Kelli had indicated where I needed to be, and I trusted her with my life so I let the half robe I was wearing fall off of my shoulders and pool at my feet, then entered the circle, laying down on the floor in the middle of the entire design. I placed my hands and feet where she asked, and then Kelli turned to Ali and motioned her over.
"You have a silver knife, right," Kelli asked, and Ali nodded that she did. "Ok, use it in the center of both wrists and on the inside ankles to draw enough blood to drip down into the construct."
"It's funny that you are calling it a construct," Ali chuckled and did as she was asked, giving me four small cuts, and I gritted my teeth at the sting as four small trickles of my blood began to slowly drip into the smaller circles.
"Ok. That is the design that makes the most sense," Kelli stated and took a deep breath. "Hey Ali, you know the chant that goes along with this, don't you?"
"Yes, but why?"
"Well, don't most spells have their power increased when witches cast in unison? I don't understand a lot of the theory that I read yet, but I do know that multiples of three witches casting at once can make magic damned powerful. In fact, if what I do understand is correct, activating this construct with 12 witches casting simultaneously, you could drop the equivalent of a mental magical nuke on someone protected by it and they might feel a slight headache for a few minutes. At least I think that's what would happen. It's what makes sense."
Ali shook her head incredulously but said, "You and I are going to have a long chat soon. Ok. Mary, Gina, let's get started with the casting."
The three witches knelt outside of the circle, equidistant from each other and then they began to speak in a slow, rolling chant that resonated in my head like the deep bass pipes of a church organ. I could not understand the language they were using, but it had an almost musical quality to it as the deeply powerful words continued to flow from their lips. Immediately I began to feel a power building in their words and in their voices. They were barely speaking above a whisper but it was almost as if they were shouting. Then I felt tingles and rushes of electric sparks shoot through my body, originating from the cuts that Ali had made moments ago, and as the chanting increased in intensity so too did the rush of power I could feel flowing through my body.
The circle, and the runes inscribed in it, began to glow a bright yellow orange, lighting up the room and casting odd looking shadows against the walls, and still the chant pulsed with power, on and on. Seconds became minutes, became hours, became lifetimes. The witch's chanting reached a crescendo with a final burst of power so strong that it caused my body to spasm and arc up above the floor. My hands and feet, however, remained rooted to the circles that contained them by some unseen hand, and even with my increased strength I could not break free. And then, just as it started, the power receded until I was left on the floor with three panting witches around me and no sign that there had ever been anything drawn on the ground. It was done.
"Did it work," I gasped, as I sat up slowly and practically had to crawl over to my robe to dress. I felt as drained as if I had run back to back marathon races.
"Give us a minute to catch our breath," Mary answered, and I noticed that she looked almost as exhausted as I felt.
"By the goddess, I have never felt that much power go into a ward without a ley line or a convergence," Ali moaned. "We really need to talk about this Kelli, because you should not have been able to design a crafted structure that powerful."
"Whether she should be capable or not isn't the point. That it worked is," Gina remarked as she was finally able to get to her feet. "Goddess, I don't even remember the pattern for that design. Do you think you could recreate it for us Kelli?"
Kelli came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with cheese and crackers, and a couple of pitchers of water and juice, which she set on the table and motioned the witches over to eat.
"My guess is that you all could use a quick snack, and something to drink. And yes, I already copied down the design for you while you were chanting," and she passed over a sheet of notebook paper to Gina.
"Thanks a lot, for this and the food," Gina said, indicating the paper before she grabbed something to eat and a large glass of juice.
We all sat around the table and talked, the witches devouring the snacks that Kelli had provided along with the juice and water. I had gone to the refrigerator and grabbed myself a bottle of green tea, which was one of my current habits along with pots of coffee, hoping the caffeine would help keep me awake. I had become less than fond of sleeping, and I had been resorting to more and more desperate measures to stay awake. After a few minutes, though, Ali and her companions stated that it was time to go, as they all had other commitments that morning.
"Hold still and relax. I'm going to check to see that the ward is in place," Mary told me as she got up from the table and placed her palm on my forehead.
She closed her eyes and started muttering under her breath, and I was wondering what she was trying to do, but the result was clear. A few seconds after she had begun her test of the ward, she was thrown back away from me forcefully and landed on the floor about five feet away.
"I'd say the ward is set and is functioning," Gina laughed, and even Ali thought that was amusing.
"Damn that is strong," Mary replied with a feral grin. "I would guess that this ward will remain in place for some time. Perhaps even as long as six or seven weeks, and when your intruder tries to touch your mind again they are in for a very nasty shock."
"That should be enough time to get some answers," Ali commented. "And hopefully have you two bonded as well. That may also provide some protection, but I just don't know for sure. Anyway, we have to go but we will be in touch."
Gina then turned to me and said, "I nearly forgot. Can I take a small sample of hair to make a charm that will allow Millicent to bypass the ward and contact you in your dream? She was very insistent that no matter what we did to protect you that she wanted to talk to you soon."
My eyes betrayed my fear, knowing that if I did this it might open another path for my green cloaked enemy to invade my mind again. I really did want to talk to Millicent if I could, though. Just the thought of her warm smile and the bright twinkle in her sharp eyes caused the bond I shared with her to pulse with a burst of love.
"Can you promise me that Millicent will be the only one able to contact me this way," I asked, fear still tainting my voice.
Gina stood up straight then, and made a couple of slight hand gestures as she said, "I give you my oath, as a Sister bound to the Circle, and as a servant of the great goddess, that any charm I create with your essence will be usable only by Millicent, and only in friendship. This I swear by my blood."
A small burst of power pulsed between us, and my eyes widened in surprise. I knew without a doubt that in that moment, Gina had been entirely truthful with me and that whatever powers she had called on to make her oath would not let her break it. I nodded my head to her, and she reached forward and pulled a few hairs from my head and placed them in a small wax paper packet she had.
Gina took my shoulders and kissed my cheek and whispered to me as I blushed in embarrassment, "Thank you for allowing us to aid in your protection Miss Myka. It was a great honor."
Kelli took charge then, and showed everyone out the door, while I had gone back to the couch and curled up against one arm, staring into space and wondering when I would get so tired that I would be forced into unconsciousness, fully expecting to go through the dream again. Even after having seen the magic work when Ali and the others had cast the ward, I was still too terrified to allow myself to sleep.
"Hey sweetie," Kelli whispered, as she sat down next to me and pulled me into another hug which immediately made me start to cry. "Shh, shh. You're going to be ok, I promise. I may not be able to cast magic, but somehow I know exactly what they did here tonight. Weird, I know, but you are protected."
I nodded to her, my face still buried in her chest, the tears still flowing like summer rain. I just didn't want to let go right then. So, like a few times before the dreams started, and who knows how many times after, Kelli just held me. She stroked my hair and ran her hands over my back, and waited for me to calm down, no matter how long she was needed for. It took a while, and neither of us were going to be in class today, which had happened a lot in the last two weeks. Finally I pulled back from her embrace and gave a stutter filled thank you, and wiped my eyes for the tenth time that night.
"Oh sweetie, you don't have to thank me for things like this. I love you, so much so that you are almost literally the air I breathe. I was desperately worried which was why I called Ali and demanded some sort of protection."
"How did you know I needed protection?"
"The really bad dream, the one that has robbed you of your ability to sleep and has made you so fearful, was a sent dream, not a premonition of the future. In fact, I think all of your dreams about this future occurrence have been sent dreams. I recognized the signs from Ali's grimoire, a little from the reading Cassandra gave us, and I actually found some hints online, on what I think is an actual witch's chat forum."
"What do you mean by sent dream," I asked, and yawned deeply as days of fatigue were rapidly catching up to me.
"It means that someone, probably the woman in green that you described, found, or was given, a way to invade your dreams and force you to see what she wanted. That's why Ali mentioned that you, and really we, need to have some mental training to block those kinds of intrusions."