Hidden in the mist

Odd meeting...

    My mind started to clear, I started to see my surroundings, but not to the state I was in before, I started to come to in a room. This room I could tell was a very old room, the stone was worn but very recognizable, it was for sure other worlder like, I think it was even before my time. I felt its ancient power, it made me think of my grandfather, it felt like him, the stone even had similar symbols that he had in tattoos or markings on his blades and other weapons.

     There were soft glowing lights hidden well, but it reflected off the walls and the water. Oh! I now just realized there was water in the room, I now had an advantage just in case, I don’t think what ever brought me here realized I was a water goddess. I looked around the room and realized it was a very massive room, there was stands with odd objects on them, I had a feeling it was best to stay where I was. I saw seated on a bench that was crafted to look like two gargoyle’s kneeling down but arching up to face the sky.

     There was some plant like things here and there, water running down walls and some décor that was almost modern looking fountains, but they were very old. I looked around taking everything in, never once seeing a door or hearing anything, nothing and no one, just myself in this odd place. Until someone spoke behind me…

       “Boa Ann, the river goddess, daughter of thee dagda…” I stood and turned to see a cloaked figure before me, the cloak had symbols of Celtic genesis. I took a deep breath and moved forward, I took each step feeling my powers grow, not just magical but internal power, the mighty kind. I felt myself shift into my true form, I felt like I was awakened like I was everything all at once. The water responded to my turning, I felt it pause in some places, others it reached out to me wanting to cling to me, some even went as far as to circle me like rings mimicking as sphere. The person in front of me felt it too, and lowered themselves to the ground more, never looking at me but I watched them like a hawk.

   “seasamh. taispeáin d’aghaidh.”  (stand. show me your face child.) I used my goddess voice and it felt so good in my pure form that I wanted to scream, using Irish Gaelic. The person stood, then more bodies started to appear behind that person, all wearing cloaks, their heads hung very low, they all hunched over as they walked up. Stopping to then quickly kneel. They then all spoke at once as the female, first in front of me looked up to show her face to me. “logh dúinn, bandia cumhachtach, le do thoil.” (forgive us, mighty goddess please.)

   I said nothing, I looked at each person before returning my eyes to the woman in front of me. The surges that ran threw me was hard to control, I wanted to lose my s**t on them all, but I knew right away I was much stronger than them, more so now in my pure form. The others looked up from the ground to me hoping for only something good to come, fear flooded the room, it was sickening almost.

So, in my normal voice and English I spoke.

     “why have you summoned me here? What purpose for the mystery?” the lady standing before me spoke, but not before she dropped to her knee and held her hands up, as if praying and surrendering herself.

     “goddess please forgive us, we attacked with out knowing whom you were. Please goddess spare us your wrath, your commands are our wish, we serve you.” They all gave one hard nod, I looked them over, each having old ruin work and symbols or Gaelic symbols. I took in their words and it took so much to not give them my wrath, but I was no beast, they showed their surrender, they made sure to bring me here to bring peace. I need more answers though.

     “tell me Cailleach.” (witch) I said with a pause, to show I was being stern, I wanted answers, I wanted truth, if not my wrath would be given. “why did you attack me, more so without knowing whom I was? Goddess or not, you! A Cailleach, a follower of Freya, and other goddesses, you should know better, should you not?” a stern nod again from them, another female from the group behind the first female stood and spoke.

      “goddess Boa Ann, we are born into a clan that was raised to protect certain blood lines, we saw and felt you. We only acted to protect that blood line and the land.” She finished and went back to the kneeling position she was first in.

         “tell me then, whom and why?” they all looked up to me with questioning faces, their eyes even held fear, not fear of me but something else. The second female stood again and spoke, she moved her way slowly to the first female.

        “we are to protect the land because it was once very important to a very old goddess, older than even you parents, no one knows why though, no one alive nor dead, for over two hundred thousand years. We know if we fail though there are things we can’t see, nor feel that will be a fail-safe war weapon to protect this land.” The first woman spoke next.

         “goddess, for many of years our people fought wars, killed with out question or thought to protect this land and the blood line, we have no real answers ourselves. Those who tried to find the truth only…. The found their fate with being wiped from all forms of life and after life. That’s all we know.” I grew curious, but angered, my second question wasn’t answered. I heard bloodlines once again but not whom they were, I have a feeling that there is something more.

       “someone better be quick and tell me about the blood lines, your inching past my patients.” The two women spoke at the same time.

      “red as the blood you see, they are mighty, old and new. Once came from darkness and light, grew to fire, water, earth, air, and more. Ice like stone strong but weak, quick with death. Elements are not their horizon, poison to the mind, body and spirit, light is not what it seems, dark is hidden but always seen.

         Protect their blood, live for their blood, die for their blood, cursed is their blood. They will take to the skies once again, rule they will not, war they wont spread, peace they met, love and hate they will endure. Once the birth of two opposites comes to be, will they all be set free, look deep and see, steam is what it shall be. Solid and fluid, blood it is and will be. Protect with your every being”

        Once they finished, I was beyond f*****g lost, I had no clue what they meant everything was so cryptic it made my head hurt. I looked them all over and lifted my chin, they all went lower to the ground and bowed to me, they knew I was tittering on several emotions. I turned to my right and faced the wall, still in my side view I saw they never moved, I repeated every word in my mind and nothing. But when I had finally thought of a question to ask that would get me a straight answer, the room began to shake, everyone stood. Panic in every one’s face, some started to run and disappear to where they once came, but those of us still in this room endured the quake strengthen, then a loud beastly roar.

        “goddess! Its time you must go, please help us,Return soon! Please!” …. the first lady yelled to me, then as everything shook, she and the rest dissipated until they were no longer there, my vision once again going dark, but my hearing stayed, I heard that load roar once again, this time it was pained. I had never heard that kind of roar before, I couldn’t pinpoint the creature it came from, but I didn’t fear the roar. What I feared was what I was going back to, what did my body do while I was, well in whatever state I was in, was I talking in that state?

       Did my magic manifest while I was away from my body, there was so many things that was going through my mind I had no idea that I was starting to come to. It wasn’t until I saw small lights and trees whip my vision, then I herd Zan mumbling in panic, I couldn’t quite pick out the words, but I started to slowly sit up and then I regretted my movement. Instantly the car came to a halt, and profane words came from both Zan and myself, my reasoning was the fact that I was jerked around in my spot and thrown into the dash. Thank the gods it wasn’t threw the window, I’m sure his words were because my sudden movement.

       Trying to collect myself and sit back in my seat, Zan jumped out of the car, ran to my side and swung my door open. He didn’t try to move me or pull me out, instead be damn near sat in my lap as he clung onto me. I was in utter shock, that all I could do was pat his back, hoping he’d back off so I could breath, I was still trying to catch my breath from being tossed around in the car. He eventually pulled back some only to rest his head on mine, I could tell by his breathing that he was worried, he was trying to control himself. I felt so bad, not just from that episode, I felt bad he had to keep worrying about me and taking care of me.

       “I’m okay.” I said with a very tired voice, my throat felt dry, it was like I hadn’t talked in days. His only response was to shake his head, his hands rested at my sides and his head still on mine, he refused to look at me in the face. So, I let him be until he was able to look at me, move or speak. I have no idea how long we stayed that way, I was lost in my own thoughts, what did those women want, what did their little riddle mean? There had to be more to that riddle, maybe it was only part of a riddle, I think the Cailleach hid somethings from me. I think it was time to do some homework, things are starting to fall out of order but why?

       Zan’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, he didn’t move from his spot though, it was like he was a statue with a speaker of some sorts, relaying his words. “Boa, I think you should see a doctor. That wasn’t normal…. You had me beyond scared, you were shaking, and a fever started, and it kept rising…. I could feel it rising Boa, I tried checking your eyes and they were fogged over, like a film, I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that…. Either time. What if you have a blood infection or something?”

      “ill call for my doctor when we get back to my place okay, let get back.” He took my off guard when he shot up and stared at me with almost anger.

      “Why do you sound like this is something normal?!” even his words mimicked his facial features.

       “It’s not normal Zan! I’m trying not to flip out myself! I’m scared, okay?..... I’m scared…” I saw his face soften with my words, then a pained looked crossed his face, the last part of my sentence was almost a whisper. What I said wasn’t a lie, I was scared, and I wasn’t sure why, but I wasn’t telling the whole truth. There was the fact that in a way it was normal, but not, my kind of normal was the magic, the way everything that had happened to me was normal due to magic. What wasn’t was the fact that it happened, things weren’t adding up, and the only way I was going to get answers was homework and a little of help from an old friend. I just hope Azzy will go along with my plan, I need him to play doctor for a bit, he was once a doctor so it shouldn’t be hard at all for him.

         “I’m sorry Boa I didn’t mean to sound like an ass, I really didn’t. I’m just worried for you and I...” I stopped him because I knew he had no words for what’s been happening lately. He was human, it was normal for him not have words and for him to react the way he had. But even him being human, he could tell something wasn’t right.

           “It’s okay Zan, I understand. Let’s get back, we are both soaked, and now it looks like we have flooded your car to. When we get back to my place we can park in the garage and you can leave the doors open while my industrial fans help air it out. Okay?” he gave me an odd look and said.

           “your more worried about a flooded car then about us getting sick from being soaked?” I made an ‘mm touché,’ but ‘man I’m stupid’ look.

           “ya your right, I’ve lost my shit.” He laughed and I only shook my head, once his laughter was done he got up and closed my door, then he returned to his spot in the driver’s seat. He began to drive through the woods and town again, this time I saw things differently than when we first came through, this wasn’t a normal small pretty town, it was of something related to my world. But what resided here? And why?

            Some time went by without us talking, I watched out my window as Zan drove us back to my house, I just had a million and one things running through my head, and even more questions. Thoughts of what’s been going on with me, my house, my father’s pendant, and what happened back there, nothing was adding up. Until, I thought of something Zan had sad just this morning, when I had my nightmare. Zan had said he started having nightmares when he had moved into his place, but why? Was he not part of that blood line the Cailleach had said they protected? Who and what was that blood line? Why were they so important?

            “Zan?” I said his name not even really thinking, I didn’t even know what I was going to say or ask, I just went with it.

               “yeah? You okay, you want me to stop the car for a moment?” of course he’d worry for me. But I’m worried for him more.

               “no, I’m fine. I just, I was wondering something.” I felt so numb as I spoke to him, I hope it didn’t show in my voice.

              “what’s that?”

             “how long have you been staying at that house?” please don’t think I’m losing my mind, I already feel that way as is, and its true, as of late I don’t know what’s going on any more.

             “well, I’ve owned that house for some years now, but I moved in less then a month ago. Why?”

              “have you been having nightmares the entire time you have lived there, or have you always had nightmares?” he fell silent for a moment, I looked over and he was staring out the wind shield but not just watching the road, he was deep in thought. I looked away hoping nothing negative came from me asking this. Finally, he spoke.

              “well, to be honest I’ve always had nightmares, but they seem to be constant since I moved there.”

             “why do you think that is?”

            “huh. I don’t know really; I just chalk it up to the fact that the property is pretty freaky looking and my fears or worries about it all just seep into my dreams.”

           “fears and worries?”

           “yeah, okay let me explain. Years before I was born my mother left her family to be with my father and since that day they hadn’t talked, my mother’s family didn’t like my father, I guess. I never got the full story from him, and well you know about my mom.” In that moment I felt horrible for bring this all up.

           “anyways, when I was maybe, I don’t know I think maybe nine or ten I was sent there to visit on the request of my grandfather. My father agreed, under one condition, nothing bad was said to me, about anything. Upon my arrival, I could tell they were trying to not say much, they were hiding things. But while I stayed in the main house then, at night it terrified me, I don’t recall why but it did. I thought that if I was there id feel closer to my mother in some way and it wasn’t anything like that. They were distant and cold at times; I could tell their kindness was an act. At times they forgot I even existed, I spent a lot of my time in my room or in town, I felt happier and safer in town then I did in that house. I don’t know why either.”

             “so that’s why you stay in the smaller house?”

            “yes and no, yes, I’m not to fond of staying there because my stay before, but it just doesn’t feel like home right now. I have a lot of work I have to do on the inside to restore a lot of things, that house hasn’t had any one in it for at least ten to fifteen years. I’m not even sure if anyone had kept up with normal maintenance for the building, I just know with everything dusted and cobwebbed over doesn’t feel reassuring in the least.”

            “makes sense, I’d probably do the same myself.” Which was true, but if I kept having nightmares after moving into a place I would have picked up and left after so long of enduring it all. At least he could run from his nightmares, I’ve dealt with mine every night for far to long, I’m shocked I haven’t lost my f*****g mind.

       “why do you ask about my nightmares?” s**t, I didn’t think of an answer for that before I asked him. Well time for half and half.

        “well I was thinking, maybe part of my problem with today is lack of sleep and stress from my nightmares getting to me. I mean my body is recovering from well my shity luck… that’s when I had recalled you said this morning that you have a lot of nightmares since you moved into that house.”

        “ah, well maybe that’s part of your problem, maybe you’re even coming down with a bug and your body is just in shock from everything. Let’s hope it something simple as that so we can get you back in better health faster.” He finally said after a short pause.

       “agreed, I’m ready to run circles around you.” We both chuckled for a moment before Zan started to pull up to my house and then spoke again before getting out of the car.

         “as for the nightmares, well I try to not let them get to me anymore, I see them as a badly filmed movie.” He gave me a wink before coming to my side to help me out, I was still giggling as he helped me. Once inside, we went to the kitchen and he helped me sit. He got water and meds for me, then as I took them, he helped me unwrap my foot and knee to let it relax and breath a bit.