Crescent Bound (48 page)

We spend the next few days getting
very
familiar with each room of our h
ome.
I
’
m still in shock of having my own house.  Simply put,
it
’
s
amazing.  I go with Marc to pick up his things from his old house.  I think he is hoping that his parents will be there to talk to them face to face about his move.  As always they
are out of town.  Marc
ultimately decides it’
s best to tell them over the phone. 

Norene
’
s bitterness is on the verge of breaking loose
as she barks into the phone,
“
I hope you plan on marrying her, in the state of
Wyoming
common law is not accepted.
”
 

“
I
’
m kind of enjo
ying living like an outlaw,
Mom
,
”
Marc replies as he bites off each word. 

I smile wickedly at him as I picture us as sinful outlaws.  

The
next morning Marc wakes me up, in that deep husky voice of his,
“
Can you be ready in thirty minutes?
”
 

“
Only for you I will,
”
I mumble rubbing sleep from my eyes as I slide out of the bed naked.  I think
this
is becoming a habit and nak
ed is the only way to sleep any
more
. I hit the showers and dress
in one of my favorite blue
shirt
s
and black
Hudson
jeans.  Shifting downstairs I smell pancakes with homemade strawberry syrup and fresh strawberry topping
s
.  He keeps leaning across our island in the kitchen and feeds me his strawberries.

“
Ok
ay
, I have got to stop, because watching you sucking on
strawberries
mak
es
me lose
all
my
focus.
”
  Shifting next to me he says,
“
Do you trust me?
”
 

“
With all my h
eart and soul
,
”
I assert, expressing every word as if it were my last breath. I sense him shift behind me,
Marc must have a fetish with blindfolds because I lose my sight to one of his black ties
,
again.
 

Kissing my neck Marc picks me up and carries me to his car.  I hear the Camaro start and I feel the car backing up and heading down the road. 

“
I think your le
ft front tire is out of balance,
”
I reveal to him
grinning.  He reaches over and grabs my hand. 

“
With all the possibilities of what I have in store for you and you are actually diagnosing my car
, Alyssa
?
”
 
My laugh fades as the car slows down.  Parking, Marc steps
out of the car, walks around to my side and
opens
my door.  Picking me up again, he carries me a couple of feet and then helps me stand
upright,
slowly
I
slide off the blindfold.

What I see before me is this beautiful, majestic five hundred acre mansion
.  Marc wraps his arms around my waist and announces,
“
Welcome, to the
Arcane
.
”
 

Chapter 32

Our third week at the Arcane and Marc and I are settling in fairly well.  The sessions are set up completely different than in the mundane schools. You can attend a full day session, which is from eight in the morning till five in the afternoon.

You can simply attend a session for just three
hours;
it
basically
depends on the individual.  How dedicated the individual is and what exactly
their
interests
are
in learning and acquiring.  Of course we all have to take the courses on our elements.  Marc and I are the only ones that possess the aff
inity of ice, so my father generously offers to help
us learn more about our abilities in that area.  Dad
has taken the time to research
ice i
nfinity more so than any other h
igh
priest or high p
riestess
.

Marc and I
modify
our sessi
ons throughout the week, so
we can be together.  If you look at our schedule it will show that he and I are together pretty much ninety percent of the time.  In the mornings Marc takes
the
sessions of the
Old Ways
in Witchcraft as well as ancient
archaeological
and anthropological studies.

Usually the evening sessions are filled with elemental powers and their uses including the ritual teachings. While Marc is at the Arcane in the morning, I run.  The area we live at now is completely surrounded by breathtaking
, dense
woods, Marc and I made a path so I can run e
ach and every morning while he’
s attending the Arcane.

This morning I dress in my grey and white jogging clothes, as I step out the door my dad calls.

He sounds calm
, but
rushed,
“
Morning Alyssa.
”

“
Morning Dad
,
”
I
say,
paus
ing
,
“
d
o you want to meet for lunch when
you finish with your sessions this morning
?
”
 

More silence. 
“
About that Alyssa, I haven
’
t made it back in town yet, there was a delay, but I should arrive within the next few hours.  I
’
ve made arrangements for someone to handle my teachings in the two sessions this morning
, but
…
”

I begin pacing impatiently back and forth
,
swallow
ing
hard and ask,
“
But…what…Dad?
”

I hear him
breathe a heavy
sigh,
“
Alyssa, I wouldn
’
t ask you this if I didn
’
t think it is absolutely necessary, but I need you to take over the first teaching session this morning.
”

I just about drop my cell to the floor in panic
as I
start walking anxiously back up to my
bedroom to change.  I know my d
ad wouldn
’
t ask me if there is another way.  He is flying back from the Willowshire coven in
California
.  Once they found Naomi they notified my dad, which of course, he to
ok steps to insure everything was
taken care of properly.

He refused them in their request to bring me back for further testimony.  They already received all the evidence from me, so, with that thought in my mind I find it
’
s the very least I can do for my father.

I quickly reply,
“
The Old Ways session?  Is this the one you want me to do?
”

The relief is evident in his voice
when he says,
“
Yes, you will discuss the Etymology of our origins as well as some of the myths of our kind.
”

I give him a nervous laugh,
“
Oh, is that all huh?
”
 

He laughs, but soon his voice changes, sounding reassuring and confident.  The air around me changes as well and I suddenly feel exactly that, confident and convinced that I can handle it.
“
I
’
ll call you as soon as my plane lands
,
”
h
e says and hangs up. 

I throw my cell down on the bed and rummage through the line of clothes hanging in my walk-in closet.  I change out of my jogging suit and into a slim, black dress.  Grabbing a matching black pair of high heels I run out the door.

My car is still in the shop having repairs done among other things, my dad felt it would be best to change out the suspension and run a couple of Dyno tests on it.  That leaves me with Marc
’
s Camaro and he
drives his red M
ustang.  I have to really lay the pedal to the metal, which is work for me. I
’
m so use to driving my
Shelby
with all the horsepower, plus I only have a few minutes to get to the Arcane.

I quickly park and shift to the main doors, as I walk through I admire my surroundings.  This very
university, which stands before me,
has been here since 1361, built and founded on the basis of our oldest witchcraft teachings.  There are eight courtyards, one of which holds monuments and memorials to the famous gods and goddess
es
. 

I walk down another
path
leading to
a smaller courtyard
.  Here I see
white marble statues of the high priests and priestess
of each coven.  This courtyard fills me with a sense of the
wonderful history
we have
in the witch world.

I briefly move around the statue of my late grandfather and hope that I will do him justice as I teach my father
’
s session this morning.  I walk past the library, which was founded in 1770.  It holds some of the most valued books in history, since so many books and literature were burnt, destroyed, or simply vanished throughout time, we are very grateful for the 370,000 volumes that we do have.  The so-called
,
“
lost library of
Egypt
”
resides here. 

I pass a gorgeous garden filled with exotic flowers from around the world and come to my destination.  A large two story building styled after an ancient Roman villa stands before me.  I follow up to the second floor and to the room I need, pausing beside the entrance.  My nerves are getting the best of me, so I take a moment to grab some composure. 

I know Marc is in this session, the thought of him w
atching me in front of the entire
room makes me
more than
a little apprehensive.  He has no clue that I will be leading his session today.  I brush off the tiny bits of lint from my black
dress;
pull it down so that it comes to my knees.  I nervously run my fingers through my hair.  Having a sudden urge, I want to pull my hair up into a tight bun and wear some dark rimmed glasses.  I shrug my shoulders and give myself a small pep-
talk;
you
can do this, Alyssa
. 

Peeking inside the room, I am in awe, it is absolutely magnificent.  The room itself has the shape of an indoor amphitheater with a dome
ceiling;
paintings of ancient Theban runes enhance the interior.  In the center is a small glass pentagram window, which allows the sun to shine through perfectly.  On one side of the elaborate room, where the students sit, is a wall, but not just a plain wall, inside the walls hold alcoves of statues of the gods and goddess
es
within each one. 

The only colors in the room are gold, bronze, and a cream white that are enhanced beautifully by the two candles on ei
ther side of the podium below.

Suddenly, a puff of silvery smoke emerges at the podium, a stunning lavender haired woman stands just before it.  She appears to be a few years older than
I;
her dress is exquisitely made of a fine black lace and satin which drapes down to the floor.  I barely catch a hint of her eyes as they flash an ultra violet color, which reminds me that I can deepen the color or brighten the forever blues in my eyes, so, I decide to go with brightening them. 

I hear her clear her throat and begin to speak,
“
Good Morning to all
.
”
H
er voice carries an enchanting ton
e as it rings through the room. Everyone quiets down and focuses
their full attention to the front.  She eloquently nods,
“
I would like to start out by introducing myself, I am Lilura
,
”
and smiles radiantly to the room full of witches. The lights dim down with just a slight wave of her hand which lea
ves only one light shinning
on her.  I take in a deep nervous breath and think inside,
how
in
The
Grimm
’
s
name can my father do this? He makes it look so easy.