Island Shifters: Book 01 - An Oath of the Blood (44 page)

Tonight the Gems were having a formal ceremony in her honor, proclaiming her a Friend of the Coven, the first of a three-step process to becoming a sorceress. The second step would be a year-long, academic instruction period in the use of all gems and their magical properties, and the third and final step was practical training in the gem of choice. This last step usually took two years and at the end, Kiernan would be a sorceress.

She smiled at the irony of the thought. Kiernan Grace Everard, mindshifter, Princess of Iserlohn, would be a witch. She deliberately left out the most recent title bestowed on her. She was no longer that person. No longer on that path.

As she rounded the fountain in the center of the antechamber, she came upon two of the Sect Leaders. Ruby, was in charge of the study of Runes and deciphering the obfuscated, ancient language, and Amethyst led the study of Alchemy and the development of magical potions for both Healing and Spell Casting. Both women were stunningly gorgeous and ageless, their hair wove back from their faces in a tight braid. The two often worked together in their crafts as many of the early instructions for potions were written in languages and symbols that only the sorceresses of Ruby’s Sect could interpret.

Ruby smiled at Kiernan and grasped her hands. “Kiernan, I am so very excited for the ceremony this evening.” She looked at Amethyst knowingly. “We are both very happy you are on your way to becoming one of us.”

Kiernan smiled, flattered. “Thank you, Ruby. I am glad to be here, too, I truly am. You have all made me feel very welcome.” She nodded politely and moved to step around the women to continue on her way, but they stepped in front of her.

“Why don’t you join us for lunch?” said Amethyst taking Kiernan’s arm and turning her around.

Kiernan shrugged away as politely as she could. “Thank you for the offer, Amethyst, but I must be on my way. I have to speak to Gemini.”

Amethyst barked out a laugh. “Gemini is extremely busy, Kiernan, and does not have the time to spare for every silly girl who feels the need to interrupt.” She turned to Ruby. “Can you imagine? The woman would never get any work done!”

Kiernan’s face turned red. “I…. I did not realize.”

“Yes, well, now you know. Gemini is enmeshed in a multitude of details required to administrate this coven and must not be disturbed. If you cannot join us for lunch, then run along,” she said, shooing Kiernan away from the stairs with two hands.

Again, Kiernan noticed a calculating look pass between the two Sect Leaders. Her intuition told her something was amiss, but she allowed herself to be ushered away. “Thank you. I will just return to my room then to rest before the ceremony.”

Ruby nodded victoriously. “Very good.”

Kiernan walked way, started back toward her room, and watched as the two women continued along the corridor to the dining hall. As soon as she felt it was safe, she hurried back to the fountain. The antechamber was clear. She picked up the sides of her dress and sprinted up the stairs to Gemini’s office, her steps in her soft sandals muted on the white marble floor. Halfway down the corridor, she paused with her back to the wall. Were the Sect Leaders trying to keep her from Gemini?

Determined to find out, she pushed off the wall and walked the rest of the way to Gemini’s chambers. Light spilled into the corridor from the door left slightly ajar. She did not dare look in, but as it turned out, she did not have to. She could hear clearly the voices inside.

“It is none of our affair.” It was Gemini.

A hand slapped down on a desk. “It most certainly is, Gemini,” said an angry voice. Diamond. “You have always had faith in my craft before. Why do you wish to discount it now? There is great destruction in store for Massa, destruction on the scale of the Mage War! I have foreseen that Kiernan is one of the
Savitars
! She must fight!”

Another voice. Citrine. “Gemini, I trust in Diamond’s visions and agree with her that we must get involved. As a member of my Sect, I will personally accompany Kiernan, as will all of my Gems. We will stand by her. Harm will not get a peek at the Princess.”

“No.” The reply came so softly that Kiernan almost did not hear it.

Kiernan heard the frustrated sighs of Diamond and Citrine. “Why Gemini?” pleaded Diamond. “Why are you doing this?”

A chair scraped back. Gemini must have risen. “She was my best friend, Diamond. I promised Grace I would protect her daughter— with my life if necessary.”

Diamond snorted. “Her life will be forfeit anyway if she does not fight.”

“Not so. There are three other
Savitars
. Nowhere in your visions or in prophecy does it say that all four have to be there at the battle. Let the three other
Savitars
fight! Kiernan will stay here where she will be safe. It is what her mother wanted, and what I swore to do.”

Diamond launched into another argument, but Kiernan had heard enough. She walked down the passageway and back toward the stairs, tears welling in her eyes. Her mother tried to protect her all her life. First by concealing her shifting abilities from her father, next by attempting to shelter her within the Gem coven and by ensuring she had a Draca Cat protector, and finally, by extracting a vow of protection from her sorceress friend. Unlike her father, who exiled her and lied about finding Bajan, her mother had done everything in her power to care for her and keep her safe.

She wiped the tears from her face. If that was what her mother wanted, Kiernan would not disappoint. She would stay here with the Gems and become one of them.

Become a witch.

Maximus Everard, Adrian Ravener, and Beck Atlan be damned.

Chapter 25

S
ISTERLY
L
OVE

K
iernan shivered as she waited alone outside of the ceremonial hall. Whether due to her jittery nerves or the fact that she was utterly naked under her robe, she was unsure. Probably a little of both. Tonight was a new beginning for her, with a new family.

She paused at a sudden errant thought. Would this really be any different from exile? The Gems were as cloistered as the shifters had been. How long before she railed against the invisible walls of this new confinement? No! There was no turning back now. The Gems accepted her and she must accept them in return. The choice had already been made, even if she did not quite remember making it.

Citrine opened the double doors of the hall and approached her. Kiernan was so used to seeing the Sect Leader dressed in yellow, that she was surprised to find her dressed in a black robe identical to hers, with a black veil covering her face. Kiernan only knew it was Citrine by the distinctive red braid peeking through.

“We are ready,” she said, enigmatically.

Kiernan took a deep breath and nodded.

“Do not be nervous, Kiernan. This is the shortest and most straightforward of all our ceremonies. It will be over quickly.”

Kiernan lowered her eyes. “I am not nervous, it is just that everything has happened so fast. A month ago, I was headed in one direction and the next, I am here.”

Citrine smiled through the veil. “Do you not wish to be one of us?”

“I do! It…. has been difficult, that is all.”

“We are sisters now, Kiernan. I am here for you any time you wish to talk. Do you hear me?”

Kiernan nodded and took a deep breath. “I am ready.”

Citrine reached for her hand and led the way into the hall. Hundreds of candles arranged in a semi circle in the center of the ring of benches and balconies lit the room. Kiernan heard soft chanting from many feminine voices, but could not make out the words or see their faces in the concealment of shadows where the candlelight did not reach. The strong smell of incense filled her nose and she breathed in the piquant scent. Citrine led her through the breach in the circle of candles to the lone veiled figure standing in the middle and knelt, pulling Kiernan down with her.

“High Priestess,” began Citrine, “we ask for your blessing in naming this woman, Kiernan Grace Everard, as Friend of the Coven.”

“Who asks?”

“We all do!” was the reply from Citrine and all of the Gems in attendance in the dark behind her.

“Please rise.”

Kiernan rose to her feet shakily and felt a moment of panic when Citrine left her side and departed back through the glowing tapers. She stood alone now in front of the figure she knew to be Gemini, but kept her eyes lowered.

“In the presence of the Highworld spirits and the entire coven, do you come to us of your own free will? Unencumbered of material possessions?”

“I do,” she replied, as instructed earlier by Citrine.

Gemini’s hands reached out and gently opened Kiernan’s robe and pushed it along the top of her shoulders until it fell to the ground. She trembled as the cool air accosted her body.

“Do you swear to keep secret the arts of our practice? Keep secret the rituals and ceremonies for which you will now have knowledge?”

“I do.”

“Do you swear to protect and defend your coven of sisters from all harm?”

“I do.”

Sensing movement, Kiernan slowly lifted her eyes to see Gemini lift her veil back over her head. Kiernan was feeling light-headed from the strong incense and swayed on her feet. She closed her eyes and her head rolled back. She felt wonderful.

The chanting stopped.

Very softly, almost in a whisper, Gemini said, “As High Priestess of this coven, I find you worthy of this circle.” She reached out her hand and lightly cupped Kiernan’s chin and kissed her on the lips.

“I accept you mind…,” and she kissed Kiernan on the side of her temple.

“Body…,” and Gemini leaned down to kiss her stomach, right above her navel.

“And, soul..,” and she kissed Kiernan above her left breast over her heart.

Kiernan did not open her eyes during the intimate ritual.

Gemini walked around her, picked up her robe and put it gently around her shoulders then turned to face the Gems. “Let us now close the circle of sisterhood and let it never be broken.” One by one, the Gems approached, filled the gap with one of the candles in the outer ring, and silently departed.

It is over.
She was committed now to the sorceresses of Elloree, just as her mother wished.

When at last it was Kiernan and Gemini alone in the ring of candlelight, her emotions ruptured and she began to sob. “Now, now,” said Gemini, grasping her hands. “It is done. You are a Friend of the Coven for now and evermore.”

“Forgive me, Gemini. I…. I have just felt so alone. I have missed my mother for so long.”

Gemini folded her into her arms. “I miss her, too. She was a remarkable woman, and you know what?” she asked, putting a finger under Kiernan’s chin to force her to look at her. “You are remarkable, too. She would be very proud of you.”

“Thank you, Gemini, your words mean more than you will ever know.”

“You have us now, Kiernan. You have all of your Gem sisters and you have me. I already think of you as a daughter.”

Kiernan cried even harder.

Forced to wait for a ferry at the pier in Iserport, Beck clenched his jaw impatiently. Instead of traveling east as originally planned, he and Bajan would now be traveling west on the Illian River directly to Elloree. Nobody could tell him exactly where the sorceresses’ lived in Elloree, but cautioned him to be wary. Although, the people of Iserport had known about the Gems for some time, unless a shifter daughter was born, they generally stayed as far away as possible.