Step Inside the Circle Part 15
Samhain would begin at sundown.
Neither Duo nor Wufei could understand why everyone else at the Residence seemed so calm about it; Balor had promised he would be back on Samhain, and that was before they had humiliated him by stealing both his wife and daughter away from him, never mind that they were also Trowa's blood relatives. Everyone should have been tense as a bowstring, and instead...
Nothing.
Even Kahn was being playful as he bounded around his two humans, seeming intent on getting at least one of them to laugh and play with him. Duo shot the beast a glare-
The dog responded with a light bark, ears twitching, as he crouched low on his front paws, wagging his tail madly as his rear section stuck up. Classic playful pose. "WOOF!"
Duo couldn't help it - he smiled at the dog. "Fine, you furball. Wanna play fetch?"
Kahn barked and bounded off into the trees, undoubtedly looking for a suitable stick. Wufei shook his head. "It's really uncanny how that dog understands us all so well."
Duo snorted. "How much do you want to bet someone set him up to get us out of their hair? To try and calm us down? I wouldn't put it past them."
Wufei shook his head. "You know, that dog loves you. He could just be worried to see you so worried. It happens."
"He loves you, too," Duo grumbled, trying not to smile as he heard Kahn headed back in their direction, making the most horrendous racket as he clambered through old leaves, fallen branches, and gnarly roots. "Ten bucks says Quatre set this up."
"Deal." Wufei grinned and jogged up to the dog, teasing him gently as he sought to rescue the stick from Kahn's jaws. Duo grinned as Wufei made his usual face about handling anything covered in dog slobber.
As Wufei threw the stick and Kahn took off after it, Duo glanced up at the cloudy, cold sky. Everything was far too calm - it was unnerving him in ways he was only beginning to understand.
Seeing as his companions were well and truly engaged in a playful game of tug-of-war, Duo turned back towards the House. Heero and Relena had to be around, somewhere, and if anyone could tell him what it was he was feeling, it would be them.
~*~
Trowa looked up with a frown as he contemplated his work. "It is done."
"Good," Relena commented, stepping closer to inspect. There were two seats in the centre of the chamber, now surrounded by a set of seals drawn by the High Druid at each of the main points of the compass. She watched as Trowa's assistants began picking up the discarded materials, being very careful not to smear any of the man's painstaking drawings before the ritual could begin.
Once those seals were activated, nothing would be able to either enter or leave the circle until the Caster cancelled the seals away. It was the only solution they could come up with to protect Leia and Red, as well as the rest of them, should the worst happen.
Neither Duo nor Heero had looked happy when they came up with the idea.
It was well understood that if madness and bloodlust should overcome the two Formorii in their midst, it would fall to the Tuatha De Danaan to silence them before anyone else could be hurt. Not even Wufei had been able to pull Duo out of his depression when the decision was made and, in the end, drinking heavily hadn't helped, either.
The best Duo could say for it was that he was his own hangover remedy. Highly convenient, that.
Trowa's hands were cold as he joined Relena - she rubbed them gently in hers as she stared at the room - two of her priestesses were moving in and beginning to set up the lanterns and other necessary items, silently. She felt a surge of pride, watching them - both Sylvia and Katy had accepted their role in the upcoming ritual and embraced the vow of silence imposed on them, in preparation for a Working.
The four cardinal points would be guarded that night, two by druids and two by priestesses. Relena knew without looking that Alex and Mueller were elsewhere in the room, doing similar preparations for their parts. It was a very important role, after all. These four would be their first line of defence against a threat they could not afford to ignore. If even one of them weakened...
She knew they would not - they would die, if necessary, to protect their companions. She and Trowa shared a look of complete understanding. It was horrible that they had to make such demands of their followers, but... Had there even really been a viable alternative?
She pulled him by the hand towards the doorway, "Come on - you need a cuppa to warm you up."
"Thanks." He didn't resist as she pulled him away with her.
They had to be okay - he couldn't allow himself to consider anything else.
~*~
"Greine, can you... Oh! I'm sorry - I didn't mean to intrude..." Scathach turned away from the door quickly as she saw that Heero had company.
Heero looked up at her and allowed himself a small smile. "You're not intruding. Come in, Scathach."
She stepped inside, trying not to show how annoyed she was at having looked so ridiculous. She should have expected that Greine and Nuada wouldn't be far from one another, given what they knew was coming. The fact that she had caught the two kissing on more than one occasion didn't weigh at all on her stupid blush! Definitely not! Nor the fact that she couldn't help noticing how good they looked together...
Duo looked over at her with a smile on his lips. She was grateful for it, even if she knew it was because he was too nervous to begin thinking up a good teasing line. The long-haired young man was surprisingly witty and fearless when it came to his taunts. Then again, with someone like Wufei as one's best friend, she could see how that might have happened.
She flashed both of them what passed for a smile. "We're only two hours from sunset. I thought... well, I was wondering if..."
"Looking for another person to talk to?" Duo asked gently.
She nodded, and got another of his bright smiles in reply. "You came to the right place, in that case. I dropped by here for precisely the same reason!"
She looked both of them over with a critical eye. Heero was dressed to kill quite literally, wearing solid black from head to toe, several weapons already strapped to his person, though his two short swords were still propped up against the side of his bed. Duo was in a similar outfit, only with far fewer visible weapons. Scathach wondered at that, knowing that neither Heero nor Trowa would allow him out of their sight unless he was properly prepared. Had he just not gotten that far yet? "Gentlemen, we should... Oh, Bloody Hell! Don't you two feel it?!"
The two Tuatha De Danaan shared a look before all signs of levity vanished from both faces. Heero stood and crossed the room, pulling her fully inside before he closed the door firmly behind her. "Dorothy, sit."
She sat blindly, unused to hearing him address her with her real name.
The other two moved to sit next to her, one on either side, and Heero continued, "If you mean a feeling as though something is dreadfully wrong, you're right. I've felt it - I'm pretty sure Trowa and Relena felt it, as well, though they have been too busy to put much thought into it. Duo felt it - it's why he was here. He only got here about ten minutes ago."
"Oh. I thought..." She stopped short but, from the blush on her cheeks, neither mad had a hard time guessing what she had been thinking.
Duo snickered gently. "If that had been the case, Dorothy, we probably would not have invited you in."
"Of course not!" Dorothy countered, blushing even brighter. "Even though... well, Beltane is months away, still..."
"Beltane?" Duo asked, feeling a little uneasy. If she was suggesting what he thought she might be suggesting...
"Not now, Duo," Heero said gently. He wasn't willing to cross that particular bridge yet, not just before what was certain to be one of the hardest nights of his new love's life. "I'm not refusing to answer, I'm just... We have to remain focused for now."
"Right," Duo said dryly. "Figures you people still have surprises for me... Another ritual thingy, right?"
Dorothy couldn't help a small smirk! If only he knew what he was in for! And since he would be the highest ranking male, and a new member of their little group...
Imagining Duo naked wasn't helping her any - from the small, evil smile on Heero's face, he had to be thinking the same thing as she was! She shook her head, ruthlessly filing those images away for a later date. "You're trying to distract us, Greine. Can we get back on subject?"
The Tuatha De prince had the grace to look at least slightly chastened at that. He cleared his throat. "To answer you both, I don't know what it means. All I know is that I can feel it as well. We must be on our guard."
"When can we expect the attack?" Duo asked, seeming glad to know he wasn't going crazy - other people had that same sense of foreboding as he did!
Dorothy shook her head. "There is no real way of knowing, though I doubt it will come much before midnight. That is when the elemental flow will be at its lowest, waiting for another sunrise," she explained quickly, seeing the question on Duo's face.
He nodded absently.
"Well, then..." Dorothy stood and stepped away. The sense of foreboding wasn't all she was sensing at the moment - these two wanted a moment alone together before things got too hectic. She could read it from their body language as surely as if they had written it across their faces. "I want to talk to the Aspects before the sun goes down. Don't forget - we'll need both of you outside before sundown to begin the Samhain renewal."
She didn't wait to receive two nods of agreement before she left as gracefully as she could.
Walking away with her hand in her pockets, Scathach couldn't help but feel a small amount of pity for the two.
~*~
Relena was finally ready to go, and not a moment too soon. The sun would set in another 45 minutes, and everyone had to be in-place for the Samhain lighting ceremony by then.
Noin took a deep breath as she stood and joined her Sisters. If everything went as it should, she might...
"Are you okay, Morrigan?" the Priestess' voice broke into her thoughts, and she looked up.
Relena, Badba and Maeve were all watching her carefully and with no small amount of pity in their eyes. She clasped her ice cold hands tightly, unable to allow the others to see them shaking. "Of course I am, Lady. When you are ready, we will go out and join Gwydion in the final preparations."
Hilde stepped closer and pried Noin's hands from one another, taking one of them in her firm, warm grip. "We know what this night will mean for you, Morrigan, and we will be here for you. All of us."
Noin's eyes narrowed, and she let her gaze fall. She didn't deserve what was coming for her - not after what she had done...
"Let him be the judge of that, Noin," Relena said gently, pulling the hood of her deep blue cloak up over her hair. "Do not be afraid."
A knock sounded at the door, and all four women turned to see Heero poking his head into the room. "My Lady? It is time."
She gave him a tight smile. "Of course it is. Let us go, then!"
~*~
The coming battle could not extinguish the air of renewal and expectancy in the Residence. Druids and Priestesses alike were more than ready - the Groves were decked with flowers and garlands, the cooks had outdone themselves preparing a feast fit for a new year, and carved Jack O'Lanterns sat along every major path to and from the House and into the surrounding Gardens.
The hilltop was still solemn, however. It was there, among the remaining stones of the ancient watchtower that the New Year would begin; one fire extinguished, another lit. Druids in a silent vigil had protected the site since sunup.
Quatre could help feeling bad that Mariemeia had to miss the Lighting Ceremony and the ensuing festivities; the little girl would have loved it, and would have been so proud to see her uncle at the very centre of it all. It was both a time of sadness and of joy, and the whole household traditionally faced it together...
Not stuck inside the Spell Chamber, restricted to a mystical ring of protection with no one but silent guards as company. The banshee frowned. Balor had done this - he was inflicting this fear and loss on his own family. It was unforgivable!
But one way or another, it would end this night. He prayed to the Goddess that luck would be with them, and all their preparations would not be for nothing.
He glanced around critically, his eyes taking in every detail in the failing light of the sun. Though decorations and signs of the coming festival were everywhere, there were also signs of war. Druid guards patrolled everywhere, heavily armed and ready to protect the revellers with their very lives. And the magics in place... Quatre had been afraid for Trowa when he heard what the High Druid had planned, at least until he found out that Heero, Duo and Relena would be adding their share of power to the working.
They were ready.
Still looking around, he smiled and waved as he caught sight of Wufei and Duo approaching with Kahn at their heels. He laughed as he watched the beast jumping around the two men happily. "Seems like Kahn is ready for the party."
Wufei rolled his eyes, though his lips were twitched into the beginnings of a smile. "He has followed us everywhere since we stepped outside of the House. And since Duo doesn't seem to want to do anything about it..."
The long-haired man poked his friend in the side. "What? He obviously wants to be here. He's a member of the family, too, you know."
Wufei simply shook his head, but then looked around again. "I had no idea that Samhain was such a big deal. Back home in the States, we just dress up like idiots on Halloween and get sick on candy."
"Ha! So says the man with his own 'Dracula' outfit, complete with realistic-looking fangs..."
Wufei glared as Duo continued to laugh, and Quatre joined in.
The blond was smiling as he looked out over the preparations again. "Our celebration is actually pretty small. You should see the crowds that gather at the larger site, like Stonehenge. Sure, half the people there just want to get stoned and party, but there are some true believers, as well. What they don't realise... A figure always lights the new year fire... they have no idea that the person they are seeing is actually our Gwydion. It is one of the few times in our year that he reaches out to all and truly becomes the great druid that he is."
Duo was watching the blond with a gentle smile on his lips. "You like to see him that happy."
"Of course," Quatre responded, eyes crinkling in a smile. "You will see and understand." He seemed to come back to himself after that statement, though, and glanced up the path behind them. "Where are the others? It is close to sunset."
Duo nodded. "Heero and Relena wanted to check on Leia and Red one last time before they came out. I haven't seen Trowa, though."
"He should be coming soon - he's been helping at the Groves to finish preparations... There he is, now!"
They looked over - a long line of Druids was approaching, all identically dressed in white, save for Trowa who, dressed in his habitual green and carrying a white outer robe, walked at the very end of the line.
Quatre smiled. "Normally, this would be a much livelier crowd. We, too, like to 'dress up like idiots', as you put it. But we thought... leaving off the costumes this year would be a help, should trouble arrive. It will make it easier to tell friend from foe."
"Good point," Duo replied, the smile on his face fading some as the words sank in.
No matter how well all these people tried to go ahead as though this were the same festival they'd celebrated countless times in the past, it was different. Instead of costumes, the druids were carrying weapons. Trowa himself - much though Duo was certain he did not need a weapon any more than Quatre did - had two long knives strapped to his slim hips.
Not to mention Duo and Wufei, themselves. Both heavily armed, they could not move without a metallic 'clink' reminding them that this would be no ordinary night.
WOOF!
Duo looked down - Kahn was pawing at his knee and whining softly as he stared up with a solemn look in his puppy dog eyes. Smiling, Duo knelt and scratched the dog behind his ears. "You'll look after Wufei for me, right? If something happens? You're such a good boy..."
"Duo?"
He looked up to find Wufei watching him with an unreadable look on his face. "Heero and Relena are here. It is time."
~*~
At the top of the hill, druids stood guard around the tower ring and the altar inside of it. In the very centre of the ring, a huge fire roared and danced in the breeze. The altar itself was covered with a black cloth, though Wufei could tell there were several containers underneath.
Trowa and three other druids had donned pure white robes, their hoods drawn up as they approached the ring and stepped inside to stand at the cardinal points around the fire. Relena and her guard stepped into the circle to stand behind Gwydion, and the rest of them formed a circle around the others, standing safely outside of the stone circle.
As the sun began to sink below the horizon, the four druids all raised their arms, and the fire flared high as they began to chant one by one.
Scathach, standing at Wufei's side, leaned closer and whispered, "To begin the ritual, they call the corners and pay homage to the deities that guard the four elements."
He nodded, watching intently as one man after another spoke. It was finally Trowa's turn - his lilting voice seemed to sing on the air and, as he finished, he reached to his right and whipped the black cloth from the altar, revealing its contents.
Neither Wufei nor Duo spoke the strange, lilting language, but they could suddenly both understand the words as easily as English.
"Mother Danu, Father Hunter, we call upon you as the Great Wheel turns again to darkness! May our offerings be acceptable!" Trowa lifted the silver bell and rang it once.
"Hail to you, Manannan Gatekeeper, Guardian of the Barrier!" He rang the bell again. "Hail to Bile, Lord of the Underworld!" He rang the bell a third time, and the sky answered with three loud rolls of thunder.
Relena stepped to Trowa's side and joined her voice to his. "Father Hunter, tonight you lay in the fields, bones of the earth and ashes of the Great Fire. The Wheel turns, Great Father, but we do not weep, for with Death comes Rebirth in a New Year. May you go with the Blessings of the Mother until we meet again!"
Relena's voice rang out clear in Wufei's heart and mind. "Mother Goddess, Mistress of the Night, I invoke thee! For this night, the gateway opens! May we greet with joy, reverence, and love those who have passed through, thy children!"
At her side, Trowa lifted a bowl of what looked like barley and called out, "Earth Mother, we offer you this gift in return! You who are strong and constant beneath our feet, grant us the courage and wisdom to live in your example as the fire dies and a new life begins!" He threw the contents of the bowl into the fire, and thunder rang out overhead anew.
As all four druids raised their hands again, Relena stepped back, her hands on Trowa's shoulders as he again began to chant, his smooth, lilting voice ringing out over the stone circle and into the groves and gardens beyond. "We who stand beneath the sky, on earth and under sea, we your children honour you. We praise you, our blessed Gods, the spirit folk, our honoured dead. In the death of the old and the birth of the new, may Your Fire cleanse us and guard us from evil and ill."
He lifted a flask of well water and held it high, the silver flask glinting in firelight and the last rays of the sun. "Manannan mac Lir, let the gates be opened! We now stand at the borderlands, where ocean meets stone. Release unto us our beloved departed as the mists close in and the sun dies!" He threw the water into the air as the last light of the sun winked over the distant hilltops, and it ignited silver to rain down on the fire below. Thunder peeled through the air as the silver sparks touched flame, and the fire itself flared silver. The earth shook beneath their feet for a short moment as silver shot out with a sound like a distant yell, and then the flames went out.
The silence around them was broken only by the sighing of the wind. But then the dark void of the fire seemed to grow even blacker, and whisperings could be heard, harsh voices speaking words Wufei did not understand. He didn't need to understand them, though - his blood seemed to turn to ice as he listened, and he fought to keep from shivering. On either side, warm hands took hold of his own, and helped him to force down growing terror.
The only light in the circle of stones seemed now to be coming from the Lady Relena and her Three Aspects as they threw back their hoods and stepped forward with measured paces to stand with their druid brethren. In an eerie unison, they chanted, "Ye who dwell in the shadowlands, whose hearts have gone cold from death and hate, ye who have defied the Goddess and been banished from the sunlit world, bother not our people. Where the light is re-born, your time is past. Begone and trouble us not!"
The whispering continued but, as the darkness seemed to expand, whispers growing into low, menacing cries, the four priestesses all clapped their hands and held them out, facing it. A peel of thunder sounded overhead, and a single bolt of lightning fell from the clear night sky. With an anguished cry, the whispers ended.
Trowa and the other druids stepped forward until they were side-by-side with the priestesses, and he reached for Relena's hand as he began to speak again, "In our new year, we call to you, Shining Ones, sons and daughters of Danu, Gods and Goddesses! Hear us, first and eldest - we welcome you! We welcome you, spirits of our ancestors, whose bones lay in this Earth, our Mother. We welcome you, children of the earth - on land, under wave, in sky. We welcome you and ask you to join us in this new year, and give your blessing to these people." Releasing Relena's hand, Trowa felt his connection to both Earth and sky singing in his bones, and his tattoos burst to life as he cried out, "Hear me! I am Gwydion! I honour you and call you to join in our feast of renewal! We offer you our love and devotion as we re-kindle the flame of life! Give us your protection and your blessing, oh Great Mother and Father!"
He lifted his hands to the sky and brought them slowly down in a graceful arch. "Let the circle begin again."
Flames burst from the ground, and everyone gasped as fire seemed to run down the hill. Cries of joy filled the air as the eight people within the stone circle all raised their arms to the sky, and thunder rolled out once again in a steady beat, three times.
Wufei turned and looked - bonfires were lighting everywhere, and the jack o'lanterns carved earlier that day were lighting as well, almost like fairy lights along the pathway back to the Groves. He looked over to his friend-
Duo was staring, transfixed, at the fire, a look of wonder on his face. Wufei laughed - he was certain he wore a similar expression, himself. "Duo?"
The long-haired Tuatha De Danaan turned to face him and smiled. "You don't see that every day!" They both laughed and, with both Heero and Scathach attempting to pull them down the pathway with the rest of the ritual participants, gave in and followed along.
Behind them, the flames continue to burn.
~*~
Treize Khushrenada smiled as he lifted his hands. Little Greine had managed to pierce his heart and send a great portion of his soul back to the Shadowlands, but now...
His strength was back. He could feel power burning through him as it hadn't for thousands of years, and now all he needed...
He looked down at the body next to his burning fire. Une had even been useful in death, her blood used to hold open the gateway to the shadowlands just long enough to summon the missing pieces of his soul. Now all he needed to do was wait for the right moment.
It would not be long. And then his armies would rise, and a new age would begin.
TBC...
Well... Treize is going to become a Very Naughty Boy in the next chapter, and all Hell will break loose, almost literally. I hope the ritual worked for you all. My beta liked it; I had some help sriting it from an acquaintance who worships the Goddess, so hopefully it isn't too weird... Please let me know what you think!
Until next time!
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