The Goddess's Chosen

Elven Ritual

 Instead of going back to the office building, we went to an overly fancy home in the Hollywood hills. It was a large tan brick mansion, with palm trees all around the front lawn, though it was still dark out, nearly dawn, so I couldn’t see much more than that. I ended up having to zap our grouchy guest twice more before returning to King Artowynn, and last time I think he wet himself because I instantly smelled urine and had to roll the windows down. Varwen took out a long rope and hog-tied Nicholas, not wanting to carry him after he had wet himself. Once we were inside the mansion, there were crystals everywhere. The ceiling was enchanted, like the ceiling in the office was, only this one was daytime with clear blue skies. There were weird bird-like creatures flying, some with four wings, some with two tails, but all of them looked majestic and magical. “It has been enchanted to mimic our skies back home in Rivenwood in Dorisathrin, in the Elven realm.” Varwen told me, having noticed me focusing on the birds. “They are called aew. They ones with four wings are the males, and the ones with the two tails are the females.” He told me and Ava, though Ava was more impressed with the house than the magic right above her head. “This place is amazing!” She said in awe. “Well thank you, I am glad you like my home.” King Artowynn said, making his grand entrance from the top of a set of white marble stairs. I noticed that the style of the house was much like that of his office building. So much marble, everywhere, but not too much that it was gaudy. “You got Barwen’s crystal, I presume?” Artowynn asked. Varwen answered with a nod and knelt before his king, holding a white cloth wrapped around a glowing object, which I assume is the crystal. “You have done well, Cassandra. Varwen had not been able to get close enough to get it, but he has succeeded with your help. Thank you.” King Artowynn bowed his head. “We also have the sergeant hog-tied in the car, he wet himself when I shocked him, so I would probably hose him down before bringing him inside.” I said, earning a hearty chuckle from King Artowynn as he snapped his fingers and two men appeared from the shadows and went out of the front door. “You have done me two services today, Varwen, bring this crystal to your brother, I will show our guests to their rooms. Your friends are already here, and we grabbed your belongings, if you would like to shower and change, I can have someone collect you in an hour to debrief.” King Artowynn said, leading us up the stairs that he had just come down from. We turned right down an ornately decorated hallway. There was more marble flooring and pillars, the ceiling up here was enchanted as well. There was a grey carpet going down the length of the hall. There were vines and plants hanging from the walls, giving the impression that nature was retaking the mansion. We stopped about halfway down the hall and King Artowynn opened a door for Ava and I to go inside. It was a common area and Clara, Camden, Rachelle and Gabe were all here. “I was told that you would only need 4 rooms, so I put you in this section. You can discuss which rooms are yours, I will have someone collect you in an hour.” With that, King Artowynn smiled and bowed his head and left, closing the door behind him. Gabe rushed over to me, grabbing me in a big hug, followed by Clara and Rachelle, but only after Rachelle rushed to her sister. “We rode a friggin DRAGON!” Ava said, shouting the word dragon, which sparked many conversations. I informed them that I would tell them everything, but first, I needed a shower. Gabe showed me which room was going to be ours. It was a large room, decorated with dark wood and dark green accents, there were two dressers and a desk, and a tv, and luckily there were two beds. I grabbed my bag and went into the bathroom. The bathroom was just as grand as the rest of the house, only it was black marble. There was a large shower and a bathtub that could easily fit three of me. I peeled myself out of my mud caked clothes and turned the water in the shower on, getting the water to a comfortable temperature. Once I was satisfied with the temperature, I climbed in, the hot water easing all my aching muscles. “Hey, Cas...” Clara said, opening the bathroom door, but avoiding looking at me. “Ava said you got hurt, and Rachelle told me to bring you this...well, she told Gabe and he turned beet red and got shy.” she said, laughing at Gabe’s discomfort. “Of course, she would, thank you Clara.” I said, grabbing the medium sized vial of oil that she was handing me through the open shower door. “He was really worried about you, you know. He didn’t stop pacing the whole time you were gone.” Clara said before leaving the bathroom and closing the door. Her words made my heart skip a beat. I knew he cared but knowing that he was worried about me made me smile like a goofball. It could be so easy to let him in, but I could not afford the distraction right now. I wanted to, goddess knows I wanted to, but I can’t, not yet. I opened the vial that Clara had handed me and was bombarded with the smell of eucalyptus, and I poured the oil in my hands and began lathering myself with it. Instantly I felt my muscles ease and the pain in my thumb disappeared completely. I finished washing myself and got out of the shower. I brushed my teeth and put my hair into two side braids and threw on my black leggings and a black tank top. Collecting my dirty clothes, I exited the bathroom. I walk into the bedroom and Gabe is sitting at the foot of his bed.  “Hey. You ok? Ava said you got hurt...” He said, standing up and coming to take my bag and set it on my bed. “I’m ok, really. I just had to dislocate my thumb. Gainsby slipped a bracelet on me that blocked my powers and I needed it off. I got him good though. That werewolf strength is no joke.” I said laughing, sitting next to where he had been sitting, and he sat beside me again. “I uppercut him and knocked him on his ass, it was great.” I said. Gabe just looked at me with pride. “And you rode a dragon?” he asked. I laughed. “Alya, the air spirit, she is amazing.” I said, remembering how it felt to cling to her neck as we soared above the ground. “Hey guys, put your clothes back on, Varwen is here to bring us to King Artowynn’s office.” Rachelle shouted through the door. As we both stood up, I rolled my eyes, and we walked back to the common area.  

   I told them all about my distraction tactic and how I knocked the sergeant on his ass. I got so many questions when I mentioned Alya, Hestia, Cybele, and Vodnik. Once I finished my retelling of events, Ava and Varwen went through them getting the crystal. Apparently, my tactic worked like a charm, and everyone ran out to see what the commotion was. I began thinking that it was too easy and wondered if it was a trap or if they were just that stupid. Varwen told us that his brother was doing much better with his crystal returned to him. Apparently, the crystals are gifted to them by spirits when they are born. They are given to the children intended to be warriors, to help them heal in battle. It contained the water from the great willow tree from their home realm, Dorisathrin. The water had healing properties and could bring someone back from the brink of death. Rachelle had asked why they couldn’t just bring Barwen back to Dorisathrin and get him to the water that way, and King Artowynn adopted a somber look as he told us that travel between realms is prohibited, even for him, due to the hunters scoping out the portal sites. Varwen said that he believes that is why they took the crystals, because they may think that they are keys to getting back into the Elven realm, which is only partially true. You also had to be in the company of a gate keeper. The gate keepers are taught the enchantments to open and close the portals, and no one can get in or out without them knowing. King Artowynn told us that tomorrow at noon we will complete the ritual for his part of the deal. After everything had been discussed, Varwen led us back to our rooms. He and Ava stayed in the common area even after we had all retired to our rooms, and I am pretty sure that he stayed with her.  

   The next morning Varwen showed us to the dining hall, and we ate breakfast. It was an odd array of Elven food, so it was all vegetarian and I don’t even know what it was called, but it was decent. Barwen joined us, he was a carbon copy of his brother, and the only way I could tell them apart is because Varwen was glued to Ava’s side the entire time. Though they may have looked exactly alike, they seemed complete opposites. Barwen made jokes, mostly at his brother’s expense, and joked with Camden. Varwen joked as well, but nothing like Barwen. After breakfast, Barwen came up to me and hugged me, thanking me for my assistance in retrieving his crystal, and for “keeping my i***t brother safe.” He had noticed that Varwen has become smitten with Ava and asked questions about her, like what kind of person was she, and was she a good cook, etc. I eased his mind telling him that Ava was an amazing woman, and I kind, yet fierce person to have on your side, and that while she could not cook, she could dial for take-out like no one's business. Noon came quickly, and we were all standing outside under a giant willow tree surrounded by the clearest water I had ever seen. Varwen told us that while this water is enchanted as well, it is not a healing water. Instead, it grants swiftness and agility and rejuvenation. Before coming out here, we were all made to change into white, toga looking clothes and were instructed to take our shoes off. King Artowynn joined us, wearing similar garb, only his was a royal blue color. “Cassandra, daughter of Hecate, and her companions. You have traveled to me, seeking my help in your fight against the hunters, and I grant you now the vitality of the Elven race.” He said, walking into the water, motioning for us to follow him. We walked into the water, and I noticed that it was cool and refreshing. “Cassandra, you have done us the favor of returning Barwen’s crystal and taking down the hunters camp. For this we are extremely grateful.” He said, pulling a large crystal wand out of a pocket in his toga-robes. He dipped the crystal into the water, seemingly filling the crystal with clear water. “Great Willow, bless these witches, and werewolf, as they continue their journey. Let your purifying waters cleanse them of doubt and evil, and guide them, swiftly, to their destination.” As he finished talking, he took the crystal and touched my forehead, and then my chest above my heart, then dunked me into the cool water, as if baptizing me and repeated these actions with the rest of my party. “You have been blessed. The Great Willow will help guide you, as long as your intentions remain pure of heart.” King Artowynn said. “Thank you, King Artowynn, your help is truly appreciated.” I said, bowing my head. “You can call me Art.” He replied. I smiled at him and looked at all my friends, and I noticed an extra one at the end, next to Ava. Apparently Varwen would be joining us.