Page 28 of Vampire's Vixen

The Dark Moon Society met at a small cabin on the outskirts of town, on a one-acre parcel of land. The Society owned the cabin, and the secretary for the coven lived there in exchange for keeping watch over the land and the ritual space. A ring of standing stones had been erected, to mark the eight sections of the year, and the eight pillars of the circle were aligned with eight of our sacred trees: oak, holly, willow, apple, cedar, rowan, yew, hazel, and elder. The trees stood in back of the stones, watching over the quarters and cross-quarters, sentinels for the rituals.

The circle of stones was large, but not so large that the Society hadn’t figured out a way to keep the rain out when need be. A large circular awning had been created that attached to hooks hewed into the back of the stones, and for particularly nasty weather, clip-on rainproof sides formed a tent to protect the participants as much as possible.

A firepit was in the center. As I stood there, watching the flames lick the sides of the large metal cylinder, crackling away, the chill of the outer world began to fade. There was more than just the heat from the bonfire warming up the inside of the tent—but I had no idea what else was at work. Was it magic? It seemed a lot to expect a spell to act as a large-scale heater, but maybe I didn’t understand the full extent of what our magic could do.

As the other women gathered, the only ones I recognized were Nightshade and Astra. I silently counted heads. Eleven other women, including my aunt and the high priestess. I knew this wasn’t the full extent of the Dark Moon Society, but it appeared to be the magical core.

A few of the covens run by the Order of the Moon had male participants—and male members of the witchblood were as common as women, but there was something special about the energy of women gathering together that made other groups pale in comparison.

My thoughts were interrupted by Nightshade, who—after a moment—whistled and held up her hands.

“Welcome, Sisters of the Dark Moon. As you know, tonight we’re welcoming our newest member—Maisy Tripwater. She passed her magical quest and tonight we’ll initiate her.”

A cheer went up from the others, including Astra. She winked at me, as if to say, “See, you’re welcome here.”

I blushed a little, then cleared my throat and said, “Thank you for welcoming me. I’m excited to be here and looking forward to working with you in the future.”

It felt a little contrived, but really, there wasn’t much else that I could say.

Nightshade flashed me a warm smile. “We’re happy you’re with us. Since it’s a chilly night, let’s get down to it, shall we?”

I nodded, having no idea what to expect.

The others started to move into position, Nightshade in the center by the firepit, with Astra at her side. Eight of the others each took their place by one of the eight stone pillars. And the last—a youngish woman with shining blond hair—moved over to my side.

“I’m Nedra, and I’ll be your guide,” she said. “Please place your hands behind your back.”

I glanced at Astra, who nodded.

As I did, Nedra bound them loosely with a rope. Then she held up a blindfold. I nodded for her to do whatever it was she needed to do. She slid it over my eyes, and I couldn’t see a thing.

“Please, do as I say. We won’t hurt you.” Her voice was low in my ear.

“All right,” I whispered back.

The next moment, Nightshade’s voice echoed out, and I realized she was casting the Circle. I stood still, keeping silent.

Circle of power, I cast thee first, in the maiden’s name, in song and verse.

Circle of power, I cast thee twice, in the mother’s name, we pay the price.

Circle of power, I cast thee thrice, in the crone’s name, under her advice.

The energy began to form, creeping through my body, through the air, touching every molecule and atom, enlivening everything in its path as it swept through, a wave of power, a wave of magic.

Spirits of the North, Spirits of Earth, please heed my call and bring us strength.

Spirits of the East, Spirits of Air, please heed my call and bring us thought.

Spirits of the South, Spirits of Fire, please heed my call and bring us passion.

Spirits of the West, Spirits of Water, please heed my call and bring us balance.

Earth and Air, and Fire, and Water, We, magic’s daughters, weave the spell.

Even though the invocation was a simple one, the force behind it rocked me and threw me off balance. Nedra reached out to steady me.

Nightshade and the Dark Moon Society were powerhouses. If they could manage this much magic for an initiation, then what could they do when they were working one of the older, more powerful spells?

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