Excalibur Rising

Covenant

Chapter 3

Three hours after the school day ended, the Volkswagen pulled to a stop outside of a large farmhouse building in the middle of nowhere. It looked decrepit and neglected, its thatched roof collapsing in on itself and the windows were either missing or smashed, but despite this, ten shiny cars of various values were parked outside. Xandria and her mum climbed out of the car ignoring the actual building, and instead walked around the side to the little outhouse that stood alone in an overgrown back garden. It was all that was left of the once flourishing Calibre estate and it always set a pang into the hearts of the Calibre women to see their heritage this way, but it was the only way to keep people from looking where they shouldn't.

The door to the outhouse squeaked as Mrs Calibre grasped the handle and tugged the door open so that the rusty hinges begrudgingly gave way. Clicking the torch that she had thoughtfully attached to her set of keys, Mrs Calibre led the way through the door and down a set of steep stairs, letting Xandria trail behind her but maintaining contact so that he daughter could see the way. The steps were dry and dusty the grit crunching under their footsteps but the walls were the opposite, they were slick under the touch and as Xandria pulled her hand away from the wall that she had used to steady herself, she saw that her hands were now covered in green slime.

At the bottom of the stairs, Mrs Calibre clicked off the torch so that for just a moment, she was as blind as her daughter normally was before the door in front of them started to emit a soft purple glow, slowly getting brighter and brighter. Reaching forwards she placed a palm against the cold steel door and the glow quickly shifted from purple to green. The door then swung open without the slightest creak revealing a brightly lit room beyond.

Once both Xandria and her mother were within the room which smelled like lavender and sage, the door swung shut behind them of its own accord. The two of them immediately started to disrobe glad of ceremony due to the sweltering heat of the room and the amount of steam that made the roof foggy. Two women, who were already within the room, came over whilst humming a soft melody that made the room hum with an unseen power, their arms laden with items. The first had a bowl full of scented lavender water and an array of sponges whilst the other woman held a stack of purple silks and had two largish boxes sitting on top.

Xandria and Mrs Calibre held their arms out from their bodies as the women cleansed them with the lavender water. Their blonde hair was dripping rivulets of water down their back whilst the larger of the two women grasped one of the boxes and lifted the lid to reveal golden brown sugar. Inch by inch their skin was scrubbed so that it was left tingling before both women were washed down once more with lavender water. It was a long process but it was the only way that they would be admitted into the sanctum.

After the third bowl of water had been emptied, the women braided their hair entwining lilacs and honeysuckles into the intricate weave. They were then robed in swathes of silk that clung to their bodies, the cool silk refreshing against their tingling skin. With a nod of assent the two women gathered up the supplies and retreated through one of the doors. Mrs Calibre grasped her daughter's hand and placed it on her shoulder before walking to the other end of the room where there was another door, this one wooden and streaked with ribbons of gold that glinted in the soft lighting.

"You ready?" Mrs Calibre questioned looking over her shoulder at her daughter who looked straight into her eyes and nodded. "Okay, do you want to do the honours or should I?" Her skin was already gleaming with the breath of natural magic the sanctum was imbued with and Xandria could see the excited gleam in his mother's eyes that showed that she wanted to do it.