Monster's Ball :Shadow In Time (11 page)

Grunting noncommittally, Hades finally broke eye contact, then looked around the beautiful room as if it were a hovel. “I would prefer to be in my domain, but I promised someone I would come tonight.” he grunted, then took a final drag from his cigarette. Dropping it to the floor, he ground out the glowing ember with the right heel of his expensive loafers.

Seeing the guarded look on the God's face, Thoth's curiosity was piqued. Who (besides himself) would ever actually request the presence of this snobbish immortal? Wisely deciding to not push the issue, he found his thoughts suddenly wandering to one of the oldest portions of the property, but didn't know why. “Then I shall take my leave of you, sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” he replied smoothly, glancing distastefully at the smudge the extinguished cigarette had left on the highly polished floor.

With the tiniest hint of a smile, Hades replied in his usual discontented voice, “Oh, I'm sure we'll see each other again.” That said, he turned his back to the wizard, as if dismissing him in his own home.

Doing his best to control his rising temper, Thoth merely rolled his eyes, then made his way out of the large doors, intent upon visiting a part of the plantation few ever ventured to these days.

                                                         
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Alone with her thoughts, Fern Skeet looked out over the pond, marveling at the light of the full moon reflecting off the clear mountain water. As the fall wind blew down from atop the Appalachian Mountains, the spirit jars hanging from the low branches of two nearby oak trees jingled, voices from the past greeting her, welcoming her, welcoming her back home.

“
Welcome home sister, it's been a long time!” The disembodied voices of the long-dead slaves whispered all around her.

The spirit jars were a way station , a place where spirits were able to ascend to a higher level, if so inclined. Each jar was a home of sorts for spirits, a place where they could also leave this earthly realm and enter other dimensions. This was where they more or less remained until they were finally ready to cross over to their final destination.

Closing her eyes, Fern remembered vividly the day she and Thoth had hung the jars for the poor souls the evil mountain witch had murdered. Their deaths had been so traumatic, their spirits still roamed the plantation, not understanding what had happened, still not ready to take the final journey.

Opening her eyes, a tear glistened on one cheek as she remembered the good times (as good as a slave's life could be, at least), before the events of that horrible night. As their voices drifted up from the pond, she took comfort in the presence of the long-dead. Hearing the giggles of slave children (who had labored from sunrise to sundown for an ungrateful mistress), Fern smiled sadly as she thought about the great pleasure the children had taken in the simple act of splashing around in the water. The pond had been their playground, a special place where the white overseers rarely ventured. As the children splashed around and played, the threadbare clothing they owned would be washed by the older slave children in charge, then laid out on several large boulders to dry in the sun.

Catching a whiff of honeysuckle, a brief, but warm breeze caressed Fern's cheek, making her shiver with delight. Acting on sheer instinct, she turned in the direction of a large boulder nearby, and saw an image of two young women suddenly appear, two young women she knew were sisters. Watching in silence as the elder of the two braided her younger sibling's hair, Fern was struck for perhaps the thousandth time by the thought that despite the hard lives these children had led, they had never let it embitter them.

Leaning forward, the elder of the two spirits whispered to her younger sister about her growing affections for her forbidden love with an overseer, making her giggle.

Thinking of all the loved ones she had lost over time, Fern felt the familiar dull, empty ache in the very center of her being, then shook her head frantically. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, then began drawing in positive energy, forcing the dark away. Raising both arms in the air and forming a protective circle with them, her body began swaying back and forth slowly as she chanted:

“ I call upon the power that is within me and the power that is around me!

I call upon the sentinels of the heavens!

I call upon all good spirits and all ministering Angels!

I call for protection, defense, and safety! With white light, a force field is built

around this place. May all who dwell within be shielded and protected at all times.”

As she felt the positive earth energies pulse through her, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she silently thanked the spirits for hearing her plea. Suddenly a cool gust of wind blew, rustling her silver hair, and she felt a strong presence. Opening her eyes, her body tensed immediately.

“My my, you certainly have changed, Lilith!” Thoth's voice called softly as he stepped into the clearing. “It's been, what, well over sixty years since the last time we met?” he asked, pinning her with a speculative gaze.

Dropping both arms, Fern/Lilith's eyes narrowed as she returned his stare with equal potency. “Don't pretend to be surprised. You knew I would come to help Rena, she is the last of my bloodline, after all.” she replied, referring to the fact Rena's great, great grandfather Zebadiah had been Knorr and Lilith's baby brother. He'd been sold as a very young child to a kindly doctor and his wife, who had no children. The well-to-do white couple had raised and treated him as an equal, like he was their own flesh and blood, despite the fact such a thing was virtually unheard of in that day and age. They had seen to it that he was well educated, and when they passed away, had left him a sizable inheritance, along with legally granting him his freedom. Knowing that in the south he would always be treated with contempt no matter his wealth, they had prearranged (via a trusted friend) for him to leave the country.

“I only knew or began to suspect you were somehow connected with Rena when I smelled a familiar scent, a scent you always wore.” Thoth smiled wanly, wanting nothing more at the moment than to snatch her up in his arms, bury his face in her thick hair, and inhale her scent. That, he truly missed. Clearing his suddenly dry throat, he said matter-of-factly, “While I may be an immortal wizard, that doesn't make me all-knowing, my dear.” Feeling the all-too-familiar mixture of sexual tension and anger brewing between them, he stepped closer, but carefully, so as not to disturb her protective circle. “Why did you choose to hide your true beautiful form?” He asked, looking at the old woman before him with honest curiosity.

“Rena needed to see someone she knew she could trust, a grandmotherly figure. But since you seem to not like this image....” her voice trailed off as the air around her shimmered for a moment, then the image of herself one hundred and fifty years earlier appeared.

Balling his hands at his sides to keep from reaching out and touching her beautiful face, his heart pounded an erratic rhythm. Only two women had ever made him feel weak, the one who had died at the hands of a jealous sorceress a millennia ago, and the woman standing before him now. This one he had managed to save, however, had made her immortal, and how had she repaid him? By running off and joining some pitiful illusionist side show, working for petty change.

Becoming uncomfortable at his unwavering stare (especially since she seemed unable to ignore the tingle of excitement inside her), Lilith decided to get right to the point. “Rena will have to make a sacrifice. I hope.....” her voice trailed off as she seemed to reconsider her words. “Well, the choice is hers to make.” she said, then closed her eyes and opened the protective circle.

Silent for a moment, Thoth felt the energy that had created the protective circle slowly dissipate. He was able to feel her majick, because he himself had been the one to teach her. In his bid to make her immortal, he had imparted a portion of himself inside her. “What about the choice you made?” he finally asked, the words fueled by anger and hurt. “And did you think you could come here so brazenly, without invitation?” he snapped as his eyes turned completely white, a dead giveaway that he was becoming infuriated.

Staring right back at him, Lilith refused to be cowed. She was, she knew, one of only a handful of Demi-Gods/immortals who refused to back down to him. Did he intimidate her? Perhaps, on a deep inner level. While it was true she was an immortal, she knew he could make her suffer, if he chose to. Only the highest ranking Gods like Hades or Zeus would be impervious to his powers. But she'd seen this side of The Great Thoth many times before, and the truth was it turned her on more than it intimidated her. Tilting her head up defiantly, she replied in an icy voice, “To answer you first question, I chose to leave here because it's where my sister died, is that so difficult to comprehend? As for me not being invited, Rena, my ONLY remaining family is here, so that's all the invitation I need, OH GREAT THOTH!” she nearly spat. “ As soon as the witching hour strikes I'll collect Rena and leave your home, forever!”

At a momentary loss for words, Thoth couldn't understand why his emotions were fluctuating so wildly, since he had always been known for his supreme self-assurance and self-control. Why did her rejection bother him so? Why had it always? After all, he had women, both human and immortal, who wanted him.
But how dare she, a NOVICE, tell ME, a wizard of the highest rank, when she will leave my presence?!
He thought indignantly, feeling his (rare) rage reach a boiling point. Speaking in a booming voice that made several nearby trees shake, he seemed to snap. “You will leave when I allow you to leave! Don't believe for one moment, Lilith, that the choice to leave here was ever yours to begin with. I allowed it because of....because of the feelings I have for you. And don't think for one moment that when you DID leave, I couldn't have found you, or that foolish side-show human you lived with, if I had chosen to.”

Feeling a worm of fear snaking its way through her belly (for the first time ever), his words nevertheless stung and outraged her, overriding her common sense. “Allowed....ALLOWED?” she nearly screeched. “You don't own me, and don't you DARE try to stop me, wizard!” That said, she lifted her skirt several inches and stomped past him, her body language daring him to try. Although she knew she was no match for him, she wasn't about to back down. Stopping for a moment, she turned and looked him up and down with raw contempt. “I was a slave once, as you well know, but I would rather banish myself to the blackest abyss before I'll let you or any other man try to enslave me again!”

“Now wait, that's not what I meant at....” his voice trailed off as she whirled back around and made an angry beeline for the nearby forest. Hearing the spirit jars tinkling louder than ever, Thoth glanced at them for a moment, knowing the spirits were cheering Lilith for her strength, her pride, and her courage. With a heavy heart and a pained look in his eyes, he watched as she disappeared into the dense wooded area. “I have to find a way to keep her here, with me. “ He sighed.

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                                                                                  Chapter 10

Rena buried her face against the corded muscles of Gavin's bare chest, then ran her smooth, bare leg up and down his hard, long, muscular one. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she'd never been so sexually sedated before. Gavin had made love to her thoroughly, but she knew the Ball was winding down, and the special night would eventually come to an end. Feeling his calloused hands caressing her back gently, she thought,
I want to spend every minute I can with him. Oh Lordy, I don't want this to end so soon!

Sliding both hands over Rena's sleek, sweat dampened skin, Gavin's arms locked around the small of her back her as she rested on top of him. Kissing the top of her head, he reflected on the fact that simply being with her felt so right. Knowing he could never bear being without her, he knew what he had to do. He couldn't let Thoth erase her memories of him. Closing his eyes, he attempted to summon the amiable wizard.
Thoth, my friend, I'm ready for the resurrection spell.....
He thought, and felt an immediate happiness flowing through him, which he knew was coming from his friend. Touched that Thoth was so happy for him, he couldn't help but smile.

“I'll come to you, old friend. I'm happy you've finally found what you've been longing for.” The wizard's voice echoed in the room, unheard by Rena, but crystal clear to Gavin.

Thank you for giving me a second chance. You were right, all along
. Gavin thought, then broke the mental link, sighing contentedly. Sensing Rena was drifting off to sleep, he gave her a little shake to keep her awake. “Rena, there are some things I must tell you.” he murmured.

Trying to sit upright, she was halted as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

Whispering in a husky voice, he said, “If a man finds love in his short mortal life, he's truly blessed. But for an immortal to find his true mate, it means the Fates, for whatever reason, has given that person a rare glimmer of happiness. Some would think living...well, forever, would be wonderful. Yes, as an immortal, one can travel the world many times over, can witness all the amazing discoveries in science and other things. But imagine living forever, and seeing the people you love live and die, and there you still are. Just think, my love, how unbearable the suffering is, seeing that happen over and over and over again. The pain and loneliness can be maddening. It is said in the immortal community that we can fall in love in the blink of an eye. Well, tonight I found that love, the moment you walked through the door. I do love you. It may be hard for you to understand or believe, but it's true. And I beg of you, please help me end this century and a half of loneliness, I don't want to be a shadow anymore.”