From our book of Shadows:
Apollo, With Your Blessed Golden Light(Invocation)
By Ginger Strivelli
Apollo, with your blessed golden light
So good, so knowing, so bright.
Lead us onward, upward, outward.
We follow the point of your sword.
Out of the darkness, away from the fright.
Apollo, with your blessed golden light.
We are behind You, ever satying near,
For Your light banished the darkness we fear.
We are with You for feast or fight.
Apollo, with your blessed golden light.
Honor us, who still worship You.
By blessing us, and all we do.
Let us florish and prosper in Your sight.
Apollo, with your blessed golden light.
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A short story by Ginger Strivelli originally published in the Ultimate Unkown Magazine
('Crystal Ball' Painting By Waterhouse)
Dragons No More
By Ginger Strivelli
Published in issue 21 of The Ultimate Unknown Magazine
Belizama looked up from her altar to gaze out the window
at the lake and the land stretching out behind it. The spell
was done. After thirteen moons of the most powerful magical
workings, she had succeeded. In truth, she did not yet know
that she had succeeded. She wouldn’t know until the first
dragon arrived at Castle Urquhart and bellowed up to the window
where she now stood waiting. If any dragons remained in
Britannia, for her to save. With every Prince, Knight,
merchant, and farmer hunting them for fame, profit, fear,
and ignorance they might all be dead.
If only it hadn’t taken so long, so many of the beasts would
not have been slaughtered. But one could not summon such
mystical creatures as if rounding up sheep. It took great
power and Belizama had to work with the Earth, Sun and Moon
to build up that much energy.
But it was done. Every Dragon left living was turning towards
Castle Urquhart. Belizama looked relieved only briefly.
A wave of premonition swept over her. In her mind’s eye
she saw something she had not foreseen. All those Princes,
Knights, merchants and farmers were baring down upon her
castle, as well. There would be no dragon sanctuary upon
her grounds after all.
Two days passed. It was longer than Belizama had expected
to wait for the first arrival. Her beloved creatures must
be scarcer than even she had feared. However, that first
arrival was heart warming, and she had been so stresses by
the premonition and by the long wait, her heart needed
warming, in deed. It was not a single dragon, but a bull,
a cow, and a set of triplet hatchlings. All five proceeded,
as if entranced, up to the foot of the castle and called in
perfect unison up to Belizama’s window in the tower. They
needn’t have. She’s seen them coming. She’d watched tearfully.
First crying in awe of their magnificence, then in joy of
their heeding her call, then in horror as she recalled the
hunters that were uninvited, but also heeding her call.
The dragons glittered rose, purple, and green in the sunlight.
Except for the smallest hatchling, who was strangely all white,
with but touches of pale colors. Belizama wondered if he might
be sick, or perhaps he was but a whim of Mother Nature. She
couldn’t contemplate that mystery at length, for she had to
think of how to save them from the hunters. If only they could
fly and breath fire, like everyone claimed, they’d stand a
chance against their attackers. Alas, they could no more breathe
fire than they could breathe the dark water of the lake.
That thought froze in the Sorceress’ mind.
“Breath water,” she said out loud.
The animals looked at her quizzically.
She hadn’t meant the words as an incantation. She didn’t expect
them to dive in, like her words alone could turn them
into merdragons. No, she’d need an even grander spell than
the one she’d worked to summon them, to supersede Mother
Nature and change one race into an another. She didn’t have
thirteen moon cycles for the celestial bodies to build up
the magic for her, she’d have to force it from within
herself. Belizama fasted, more dragons arrived, Belizama
meditated, more dragons arrived, Belizama prayed, and more
dragons arrived, Belizama built a small circle of stones on
the shore of the lake, but only one last dragon arrived.
Her circle was but an embryo compared to the sacred circles
to the south. She was, after all, only a single person and
could not build a proper circle, which would outlast the ages.
Hers needn’t last that long any way. It would be a temple
for only one rite. Belizama labored finishing the circle for
two more days, but no more dragons came. As she finished
placing the last stone, in the moonlight, she looked around,
to count only twenty-eight beasties asleep about her. Exhausted,
she only wanted to join the in their dreams.
“What utter wonder must fill the dreams of such magical
creatures!” She said to the Moon.
Alas, she had no time for dreaming. She smelled another
creature on the wind. A predator, one too terrible not to
fear. Men were following the tracks of her charges, and
were nearly upon the sanctuary already.
Belizama centered herself hastily and began to draw down the
power of the moon. When she felt the lunar energy saturate
her soul, she called out in her mind for the spirits of
the lake.
The Nixies, Sprites, Nereids, Fairies, and all such water
spirits joined Belizama’s thoughts. No one spoke. Words are
not needed in the realm of the mind. Nevertheless the water
spirits learned of Belizama’s plan. There was dissension
about if such a thing was wise
even if it proved possible, which they also disagreed about.
Of course, this argument was
instantaneous without the burden of words. Likewise,
the begrudged decision happened in but a moment, They
agreed to help the human.
Once together, their mental power swelled out of the tiny
stone circle, spreading out to engulf the sleeping
dragons.
There was lightning, in the clear night sky, flashing madder
than the worst of natural storms. Belizama’s eyes stared
heavenward but she did not see the phenomenon. As the last
of the energy discharged, she fell face first into the grass.
Mortals could not work magic with Nature’s spirits without
risking injury, if not death, for their mortality.
Belizama laid unmoving, unbreatheing as the dragons awoke
suddenly. They gasped for air, only to find gills in place
of their lungs. Their new water creature instincts took
over instantly and they all dove into the lake.
Several of the twenty-eight splashes hit Belizama’s still
body, shocking a gasp from her bluing lips. Once she fought
herself back from the cliffs of the land of the dead, she
awoke to find herself alone in the demolished circle.
“Where are you, my darlings?”
A splash answered her. The white hatchling lifted its head
from the water, looked at her but a moment, sunk below the
water, and swam away.
Belizama had just pulled herself to her feet, when a
Knight on horseback charged into the remnants of her
circle.
“Fair Maiden, are you hurt? I am tracking a dragon. Has
the monster attacked you?” He asked as he swung down from his
mount to offer his arm to steady her on her feet.
“Sir, I can assure you, there are no
dragons here at Loch Ness.”