B. Donna - Blood Pool

Raven corrected her. “You mean ‘lied’. He lied.”

She nodded in agreement. “Yes, he lied. Frank was very much in love with Nicolette. He’s a powerful wizard, too. Did you know that? He used his power to conceal his feelings from your father. From us all, really.” She took in a deep breath. “I don’t know if it was out of fear, or for another reason. Anyway, no one believed Laroque when he went around boasting he’d had an affair with Tobias’s wife and that she loved him-certainly not Tobias. They dealt with the situation as best they could up until the point when your mother’s pregnancy couldn’t be hidden anymore, and then people began to spread rumors. It left questions in everyone’s minds.”

“What about her death?” Raven asked, staring into the darkening sky.

“That part is very cloudy. The details are still hidden, and I’m not sure why. Laroque blamed Tobias, and he blamed Laroque. Philippe claimed that Tobias had killed her, but he didn’t. I have an uneasy feeling that Frank told Laroque that Tobias had killed her. She couldn’t bear the fact she was unfaithful to Tobias and gave birth to Laroque’s child… I guess she just couldn’t live with herself. For a long period, she struggled with her emotions. It seemed as though things were settling down…and then…she was dead.”

“Why? Why would Frank do that, lie like that? Why did she do that to herself? Why did she go along with it? That was selfish of her. To rob both of her daughters of knowing their mother. That was cruel, not to mention how it devastated my father.”

Sol tried again to comfort her friend. “I have my suspicions about what may have happened, but that’s all they are for now-suppositions and theories. She loved you so much, Raven. I remember how she was with you years ago, when you were little.”

“I remember the stories, and I’ve seen the pictures of all of us together, but we’ll have to travel down memory lane another time. We’re getting closer. I have to focus,” Raven said.

The thoughts of the past that plagued her would have to remain at bay. More immediate issues were facing her now. Her future was at stake. Bo’s life was hanging in the balance.

And her life was dangling right there with his.

The mists were so thick that they dimmed the setting sun’s rays. The moisture in the air around them licked at their skin like a slithering snake.

“Did you remember to bring the silver coins? It’s approaching Samhain. As goddess of the underworld, she’ll want her pound of silver,” Solaris whispered.

Raven felt the fire of purpose burn within her heart. “Yes, I have the silver.” She cut the engine and allowed the current to guide them through the mists to the island.

Solaris turned toward Raven, fear etching her face. “Are you ready for this? To sacrifice whatever it is she asks of you?”

Raven’s expression said it all. She would do whatever it took to save Bo. Without him, she wouldn’t want to live another day-and with that thought, the lessons of her mother’s life slid together to fit more cohesively in her mind. A shadow of understanding took root within her.

Solaris hurriedly warned Raven, “Let Hekate tell you what she wants. Don’t offer anything.”

Suddenly, the boat bumped against the sandy shore. They grabbed their bags and climbed over the side of the boat. There was a discernible wrinkle in the air.

Hekate knew she had visitors.

“This way.” Raven pointed, and they silently headed to the forested womb of the Island of Magyck.

The night-blooming jasmine and moonflowers gently opened, scenting the air with their sultry fragrances. Ahead, they noticed a large formation made of stone representing the goddess, and just a few feet beyond lay the opening to Hekate’s crystal cave.

Solaris took out her ritual herbs of sage, sweet grass and lavender. At the foot of the stone goddess was a small fire pit in which Solaris placed the aromatic herbs. Raven lit the bundle, and the two sat facing each other, ready to enter the netherworld.

“Here goes. Deep breaths,” Solaris instructed.

From the north, the winds picked up in intensity and swirled around them, lifting Raven’s hair and whipping it around her face. The diameter of the whirlwind extended six feet across, leaving Solaris and Raven in the stillness of its center.

Words formed out of the mist. “What is it, my daughters? Why do you seek my counsel?” The voice was breathy, like a thousand butterfly wings fanning the air.

“I need your assistance, Great Mother, and I am willing to pay any price,” Raven responded.

Solaris’s eyes flew open at her friend’s bold statement. She did not make a sound, though Raven knew instinctively that Sol was screaming at her for such stupidity. “ Let Hekate tell you what she wants. Don’t offer anything,” Sol had warned.

It would be a steep price.

The wind moaned and carried the ancient voice. “What is it, my child? What could a Lamai need from me?”

“Bo, my love, is near death, and I need you to help him recover.” Raven picked up the bag of silver coins and placed them at the foot of the statue. Her eyes remained cast downward as she revealed more jewels in a sheer bag.

“You want me to give up a soul that is ready for its transition?” Hekate asked.

Raven’s gaze locked on the statue. “He’s not ready. He was infected. We have a life to live together. He can’t leave me now.”

The silent moment that fell upon them moved at a snail’s pace. In her mind, Raven begged the goddess for her assistance. This was her final hope-her only hope.

She played over and over what else she possibly could have done: additional medical procedures, magickal ritual, anything that could snatch Bo from the jaws of death and return him safely to her.

Finally, she received her answer.

“You must give up your status as a Lamai. If you do this, I will grant your request. But, from that point on, you will be fully human. You will live as a mortal, and you will eventually die. Do not answer in haste, my child.”

“I accept. Do it,” Raven responded immediately.

Solaris leaned forward when Raven shot her an emotional stare. “Don’t,” she silently pleaded.

Hekate spoke. “Daughter Solaris, please leave this circle.”

Solaris bowed her head, leaving behind her offerings of citrine, sapphire and pearls. A worried smile crossed her face as she receded from Raven into the swirling winds. Raven gave her friend a long look before bowing down with her knees bent in a position of compliance to the goddess.

Solaris watched as the winds shifted, leaving Raven amidst the whirling dervish and her in stillness. The air surrounding Raven crackled, and from out from the vapor, the image of an older woman covered in layers of black silk appeared at Raven’s side. She had hair the color of a storm cloud, deep grey with flecks of silver. A thunderous boom sounded from the core of the swirling winds, and flashes of lightning sparked.

Raven’s body contorted. Her arms stretched outward while the tempest raged within. Pain sailed through her blood and bones as she arched forward like a puppet flailing in a turbulent squall. Veins appeared from beneath her skin, taking on a tissue-like appearance. They deepened in color from red to purplish-black.

The bones in her hands stiffened as they suddenly reached for her throat. Her nails tore at her skin. Her head thrashed back and forth. Raven’s eyes opened wide. Solaris could see that the whites had turned red. Raven’s irises flashed from silver to black, then all red. Blood red tears streamed out of her eyes, now a purple color.

The rest of her body was stiffening, and her arms seemed unable to move from their position, dangling at her sides.