Hidden Magic: An Ancient Magic Novel Read online

  “You don’t have to continue if it’s too hard. I understand.”

  I nodded opening my eyes. “It is alright. It is my wish to share this with you.” She nodded and rested her head on my shoulder. “We stood on the beach and I called upon our Earth Mother. I asked her to bond our essence to hers in order to give us eternal life in our mortal bodies. By eternally bonding our essence to hers we would become immortal. Remain eternally connected, constantly renewing our essence from her energy. She granted my wishes. Once our mortal bodies connected to her essence they became part of her and we were frozen in time. Forever remaining, as we were in the moment we turned. We thrive with our Earth Mother and need her to maintain our immortal existence. This is why we seek nature and live among it.”

  “So it has been just you and those who survived that night living together all these years.

  I shook my head.

  “What do you mean?” She asked frowning.

  “Our sacrifice was not in vein. I was able to give my people another chance at a peaceful life. One they have thankfully enjoyed. Those who survived continued their paths. They married, had families, and brought new life into this world. They raise beautiful healthy children that grow up and in turn follow their own paths. Becoming warriors, Druids, fishermen, candle makers, Bards, farmers, teachers. They have a chance at life. When they reach adulthood they are given a choice, whether to become immortal and remain by our side, or follow live their natural lives as intended and pass on. Many choose to live their natural lives. Others decided to stay.”

  “Wow. That is beautiful,” she smiled then confusion entered her gaze. “Why did the High Priest ask you to perform the ritual? Wasn’t he the most powerful? I mean being your leader, wouldn’t he be?”

  “Customarily yes. The High Priest is the most powerful of us, however I am different.” I turned my body to face her fully. “Since the moment I was born my parents noticed something was different about me. When I was child I began making the things around me float without even knowing about magic. Like I mentioned before, my brother Art was the first to notice. At the age of four I began communicating with animals in my own way. I could feel their essence and anticipate their needs. I began helping my Father with the sheep. I knew when they were thirsty. When they required more nourishment or when they needed to rest. Our wool was the best in the next five towns. I could feel people’s essences as well. No one else had that ability as far as we knew.” I looked into her eyes, my heart tightening. “You should not say I am a Druid Warrior with such pride, my Goddess. There is no honor in it.” I noticed her frown a moment before my eyes fell. This time, it was her hands that brought my face to hers and she kissed me. Her kiss healed some of the hurt I felt inside.

  “Why would you say that?”

  I took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. “I was never meant to be a druid. I am a warrior and before that I was a commoner. I was the son of humble people, farmers. Only a selected few, the worthy, get to become Druids. They learn and use magic. They become Healers, Ovates, and help guide our people in peace and light. That is a power too great to entrust to everyone. The fact that the magic was alive inside me changed my circumstances. Magic, is an acquired ability. It takes many years to learn. Its study and practices sometimes took seventeen years to master. I however, could connect to the elemental essence around us and harness it without even giving it a single thought. Mo meantóir, the High Priest, recognized that in me when I was but a small child. I could do things not even he had ever seen or heard about. It was his decision to make me a Druid. He trained me in the ways of magic. Shared with me the secret teachings of the Order of the Druids… I mean not to question his judgment. Nevertheless, it was not my destiny. As Druids we respect and revere life above all else. We respect all existences. As a Warrior it is my duty to kill if necessary. It is my responsibility to protect my people and I must use my skills including the magic if need be. One side strongly contradicts the other. A Druid would never kill, yet I have. And I would do it again to protect them. Nonetheless I have grieved for my people’s deaths, just as much as I have for killing the Romans. It is the soul we revere, the life I ended, whether it was corrupted or not. I have prayed to my Goddess for forgiveness every night since their deaths. I have prayed for their essence to be purified of the evil that corrupted them so they could be reborn. I am not entirely sure she has heard my prayers, but I have done so regardless, I felt no hatred for them nor have I felt satisfaction in my actions, yet I had to kill them. There was no other choice.”

  A tear slid down her cheek and I caught it with my finger. My heart tightened once more. “It was not my intention to sadden you. It is but a truth you must be aware of, if you are to accept me as I truly am.”

  “Being a Druid and a Warrior maybe, as you say, a contradiction, but there is a reason why you became one. And I believe it was destiny. You are not a murderer, Cyn. You are a warrior and there is nothing in this world that will ever be more honorable than that. You are risking your life to protect and save your people. The simple fact that you feel that strongly about the Druid and spiritual sides in you, and recognize the differences between that and your duties as a warrior says just how noble you truly are. You said it yourself. You did what you did to protect your people, for no other reason. You felt the pain of the lives you took just as if it were your family. There is a great deal of honor in that. I don’t know any army that wouldn’t accept you and be proud to call you their soldier.”

  I allowed myself to appreciate her words. She kissed me once more and I got lost in her kiss. I took her into my arms while another tear from my heart began to mend. We both pulled back filling our lungs with much needed air. I rested my forehead to hers while I appreciated the true gift she was to me.

  “Why do you use spells, if the magic is inside you?” She asked pulling back.

  “Spells help direct the magic into what you want it to become. Most of the time I do not require them. I merely need to think about it and it is done. But I studied and learned the practices just as The High Priest taught me. He passed knowledge on to me that had been only shared with a selected few through generations. He taught me as he was taught. I have tried my best to live by his example.”

  “Is he still alive?”

  Her kind eyes watched me expectant. I considered her question. I had spent so long holding on to a feeling. To the desperate need for hope I carried inside me. I needed him to be alive. If he was not, I had not only lost him but I had truly failed. Nonetheless the reality was irrefutable. If he was indeed alive, I would have been able to find him. It did not matter what I thought I felt. It was time to accept that he was gone. “No. Not anymore.”

  “I’m so sorry Cyn,” she said kneeling before me and putting her arms around me. She held me tight and I took a deep breath allowing myself to accept my own words. Mo meantóir was gone.

  She kissed my cheek and sat once more next to me. I wrapped my arm around her bringing her closer. She laid her head on my chest.

  “Tell me about your Goddess and your Earth Mother. You mentioned to me before that you didn’t believe in God like mortals do. What did you mean?”

  I smiled. “There are different beliefs among my people, and different clans sometimes hold a different belief. In my clan we are Pantheists. We believe that there does not exist one or more personal Gods or Goddesses. Our belief is that our deity is in everything. That it is present in all things that exist. It is the rock, and the sand. The sky and the tree, it is the stag and the flower. Our Earth Mother is our Goddess and as such we respect her and revere her. We worship nature as the sacred entity that it is because we are all part of the great well of life. We are all equals. My existence is not more important than that of the fish, or the rock, or the tree. We are all the same.”

  “Wow. I love that. I know I’m not a druid but can I be one too? A Pantheist?”

  She lifted her head to look at me and I chuckled. The light in her eyes shone brighter than t
he moon.

  “Yes my Goddess, you may be one too.”

  Her eyes became thoughtful. “He meant a lot to you. Didn’t he? The High Priest?” She asked gazing into my soul.

  I nodded. “I deemed him a second Father. He raised my brother and I after our parents were gone. He was Mo meantóir. It means my mentor. He was always there for me. Taught me everything he knew. Made sure my brother and I were safe and felt loved. That we grew up to be the men we are today. I lost a part of myself the day I lost him. Leaving without his guidance has been one of the hardest things I have been forced to endure.”

  She remained silent although her eyes welled with tears. I held back mine and kissed her like she held the cure to my soul. I let go of her lips and sought answers to my questions within the depth of her eyes. She covered her mouth when a yawn escaped her and I realized we had been here for hours. The sun was rising on the horizon. It would be morning soon at her home.

  “We must leave, my Goddess. I should take you home.”

  “No please, I don’t want to go. How come others can’t see you?”

  “I become invisible when I come see you or use the portals.”

  “Do you use a spell to become invisible?”

  I smiled. “Yes, most the time.”

  “How does it work?”

  “Essentially, I am not becoming invisible. The spell is creating a shield around me. It blocks me from light and sound. Therefore, making me invisible and inaudible to everyone around me.”

  “Why am I the only one that can see you?” She asked puzzled.

  “I am afraid I do not have that answer, my Goddess.”

  “Tell me about your brother.”

  I brought her head to my chest once more and sighed. “Oh Art. He is going to be the death of me.”

  She laughed and I felt my heart smile, enjoying the feeling of her close to me.

  I crossed the portal to her room with her in my arms. She had fallen asleep while we talked on the beach. I pulled the covers down and gently laid her on the bed. I covered her body and made sure she was warm.

  “Have a peaceful night, My Goddess,” I whispered and placed a soft kiss on her lips. I returned to the portal and watched the cloudy mist turn into the Cherry Blossoms clearing. I gazed back once more and saw the hint of a smile on her lips. I grinned and crossed over.

  *

  BRIANA

  Loud heavy metal music blasted through the room startling me.

  “What the…” I threw my arm back towards the nightstand behind me. “Stupid alarm,” I mumbled as my hand pushed everything off the nightstand yet it didn’t manage to hit the alarm. “Ugh!” I exclaimed frustrated. The volume kept increasing so I would wake up. I turned my body to face my night table and cried out as I rolled right off the bed.

  “Ouch!” I pushed my hair back from my face. I couldn’t see anything. Lifting my head, I managed to find the cable for the alarm and pulled at the plug. The freaking thing was going to leave me deaf.

  “Bri, sweetheart. Are you ok? You are going to be late for work.”

  “Wait, late??” it was only then I realized the heavy metal only played as the last possible option to wake me up. I leaned on the bed trying to get up from the tangle of covers on the floor and reached for my phone checking the time.

  It was 7:45am and I went into work at 8:00am every morning. Crapola! “I’m fine grandpa. I’ll be right there. Just give me five minutes.”

  I scrambled to the closet. At this point there was only one thing I could wear. My no-matter-how-sick-or-tired-you-always-look-good, outfit. I pulled the cream suit from the hanger with a light peach silk blouse, and a pair of caramel leather heels. “Done,” I said after getting dressed in record time and reached for my brush.

  “What the?” I mumbled not finding the brush next to the mirror on my vanity. My eyes searched the room. “Where the hell did I put it?” I asked frustrated, pushing everything I could aside. This was not the moment for me to be looking for lost things.

  I have no time for this crap!

  I stopped when I saw it lying on the floor between the window and my reading chair. “What on earth!” I rushed to it and picked it up, completely perplexed.

  How did the stupid brush get there? I was sure I left it on the vanity last night after blow-drying my hair.

  I didn’t care. I had no time for that. I hurried to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face while one hand still brushed my long hair away. There was sand in it. “A braid will have to do,” I said. I dried my face and began parting my hair. Once done, I ran back into the room to get my purse and looked at myself in the mirror.

  “Well it is what it is, for better or for worse,” I froze as the words resounded in my head.

  “I am yours. For better or for worse, it is so.”

  “Cyn,” I whispered. The memories from the night before flooded my mind making my skin tingle and my cheeks flush. I smiled and bit my lip. Last night had been amazing. I already missed him. I frowned when my eyes fell on the bed and noticed a Cherry Blossom placed next to my pillow. I picked it up and inhaled its aroma, smiling until my cheeks hurt.

  “Sweetheart, it is five minutes to eight. You are not going to make it.” Grandpa’s voice came from down stairs.

  Crapola! I needed to hurry the hell up.

  I pulled my Percy Shelly Poems copy from the bookcase and opened it. I kissed the flower and placed it inside. Pressing it carefully then returned the book to its place and ran out the door.

  I was late to the office for the first time in six months. I was fifteen minutes late, twenty actually, if you include the five-minute battle with the metal detector downstairs. I hated the damn thing. I had to punch in late and make a note in the timekeeper system. I had no time for breakfast. Barely drank my coffee. My bed was left a mess. There was sand in my hair and my skin felt dry from the seawater. But it was so worth it. Last night had been one of the best nights of my life. I picked up the receiver and dialed Lia’s extension. She picked up after one ring.

  “Good morning sleepy head,” she said with amusement in her voice. “I didn’t see you arrive this morning ten minutes before schedule like you always do. What happened? Ay Linda please tell me that it’s because you spent the night in the arms of mister ‘Cynfully Delicious.’ I haven’t gotten any action in a year and I need some excitement in my life, por Dios!”

  I laughed out loud then covered my mouth and tried to control my laughter. It was scary how close she was to the truth. “Oh you have no idea girl! Yes, I saw mister ‘Cynfully delicious’ last night.” I repeated enjoying the playful banter. I was going to have to decipher a way to tell her as much as I could without actually telling her the truth. I doubted Cyn wanted everyone finding out about him. Even if he did, I’m not sure she would believe me. Regardless of how it happened. I needed to share this with her.

  “Omg, that sounds so exciting. Ok girlie I’ll see you at lunch. I can’t wait.”

  I laughed. “Ok. See you then.” I hung up and sighed. I opened the drawer to place my purse inside.

  “Cynfully Delicious, Is that so?”

  “Aah!” I began to scream then immediately covered my mouth. Cyn was standing right behind me. His back leaned against the partition. He was wearing his usual outfit and had his arms and legs crossed. A half grin curved his lips and highlighted his scrumptious little dimple. I wanted to lick it again. Just thinking about his dimple made me blush and now he had heard me call him Cynfully delicious?? It was all Lia’s fault. I was going to get her for this.

  “I am not entirely sure I have ever been called that, My Goddess. Nevertheless, I shall admit it sounds interesting,” He pushed from the partition and crouched in front of me.

  “Now, how exactly do you know I am delicious?” He asked and a full-blown smile illuminated his eyes. He looked up seeming to think about it while he bit his lip and I silently begged for mercy.

  Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Please do not say it!

 
; “Oh yes, I remember now, My Goddess. You licked my dimple,” He leaned in like he was going to share a great secret. “And you seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. I might add,” he whispered looking at me with mischief.

  “Oh sweet mother of…” I said and covered my face. I wished there was a whole for me to crawl under and never get out. I still couldn’t believe I actually licked his dimple. No. Not licked, I had pretty much made out with it. And he was obviously having a blast, because he kept bringing it up. He pulled my hands from my face and I took a deep breath before I looked at him.

  “Fine, so I licked your dimple. Yes, I licked it and liked it. I also called you Cynfully Delicious but I wasn’t the one to come up with the name. That was actually Lia, so you can go right ahead and make fun of her. And what the hell are you doing here so early in the morning anyway? You are supposed to come in the afternoon or meet me tonight.” He smiled from ear to ear. I couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing. I just enjoy watching you. I came here because my dimples missed you, and I thought maybe you might like another taste for breakfast.”

  I pushed him causing him to fall on his butt. He laughed. Loudly. I was so glad his spell made him invisible and inaudible to other people. I tried not to laugh but I had to admit it was hilarious. He got up and crouched in front of me. He looked into my eyes. All the laughter gone, replaced by a different feeling.