circle and let nothing unwelcome enter within.”
As she drew a pentagram with her athame, Penn let out a slow breath and I felt the tendrils of magic sealing the gate shut, enclosing us within the protective circle.
“Spirits of the roots of earth,
Spirits of the gales of air,
Spirits of the sacred fire,
Spirits of the tumultuous waves,
Come to this space and guard the watchtowers of power.
All those unwelcome, we cast thee out.
Guardians of the Elements,
Protect this house,
Protect this land,
Protect all who dwell within.”
Again, the energy spiked and settled. As I fell into tune with the ebb and flow of the magic, it felt like I was on a boat, floating in the eternal channel of power that encircled the universe, that spilled out in every direction from the core of all that had ever been and all that would ever be.
I drifted in the sensuous feel of the magic.
Penn settled on the bench in front of the altar table. She bowed her head, raising her hands.
“Lady of magic, Lady of might,
Lady of darkness, Lady of night,
Queen of magic, come to me,
Mistress of power, let me see.
Open up the gates of time,
Winds, cause the bells to chime,
Vortex whirl, twirl, and swirl,
In my eyes, the past unfurl.
Lady of the Crossroads, come to me,
Open my mind and let me see.”
As the energy grew thick, she set the flier and the watch on the altar. Then, picking up the watch, she held it between her hands and closed her eyes. I sat silent, waiting. The energy was so thick that it felt like I was breathing fog.
As Penn wavered, something shifted. Shivering, I looked around. I knew we were protected, but it still felt like something was approaching. I caught my breath, stumbling out of my chair as the air began to reverberate around me.
The next moment, I was standing on a long, narrow road.
Up ahead was a crossroad. To either side, fields that seemed to go on forever.
As I watched, a glowing light began to shimmer in the center of the two roads.
As it became so bright that I could barely see, something from within called out my name.