Myka's Tail Ch. 03

Kelli had indicated where I needed to be, and I trusted her with my life so I let the half robe I was wearing fall off of my shoulders and pool at my feet, then entered the circle, laying down on the floor in the middle of the entire design. I placed my hands and feet where she asked, and then Kelli turned to Ali and motioned her over.

"You have a silver knife, right," Kelli asked, and Ali nodded that she did. "Ok, use it in the center of both wrists and on the inside ankles to draw enough blood to drip down into the construct."

"It's funny that you are calling it a construct," Ali chuckled and did as she was asked, giving me four small cuts, and I gritted my teeth at the sting as four small trickles of my blood began to slowly drip into the smaller circles.

"Ok. That is the design that makes the most sense," Kelli stated and took a deep breath. "Hey Ali, you know the chant that goes along with this, don't you?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Well, don't most spells have their power increased when witches cast in unison? I don't understand a lot of the theory that I read yet, but I do know that multiples of three witches casting at once can make magic damned powerful. In fact, if what I do understand is correct, activating this construct with 12 witches casting simultaneously, you could drop the equivalent of a mental magical nuke on someone protected by it and they might feel a slight headache for a few minutes. At least I think that's what would happen. It's what makes sense."

Ali shook her head incredulously but said, "You and I are going to have a long chat soon. Ok. Mary, Gina, let's get started with the casting."

The three witches knelt outside of the circle, equidistant from each other and then they began to speak in a slow, rolling chant that resonated in my head like the deep bass pipes of a church organ. I could not understand the language they were using, but it had an almost musical quality to it as the deeply powerful words continued to flow from their lips. Immediately I began to feel a power building in their words and in their voices. They were barely speaking above a whisper but it was almost as if they were shouting. Then I felt tingles and rushes of electric sparks shoot through my body, originating from the cuts that Ali had made moments ago, and as the chanting increased in intensity so too did the rush of power I could feel flowing through my body.

The circle, and the runes inscribed in it, began to glow a bright yellow orange, lighting up the room and casting odd looking shadows against the walls, and still the chant pulsed with power, on and on. Seconds became minutes, became hours, became lifetimes. The witch's chanting reached a crescendo with a final burst of power so strong that it caused my body to spasm and arc up above the floor. My hands and feet, however, remained rooted to the circles that contained them by some unseen hand, and even with my increased strength I could not break free. And then, just as it started, the power receded until I was left on the floor with three panting witches around me and no sign that there had ever been anything drawn on the ground. It was done.

"Did it work," I gasped, as I sat up slowly and practically had to crawl over to my robe to dress. I felt as drained as if I had run back to back marathon races.

"Give us a minute to catch our breath," Mary answered, and I noticed that she looked almost as exhausted as I felt.

"By the goddess, I have never felt that much power go into a ward without a ley line or a convergence," Ali moaned. "We really need to talk about this Kelli, because you should not have been able to design a crafted structure that powerful."

"Whether she should be capable or not isn't the point. That it worked is," Gina remarked as she was finally able to get to her feet. "Goddess, I don't even remember the pattern for that design. Do you think you could recreate it for us Kelli?"

Kelli came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with cheese and crackers, and a couple of pitchers of water and juice, which she set on the table and motioned the witches over to eat.

"My guess is that you all could use a quick snack, and something to drink. And yes, I already copied down the design for you while you were chanting," and she passed over a sheet of notebook paper to Gina.

"Thanks a lot, for this and the food," Gina said, indicating the paper before she grabbed something to eat and a large glass of juice.

We all sat around the table and talked, the witches devouring the snacks that Kelli had provided along with the juice and water. I had gone to the refrigerator and grabbed myself a bottle of green tea, which was one of my current habits along with pots of coffee, hoping the caffeine would help keep me awake. I had become less than fond of sleeping, and I had been resorting to more and more desperate measures to stay awake. After a few minutes, though, Ali and her companions stated that it was time to go, as they all had other commitments that morning.

"Hold still and relax. I'm going to check to see that the ward is in place," Mary told me as she got up from the table and placed her palm on my forehead.

She closed her eyes and started muttering under her breath, and I was wondering what she was trying to do, but the result was clear. A few seconds after she had begun her test of the ward, she was thrown back away from me forcefully and landed on the floor about five feet away.

"I'd say the ward is set and is functioning," Gina laughed, and even Ali thought that was amusing.

"Damn that is strong," Mary replied with a feral grin. "I would guess that this ward will remain in place for some time. Perhaps even as long as six or seven weeks, and when your intruder tries to touch your mind again they are in for a very nasty shock."

"That should be enough time to get some answers," Ali commented. "And hopefully have you two bonded as well. That may also provide some protection, but I just don't know for sure. Anyway, we have to go but we will be in touch."

Gina then turned to me and said, "I nearly forgot. Can I take a small sample of hair to make a charm that will allow Millicent to bypass the ward and contact you in your dream? She was very insistent that no matter what we did to protect you that she wanted to talk to you soon."

My eyes betrayed my fear, knowing that if I did this it might open another path for my green cloaked enemy to invade my mind again. I really did want to talk to Millicent if I could, though. Just the thought of her warm smile and the bright twinkle in her sharp eyes caused the bond I shared with her to pulse with a burst of love.

"Can you promise me that Millicent will be the only one able to contact me this way," I asked, fear still tainting my voice.

Gina stood up straight then, and made a couple of slight hand gestures as she said, "I give you my oath, as a Sister bound to the Circle, and as a servant of the great goddess, that any charm I create with your essence will be usable only by Millicent, and only in friendship. This I swear by my blood."

A small burst of power pulsed between us, and my eyes widened in surprise. I knew without a doubt that in that moment, Gina had been entirely truthful with me and that whatever powers she had called on to make her oath would not let her break it. I nodded my head to her, and she reached forward and pulled a few hairs from my head and placed them in a small wax paper packet she had.

Gina took my shoulders and kissed my cheek and whispered to me as I blushed in embarrassment, "Thank you for allowing us to aid in your protection Miss Myka. It was a great honor."

Kelli took charge then, and showed everyone out the door, while I had gone back to the couch and curled up against one arm, staring into space and wondering when I would get so tired that I would be forced into unconsciousness, fully expecting to go through the dream again. Even after having seen the magic work when Ali and the others had cast the ward, I was still too terrified to allow myself to sleep.

"Hey sweetie," Kelli whispered, as she sat down next to me and pulled me into another hug which immediately made me start to cry. "Shh, shh. You're going to be ok, I promise. I may not be able to cast magic, but somehow I know exactly what they did here tonight. Weird, I know, but you are protected."

I nodded to her, my face still buried in her chest, the tears still flowing like summer rain. I just didn't want to let go right then. So, like a few times before the dreams started, and who knows how many times after, Kelli just held me. She stroked my hair and ran her hands over my back, and waited for me to calm down, no matter how long she was needed for. It took a while, and neither of us were going to be in class today, which had happened a lot in the last two weeks. Finally I pulled back from her embrace and gave a stutter filled thank you, and wiped my eyes for the tenth time that night.

"Oh sweetie, you don't have to thank me for things like this. I love you, so much so that you are almost literally the air I breathe. I was desperately worried which was why I called Ali and demanded some sort of protection."

"How did you know I needed protection?"

"The really bad dream, the one that has robbed you of your ability to sleep and has made you so fearful, was a sent dream, not a premonition of the future. In fact, I think all of your dreams about this future occurrence have been sent dreams. I recognized the signs from Ali's grimoire, a little from the reading Cassandra gave us, and I actually found some hints online, on what I think is an actual witch's chat forum."

"What do you mean by sent dream," I asked, and yawned deeply as days of fatigue were rapidly catching up to me.

"It means that someone, probably the woman in green that you described, found, or was given, a way to invade your dreams and force you to see what she wanted. That's why Ali mentioned that you, and really we, need to have some mental training to block those kinds of intrusions."

"But what you guys did tonight will keep whoever it was out for right now, yeah?"

"Yeah," and Kelli nodded with a serious look on her face. "Mary said that when she tested it that it was, by far, the most powerful ward she has ever encountered. She also said that it would take two or three circles of twelve witches working in concert to even dent its protection, and Gina promised that only Millicent would be able to contact you in your dream."

I sighed with barely felt relief at that point, glad that for the near future I probably would not suffer the nightmare again. My fear, however, that somehow it would still happen, that tonight's magic would not be enough to protect me, still remained. Kelli seemed to sense the thoughts going through my head and she pulled me into another hug and rubbed my back with both hands, which did a lot to calm to my troubled heart and mind.

"Ok, I know you are probably still so afraid that you don't want to go to sleep," and I confirmed Kelli's statement with a fervent nod, but another yawn betrayed my overriding fatigue. "Ali left a powder here that I am going to mix with some juice. She told me that Millicent made it and that it will help you sleep, and causes a slumber deep enough that it will be difficult for you to dream, or be forced to dream. With this stuff, Ali said even Millicent could not get through to you for a while. You need some sleep sweetie. Will you let me give it to you?"

I really did not want to take the powder that Kelli was offering, even if it had come from Millicent. I was still scared, and desperately so, but the pain I saw in Kelli's eyes because of my suffering was too much for even my fear to overcome. I agreed to take the mixture for her. Kelli nodded, got up from the couch and poured a small glass of juice for me and mixed in the contents of an odd looking packet. The juice instantly took on a bright verdant hue and started to fizz, and Kelli passed over the glass which I downed in one long gulp.

It didn't taste horrible, just a little odd, and it left a tingly numbing sensation on my tongue and throat. I opened my mouth to ask Kelli if she knew how long it would take to work, and I could not get any words out. As I tried to stand, I nearly fell over due to a warm and comfortable lethargy that had come over my muscles and I stumbled into Kelli's waiting arms. I remembered her helping me to our bed, taking off my robe, and then laying me down on our mattress which was suddenly the most comfortable thing in the whole world. I couldn't keep my eyes open, and the last I remembered of that night was Kelli talking softly to me as she lay next to me in bed, and her singing me to sleep as I fell away into the blank nothingness of sweet oblivion.

The next moment I was aware of I was back in the dream world, and I was pissed. Everyone was sure that I wouldn't get pulled into this again, and yet here I was. I could feel my fear and anger swell like an overinflated balloon, except things were different. I was back in our clearing, at our cabin, where Kelli and I had fun growing up, and where we had spent Valentine's a couple of weeks ago. And in front of our little space crackled a merry fire. Millicent, my surrogate Nana, sat tending the flames and something that she was cooking, and the anger and fear that had been threatening to overtake my mind moments ago vanished like water on a hot summer sidewalk. I blushed as I remembered that Millicent was going to have a way to contact me here.

I was slightly surprised that I was again naked here, but that thought still did not bother me at all in this place. The bond between Millicent and I pulsed with warmth and love, and my heart was almost literally singing as I walked to her fire with a bounce in my step that I had not felt the past few days. My curiosity also had me wondering what Millicent had to say that required her to visit me so soon. I walked up and took a seat at the fire with her, the smell of sausage and warm bread filling my nose, and leaned into her gentle embrace as she hugged me like one of her own grandchildren.

"Hello Nana," I greeted her, nearly drooling at the smells of what she was cooking, even if it was dream food. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you here. I thought that it was going to be a while before the mixture you gave me wore off enough for you to bring me here."

"It is wonderful to see you too little one," she answered, and rubbed my head like any other nana would do for their grandchild. "You should know that it has been two days since you drank the sleeping powder that I mixed, and you will most likely be waking soon."

"Two days," I exclaimed. "Was I supposed to sleep so long?"

"I mixed the powder to have some extra potency. Your mind and body needed the sleep and your heart the time to mend. I was able to give you that."

I leaned into her once more and thanked her for her help, and I realized that here in this dream with her I no longer felt the crippling fear or anger from the other dreams. I felt stable once more, which I had not felt for a while.

"There is no need to thank me child," Millicent chuckled, and turned the sausages in her cooking pan so they would not burn. "I am as concerned for your welfare as I am with the other sisters in the Circle. Perhaps a touch more with you, because I do so like it when you call me Nana."

We both grinned at that and shared another warm embrace while sitting there together, and the bond I had with Millicent pulsed again with her love for me.

"Now, others have told me what you described to them about your dream, especially the bad one, but I would like to hear it from you, if you feel you can talk about it," and she motioned to me, indicating that I could begin when I felt ready.

It was hard, but I opened up my heart to Nana Millicent. I let out all of the anger, frustration, and especially fear that I had been experiencing in my dreams since the last time we spoke. I cried, and vented about unfairness, and how it was not right that someone who hated me so completely had that much power over me. Millicent was exactly like a loving grandmother, and she listened to all of my travails without any judgment or criticism.

She had many questions about the woman in the green cloak, and her apparent animosity towards me, and she agreed with my assessment that this unknown woman didn't have much actual skill. Most likely she had secured the aid of a third party who provided the ability to control the dream world that she seemed capable of pulling me into. Even though the last couple of weeks had been difficult to talk about, as I shared the burden with Millicent I could feel a crushing weight lift from my shoulders.

"And that's pretty much it," I said as I finished recounting the events that had led up to our meeting. "By the way, do you have any idea about how Kelli knew what she did about magic? She kind of surprised us all."

"Oh, that," Millicent said, and the look of concern in her eyes betrayed the light tone that was in her voice. "The sisters showed me the ward they had planned to craft before they left to aid you, and then showed me what was actually crafted, apparently with the help of Kelli's spur of the moment instructions."

She sighed, and a pensive look settled on her face, which had me concerned that we had done something wrong. The intervening silence was making my tail twitch in nervous agitation, and my ears laid flat against my head as she looked at me with eyes so haunted I almost thought she expected one of us to drop dead right at that moment. But, Millicent being who she was, sensed my turmoil almost immediately and she put on a warm smile that was a stark contrast from the mask of dread it had worn seconds ago.

"Here child, have something to eat," she said, and passed over some of the sausages and bread that had been cooking over her fire. I couldn't help but eat like I had been starving for weeks. "I must say that Kelli is an intriguing young woman, and I sincerely look forward to meeting you both in the flesh. The ward that she aided in crafting was a work of art, the kind no one has seen for a long, long time."

"How was she able to do that," I asked, with juices from the sausages running down my chin. Dear god Millicent was a great cook.

"That I cannot tell you child, but suffice it to say that this is the first time that I have felt true surprise in a very long time," she said, and the tone of worry in her voice caused a sour taste to rise up in the back of my throat. Suddenly I was not so hungry anymore.

"You shouldn't allow yourself to worry over such things, little one," Millicent admonished me, as she pulled me into another comforting embrace. "My concerns are my burden to carry, and I would not trouble your soul with knowledge that would do you absolutely no good. The signs I see concern my fate, and my fate alone, and all must partake of the bitter so that we can appreciate the sweet. Now, sit with me a while longer child tell me about Kelli and why you love her so much."

I crawled up into Millicent's lap and laid my head on her chest so that I could hear her heartbeat and smell the warm mustiness that was her ever comforting scent, and then I told her about Kelli. She listened with rapt attention as I described our families' first meeting; how Kelli and I bonded, almost like sisters, from the instant that we laid eyes on each other. She laughed as I regaled her with stories of the mischief we got into growing up, and told me that we should have known better after I described some of our early bumbling attempts with boys.

I wasn't sure what it was, and it may have been a combination of the dream world and Millicent's comforting presence, but before I knew what was happening I had launched into full and very detailed description of what happened on New Year's Eve. I felt so warm and safe in her arms, while she gently stroked my hair as she listened to my ramblings, and I don't think I could have held back a single detail if someone would have paid me a million dollars to do so. The love, the hurt, the sex, the discovery, and the shock of my transformation flowed out of my mouth like a rushing river. It was cathartic, and at the end of the story, I laid there in Millicent's gentle arms and let her rock me back and forth like a little child.