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Once upon a time, there was a pretty young woman. She was smart, resourceful and had her whole future planned in advance.
Once.
Before everything had changed. Overnight, things had fallen apart for her.
A few months before, her mother had made her move out. It was not the viciousness ( for their was none ) or that it was unreasonable (for she was almost twenty). The thing that surprised Eda, almost to the point of breakdown, was that it was unexpected. All her life she had been raised for a task, one she knew she was prepared for, one that would test her one day. She had no recollection of such a test yet suddenly it seemed as if she had failed it. So she moved out, moved on, tried to find a job and a flat.
And the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she really had faced a test and for some reason she really had failed. It did little for herself esteem. So time had paced, weeks dragged on and she had found little place for herself in the world. At present she was holding a job working in a small Irish town, at a craft and magic shop. The middle aged women who ran the shop had been impressed by Eda's knowledge and taken her on.
It was hardly a glamorous life but it paid for food and the small room she had taken at the boarding house. The main market was tourists, passing the area, marveling at the local ring of standing stones and buying gifts from the shop. Day after day Eda answered questions about the stone rings and time after time she repeated the same rehearsed speech:
"No one really knows why the stones were there. Some think it was a calendar or for various pagan rituals. And we don't know how they got there either but there are a umber of theories. We have a number of books that might interest you."
It was always the same. But it got tiring after a time, especially when Eda really did know how the rocks had got there and exactly what they were for.
Magic.
But a simple answer like that didn't sell books. It wasn't the sort of magic that tourists were interested in. They were interested in was magic that could be hung on a bedside table at the cost of a few pounds. Magic for Eda was different than for most humans. Eda was not human. She was a changeling.
A half fairy child, trained in the ways of magic so that one day she might become a nature spirit. But all that had fallen away now. She still had her magic, though rarely had inclination to use it. She felt as if her calling had failed her or rather, she had failed her calling. And since moving out of home, back packing around the British Isles, searching for a sense of belonging, Eda discovered that her whole life had been dedicated to magic and none of it to herself. Now she had a good chance to learn about herself as a person.
What she found did not please her.
It had not been her magic which kept her apart from other people. It was her attitude in general. She was too inconsiderate to make friends, too selfish to share her life with anyone. Eda had never experienced real social interaction, sheltered away by her mother. Now that she was thrown into the deep end she discovered that not only was she a poor swimmer, but the water was far more bitter than she had ever imagined. She had encountered a few boys on her travels but had connected with none of them. Sometimes she wondered if she was gay. But she got on no better with women so that was a dead option too..
In a sense, she had lost her way and had yet to find a new one.
For the first time in her life she blamed herself. She did not blame her mother. She had raised her for a test but it was Eda who had failed. She had pushed her out into the world only after her chance had come and gone. Eda had to move on somehow and her mothers payments to Eda's bank account made that transition much easier. Even now she had most of that investment saved away. It would be there for her id she ever decided what she was going to do with her life.
So it was that Eda Langford, fairly pretty young red headed changeling, came to be spending her afternoon behind a shop counter. It had been a slow day and was getting slower. When the power cut out Eda took it upon herself to light a few candles but over time the wind had risen and occasional gusts blew at the door, so that only a handful of candles remained lit. As a result the store itself was rather dark but Eda continued to read by candle light, a magic book she had discovered in a Dublin curio shop. Real magic, she recognized, and therefore useful even to a fallen changeling. It was only when the window panes started to rattle that Eda looked up from her book and realized that quite a storm was brewing outside. She tried to ring the shop owner, who was out at a New Age festival, but the phone lines were down too.
"Must be quite a storm." Eda mused as she walked to the front of the store.
Only when she looked out the window did she realize just what a storm it was. She dropped her book to the floor. It was the nature of a changeling to know magic when they saw it. And the storm raging in the skies was the thickest, largest concentration of magic that Eda had ever seen in her life. Fear compelled her to stay inside, run and hide in a safe corner.
Curiosity and decency compelled her to venture out into the storm and see what threat it posed. Decency won out.
Perhaps she was learning something after all.
No degree of physical protection could serve to keep anyone dry from the rain that had begun to pour down over the town. Eda opted for magical protection instead, the rain striking an invisible barrier above her head and running off smoothly. Eda had locked up shop early, having picked up a number of items from the shelves. She would have to figure out how to pay for them later. Perhaps, she thought briefly, she might be able to get her hands on some fairy gold. That would more than keep her on her feet. But general abuse of her powers was not something she liked to do. Ever since her expulsion she had used magic less and less.
Now was an exception.
Something very large was occurring, indicating a breaking of some hefty binding spells. If her memory served, those spells were supposed to be kept in place by the Guardian of Balance, the very role she had been raised for. Whoever had got the job instead wasn't doing a good job. Or she was dead. Eda gulped nervously. If a powerful nature sprit was dead then things were in serious trouble. She skidded to a halt as a flash of light flared before her. A cat dropped to the ground.
It's fur was a gray, white, almost hanging like mist about it's body. From it's back stuck two bat like wings, equally white.
It looked up at Eda with shining blue eyes and the young witch knew exactly what it was. Cait Sith, fairy cat of the Sidhe.
She'd seen pictures of them before and this was quite clearly identical. There was only one thing that bothered her.
Cait Sith were not real. Myths were often based on some reality, most of them distorted facts of magic. But there were not, nor ever had been fairy cats.
Until now.
Eda stared at the creature, unsure what to do. She couldn't rightly let the creature go, for it would surely wreck havoc on the towns folk. She reached into her back pack and pulled forth a pinch of herbs, flicking them at the creature and weaving a binding spell. The animal vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Either it had been vanished or it had escaped. Eda had no time to consider. She had to make it to the fairy ring on the hilltop. That would be the point where the flow of magic was strongest, there she could find out what was going on. She kept running, soon making it to the path up the hill.
So intent was she on the fairy ring that she failed to notice anything else. She crashed headlong into something and tumbled to the ground, her shield spell broken and rain soaking through her clothes quickly.
"Are you okay?"
Eda flicked her red hair form her eyes to see a young man, reaching his hand for her. He wore a back pack and held an umbrella but his tee-shirt and jeans were still soaked through, just as hers now were.
"Yeah sure." she took his hand grudgingly and rose to her feet, brushing dirt from her hip. "Who are you? And what are you doing here."
"A crazy kid doing crazy things." he took a step towards her, lifting the umbrella over both their heads, offering a little shelter. "My name's Keenan. Keenan Oakley. You can call me Keen."
Eda raised an eyebrow.
"It's a joke." he smiled and flicked his fringe away from his eye. "What about you?"
"Eda. Langford. Why are you out in this?"
"Can't you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"Magic! The raw power in the air. I'm heading to the fairy ring."
"You.. know magic?"
"Well no.. A little.. It's sort of becoming the in thing nowadays. Not that I was ever the in thing. I guess you're heading up there too. Weaving a little witchcraft."
"I.. what? How did you..."
"I can see it in your eyes. You know this is more than a storm. Come on, we're getting wet." He reached out his hand to lead her but she ignore it, heading up the hill. Keenan grinned and followed.
The top of the hill was even more wind swept and wet than the town below. On a fine day there would be plenty of tourists passing through. On a day like this the place was deserted. It made Eda imagine what it might have been like years ago, before man encroached on the land. It was clear to see that there was magic at work however. Once they reached the inside of the circle it was warm and dry.
"Wow. Can you believe this? I mean.. this is it. This is real magic. We're living and breathing it."
"Look.. Keenan.. I'm not really in the mood for getting happy with magic. So go and do whatever little rituals it is you want and I'll do mine. Okay?"
"Er.. sure.." the young man's mood dropped and her crouched down, opening his backpack.
Eda ignored him, turning instead to her own spells. If she could find an accurate focus point then she could find out what was going on. The Guardian. If she could contact the Guardian of Balance then she could find out what was happening.
Eda sprinkled herbs in a pentacle before her, speaking words she had been taught by her mother for so many years, spells of communion with nature. The pentacle glowed. Then it faded. Confusion flared in her mind then she realized what it meant. The spell had been a success but there was no guardian to answer. Earth had no Guardian of Balance. Eda felt her stomach turn. Bagpipe music filled the air. Eda turned to see Keenan, reading words from a book, mixing herbs and playing bagpipe music on a cassette.
"What are you doing?" she called over to him.
He casually turned to her. "Summoning ritual. Pipe music and these words will ensnare any magical creature in the area. People used to use it for finding a wife or husband."
"Turn it off." Eda growled.
"Look, you do your spells and I'll do mine." He lit the herbs an a cloud of smoke rose into the air.
Eda stepped forward. "I said turn.. it...off..." She took another step, this time stumbling.
"Are you okay?"
"I.. don't.. know.." Eda's head spun and she fell forward, Keenan catching her just in time.
"Are you sick?" he asked her, noticing that her eyes were glazing over.
"Not... sick.. just.. music..."
"The music.. but... Oh my God... Your a fairy."
"No." Eda giggled, feeling remarkably light headed. "I'm a changeling.. or I was.. no I am.. still am yeah that's it."
"So.. you're under my spell?"
"Yep.. right under your spell.. I'm all yours." she giggled again.
"So.. I.. What do you do?"
"I'll do anything you say." Eda nodded slightly.
"Anything? But.. well.. Who are you?"
"I told you." Eda said with the tone of a frustrated child. "I'm Eda Langford the changeling."
"But.. what are you like?"
"What.. am I like?" Eda seemed to consider. "I'm a bitch." she laughed loudly. "I'm a self centered, ruthless bitch"
"You don't seem it."
"Oh." she stopped and considered again. "What do I seem?"
"You seem... well you seem drunk." Keenan shrugged, uncertain of what to tell her.
"I don't drink. Not ever."
"Well.. all right.. why are you a bitch?"
"I did really nasty things."
"What things?"
"I.. don't remember." Eda creased her brow trying to recall some forgotten history.
"Eda? You have to do everything I say right?"
"Yup."
"Do you want to remember what you did?"
Eda thought about it for a second. "Uh huh."
"Then I order you to remember what you did."
Eda closed her eyes and took in a deep breathe. Then she screamed.
Keenan held her as she convulsed, the memories which had been locked away for months now pouring to surface.
The forest, the quest. Rachael.
Failure.
The scream died down suddenly, Eda sobbing at her past. What she had suspected had at last been proven. She had failed and she had been cursed for it. Her greed and vindictiveness had cost her the only thing she had ever wanted.
"Eda. It's all right. You don't have to tell me anything. Just.. don't worry about it. Please?"
"Okay." Eda sniffed, though the fears were still boiling away inside her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I mean.. you're not a fairy. I didn't even think this spell would work but you.... Eda, why did you come here?"
"The storm is a magical one. There are bad things happening."
"What sort of things?"
"Breaches. Creatures are appearing. They shouldn't even be here."
"What.. does that mean?"
"The world.. is falling apart."
Keenan almost dropped her to the ground when she said the words. He knew that she wasn't lying to him, that she couldn't lie. "Eda? Can you stop it?"
"I.. can.. try."
"Right. Eda. I free you from the spell. You can do whatever you wish."
"You.. can't..." she shook her head softly.
"What?"
"You can't.. break the spell... You possess my soul..."
"Oh God. Eda.. How do I turn it back. I didn't mean to steal anyone's soul. Tell me what to do."
"I.. don't know..." she sniffed.
"All right. Eda, I'm going to find an answer. You just lie here.. Don't worry.. Eda.. I want you to go to sleep. Just sleep okay. You're going to fall asleep and be very peaceful and when you wake up I'll have the answer."
"sleep..." Eda repeated dreamily, her eyes closed.
"Yes. Just sleep. A nice peaceful sleep."
Eda's body went limp and Keenan lowered her to the ground. As far as he knew, this girl could help save the world. And he was stopping her. He reached into his bag and pulled out a thick book on magic. There had to be something in there.
Eda awoke feeling no more lucid than when she had gone to sleep. She was being shaken. It took her a few blinks to realize that it was Keenan. "Dance." he said, dragging her to her feet.
"What? I don't feel like dancing.."
"I order you to dance." the young man repeated and put his hand on her waist, drawing her into a ballroom dance position and whirling her off to the sound of tape music.
Eda had never learned to dance but she felt sluggish anyway. All she could do was follow Keenan's lead, which was easy considering he was practically holding her up.
"What.. are you doing?" she wondered aloud as they spun about.
"Dancing in the fairy ring." he explained, continuing to move. "Mortals that dance in the fairy ring with magical creatures, lose their souls to them."
"But.. I don't want you're soul." Eda shook her head in protest.
"But I have yours. Which means that eventually you'll have yours back and I'll still have mine. I hope."
"You.. hope?"
"It's just a theory." he shrugged, whirling her about and off her feet as they spun.
Reverting into the cotton wool state of her brain, Eda smiled. Keenan was a good dancer. And he was kind and compassionate. He was just the sort of guy that nice girls were supposed to meet. But she wasn't a nice girl. She was a girl paying for her crimes. He had to know that. But he danced anyway. Eda felt herself getting more in time with the music. It was an easy beat and an easy enough pattern of steps to follow once she got the hang of it. She'd always been good at picking up new things and this was no different. Before long, Keenan no longer had to drag her, his steps being matched by his as they spun about in the peaceful ring, oblivious to the wild world outside.
Keenan looked at his dance partner, who's eyes seemed to grow brighter with every step. Her life was returning and her eyes were the window to the soul. A soul that felt guilt and loss but was trying to do better, to improve. A lonely soul, shunned by the world. Her eyes were also a mirror. As they held close, Keenan drew nearer and kissed her lips once.
He broke his hold, stepping back quickly and almost falling over. Eda shook her head, red hair bouncing in the light as her senses fully recovered.
"I.. I'm free again." she laughed as she realized her control was back. The spell had been broken.
"Yeah.. I guess so.." Keenan looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I trapped you."
"It was an accident."
"I kissed you when you were helpless."
Eda smiled with a fairy like expression. "The spell was broken before we stopped dancing."
She crossed over to him slowly. "I.. wanted you to."
Before he could speak again she wrapped her arms about his neck and drew him into a kiss, not a soft peck but a deep passionate embrace. At first her was taken back but then he followed, wrapping his arms about her waist, drawing her in closer. Now they were both in each others spell. Eda felt his lips crossing her cheek, touching her neck, her shoulder.
She ran her hands around his back, slowly lifting the damp fabric of his tee shirt as she felt his do the same. Somehow as they dropped to the earth both their shirts came off, and they held even closer their skin touching, the warmth of their bodies merging. Eda realized that they had both taken each others soul, both known what it was to possess the other and perhaps there was still that part of each of them within the other. A spiritual union. Later she might consider it further.
Now however, she was lost in the moment.
The clasp of her bra came free and during the course of their fevered explorations made it's way to the ground, Keenan's hands stroking over her skin, planting soft kisses on her rosy nipples. Eda savored every touch, enjoying his attentions and responding with her own, stroking the skin of his chest and shoulders.
Their embrace continued as the rolled over the soft grass that seemed to make a natural mattress for the entwined lovers.
Eda ran her hand over his stomach, sliding down until she pressed her hand against his jeans, slowly unzipping his fly. Likewise she could feel his fingers performing the same task in unison. When they were done she felt his fingers stroking hers, the hands joining together and rising up again, wrapped as were their bodies. They shuffled gently, pulling their bodies together tighter as Eda kicked off her jeans. Through the fabric of her panties Eda could feel Keenan press firmly against her. She drew him close, kissing him tightly as she wrapped her legs around his, pressing tightly against him. Their bodies embraced, face to face, chest to chest and hip to hip. In unison they began to move, pressing against each other, rubbing their bodies together, kissing and hugging close. The more they moved the tighter they embraced. Eda was not an innocent girl and she knew without a doubt where his was leading. But she had never felt the intensity she felt now, the connection on so many levels with another person.
As their lips met she could feel his breath as if it were hers. Where her breasts pushed against his ribs she felt his heart beating, faster and faster like her own. And where their hips thrust together she could feel his warmth against hers, rubbing back and forth through their remaining garments. Hands ran through her red hair, rubbing her neck, caressing her arms and she responded in kind. Her breath quickened, kisses becoming more frantic, thrusts more rapid and forceful, yet neither boy nor girl was taking the lead, rather they both worked together, a single forged soul. Eda felt the energy rising within her.
Then it surged out, flooding through her body. She hugged Keenan tight, wrapping her arms and legs about him as she shuddered and gasped. In unison he too shook, drawing her body to his, where they lay, entwined till the last tingles had subsided and the last pulses vanished. There they lay in each others arms, their stories forgotten for the time being. With Keenan's head resting on her chest, Eda closed her eyes and for the first time in months she saw hope.
Eventually they had to move again. Keenan, always thinking ahead, had packed a change of clothes into his waterproof bag, which proved to be useful. Eda's clothes, though damp, weren't all together uncomfortable and with Keenan's hands on her shoulders they felt even more fitting.
"What now changeling?" he asked, with no malicious tone in the word.
"You know magic?"
"As I said, a little. But obviously I know the things that work."
"Obviously." she smiled. "Most magic in books is false. You lucked onto some rare ones."
"Lucky me. But I'm hardly a magician of any caliber."
"Trust me, any magic is a lot better than none at all. I think we need to find the source of the disruption."
"And go there?"
"You have things you don't want to leave?"
"I have a rented shed and a job at a garage. Leaving would be a blessing."
"Keenan.. you realize that going with me.. might get you killed."
"I'll risk it.. Besides, they say that if you let a fairy go you never get her back."
"I'm not a fairy." she blushed slightly.
"You're the closest to one I'll ever need." he grinned and kissed her cheek. "So how do we get to where we're going?"
"How else? Magic."
*******
Things in Dublin were rough to say the least. The four witches wove through the air, doing their best to avoid the creatures that shared the sky with them. If ever a monster lurched too close, Edele scorched it or scared it off. Keavy and Sinead were forced to keep them protected from the storm. Eventually they touched down on ground, still sheltered from the pouring rain by Keavy's deflection.
"What do you hope to find in the library?" Lindsay asked as they walked for the doors.
"Well, we got information on The Morrigan. Maybe we can get some information on that." Edele finished her sentence and looked up at the enormous flailing serpent in the sky, dwarfing the buildings below.
"Shouldn't we be able to beat it? I mean, we do possess the forces of nature."
"We do Sinead." Edele sighed. "But that thing is beyond nature. I don't even think it's real."
"Looks pretty real to me."
"Well... think of it this way, what if myths were coming to life? Myths like Morrigan and Ouroboros?"
"That would be bad." Keavy summarized effectively.
"Why would that be happening?" Lindsay wondered as she pushed at the library door.
"I don't know." Edele admitted. "But first things first. We have a World Serpent to move."
Eventually answers came. Amidst piles of antique books, four girls, who certainly didn't consider themselves to be scholars, located the one text with the spell they needed.
"Song of Grand Binding." Edele squinted at the old text. "When sung shall lock away the greatest of serpents least the earth be rended asunder."
"Always good to ignore rending." Sinead quipped. "How does the spell go?"
"I.. I don't know." Edele peered at the page. "I can't read it."
"What?" Sinead lifted the book. "Is it in some language.. hey this is.. I.. Man that gives me a headache."
Keavy glimpsed at the page and knew immediately what the others meant. The words were clear enough on the page. But they couldn't be read at all. Any attempt to specify detail was impossible. Each symbol was another yet at the same time something else. It wasn't a blur, it was more than one thing at once. Impossible. Magic. Lindsay lifted the book and peered at the opposing page.
"The Song of Grand Binding can only be read by one born of magic." she read aloud.
"But we're born of magic." Keavy protested.
"No, we were predestined to magic. We gained our powers. We needed a creature of magic."
"Like Gwen." Edele sighed.
"Yeah. Wishful thinking. We have to find another someone who can read this."
"And they'll just fall into our lap?" Sinead folded her arms.
"Given the weather, I wouldn't rule out the possibility.
*******
"As your apprentice, could you tell me exactly how this works?" Keenan asked, looking at the circle and symbols Eda had laid out on the ground."
"Earth is suffering from breaches, both in magic and reality. All we have to do is latch onto one of those then pass through to the other side, the source of all this chaos."
"Oh. Okay. And that's what this will do?"
"I hope so. Give me your hand."
Eda took Keenan and pulled him into the circle. "Magic Words?" he asked.
"Sometimes" she smiled, "Words aren't needed." She raised her hands and the circle lit up, surrounding the two lovers, sealing them in a bubble of magic. Keenan felt a sensation of movement though her couldn't establish the direction. Perhaps it was in no direction at all. His mind was becoming very open to this sort of thing very fast.
The movement stopped.
The brightness faded.
Eda looked around then down.
They had passed through the magical breach to the center of the disturbance, the cause of the storm. It was a hundred meter in the air. "Oh shit." was all Eda had time to say before the magical shell faded and she and Keenan commenced a very rapid decent to earth.
THE END??
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