Sigils and spells, p.66
Sigils & Spells, page 66
Struggling with loss and the challenge of mastering her magic, Annarah unwittingly prepares for a time when everything she knows will be called into question. As the day draws near that she will leave the only home she has ever known, she must question if everything she's done so far will be enough to sustain her outside the temple walls.
There's only one way to find out, to follow the path set before her. As she reaches the forks in that road, will her choices lead her down the path she is destined to follow, or will she be led astray?
CHAPTER 1
The surface of the seeing pool flickered as the lights of the Las Vegas Strip winked into view. A deep sigh escaped as I watched the cars driving up and down the thoroughfare. I could smell the exhaust of the traffic. Throngs of people meandered up and down the sidewalks, drinks in hand for some. Others carried shopping bags or ice cream cones.
My imagination ran wild with thoughts of what they did in their daily lives. The couple dressed in coordinating outfits? They must be very wealthy. In their garage is probably a pair of matching cars that only differ in color. Blue for him and purple for her, maybe. A pair of blond-haired girls sauntered through the crowds, and I pretended they were college besties, out for a night on the town to celebrate something fun. A birthday, maybe.
How I wished to be one of those lucky beings. Carefree and fun. That's what it looked like to me. The bright lights drew me like a moth to a flame. The colors of the city were a far cry from the muted silvers and whites of the temple. My heart thudded almost painfully in my chest at the thought.
Swishing my fingers across the water, I watched as the ripples washed the scene away, not wanting to get caught daydreaming again when I still had chores to do. Lifting the basket at my side, I turned to leave the Reflection Room and jumped. Yelping, I dropped the basket and sent the pile of clean linens scattering across the floor.
“High Priestess!” Though clumsy, muscle memory made my curtsy instant and reverent. Dipping my chin to my chest, I waited for her acknowledgment before releasing it.
“Annarah. My child, what are you doing here?” Her tone held no reproach, only a question, for the moment.
My gaze dropped to the floor, eyes tracing the silver veins in the marble until they reached her sensible silver slippers, peeking out from the hem of her skirts.
“I'm sorry. I was just looking. I'm going to refold all these linens and make sure they get to the bath house right away, honest.”
If the Priestess Pia found out I'd been in here “daydreaming” again, as she put it, I was going to have to do extra chores for a week, and not the fun ones either. I'd probably have to scrape the chicken poop and carry it to the compost pile. She would probably make me shovel and turn the compost piles as well.
The woman in charge of the acolytes didn't tolerate needless lollygagging. Those of us in the temple were here for one reason, and one reason only. To serve the moon goddess. Our entire existence focused on what lay within these complex walls and the outside world wasn't supposed to exist, despite the modern conveniences they elected to adopt as needed.
“Are you struggling, my child?” The High Priestess's tone traveled gently to my ears, relieving some of my fear of being punished.
Unable to meet her eyes, I nodded, blinking back tears. With my gaze trained on my own toes, I attempted to explain the tug-o-war happening inside me. Before I spoke, I bent down and picked up the first linen to refold and return to the upended basket. I needed to be busy.
“I just feel it calling to me. Sometimes in my dreams, I hear someone calling my actual name. Beckoning and drawing me toward it. I don't know why. I just feel like there is more to life than being here in this tiny piece of the world. Is that bad?”
My eyes remained fully trained on the white towels as I waited for her to answer me. If disappointment showed on her face, I didn't want to see it.
“No, child, it's not bad. Being curious doesn't make you bad. Nor does wanting to see the world outside. It is a distraction, yes, but does not make you bad.”
Relief washed through me. My hands lowered to my lap as I looked up at her. She smiled at me, gentleness on her features. She came to kneel beside me, taking up a towel to fold and place in the basket herself. As we finished the last one, both of us stood.
“Serving the goddess is a calling. Many come here of their own free will. For you, it is somewhat different, and we understand that.”
“Do you think being called to the outside world means that the goddess does not want me here?” My voice cracked on the last few words as I tried not to let myself cry. If my own parents hadn't wanted me, why would the goddess of the moon want me?
“No, my child, no. I believe you are here because she chose you especially to be here. She has given you many gifts, the dreams being just one of them. We may not know why she does the things she does, but that is part of having faith. She has her reasons. In the future, she may choose to share those reasons with us, and she may not. But we still do that which we are called to do. She may have plans for you of which we are not yet aware.”
Together, we walked toward the door. She rested a hand gently on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. I couldn't help but lean into it. For the children at the temple, physical contacts came few and far between. Some of the priestesses were more giving of their affections, while others remained stiff and distant.
Exiting into the sunlight, I blinked a few times to allow my vision to adjust. Just as we turned to part ways, Priestess Pia called my name from across the courtyard. She happened to be exiting the building across the way at the same time we left the Reflection Room.
“Annarah! What are you doing?”
My head hung. Exactly the situation I'd been hoping to avoid. This time, though, the High Priestess saved my bacon.
“I was just having a discussion with her. I am returning her to her chores now that we are finished. Is there a problem, Pia?”
Studying my face with pursed lips, she turned them into a smile as she turned to face the High Priestess. “No, ma'am. I was just checking. Annarah has a habit of getting sidetracked quite easily by things that do not concern her.”
My cheeks flared and I could feel them turning red. Everyone within earshot will have heard her calling me out.
Using the same volume, the High Priestess answered her with a smile. “She's doing just fine, thank you Pia. You may carry on.”
With a final smile in my direction, she turned on her heel and moved off in the opposite direction. I caught Priestess Pia scowling in my direction as I turned toward the bath house, but she didn't follow me or call out to me again.
Upon entering the bath house I looked around to see if anyone else happened to be inside. Nobody. The hall sat empty and quiet. Steam from the springs floated on the air and the bubbles created a quiet burbling sound. It made the place one of my favorites in the entire temple complex.
Placing the clean towels on the shelves carved out of gray stone, I replayed the conversation with the High Priestess in my head. As an orphan, I was one of a very few children that had been at the temple in service to the moon goddess, Selene, for most of my life.
Almost thirteen years old and I'd never been out to see other places for myself. I'd discovered my ability to use the Reflection pool by accident two years ago and snuck in to do so every chance I got, despite the threat of punishment. Kids weren't supposed to be able to use it. Even many of the priestesses didn't have whatever the pool required to see in it. I didn't know why I did, but it made me glad.
Much of what I learned about the outside world had, up to that point, come from those who joined the temple later in life and those who had permission to leave the compound on related errands. From a young age, I peppered them with questions about what they saw every time they returned. Some of them were more receptive than others.
My thoughts turned to my parents. Story had it that one day I simply appeared at the temple, about two years old. Whoever left me put a note in my pocket with the most basic information and walked away. If they hadn't done that, I wouldn't even know that I had a birthday coming up. Or that I was allergic to bananas. But that was about all I knew about myself from my life “before.”
Every other part of me had been discovered or cultivated here behind the walls of the temple, dedicated to serving the Moon Goddess Selene. Nobody knew who my parents might have been. We didn't know if they were alive or dead. My origins remained shrouded in secrecy.
A few of the other acolytes, most of whom arrived here at the age of ten to begin their training, treated me like it made me less than them. That the priestesses only let me stay because they felt sorry for me, not because I deserved to serve the goddess. I hated them.
Actually, aside from a small handful, I hated most of the people who lived in the temple. They all treated me as lesser, and it made me so mad. Some day they would be sorry. When I got older, I would show them how wrong they had been, and they would apologize to me.
CHAPTER 2
“Wake up, silly! Annie, wake up! It's your birthday!” The chipper voice tore through the veil of sleep and penetrated my foggy brain.
“Ugh... Stop it.” Blindly, I reached out to push her away.
The mattress shook as she bounced up and down on my bed, rattling my teeth in my head. Pulling the blanket tighter around me, I groaned. With a wave of my hand, I lifted her off the bed and held her in the air, listening to her giggle as I did.
“Get up lazy beans! And put me down. You're seventeen years old today and we need to spend the whole day having fun and celebrating!”
Evie's excitement dug in and took hold. Settling her on the floor, I peeked my head out from under the covers and smiled at her. Her amber eyes and cheek splitting grin popped into my line of sight.
“Happy birthday!”
“Thank you. And you know we still need to get the chores done before we can do anything fun.”
“Pshhh. Don't be silly. I already did my chores. You have a birthday pass. It's time to go have some fun.”
Evie became my best friend, despite being two years younger than me, when she arrived just before my fourteenth birthday, at a time when I needed her most. My powers just began to make themselves known, and I was struggling. None of the other acolytes wanted anything to do with me, either because they were scared of me or they were jealous. Either way, I'd gone from having a couple of friends to none. She saved my sanity when she showed up, and had been doing so ever since.
Fun in the temple meant something slightly different than it probably did out in the real world, but we made the most of it. Closing my eyes, I took a moment to thank the goddess that I'd made it another year. Then I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes.
In just one more year, I'd be allowed to leave the temple for short trips like the priestesses did. While we grew most of our food and remained as self-sufficient as possible, supplies still needed to be brought in from town. Our mountain top home required some things we just couldn't make or grow here. Some of the priestesses also met occasionally with the moon witch coven that served the city.
“What do you want to do first?”
My stomach grumbled loudly, and we both laughed. “I'm starved. Let's go eat.”
We wound our way through the complex to the dining hall, ignoring the looks we got along the way. Twenty-two people lived in the temple compound, and out of the other twenty, only about six tolerated me. Four of those six were actually friendly. It made for a lonely existence some days.
Of those six people, Diana was one of my favorites. She worked in the dining hall. Each year she had my birthday breakfast ready and waiting with all the best foods. As Evie and I walked in, she handed over the tray, piled high with goodies for two. The smell of bacon wafted into my nose and made my mouth water.
“Happy birthday, Annarah. I hope you have a wonderful day.” Her smile lit up the entire room, and I adored her for sharing it with me.
She was the closest thing to a mother figure I had while living here. Through my younger years, she raised me and trained me to become an acolyte of the temple. My growing powers never scared her, despite some of the disasters I'd caused.
“Thank you, Diana. I love you!”
She peaked around surreptitiously to make sure nobody else was around and returned the sentiment. “I love you too, child. Now go on, go enjoy your birthday.”
From the beginning, the other priestesses made it clear that they frowned upon how close we became. They reminded me almost daily that she was not my mother and I could never treat her as such, or call her that. All under the guise of avoiding favoritism, or so they said.
She winked at me as Evie and I moved toward a table. We divvied up the food, enjoying the special fare. Meals were mainly simple here, and exceptions were only made for special occasions.
Evie licked the whipped cream off her finger as she popped a berry into her mouth. “Diana really outdid herself this year.”
“She sure did. I'm stuffed already.” I tried to get the words out around the mouthful of waffle I had, but had to cover my lips to keep it from falling out.
“Ew. I know at some point they taught you not to talk with your mouth full. Gross. The rest of us don't want to see that.” Sienna's shrill voice pierced my ears. She was such a bitch.
Before I could use my powers to do something mean to her and land myself in hot water, Evie spoke up.
“Oh shut up, Sienna. Green is a terrible color on you.”
The girl looked down at herself and turned to her friend. “I'm not wearing green, you weirdo.” The two shook their heads.
Evie and I giggled, confusing them even more. “You only make fun of Annarah because you're jealous. And it shows. It makes you look even uglier than you naturally are.”
She sputtered, trying to come up with a retort as Carrie drug her away from us to the farthest table in the room. Sienna might have been an awful person, but Carrie wasn't half bad. She didn't stand up for me or pretend to be my friend, but she was never blatantly mean to me.
Unable to resist, I took one last look at Sienna as we cleaned up our mess to leave. Just as she lifted her mug to take a drink, I sent a tiny wave of power her way, causing her to spill it down the front of her shirt. Biting my lip to hide a smile, I waved at Diana on the way out, who waved back but shook her head with a reproving expression.
Pursing my lips, I ducked my head. I'd been expressly forbidden to use any of my powers unless under the guidance and permission of the High Priestess with another priestess as my chaperon. Sometimes, though, the temptation got the better of me. Evie and I locked hands and skipped out of the dining hall.
“Wanna go for a ride?”
The temple grounds covered a large expanse of both open field and woodlands, and we were allowed to wander them in our free time as long as we didn't pass the markers indicating the perimeter. The stables held a handful of horses and riding was my absolute favorite pastime. Except maybe watching the stars, but that wasn't an option in the middle of the day.
“Sure!”
We ran across to the stables, giggling together and enjoying the beautiful weather. I ignored the dirty looks we got from others still deep in their chores. For the last two years, the High Priestess made it a point to assign Evie the quickest chores that could be done early in the morning on the rotation of my birthday week, knowing that we spent my birthday together. When I thanked her, she played dumb and simply smiled, reminding me that the rotation was perfectly random in order to remain fair.
Only three men had permission to be within the grounds and Toby, the stableman, was one of them.
“Happy birthday, Miss Annarah.”
“Thank you, Toby! How are you today?” Despite his age, he seemed to still be healthy as an ox, but I worried that one day we'd be without him. He made up one of the few to be truly kind to me, and I'd be devastated when he was gone.
“Right as rain, Missy, as usual. The girls are ready for you to take out.” He indicated our two favorite horses, standing in cross ties at the end of the barn, completely saddled and ready to go.
“Can you read minds now, Toby?” I quirked an eyebrow at him.
He laughed. “No such talents for me, dear. Miss Genevieve here came in to ask me ahead of time to get them ready for you.”
Evie winced as he used her full name, but thanked him with a huge grin. She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Toby! You're the absolute bestest of the best.”
“Git on now, go have your fun.”
He waved us toward the horses, pretending not to enjoy our affection, but I knew he did. Physical affection was frowned upon here, but we managed to bend the rules as far as they would go without breaking them, usually when we could be sure nobody was looking.
We led the horses out of the barn and swung into the saddles. So far, this birthday was turning out amazing. Before we headed off, I whispered a little prayer that nothing would get in the way of it continuing that way.
CHAPTER 3
Sunbeams shone down, filtered through the canopy, the birds sang and the wind whispered through the leaves in the trees. The Spring Mountains of Nevada were idyllic in their beauty. Horse hooves clopped along the trail, creating a soothing melody. Evie and I rode in comfortable silence for the first couple of miles.
“Do you want to go to the waterfall?”
Meeting her eyes, I laughed. “Of course I do. It's my favorite place and you know it.”
Because of its solitary location, I often practiced my magic here, away from the prying, disapproving eyes of the rest of the compound residents. They considered me dangerous, most of them. Admittedly, there had been a few, okay more than a few, mishaps when I first started to manifest any magic. We didn't know where it came from or why I got it, but it was there nonetheless.
