Page 17 of Shadowed Summer Sun
“I call upon the powers of Air. Eastern quarter of words and intellect. Guardians join my circle and bless this working.”
I walked to the south, channeling fire into my palms and igniting my bundle of sage with a flick of my fingers.
“I call upon the powers of Fire. Southern quarter of transmutation and passion. Guardians join my circle and bless this working.” The red streaks on my chest pulsed, swelling inside me like molten rock.
Moving to the west, I poured the last of my holy water into the pearlescent bowl of a shell I’d left waiting for me on the mortal side of the lake.
“I call upon the powers of Water. Western quarter of emotion and adaptability. Guardians join my circle and bless this working.”
Reaching the northern apex of my circle, I took the malachite stone that had helped to protect me from Bluestack Jack and held it together with the salt waiting for me.
“I call upon the powers of Earth. Northern quarter of grounding and strength. Guardians join my circle and bless this working.”
I returned to the center of the circle, holding my hands aloft and open to the darkening sky.
“I call upon the powers of the Cosmos. Powers of Above that contain the arching totality of the universe. Guardians join my circle and bless this working.”
Pulling my arms down and holding my hands over my heart, I closed my eyes.
“I call upon the powers of Enlightenment. Powers of Within that are at our core, connecting us to those around us and keeping our inner flames glowing bright and proud. Guardians join my circle and bless this working.”
Sinking to my knees, eyes still closed tight, I felt the air charge around me as I laid my hands on the rocky ground. Unseen Shadows coiled around my arms.
“I call upon the powers of Silence. Powers of Below,” claws found me, gripping, and everything slowed to a crawl, “You are the void and the quiet from which our souls, our embers, are born and return. You are the cauldron from which the miraculous potion of nature boils over.”
I reached into my pack, retrieving the black powder I was given, and sprinkled it over the ground, eyes still shut. The powder clung to my fingers, and I trailed the remaining essence across my face in stark lines. Jack’s bauble warmed against my skin as it hung around my neck. My words altered, taking on a life of their own as my spirit mingled with the great Shadows of Below.
“King of Summer’s End! Of Shadow and Death! You have called me, sought me.Iseek you out now, drawing you to this material plane. Grant me the power I seek! Fulfill the calling and bid you come! I demand it so!”
I rose to my feet, gusts of wind sweeping up my hair and skirts.
“I invoke you, King. Here at midnight upon the Death of Summer on this the longest day and its last. The Death of one day and the beginning of another. The Death of one season and the beginning of another. I invoke you, King, within the In-Between. Grant passage to the Shrouded Island!”
The cracking of great oak trunks and pine branches, the horrendous howl of an ancient beast, the wave of Shadow that swept over the land culling the weak, and the shattering of Jack’s bauble signaled his arrival.
The King had come.
Not leaving the circle, I walked closer to the lakeshore at the southern quarter. I’d drawn my circle right up to the edge so that the water might ripple inside, indicating my permittance onto the isle.
The wind swirled around the circle, forming a hurricane with me in its eye. Black Shadow solidified and formed ropes that coiled around my body as I faced the island with my arms outstretched. A hungry growl rumbled around me as the cloud pulled my arms to my sides and bent them behind my back as they were at the Hidden Graves.
With my arms bound, I was pushed down into the rocky sand. Powerful waves crashed over the shore, drenching me and pulling my skirts up yet again. The circle remained locked in place as the freezing water was sucked back into Cottlewick Lake.
“Mmmiiinnneee.”
The King’s claws raked down my thighs, and I quaked as the Shadow squeezed tighter around me. More of it split off, gripping my hair and yanking my head up and back. Perched on my knees, hanging by my hair so that my back arched, I felt him behind me, his Shadow Self hovering just out of reach.
Heat and wetness swelled in my core. The barely-there touch of his tendrils ghosted over my slit with the promise of more.
“Cooommee tooo mmeeee, Sssuummmmeeerrrr.”
I was hauled to my feet, and my boline was shoved into my hand. The grip on my hair released, the wet locks slapping across my skin.
“IIIIffff yyyoooouuu dddaaarrrreee.”
The Shadow still held my arms tied behind my back. Another tearing sound, like that at the Gate, drew my attention to the lake. A massive section of it was pulled away, revealing the black-green silt of its floor and creating a straight path toward the Shrouded Island. The water raged and hollered as it was held up toward the glowing white moon.
I mentally drew the image of a door in front of me and stepped over my circle’s edge. The remaining water was frigid as it touched my bare feet, and pain crept up my legs as I trudged through the marshy mud. Animal skeletons, and even some humans, littered the bottom of Cottlewick Lake, exposed anew by the will of the King of Summer’s End.
