could you have been with him?” I asked.
“It was years ago, Riona. He was different. When we were younger we tried to conceive. It never happened, but we kept trying. I loved him and he loved me. Then he met Agnes. She was the poison that ended our relationship. When you were born she told him to get you. You would keep them safe from our kind. He believed her. He changed,” she explained.
“I’ll say!” I stood up and started pacing. All I could see where the hundreds of times he beat me. The times he called me names. How he hated me from the very beginning. It was as if I was this lowly creature he tolerated only a little. In reality I was his meal ticket. Without me they would be open to attack from other covens. My hate for him only grew.
“You can’t really blame him for that. You do look just like me. He was probably just taking out his anger for me on you.”
“That doesn’t make it right.” I was pacing so fast my feet were starting to make a mark on the wood. I had to cool off. I thought of the pond and instantly I was in it. My body was starting to cool, but my mind was still racing. It was hard for me to focus. Then I felt his touch behind me.
“Love,” he said.
“I just can’t believe this. Did you know?” I said, turning into his arms.
“No. I had an idea, but Deheune never shared the name of her lover.”
“This sucks.” He held me as we both treaded water. It wasn’t romantic, but it was cathartic. It was the healing my mind needed. I didn’t need to think of that horrible man anymore. I had Tomlin. That was all my world really required.
“Are you alright?” Deheune asked, running up out of breath. I forgot she didn’t know the area. She couldn’t teleport yet. Now she could.
“I’m fine, Máthair. It’s just a lot to process.”
“I know.” She sat down on the shore and watched us swim for a minute. Then she dipped her feet in the pool. The color instantly changed to a crystal blue. The water temperature adjusted too. It was more tepid than it had been. She stripped off her gown and climbed in. It was shocking at first, but then I realized she had the right idea. My gown was dragging me down. I looked into Tomlin’s eyes and we both let our clothes go at the same time. It may have seemed odd to outside eyes, but somehow it felt like the most natural thing ever.
As we swam birds started to cluster and sing. The vines all bloomed and spread heavenly scents in the air. Even the sun took on a softer glow. It was as if we were in a place touched by the gods. It was peaceful, reverent, and gracious. It had to be Deheune. She changed our little cove into a place of great holiness.
“How?” I asked as she swam up to us.
“When you become high priestess you will understand.” She smiled and then dove deep into the pool. When she came up there were shells around her neck. The birds dropped a vine wreath on her head.
“What does she mean?”
“When you are high priestess even the animals of the field know you. They don’t worship her as much as they appreciate her and she them. They have a bond that no one other than a priestess or priest can understand,” Tomlin said.
“Really?”
“Watch,” Carolyn said, stripping off her robe and diving in. When she came up she also had shells on her neck. The birds brought her a wreath. It wasn’t as intricate as Deheune, but I expected that.
“Wait. Carolyn’s a priestess?”
“As I am a priest,” Tomlin said. He dove down and came up with a pearl in his teeth. He gave it to me and smiled.
“I thought our order didn’t have priests.”
“I was trained in an order in Germany. Mother thought it best. She wanted me to be all I could be. After all I have the blood of the priestess.”
“This is starting to confuse me again.”
“It won’t,” he said, taking my hand. He pulled me over to the rocks my mother was sitting on. Her hair was delicately braided and covered her nakedness for the most part. I climbed up
“It was years ago, Riona. He was different. When we were younger we tried to conceive. It never happened, but we kept trying. I loved him and he loved me. Then he met Agnes. She was the poison that ended our relationship. When you were born she told him to get you. You would keep them safe from our kind. He believed her. He changed,” she explained.
“I’ll say!” I stood up and started pacing. All I could see where the hundreds of times he beat me. The times he called me names. How he hated me from the very beginning. It was as if I was this lowly creature he tolerated only a little. In reality I was his meal ticket. Without me they would be open to attack from other covens. My hate for him only grew.
“You can’t really blame him for that. You do look just like me. He was probably just taking out his anger for me on you.”
“That doesn’t make it right.” I was pacing so fast my feet were starting to make a mark on the wood. I had to cool off. I thought of the pond and instantly I was in it. My body was starting to cool, but my mind was still racing. It was hard for me to focus. Then I felt his touch behind me.
“Love,” he said.
“I just can’t believe this. Did you know?” I said, turning into his arms.
“No. I had an idea, but Deheune never shared the name of her lover.”
“This sucks.” He held me as we both treaded water. It wasn’t romantic, but it was cathartic. It was the healing my mind needed. I didn’t need to think of that horrible man anymore. I had Tomlin. That was all my world really required.
“Are you alright?” Deheune asked, running up out of breath. I forgot she didn’t know the area. She couldn’t teleport yet. Now she could.
“I’m fine, Máthair. It’s just a lot to process.”
“I know.” She sat down on the shore and watched us swim for a minute. Then she dipped her feet in the pool. The color instantly changed to a crystal blue. The water temperature adjusted too. It was more tepid than it had been. She stripped off her gown and climbed in. It was shocking at first, but then I realized she had the right idea. My gown was dragging me down. I looked into Tomlin’s eyes and we both let our clothes go at the same time. It may have seemed odd to outside eyes, but somehow it felt like the most natural thing ever.
As we swam birds started to cluster and sing. The vines all bloomed and spread heavenly scents in the air. Even the sun took on a softer glow. It was as if we were in a place touched by the gods. It was peaceful, reverent, and gracious. It had to be Deheune. She changed our little cove into a place of great holiness.
“How?” I asked as she swam up to us.
“When you become high priestess you will understand.” She smiled and then dove deep into the pool. When she came up there were shells around her neck. The birds dropped a vine wreath on her head.
“What does she mean?”
“When you are high priestess even the animals of the field know you. They don’t worship her as much as they appreciate her and she them. They have a bond that no one other than a priestess or priest can understand,” Tomlin said.
“Really?”
“Watch,” Carolyn said, stripping off her robe and diving in. When she came up she also had shells on her neck. The birds brought her a wreath. It wasn’t as intricate as Deheune, but I expected that.
“Wait. Carolyn’s a priestess?”
“As I am a priest,” Tomlin said. He dove down and came up with a pearl in his teeth. He gave it to me and smiled.
“I thought our order didn’t have priests.”
“I was trained in an order in Germany. Mother thought it best. She wanted me to be all I could be. After all I have the blood of the priestess.”
“This is starting to confuse me again.”
“It won’t,” he said, taking my hand. He pulled me over to the rocks my mother was sitting on. Her hair was delicately braided and covered her nakedness for the most part. I climbed up
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