31

"Oh my little one, treasure these moments," she counseled me with her warm and gentle voice. "They will be the light that will buoy you up during hard times, and will remind you of what is of most worth in this world."

And with that Millicent pushed me up from her lap and turned me around to face her so that she could grasp my head in her wrinkled hands as she pulled me down to plant a kiss on my forehead.

"It is time for you to go child," she said as she released me so that she could go back to tending her fire. "But before you do I will impart to you a small wisdom. You will have opportunity to make a journey very soon, and it is important that you do so. Answers will come there and you will have a choice to make. Go in peace now and do not forget to bring your totems when you travel."

I tried to ask for more detail because I was now terribly confused, but before I could utter a sound a rushing motion overtook my body as I fell through the ground into a deep blackness. The feeling lasted only moments, and when I opened my eyes to see where I had been taken I was back in my bed with daylight streaming through my window. I was awake, I had not been plagued by my nightmare, and all seemed right with the world again.

"Well, well. Good morning to you, or good afternoon rather," said a soft yet confident voice, and I turned to see Cassandra sitting primly in a chair by our bed looking up at me from the book she had been reading. "I am glad to see you back among the living dear Myka, and I am sorry that recent days have been so much trouble for you."

My body felt stiff and sluggish, which was understandable if I had been asleep for two days. I sat up and stretched my aching muscles without thinking, but the relief I felt as blood flow and movement revitalized my still slumbering body was cut short with embarrassment as full realization of my nudity hit me. I was sitting in my bed with my arms stretched above me as far as they could go, which had the effect of thrusting my very pert and firm breasts practically in Cassandra's face. The cool air in the room had caused my pink nipples to stiffen and poke out like erasers, and I belatedly dropped my arms so that I could grab my sheet to cover myself while trying to control the furious blush of magenta that had risen in my cheeks.

"Oh you silly girl," she said to me with an impish smile, causing the heat of my humiliation to deepen. "You know I do so enjoy looking at your most feminine charms, but a lady should always keep her most treasured assets hidden until the last possible moment. It makes all sorts of things much better for everyone involved."

Her comment made me giggle as I replied, "Well, apparently it's been two days or more and I think my little milk maids wanted to get some sun of their own."

We both laughed at my cheekiness and Cassandra stood and gave me a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

"I will go and let the others know that you are up," Cassandra said to me as she turned to leave the room.

"Others," I asked, with a hint of confusion in my voice. "Who else is here, besides Kelli, I mean?"

"Not to worry dear Myka. It is just Kelli and Ali in the living room. They have been arguing about various magical constructs for the last several hours. I moved in here with you, as they were causing me great consternation with their bickering, as good natured as it is."

"Yeah, that sounds like Kelli," I replied with and instant smile of understanding. "Once she gets an idea in her head it must be right. Fortunately for her it almost always is. Would you let them know I will be right out after I wash my face, please?"

"I will do so dear Myka, and take all the time you need," she replied as she left the bedroom, always the epitome of poise and grace.

I could tell by the sour taste in my mouth that I probably had morning breath straight from hell, and I was also dying for a shower. I pulled on my little silk half robe and made my way to the bathroom. With a monumental effort I forced myself to be content to just wash my face some, and to brush my teeth. A shower would be wonderful, but I really wanted to see Kelli right now and really thank her for all that she had done for me over the last several days.

Ali and Cassandra would need to leave for that to happen, though, in order to avoid loads of embarrassment. I also got a good look at myself as I was freshening up, and the dark circles and tightness around my eyes that had been prominent for some time, were all but gone. Millicent had been right, in that once I was protected from the woman in green and could sleep, both my mind and heart had begun healing.

I left the bathroom and headed towards the front of our place, and I could make out Kelli and Ali's voices as they continued to have what sounded like a very heated discussion. I silently padded my way down the hall and leaned against the corner of the wall where I could just see into our living room and I had to suppress a slight gasp. Kelli was sitting on the edge of the couch with her long red locks pulled up into a messy up-do, and I could feel myself start to get wet at the sight of her in a pair of cut-off shorts with a cropped tank top that left her delicious looking belly bare to the world, and a pair of reading glasses pushed up on her forehead. Dear god my girlfriend was absolutely the sexiest person in the world, hands down.

"I'm telling you Ali that if you practice using your transport spell, using this configuration of circles and runes, there is not any place on this planet you could not go in one step."

"And I keep trying to explain to you Kelli, that it just isn't possible to draw enough power to make that kind of leap all at once," Ali responded with the utmost frustration in her voice.

Cassandra slid up beside me and whispered, "Those two are going to be the best of friends, if they don't end up killing each other first," and I couldn't help but giggle silently at her remark.

"Ali, it's just like the ward that we crafted the other night," Kelli argued, and I could hear that she was now using her patient yet stubborn as a mule voice. Ali didn't stand a chance.

"You tell me that you draw on your innate power to move yourself from one location to another that you have already been to, correct," and Ali nodded in affirmative to the question. "And from what you have told me, the limit on distance is decided by the amount of power a witch can summon at the moment she wishes to travel, which limits the distance you can step to somewhere between a hundred to a hundred fifty miles or so."

"That's exactly what I am trying to get across to you," she replied, exasperation still lacing her words. "The power to transport comes directly from the witch who wishes to travel and that limits the distance. No one has been able to extend that mark, even using power gained from a convergence or a ley line nexus."

"That may be so, but using the circle and rune construct here," and Kelli pointed to a couple of sheets that had some arcane drawings on them before she continued. "Using these will allow a witch to expend a minimal amount of their own strength to create a power cascade that draws from the aetheric energy just like the ward. And it draws it in levels that are orders of magnitude greater than your personal power. Trust me, I know this is right, just like the ward was right. Try it tonight and you will see."

"Fine," Ali huffed as she snatched the diagrams from the coffee table in irritation. "I will try this, but when it doesn't work you owe me a steak dinner. With desert!"

At that point I couldn't help but laugh out loud and I replied to Ali's wager, "And when it does work, and it will because I know Kelli, you owe the two of us a day at the spa. You can come too to soothe your ego if you want."

Kelli jumped up the moment that I made my presence known and ran over to me, squealing with joy. Cassandra moved out of the way with her usual grace, and I was nearly knocked over by Kelli's flying hug. I basked in the warm glow of her love for me as she crushed me to her like she would never let me go, and I put my arms around her neck and kissed her with all the tenderness and emotion that had been lost in the sea of fear that had been my last two weeks.

I groaned into her mouth as our tongues parted each other's lips to reunite in their ever seductive dance, and the press of her body to mine felt like a furnace of a thousand suns. After some moments Kelli and I came up for air, and we both turned towards our guests with sheepish grins on our faces.

"Sorry for the peep show," I giggled, another blush rising heatedly through my cheeks. "She is just too hot, and I couldn't help myself."

"Damn straight," Kelli replied, as she pulled me in for another soul scorching kiss.

Cassandra gave a small sigh and then said, "Well, as interesting as it is watching the ever seductive dance of young love, there are things that I must attend to."

She then walked over to both Kelli and I, and kissed each of us with a tenderness that expressed a very deep love and caring, and with just a flick of her tongue which hinted at an epic naughtiness. We both knew that Cassandra was interested in some form of relationship with us, and the kiss we had just received sent us both into a fit of giggles and blushing, mostly because

Ali was there, and that it had her shaking her head in mock horror.

"Alas we must part my dearest ones," Cassandra said to all of us. "But I will be available to you if I am needed. All you must do is ask. Aliara, I will see you at the rites in the morning."

And with that Cassandra turned and left, with all the regal grace of a princess, and we were left with nothing but Ali's derisive snort.

"Seriously! My mom," Ali mocked. "You two are incorrigible."