Where Magick Comes to Die

If lore were correct, the meeting location should place Trinity in the Cape Cod Bay. Of course, that was as the crow flies, but the murder of crows just above the tree line served as her compass. The circling birds led her to the bogs and densely tangled forest between Routes 3 and 44 in Plymouth County. The honking of unfamiliar frogs, the incessant buzzing of mosquitoes, and the scurry of unseen rodents kept her company as she traversed the mucky landscape. A muggy heat streak had settled in New England despite the snow squall two days prior.

Trinity should have feared this day. But it was inevitable. It was this day and this day only that had prevented her from having children. Always her regret, but necessary. She could never do what must be done if she were a mother. She gave a passing thought to her husband, Jonah, or rather an appreciation for their nearly thirty years of marriage. His voice echoed in her head over the last three days while she traveled, begging her not to go. She shooed his pleading voice as if it were one of the annoying bugs flying around her head. She had said her farewells and for good measure had casted a sleeping spell. He was probably just coming to. Furious and sad most certainly.

The crows cawed and Trinity stopped. She watched the birds disperse in different directions. Some scattered in the direction of the water element, others in the directions of the fire, earth, and air elements. They had done well.

Trinity hiked the lower folds of her cloak so not to sit in the mud. Her boots may be caked when the deed was done, but not her cloak. Her cloak was her shield and the symbol of her role. She would not desecrate the black velvet hooded shroud with the lavender silk lining. It was a gift from those who came before. She had no one to pass it along to, so with her it would stay.

Dusk sent streaks of golden light through the leaves. Trinity stood in awe of the magnificent sight, eyes closed and heart open to the warmth. She inhaled the thick air and riding upon its tail was the scent of another presence. She opened her eyes and said, “It is a glorious day to do your bidding.”

“It is not my bidding that calls you. You are early.” A petite figure with hair so luxuriously soft and black it shimmered with a hint of blue moved from the shadows almost as if she materialized from nothing.

“Early, yes. But nevertheless, the time has come.” Trinity continued to clutch the velvet material in her fists as she bowed at her waist.

“Are you certain?”

“I am Trinity, the one who sees into the distance of time.”

“I know who you are. But I have not seen what you are seeing.”

Trinity bent back into a standing position. “The Magick Keeper is not endowed with the sight of the unseen.”

“The Magick Keeper holds the magick of seven generations. Sight is but one endowment.”

“Tis true, nonetheless, the time has come. In umbra lupus est liber.” Trinity detected the slightest twitch in the other woman’s left hand.

“Not possible. In umbra lupus in carcerem.”

“He escaped.”

“Lupus et umbra?”

“Yes. The Shadow Wolf is free. He escaped prison yesterday morning." Trinity lowered her head as in shame. "I saw it coming and prepared for travel three days ago. His freedom complicates matters.”

“Certainly, you could have prevented the escape? At the least, you and High Priestess Daphne can alter the course.”

“In times like these, our two covens work together for the greater good, but to no avail.” Trinity lifted her head and made eye contact. It was too late to amend the situation. Better to face the consequences of the premature ritual.

“And Trinity with the sight of things to come, you see no other path?”

“None that presents itself to me. Besides, I have come prepared.”

“Et bibi tea est mors?”

“Yes. I have drunk the death tea. We must hurry. I have little time left.” Trinity felt her life force swimming toward a center swirl of internal white light.

The woman gazed at Trinity for a few seconds, perhaps reading her mind to make sure there were no harmful intentions. “Come,” she said with a wave of her hand.

Trinity followed the figure dressed in militant attire through the overgrowth for about a mile, occasionally watching and wondering why the choice of clothes. As they reached another five hundred feet, Trinity knew she needed to stop. Her muscles had passed fatigue half a mile back and now they were becoming cement.

As if Trinity had asked to stop out loud, the woman halted. She turned to look at Trinity and smiled. The smile comforted Trinity. There was heart in the stoic woman.

The Magick Keeper lifted her hands and at their command, the vines and limbs fell back into the forest. A lone tree stood in the middle of the clearing. Small orbs of twinkling light danced around and through the branches. The roots of the tree swelled through the earth, forming the arms of a low chair. The tree trunk serving as the back for Trinity to lean against.

Trinity filled with a burst of energy and twirled in delight. There was an arborglyph on the tree trunk pulsating a purplish light approximately two and a half feet from the forest floor. “Did you do all of this for me?” Trinity shrilled.

“Lady Earth deserves no less.” The smile remained, obviously happy with Trinity’s exuberance.

Trinity turned around once again, slower this time, absorbing the beauty of her surroundings. She settled her sight on the other woman. “Thank you, Maggie. This is beautiful.”

“My pleasure,” Maggie answered and this time she bowed before Trinity.

“I am ready,” Trinity said as she lowered herself to the ground, in between the crux of the rooted arms and her head rested against the glowing purple witch’s mark. She drew the folds of her cloak so her legs were covered.

Maggie sat cross-legged to Trinity’s right. She took Trinity’s right hand into her own and closed her eyes. Her lips moved as in a silent prayer. Trinity wanted to hear the words but her blood was no longer pumping through her body at a normal speed. She needed to reserve the last bit of energy.

Her eyes fluttered open and close as she watched Maggie. It was like watching a movie with clips deleted, jumping and skipping through scenes. She saw Maggie extract something from the side pocket of her pants.

Trinity couldn’t resist asking. “Is that the Arms of Rowan?”

“It is.” Maggie held up what looked like a large writing pen sheathed in old worn out leather. At the top was a sliver disc.

“Can I see it?” Trinity forced her left hand up and Maggie placed the tool in her palm. She fumbled a bit but got her thumb on the disc. She pressed the disc, but nothing happened. “I broke it!” Her startled eyes met the laughter in Maggie’s face.

“It will not plunge for any other than the Keeper.”

“Oh,” Trinity sighed as her hand fell limp to her side.

Maggie retrieved the Arms of Rowan and placed her right thumb on the disc. “Are you ready, Lady Earth?”

“I am ready, Magick Keeper.” Trinity flipped her right palm face up. Maggie positioned the tool upright, pressed against the flesh of Trinity’s palm.

After a slight hesitation, Maggie said, “She gave life to me. She died for me. She passed her magick on.”

“You gave life to her. You will die for her. You will pass the magick on,” Trinity responded.

“Do you, Lady Earth, willingly pass your magick to the Spirit Guardian?”

“I do.”

Maggie plunged the disc so the blades within the sheath struck Trinity’s flesh. Blood beaded in the pattern of the intricate blades, the same pattern as the arborglyph. Maggie placed her scarred left palm against that of Trinity’s scored hand. Their fingers intertwined.

As Trinity felt a flood of white light flow through her and out of her palm, Maggie felt it entering through her own palm. All of Trinity’s memories rode on and in the swirl of magick.

With only a few drops of magick left in her Trinity said, “I love you, sister.”

“And I love you, sister.” Maggie leaned toward Trinity and whispered in her ear, “We could not protect humankind without your sacrifice. Go back to the earth and may peace be your blessing.”

Maggie heard the last beat of Trinity's heart and gently closed her eyelids. She put the Arms of Rowan away and folded Trinity's hands upon her chest.

She sat next to her oldest sister for hours, letting the memories sweep through her mind. She wept when she realized her sister never bore children because she thought this obligation would hinder her abilities as a mother. She laughed when she saw Jonah tickle Trinity in a moment of childish love. She looked away at Trinity’s memories of husband and wife making love. She witnessed a lifetime of love and joy with the occasional outburst of anger and fear within the course of hours.

She didn’t leave her sister’s side until the sun made its ascension on the horizon. With another wave of her hands, the vines and limbs fell back into place, guarding Lady Earth. More memories trickled through her mind’s eye. She mentally commanded them to their place within her vast library of memories but not before she saw the Shadow Wolf. He walked along a desolate highway, still in his prison garb, heading her way.