Covens and Covenants

Chapter 1

                                                                   

I laid down that night not knowing that it would be the last night in my own bed in my childhood home. A place I would come to miss so dearly. A place where my mother and father had built a family and created our own little world. A place my I drifted to sleep worrying about passing the last final I needed to graduate. Snuggled in with my sweet tabby Mila in my sea of pillows, I started to drift off. Once in a deep sleep I started dreaming. I sat in a library, buried in books--- even in my dreams I'm fretting about school. Feeling my neck grow stiff from being hunched over the table, I stretched and stood. I walked around a few paces and decided to go outside for fresh air. I made my way to the exit at the front. I could see the sun shining, the rays hitting the water of the courtyard fountain. As I pressed my hands to the bar on the oak doors I heard someone whisper my name.

"Astrid."

I looked to my left where it emanated from. Just the empty table. I pushed the doors and turned to face them. The daylight made me squint and my vision swam. The middle of my forehead felt like it was splitting open. I gasped in pain and my hand flew up. As quickly as it came, the pain vanished. I opened my eyes and the scenery had changed. It was now dark out, but the sky was lit up with the full moon, illuminating everything in a glow of silver. I heard the crashing of the sea as it came in contact with the land below me. The salty wind gently kissing my skin. I looked to my right and saw a looming timeworn castle casting a shadow. I felt an ancient force pulsating from the same direction. As I started to scan around me trying to get my bearings, I felt an unnatural warmth wrap around me, I looked down and my sleep shirt I was wearing when I'd started this journey started to grow brighter. I closed my eyes as the light blinded me. My eyelids went black again. I opened my eyes and looked down. My shirt was gone and in its place was a lavish light silver silk gown. I felt it glide around me as I turned to exam it from different angles. The neckline of the dress elegantly draped to let my cleavage peek out of the top. At the peak an ancient emerald amulet set in an blue-hued silver nestled securely. I shifted to get a better look at the garment when my left leg peaked out of a thigh-high slit accentuating the floor length skirt. My ankle twinkled with an anklet made of the same jewels and silver the amulet had.

"You are absolutely beautiful." A tall figure uttered in a low breath from in front of me. His voice was thick with an accent I couldn't place. I looked up to see a figure standing in the shadow of the castle. He walked forward to stand in the moonlight. I caught the gaze of the owner's piercing blue eyes.

My heart pounded. I knew him. I couldn't remember where or when, but I had known him. My soul knew it.

"Astrid, My Queen. It's been so long. "

"Who are you?" I sputtered out, my mouth suddenly dry.

"You tell me. " In a blink he was gone from my sight and I felt warm lips on my neck. A strong arm wrapped around my waist. In a moment I should have felt terrified and should be clawing to escape, I felt safe. I felt like I could trust this mysterious figure. I relaxed into the embrace and closed my eyes.

"I don't know who you are. But my soul does. I have never been so sure" I whispered.I heard him sigh forlornly behind me.

"We shall meet in your realm. Soon. I'll send word" he squeezed my waist and was gone. I turned around and was met with darkness. My forehead started to ache. I pressed on the spot hoping to ease it. The pain came in full force, this time with nothing to brace on, knocking me to my knees. I gasped in pain, and slipped into the darkness that was crowding my vision.

I woke up, a dull ache was lingering. It wasn't a dream. This was real. The sun was shining through the cheap cheap blinds of my window. A wave of nausea smacked me. I flipped the blankets off of me knocking aside Mila who chirped curiously at me. I laid on the floor. The wood cool on my skin. I heard footsteps outside of my door.

"Mama?" I croaked out. I shouldn't have provided my body the opportunity to expel the bile. As soon as my mother walked in, I sat up and vomited.

"Oh, honey," she whimpered sympathetically," did you have another one?" She walked around the puddle to get behind me. She tucked her hands under my arms and assisted me with standing up.

"Yeah. This one was pretty hard on me." I looked down at the mess on the floor.

"It's a part of it honey. The visions will ease on your body as time goes on. Our mothers and sisters have done this for centuries. Time will ease it. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

She guided me towards the hallway and let me go as I crossed the threshold.

"You clean up you, I'll get this mess cleaned up. Come down stairs when you're done, we need to talk."

My mom suddenly looked her age. Maybe it was just her expression, but I didn't like how it aged her soft face her brow furrowed in worry. I nodded and made my way to the bathroom. There, I peeled the bile soaked sleep shirt off and put it in the sink turning the faucet on to rinse it. I turned on the water in the shower and stood there waiting for it to get warm. The water beating the floor of the tub lulling me into a stupor. I stood there my mind yelling questions at me. Who was he? Why did my head hurt, that was new? What was happening? Quieting my mind I stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain. The water rushed over me settling my nerves. I rinsed out my mouth and started cleaning. I finished my shower quickly and grabbed my towel off of the rack. Wrapped up, I padded to the sink and finished rinsing the garment. I glanced up to the fogged mirror and saw my blurry figure. I wiped the surface with my elbow and stared at myself. My usual amber colored eyes looked duller as dark rings circled around. One of the tell tale signs. The dull ache had steadily departed in the steam so I grabbed a hair brush and started to detangle the burgundy mop that was dripping down my back. After brushing, I streaked to my room and changed quickly, throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of leggings. Mila sat on the foot of the bed in an attentive pose. I planted a quick kiss between her ears and heard her start to purr.

"Notice anything weird last night Mila?" I said as I started stroking her back. She started to push into my hand and I smiled. I thought back on the vision. I kept seeing the blue eyes in the shadows. I shook the thought from my head. Letting my hand fall from Mila, I walked around to the side of my bed and knelt down. I reached under the pit of hidden clothes and old toys and found the wooden box I had stashed. I drug it out and scuffed the floors. I released the latch and flipped the lid. In there, wrapped in an old blanket, an ancient Grimoire passed down from Mother to Daughter. Filled with blessings of Mothers, curses of heart broken widows, and guidance of past generations. My mother gave it to me on my 18th birthday with a brief discussion on the history of it. My grandmother passed it to her and taught her the ways of the Hedgerider. But that was all I knew. I guess this will be a big part of this conversation. I unwrapped it and thumbed the edge of the pages. I stood up and walked out of my room with the book tucked under one arm and Mila under the other.