Dead Moon Awakens: A tale of Cherokee myth and Celtic magic (Mystic Gates) (17 page)

“What is that? Yuck! That stuff stinks. If she
hasn’t thrown up by the time you give her that muck, she will.”

“Oh hush, and get her some water to drink with
this.” Morrigan sat next to her. “Okay, sit up so you can take this.” She
helped Aishling lean against the garage wall.

“I can’t take that. I can’t. Not right now.”

“Come on. Trust me. This will make you feel much
better.” Leaning in closer, she whispered, “Plus, it’ll help you remember.
Isn’t that the most important thing?”

“I guess.” Weak as butter, Aishling strained to
lift her left hand and dig her fingers into the crushed leaves. She collected
some of the paste and raised her fingers to her lips.

“Lance! Hey man, what are you doin’ here?” Kelile
shouted.

Return to Beginning

Then knowing remembers;

L
ance.
Aishling scraped the paste from her hand
back into the bowl and wiped her hand on the grass before rushing to him.

But Morrigan and Kelile had raced ahead and met
him first.

“Oh, Lance, I’m so glad to see you!” Morrigan
reached to hug him.

He patted her shoulder and stepped away. “Hi.”

“What are you doin’ here, man?” Kelile and Lance
bumped fists. “Did Redhawk turn ya down?”

“No. He wasn’t there. He won’t be back for a couple
of days.” Lance looked around them and met Aishling’s eyes. “What’s going on?
You look funny, I mean sick.”

“You’d be sick too if you saw what she was
eatin’,” Kelile answered.

“I haven’t eaten it yet.” Her cheeks warmed. “I’m
sorry Redhawk was gone, but I’m so glad to see you.”

“We all are.” Morrigan scowled at her and stepped
between her and Lance. “Come over and sit down. Tell us what happened.” She
clutched his arm and pulled him to the sleeping bag.

After they had sat, Lance picked up the bowl of
chunky paste. “What is this?”

“An herbal remedy I made for Aish. She wasn’t
feeling good,” Morrigan said.

“But what is it?”

“It’s an herb I got out of her mother’s garden.”

“But what is the herb?”

“
Sacred datura
,” Morrigan answered.

He leaned over the vessel of crushed leaves and
sniffed.

“I wouldn’t get my nose too close to that stuff.”
Kelile fanned his face. “That stuff’s rank.”

Lance picked up the uncrushed leaves lying beside
the sleeping bag. “Morrigan, this looks like jimsonweed.” Standing, he said,
“Show me where you got this.”

She led him to the entrance of the garden and
pointed.

He moved around her and walked to where she had
gathered the leaves. After bending over and sniffing, his head shot up, and he
yelled, “This
is
jimsonweed!” He threw the leaves down, charged out of
the garden, and rounded on her. “That stuff is poisonous! You could have killed
her.”

When he returned to the sleeping bag, Kelile
handed him the paste. “I can’t believe you did this, Morrigan. What makes you
think you have enough knowledge for this?”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she said, “I’m
sorry.” She hiccupped.

“And you.” Lance pointed to Aishling. “Don’t you
have a mind of your own? You need to think before doing something like this.”

Addressing Kelile, he said, “Why didn’t you stop
them?”

“Don’t you be yellin’ at me, man. I ain’t in
charge of these two.” Kelile crossed his arms and stared at the ground.

Aishling began crying, no longer able to hold back
the feelings churning inside her as if she were a blender. Lance was back. And
he cares!
But why is he yelling at me?
She hadn’t done it. She hadn’t
wanted to eat that stuff. How dare he tell her she didn’t have a mind of her
own!

“Jeez, I don’t wanna listen to this.”

“Come on Kelile, let’s get rid of this stuff and
see if we can catch some fish. The lake is back there.” Lance pointed behind
the garage.

She lifted her head and watched him through a
sheet of tears as he got his little metal box with fishing line and hooks and walked
away, Kelile trailing behind.

“I’m so sorry,” Morrigan muttered. “I wouldn’t
hurt you on purpose. I truly thought I was helping.”

Lance’s words shoved aside her doubts about
Morrigan. Her hands tightened into fists when she replayed what he had said, “
Don’t
you have a mind of your own
?” She’d show him. She’d show him she didn’t need
him. That she could make her own decisions. That she could take care of
herself. Her chin stiffened as she shoved the tears off her face and stood. She
would do something besides whine.

“Morri.”

“Yes?” Morrigan shuddered.

“One of Ma’s friends lives down the road from
here. Let’s go see her. I want to ask her some questions. She probably knows an
enchantment that can help me remember. I’m sure of it.”

“You forgive me?” Morrigan sat up, placing her
hands together as if in prayer.

“Yes. Besides, Lance was right. And from now on,
I’m listening to me. I knew I shouldn’t eat that stuff. I kept getting sick
when I thought about doing it.”

Aishling knocked on the bright blue front door of
a chocolate brown cottage. Bright blue shutters accented the windows, and pots
of marigolds added splashes of yellow on the stoop. A small, lilac-colored sign
hung in the front yard—
Snowbird Pagan, Wiccan, and Old Forest Crafts
.

“Anita?” Aishling said in a hushed tone as a
short, bulbous woman with shoulder-length, graying hair opened the door.

The woman’s eyes grew into saucers, and her mouth
opened into an, “Oh!”

“You remember me? Emer O’Brian’s daughter?”

“Yes. Oh my Goddess! What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t you know where I was?”

“No, dear. I knew you had been placed in a home
somewhere, but I didn’t know where. Please, come in.” She motioned for Aishling
to enter, but blocked Morrigan. “Who’s this, dear?”

“That’s Morri, my best friend. She was at Herald
Home with me.”

“Hi,” Morrigan said, giving a quick wave.

“Uh, okay.” Anita moved out of the way and shut
the door behind Morrigan.

They followed her into the living room.

“Anita, I may as well tell you because I don’t
have a lot of time. I ran away from the home with Morri and a couple of other
friends. I’m here to find out what happened to Ma. I can’t remember much about
the night of the fire. I hoped you’d be able to work an enchantment or spell
that could help me remember.” She and Morrigan sat on the couch. “Do you know
anything about that night? Have you heard from Ma?”

Anita scrapped her bottom lip with her upper teeth
as she settled into a recliner. “You don’t remember that night?”

“I only remember being rescued by a fireman. And
he told me no one else was in the house. Ma just disappeared. I’ve been at that
stupid home all this time, and they won’t tell me anything. Don’t you know what
happened? Have you heard from Ma? Is she hiding?”

Anita’s face lost its color. “Uh … I don’t know
what happened that night. I haven’t heard from Emer,” her voice had become softer
and softer. Hesitating, she shook her head as though she was arguing with
herself. “However, a woman came here soon after the fire. She said she had been
very close to your mother when you were younger. I got the impression she was
one of us. Anyway, she was packing some things to hold for you.”

Anita watched her fat, black cat stretch at her
feet before continuing. “Her name was Corra … McKenna? No, that’s not right.
But she did say folks around here knew her as Eagle Woman. She told me the most
important thing to Emer was your safety, and that she was placing you in a
children’s home. Uh … She thought it best if none of us knew where.”

“Why?” Aishling asked.

Almost whispering now, Anita answered, “Eagle
Woman feared your life was in danger. She said a malevolent witch was looking
for your mother because she thought your ma had something she wanted … uh … a
powerful talisman. She was afraid this witch would hurt you to get to your
mother.” Anita shook her head again and huffed. “That’s why no one’s tried to
find you, dear. I’m so surprised you’re here. I don’t know what to do now.”

“Where is this Eagle Woman?”

“I think she said she lived in Bryson City. I
don’t remember for sure. Aishling, what she told me squared up with something
your mother had said shortly before the fire.” Wringing her hands now, she
continued, “I’m sorry, dear. Your mother had also said a witch who had turned dark
was pursuing her. Emer was terrified that something would happen to you.”

“Did she tell you the name of the witch?” Morrigan
interrupted, scooting forward to the edge of the couch.

Anita drew back. Her eyes popped open.

“The name of the witch after her, do you
remember?” Morrigan repeated.

The black cat growled and hopped on Anita’s lap as
she began rocking back and forth. “Let me think.” Her pupils dilated, making
her eyes look bizarre. She jerked her attention to Aishling. “Yes, it’s
starting to come to me. Her name was Ele … Mmm.” Anita grabbed her neck with
both hands, gasping for air. The cat dove off her lap as she stood and reached
out for Aishling, still gasping. “A spell!” She uttered through struggled
breaths, “Leave. … Not safe! Go ba … to … hhh … home—” she stumbled toward the
front door “—before … too … la… .”

“But, her name? It’s really important,” Aishling
pleaded. “I need to know.” Nausea licked her stomach, her warning. She needed
to get out of there. Fast. But when she looked at Anita’s face turning blue,
she couldn’t budge.

“Ele … Mmm …” Anita’s eyes rolled back. She
collapsed on the floor.

“Let’s get out of here! Hurry!” Morrigan shoved Aishling
to the front door.

“Wait!” Aishling grabbed the door’s frame and held
herself in place. “We have to make sure she’s okay.”

“No! Don’t you see? She’s got some kind of spell
on her. She can’t talk to you. That’s why she’s choking.”

“I have to make sure she’s okay.”

“She’ll be fine. She just fainted. Come on!”

Still resisting Morrigan’s shoves, she waited,
hoping to see Anita breathe.

When she sighted the smallest of breaths, she let
Morrigan push her out of the house and down the steps to the road.

They ran—almost all the way back to Aishling’s
home.

“Stop, I can’t breathe.” Aishling panted.

“Let’s at least get out of sight.” Morrigan tugged
her off the road.

Aishling leaned against a holly tree while they
rested.

“Listen,” Morrigan said. “Don’t tell Lance and
Kelile what happened. They’ll want to go back, but we should stay away.”

Aishling wrestled with guilt. What if Anita was
still lying on the floor? What if she needed help? Was it her fault Anita had
choked? “I don’t know. Do you think she’ll be all right?”

Morrigan nodded.

“But—”

“Listen to me. She’ll be fine. Trust me.”

No
. She had heard that before. How could
she trust Morri? “I’m going back and make sure she’s okay.”

“We don’t have time. Don’t you want to get back
before Lance? She’ll be fine now that you’re not there. Being around you is
what caused her to choke. That’s why Eagle Woman didn’t want anyone to know
where you were—not only for your safety but for anyone who might try to help
you.”

“Okay … . But I
am
going to tell Lance and
Kelile everything else. Maybe they can help us find Eagle Woman. Maybe Redhawk
knows her. We have to find her, Morri.”

They arrived back at Aishling’s home just as
Kelile laid two medium-sized fish on a flat rock by their campsite.

He grinned and patted his chest with his left
fist. “Me great fisherman. Check it out.”

Lance chuckled until he looked at Aishling. “What
happened now? Where have you been? What did you do?”

She dragged herself to the sleeping bag and
flopped down, followed by Morrigan. “We went to see a friend of my mother’s.”
After gulping for air, Aishling relayed part of what had happened. She stopped
talking and studied her worn, filthy sneakers. Up to this point, she had chosen
her words carefully, as Morri had requested. But it didn’t make sense. Why not
tell them everything?

“Uh … Aishling?” Kelile chuckled. “Did you forget
you were talkin’ to us?”

“Oh.” Refocusing, she continued, “Well, this woman
thought that the bad witch might come after me.” She peered at Morrigan. “I
think that witch is the one who started the fire.”

“You don’t know that.” Morrigan crossed her hands
over her chest.

She studied Morri’s face a moment. “But, it makes
sense. Don’t you see? That witch must have gone to Anita and put the spell on
her. Anita choked because she tried to tell me the witch’s name.”

“Aish!” Morrigan stood.

“Wait.” Lance caught Morrigan’s wrist and held her
in place. He said to Aishling, “Your friend started choking?” She nodded. “Is
she okay?”

“Yes … I think so.”

“Did she tell you who the witch was?” Lance let go
of Morrigan’s wrist.

“No. But she told us the witch was hunting for
something—a powerful talisman—and that she thought Ma had it.”

“The Suti Stone!” Kelile sat up. “I bet that witch
is the bitch doggin’ me.”

“You don’t know that,” Morrigan said.

“I bet it is.”

“You all can’t prove any of this.” Morrigan fisted
her hands at her sides. “You don’t know who it is. You don’t know if she
started the fire.”

“Girl, you act like we’re talkin’ about one of
your relatives.” Kelile snickered, paused, then, “Well … maybe we are.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

When he rolled his eyes at her, a hush overtook
them.

Aishling flicked her shoestrings several times.

Lance touched her arm and asked, “Did your friend
know who the woman was who had warned her?”

“Oh, yes! If we can find her, she can help us.”

“Well, who was it?” Kelile asked.

“Anita said she was known around here as Eagle
Woman.”

“What?” Lance lurched a few inches toward Aishling
before stopping himself.

She winced and leaned away from him. “Eagle
Woman.”

He shot up and stood over her, glaring.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“What else did she say about Eagle Woman?”

Aishling’s heart slammed into her stomach. Tears
began forming in her eyes. Lance knew Eagle Woman. Was she—

“Aishling, tell me what else she said about Eagle
Woman.”

“That her given name was Corra. At first, she said
her last name was McKenna, but then she said the last name wasn’t right. And
that Eagle Woman was one of us. Anita thought she was from Bryson City. And … and
that she had known Ma before, when I was younger.”

“No. That can’t be.” He dropped to his knees.
“When? When did she go to Anita?”

Aishling wanted to burst into tears. “Lance,” she
spoke softly, “was that your mother?”

“When?” His face turned a muted red.

“Soon after the fire, after I was sent to Herald
Home.”

“When?” He panted.

“Probably in the early part of November, 1989.”
She trembled, trying to understand.

“
Was
that your mom?” Kelile asked as
Morrigan edged up beside Lance and placed her hand on his right shoulder.

Lance buried his face in his hands. He didn’t
confirm or deny.

It’s true
. Though Aishling hadn’t connected
McKenna to Lance’s last name, she knew Eagle Women was his mother. His mother
had come here before his family moved to Franklin.

He sprung up, snatched the fish and said, “I’m
going to clean these so we can eat.” He rambled into the woods behind the
garage.

Morrigan sat again, and the three of them blankly
stared at each other.

Aishling didn’t know what to say. Somehow, she and
Lance were connected. Their mothers had known each other. And this confirmed
what she had felt about Kelile’s mother. She also had known Ma.
What about
Morri’s?
“I wonder if all our mothers knew each other.”

Morrigan shook her head. “No.” Tears covered her
cheeks. Then she said something Aishling didn’t understand. “Not Lance’s
mother, too. No… .”

Kelile leaned against the wall of the garage, crossing
his arms over his chest. “What happened to your mom, Morrigan? I mean, when and
how did she die?”

Morrigan flung her attention to him. “Don’t you
dare say my mother is the witch who’s hunting everyone. She’s dead, too. In
fact, Kelile,
your
mother is the only one still alive. How do we know
she
isn’t the witch who hunted the others down? Come to think of it, she did try to
put a spell on Aish. And, I thought it strange how you got away so easily the
other night.”

He slammed his left fist into his right hand. “Back
off, voodoo queen, or I’ll slap you silly. I’m not accusing your mom of
anything, so don’t say nothin’ about mine! I just asked you when and how she
died.”

“But before, you did make fun of her and act like
she was the one.”

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did.” Morrigan’s voice cracked.

“I mean it! Don’t say another word.” He puffed.

Silence.

Fidgeting.

Silence.

More fidgeting.

Aishling hugged herself then rubbed her arms,
wanting to stop the antsy feeling creeping through them. Too many thoughts,
coincidences, bits of conversations, flashes of dreams and memories. She
couldn’t sort it out. Not right now. Not without Lance. Where did he go? Was he
coming back? She couldn’t stop worrying about him. But,
what
about
Kelile’s mother? What had happened the times she had seen her? Could she have
been the witch? She always seemed afraid of something, though. Why would she be
afraid of Aishling? Was everything that had happened because of a stupid stone?
Was that why Ma had disappeared?

Wait. Wouldn’t that be the smart thing to do?
Could her mother have acted like she was killed in the fire? Had she
disappeared to keep Aishling safe? To keep herself safe?

“Aish? Aish?” Morrigan.

“What?”

“I’m worried about Lance.” She looked over at
Kelile. “Should we go find him?”

“He’ll come back when he’s ready to talk,” he
answered.

Several eternal minutes later, Lance returned and
dropped the fish back on the flat rock. “I’m not hungry, but I guess we should
cook these.”

The four of them worked together to make dinner,
saying nothing about their discoveries and questions.

After they had eaten and cleaned up, Aishling got
out her
grimoire
, hoping it would provide answers. As she flipped
through the pages, an envelope addressed to her fell out.

They stared at the envelope as though it would
explode.

The others gathered closer to her while she opened
it. For moments, she lingered in the comfort of their huddle before reading it
aloud.

“Dear Aishling. Please forgive me for intruding
upon your personal property, but this is the only way. Your mother and I were
once very close. A few weeks ago, she contacted me and told me she was
extremely worried about your safety. She asked me to help you if something ever
happened to her.”

Aishling began shaking. “Of course, I would do
anything in my power to help Emer. She was and always will be my
anamchara
.”
Her voice cracked. “No, it can’t be. It can’t be.” Her arms went limp, and she
hung her head, unable to read any further.

Lance took the letter from her. He stared at it
for endless seconds before clearing his throat. “This is my mother’s
handwriting.” He reached for Aishling and embraced her.

No longer could she hold back the truth. This was
it. This was the
knowing
she thought was impossible. This was the
knowing
she hadn’t wanted to believe before, the
knowing
she hadn’t wanted to
remember. “No, no, no.” She broke into whispered sobs, clinging to Lance.

“Lance,” Kelile said. “I can read the rest of it.”

Still holding Aishling, Lance handed him the
letter.

Kelile read on. “However, I am limited in the
way I may help you. I may only act as a guide for you along your path. I know
when you read this letter you may not think it much help. But try to remember
what I know your mother has already instilled in you. Only you can teach
yourself how to be strong in your own heart or how to nurture your own soul.
Only you can teach yourself how to open to the many realms. If you have found
this letter, you are beginning an amazing journey, a journey you must take, for
it is your destiny. Yet, you are the one who chooses how your destiny
ultimately affects you.

“I can reveal to you that your mother had a gift, a
power, which only she and I, and two others have. However, this power is passed
down through generations. Her power has now passed to you, as mine will to my
son when I depart from this plane.”

“No,” Lance uttered.

Kelile paused then cleared his throat. “The power I
refer to could either create or harness catastrophic destruction. So, it must
be nurtured, developed, and controlled. You must learn how to use this power
within the light.

“Beware, Aishling. There are those who will do
anything to capture the talisman this power wields. I can say no more about
this. The rest you will learn when the time is right.

“Until then, think of your journey as
traversing along a circular path, or wheel. Along this path are cardinal
airts
,
or directional points of power. The four cardinal airts lie in the East, South,
West, and North of this circular path. Each point of power holds its own
secrets, and each is guarded by what we call a ‘mystic gate.’ You will not be
allowed to travel beyond any point of power without first unlocking its gate,
learning its secrets, and overcoming its challenges. And, you will be
challenged—almost beyond bearable limits.

“No other may unlock a gate for you. You must
discover your own key. However, others may provide you with a gate’s riddle. If
you can solve this riddle, you will learn the key. Try to remember, everything
you need to know is already within you.

“The first mystic gate is of the East, where
the sun rises, the point of beginnings. It is the Realm of Faery, the element
of air and point of knowing. Here is this gate’s riddle: The broken, tattered
path of wretched twists and turns, deceits and betrayals, entanglements and
burns, begins transformation once freedom wakes and churns, when time’s flower
blossoms, and truth is what one yearns. As the closed is opened, a treasured
link returns. Then knowing remembers; the key one seeks one learns. One’s heart
at last may grieve, and Shadowkin adjourns.

“As you unlock the mystic gate to one airt, and
follow your path to the next, you will somehow be given a new riddle. This,
too, can be a challenge, for you might overlook it. You must always be vigilant.

“Once you wind your way around the four
cardinal airts, you will discover a fifth sacred airt, and your true destiny.

“Your mother loved you dearly. She would want
you to go on with your life and live it fully. Believe this, if you can learn
to walk between worlds, she will never be more than a hairbreadth away from
you. Never.

“I’m allowed to leave you one last warning: If
not now, there will come a time when you seek revenge. Revenge is never an
answer, nor can it ever help you. Remember our Sacred Creed.

“I wish you ever-flowing blessings and love from
the Creator, and divine guidance and abiding protection from Goddess. Sincerely,
Corra Cerridwen McKay, (Eagle Woman). November 13, 1989.”

Kelile’s shoulders hunched over.

The melodic song of bluebirds rang out from the
surrounding trees as a river of tears cascaded to the ground.

Return to Beginning