Читать книгу The Cardinal Will Tell All - Carol Smith - Страница 7

Chapter 1

The Gift

The gift of flight—it’s funny how that works. I never thought I would master flying on a broomstick. If someone had told me that I would be doing this, I would have said they were crazy! Plus someone who has always been afraid of high places wouldn’t even be flying high on a broomstick, but here I am, enjoying the night sky, feeling the power and the joy, and this is where I feel the most comfortable.

A gift from Paralda, the ruler of the element of air, using long-ago winds known as Zephyr.

Hi, my name is Kitten Lang. How shall I describe myself? I am a witch, and I am five foot five, about twenty six years old, I have long jet black hair and brown eyes with cinnamon brown skin. I am a bit quiet but, will speak up when I need too, and I love cats! I’m flying to my workplace known as Just A Cup. It is a meeting place with a library and coffee shop, as well as healthy meal varieties for all palates. It is where my small coven of four—well, eight, if you count our cats—is located.

I am going there to make plans for the spiritual Sabbat of Mabon or fall or Autumn Equinox, which is fitting since my friends (Tom and his wife, Serena, and Cybelle, my friend and sister-in-law) all met each other around this time.

This time has special meaning for us. Plus, we have lots of fun at that time. Fall is the time to enjoy the cooler days and longer dark nights. It gives me time to fly around before it gets too cold to be so high up in the air. Yes, I know flying about on a broom is so cliché, but that is half the fun, and no one knows that part of the fun too.

It is just me and my two cats, Jade and Triton, who fly in their basket with me. And tonight, I have a lot on my mind that I want to talk with my friends about these dreams, dreams that I have been having for the past few nights. Feels like haunting and the places seem so familiar and so does the man in the dreams, but I only get to see the back of his head each time. But it is the other stuff in those dreams that…well, I must get it off my chest. And my friends can do that for me.

I have known my friends for a long time. I have known Tom and Serena Bluing through Cybelle who is my best friend since grade school. She married to my brother, Keith.

Serena is fifty-nine and has an olive skin with lovely long gray hair. When it is down, it is just above her ankles and quite thick. She brings excitement every time she walks into a room. She is an elegant old hipster who is quite a powerful fire witch, who works with that element. She is also superb when it comes teaching, and students love her classes. She is a clairvoyant and herbalist. She really knows her stuff. Tom, her husband, originally from New Orleans, is a tall and handsome African male with gray hair and a beard. He always smiles and has jokes, some very corny, and loveable, loyal, and fierce! He is also a witch and is good with fire magic, herbal magic, sigils, and other symbolism. He reads cowry shell and bones. They have one child.

The two of them were married at a time when mixed marriages where frowned upon, as well as witchcraft, but they loved each other for over many years. The same for Cybelle and Keith. Cybelle’s parents were a bit uncomfortable at first. But the more they got to know Keith and when her parents saw how he spoils her, it was then they knew their daughter was in good hands, and that’s when they really began to like him. They have a house close to Brisbane shoreline.

Cybelle, my friend, is originally from Texas and is a mixture of Spanish, European, and Mexican. She’s always in black, loves everything in black or yellow (her other favorite color) but mostly dark gothic dress. The inside of her home that she shares with Keith has black and yellow decor.

Cybelle is a garden witch and herbalist. She works a lot with earth spirits.

My brother, Keith, stands taller than me at five foot eight, a bit more bronze than cinnamon in color and is also a witch and shares Cybelle’s interests too. He is good with the element of water and air. They have no children; they are childless by choice. They have one cat named Mindy, an orange tabby to whom they spoil rotten. We all have cats.

Tom and Serena’s cat is Occur whose name comes from an old perfume that is no longer around. He is a beautiful jet-black cat with blue eyes.

My two cats, Triton is a large gray-and-black-striped Maine coon, and Jade is a very small gray tabby. They are my loves! But for now, my mind is on the dreams that won’t let me forget. That haunt me each and every night.

The evening sky has a beautiful sunset. But my thoughts keep rolling back to the dream of the birds and their feathers and the man whose face is hidden, but then I am interrupted by Jade and Triton who are having a mild spat.

“Stop that you two! Cut it out! I can’t take you anywhere. We are almost there, guys. Just A Cup’s roof is in view.”

And the cats sit up in the basket; they are ready for landing.

We are not seen for I have a spell in place that keeps us hidden. We come into the garden at the back of the place and land quietly. The cats quickly jump out of the basket and run for the back door.

Cybelle comes out to take the trash out and is surprised. “Girl, you always show up so quietly.”

“I know,” I tell her the best way to be. “I walk past the summer squash which is at its peak, and it will be ready at Mabon our Sabbat. Most of our veggies will be picked for the stewpot that we do together and put our magical intentions for love, happiness, and protection for the group. Mabon is one of my favorite harvest Sabbats. It heralds the time that soon summer will eventually wind down, and that winter is not far behind. Plus, my broom flights of fancy in the dark is a great cover, and the cats love night flight!”

Cybelle and I walk through the door with my two cats running at top speed. They run into Mindy, Cybelle’s cat. She greets them, and then they are off running. Occur looks at them like he is mildly annoyed and walks away. There are a few folks hanging around the place, enjoying late coffee and talking. The sounds of cats running can be heard. Then I hear a woman say, “see I told you Cynthia, this place is wonderful, and the cats are so cute!”

As I walk through, I see two cats rolling down the aisle. I could not help but smile. As I got closer inward, I saw Serena at a table. Oh no, she is with Mrs. Miller.

The problem with Mrs. Miller is that she always wants a reading but is never happy or takes the advice, complains when things don’t work out, not following advice, and will talk your head off. I wave at them and quickly move down to the closet and put my bagged broom and purse there. I can hardly wait for us to close down from the public so we can meet. I watch as people go out the door, and Serena is trying to get Mrs. Miller toward it all the while she is still talking.

Other clients are making last purchases and library checkouts, and with the last one out, there is a change of the sign—we are closed for the day. Tom starts closing down the register, and Serena starts cleaning the kitchen area, grabbing a mixture of lemon and bleach and some natural ingredients to clean with.

As for myself, I walk down the aisle of each bookshelf, picking up books, but I stop at a shelf because there is an energy coming from one of the books. It is a large encyclopedia. I open the book, and it opens to a page about the Solomon Islands. Hmm…strange? I wonder and put it back. Then I hear a loud crash! Oh, I wonder what the cats broke. I walk back to the main area, and sure enough there is a tray and cups and saucers on the floor. One of the teacups made it, the others did not.

Serena grabs a broom and dustpan and says, “If this keeps up, we will have to buy more teacups and saucers.”

Three cats are looking at her sweep. Occur is eyeing them, swishing his tail.

“Cats, oh my, you gotta love them.”

Serena is looking at me. “Kitten, something going on with you. And you are not quite here with us. What is on your mind?”

I walk over and grab a chair near me and sit. Triton has sat down next to Occur, and yawing, the two girls cats are still at play. I look at my friends for a moment, and then I begin to speak, “Well, I have been haunted by dreams that have been going on for weeks. It is always the same at the beginning, but more and more is added in bits and pieces. The dream has me looking at a cabin, and it feels like I know the place. The front door is purple with cutout heart-design shapes on it. There is a striped tabby looking out on the balcony. Further there is a man who’s back is turned away from me. His hands are what I can see. They are either dark or dirty, I can’t tell, and he is feeding cardinals. A lot are around him. I also see a lot of red feathers fall to the ground, and in some dreams, there are just the cardinals and red feathers falling to the ground. At other times, I see red feathers and graves and older people standing next to them looking sad and angry. Behind them is a shadow figure, and behind that figure is a door, and it is my door. I am looking at it from my living room! The cats are with me, and they are growling and screeching. Then there are times the cardinals are crying out for help in human voices. Been having this dream for over a month. What do you guys think?”

Tom is standing at the counter quietly listening in too.

Serena speaks up, “There is definitely a message in these dreams. Red feathers can mean love and or a loved one is nearby. Why are the cardinals crying out in human voice? Not sure. A warning maybe? Or it represents something else. But they are asking for help?”

“Yep, something else is going on.”

“Seeing elderly people next to graves maybe a message from your ancestors? And doors as you know are portals to other worlds, or a door can also keep things in or lock things out. The man…I don’t know.”

“I don’t either,” I say to her. “He did have a strawberry blond hair, and he was feeding the birds.”

Then Cybelle jumps in and says, “You know, you haven’t dated in a while or hung out since Dresden passed. And since cardinals also represent love, maybe someone is coming in your life! Hey, you never know.”

“She could use a date,” Tom teases.

I throw a balled-up piece of paper at him. Serena smiles and shakes her head.

Then Cybelle adds, “Kitty, you need to get out more. When are you not just hanging out with just us? And hanging out with your cat crew?”

“She is right you know.”

“I read and play with my cats, work in my gardens, but don’t really go anywhere at all.”

“You know, it is our fault,” Serena says, “we need to get you to more events, and this upcoming one will be good for you.”

“Okay,” I tell her. “And I would like to go to this event at the Mason mansion. Yes, I enjoy being with my friends and family, and okay, I like to visit the graveyards and pick wild herbs. Oh, I really need to get out more, be sociable, or at least try.”

And I visit upstairs to Serena and Tom’s place a lot, as well as Cybelle and Keith’s home, and I do try to hit different pagan events and Sabbat celebrations. Yeah, I need to get out more. I have shut myself off since my friend passed away. Still hurts.

We talk and laugh until the clock chimes 9:00 p.m. We shut down the place. I go quickly and quietly, disappearing with my cats, who are now in their basket, into the wooded area outside the fence of our business. I take out my broom and get in position and tell Dresden, my broom, what to do and up and out we go.

Dresden my broom is named after a deceased friend we were close he and I and Cybelle. We all went places together, and he was the life of the party, but time and illnesses takes us all. So I named my broom in memory of him.

The stars and night sky seem soft tonight, but my mind is still focusing on dreams and wondering what it will be like in sleep tonight. We go through the woods, over the lake, and then take the backstreets to get to an alley that leads to a gate which leads to my backyard. Over the gate, we go, and Dresden descends, and we land quietly into the backyard. Two cats jump from the basket, and we walk the steps to the back porch. We all stop at my back door.

I say to the door, “We are home.”

The door unlocks, and we walk in, and it shuts and locks quietly behind us.

Jade and Triton get their snacks for tonight while I get ready for bed. I wash my face still pondering over all things that me and my friends have talked about. I go back and check, making sure house is totally locked down. I give the command to secure and lock down the house. Glowing walls of yellow appear with shields go up and encircle the house and sigils with other symbols appear on those walls. Clicks can be heard. The house and yard are locked down.

My cats race ahead of me and jump into their favorite spots on the bed. I climb into bed, and I say good night to house, ancestors, deities, and all.

“Lights out, 11:10 p.m.,” says the clock.

Another day done and sleep and dreams.