The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga by Taliesin Govannon (top 10 novels of all time .txt) 📗

                We laughed, and it felt good to be sitting with my two oldest friends on that day of change.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                One of the great things about being in a polyamorous relationship with a vampire is that they never need to sleep, so the bed was always free. Gaia and I spent a decent amount of time in there over the next few days, when Vincent and I weren’t using it. My festival experience was quickly becoming spending all night around the fire, mornings with one of my two lovers, and meals at the cafe followed by live music every evening at the stage.

                Then it was back to the drumming fire to start it all over again, and I was loving every minute of it!

                Angelique still wasn’t around, keeping to the surrounding woods to keep an eye on things and make sure that nothing was trying to find its way past the protection spells surrounding the campground. My anxiety told me that she was avoiding me because she was upset about me and Gaia, but my sensible mind… as well as Vincent and everyone else around me… told me that she was giving me space, so it wasn’t awkward as I started to explore non-monogamy.

                Of course, that makes me love her even more I thought. At least the specter of Angelique no longer loomed like an ominous shadow over everything… it looked more like a big hill in the distance: big and not easy but not as scary as before.

                Not that I’m rushing to get to the base of the mountain.

                I was killing some time back at the campsite, Gaia and I laying on a blanket with my head in her lap, when Jack and Katsu walked in. Jack was wearing a bright new Adf t-shirt in hunter green, while Katsu sported a new pentagram necklace on her otherwise nude form.

                “So how’s it hanging, horn-dogs?” Jack asked.

                “Delightfully.” Gaia answered, and kissed me sweetly.

                “So, you guys going to the Druid blessing rite?” Katsu asked.

                “Oak, Nancy, and Angela are all heading down now.” Jack continued. "We thought we'd stop by and remind y'all."

                I had forgotten about the Druid blessing rite. With everything happening, it had slipped my mind. I looked up at Gaia, her green hair… she was in her human glamour since we were outside… tickling my cheek.

                “What do you think, gorgeous?” I asked her. “Sound fun?”

                “Sure does. Let me go change.” She gave me another slow, sensual kiss and I sat up to allow her to leave.

                I decided to stay in the clothes I was wearing… a long green skirt and a matching green linen top… because it already felt Druid-like… or "Dru-ish' as Jack and I called it. Gaia soon reappeared in a blue and yellow dress, the colors contrasting with her dark skin beautifully. It was loosely tied around her waist, the front opening to show a glimpse of her breasts that was as tempting as possible.

                Maybe we should skip… I thought. Nah. I can continue the sexual fun parade next week… this festival won’t be here then!

                We walked down the road away from the pine woods, only instead of turning left at the fork in the road to go to the cafe, we instead walked straight forward, into an area that I hadn’t explored yet.

                A clearing opened up ahead, and we soon saw a large stone circle, a fire in the middle. The stones weren't big… they were a foot or two high, so it wasn't Stonehenge… but I could tell that a lot of rituals had been done there. The edge glowed with the light of a thousand energy signatures, faded only by time.

                There was a Druidic altar… complete with a large iron cauldron for the well and a wooden post standing in as the world tree… set up by the fire, and a variety of white-tunic clad Druids finishing the set-up. When they saw us, Oak and Angela hurried over.

                “Hey, glad you guys could make it!” Oak said.

                “I told you I’d drag these folks out of the site!” Jack said.

                “We’re almost ready to begin.” Angela said. “Hang tight!”

                They returned to the pre-ritual preparations, and I walked to the edge of the stone circle. The late afternoon sun had sunk behind the treeline, covering the entire circle in cool shade. A slight breeze blew from the west, and I could feel spirits moving in the woods just out of sight.

                The spirits are getting ready! I thought excitedly.

                I hadn’t done a Druid ritual since before my transformation into the Sorceress, and I was curious as to what I’d experience now that my perceptions had been, shall we say, sharpened by my new powers.

                I noticed that the attendees were gathering by one particular opening to the stone circle, so my friends and I wandered over to join them. Jack and Katsu, who had been hanging out with Druids all week, chatted easily with several people I didn’t know while I took everyone in.

                “I’ve known countless Druids through the centuries.” Gaia said softly in my ear. “I’ve not yet witnessed Adf Druidry… this should be fun.”

                “I like it.” I replied. “I worked it a little before my transformation. One thing you’ll appreciate is that, unlike most of the ones you’ve run into since the original Druids died out, these folks admit that they’re not a direct continuance of ancient Druidry. They’re honest about trying to build a new Druidry for the twenty-first century.”

                “No bullshit, huh?” Gaia said, nodding. “I’m impressed.”

                “Okay, it's time to get going!" a large bearded man said, loudly, from the center. "For those of you that missed the pre-ritual briefing, just try to follow along as best you can, okay?" He started a drumbeat that was picked up by the smattering of drummers that had shown up, and