Protect this land,
Protect all who dwell within.”
Again, the energy spiked and settled. As I fell into tune with the ebb and flow of the magic, it felt like I was on a boat, floating in the eternal channel of power that encircled the universe, that spilled out in every direction from the core of all that had ever been and all that would ever be. I drifted in the sensuous feel of the magic.
Penn settled on the bench in front of the altar table. She bowed her head, raising her hands.
“Lady of magic, Lady of might,
Lady of darkness, Lady of night,
Queen of magic, come to me,
Mistress of power, let me see.
Open up the gates of time,
Winds, cause the bells to chime,
Vortex whirl, twirl, and swirl,
In my eyes, the past unfurl.
Lady of the Crossroads, come to me,
Open my mind and let me see.”
As the energy grew thick, she set the flier and the watch on the altar. Then, picking up the watch, she held it between her hands and closed her eyes. I sat silent, waiting. The energy was so thick that it felt like I was breathing fog.
As Penn wavered, something shifted. Shivering, I looked around. I knew we were protected, but it still felt like something was approaching. I caught my breath, stumbling out of my chair as the air began to reverberate around me.
The next moment, I was standing on a long, narrow road. Up ahead was a crossroad. To either side, fields that seemed to go on forever. As I watched, a glowing light began to shimmer in the center of the two roads. As it became so bright that I could barely see, something from within called out my name.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I couldn’t move, could barely breathe. As the light grew so bright that I couldn’t look at it, the voice grew louder. Then, with a brilliant flash that I saw even behind closed eyelids, it vanished. I opened my eyes to find myself standing before Hecate, although she looked so much more intimidating than she did when I had first met her.
She was tall—so tall she stretched high into the sky, and yet, she was superimposed in human form against the backdrop of her power. Her gown was the blackest of nights, spiderwebbed with silver threads that glittered like diamonds, and a shroud of sheer black lace cloaked her shoulders. Her eyes were luminous—shining like stars against a black backdrop—and her lips were blood red, glistening and full.
“Kyann?” Her voice echoed, reverberating from mountain to mountain. “What are you doing here at the crossroads?”
Startled by her sudden question, I stiffened. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m here. Penelope is?—”
“I see what she’s doing,” Hecate stopped me before I could finish. Then, after a beat, she added, “Oh. I understand.”
“Maybe you can help me, because I don’t,” I said.
“She invoked me, and when that happens, if there is a crossroad coming up in her life, she’ll automatically open a gate to my realm. You and she are linked, and so the forks you have come to acted as her own.” Her words shook the ground beneath my feet.
“You mean I’m at a fork in my life?”
“You are. And unless you needed guidance, I doubt if you would have ended up here.” Hecate paused, then added, “Tell me.”
“Tell you what?” I felt a little dense, like she was a step ahead of me.
“What your fork in the road seems to be.” She gave me the look that I often gave my cats when they were staring at me, clueless.
I thought for a moment. “Oh, I think I know what you’re talking about,” I said. I told her about integrating my demon side, and about working with my father in an undercover role. “I guess I made my choice, though, when I went ahead and let Devon help me.”
