Earth(25)

"No," I said. "Is this another Wiccan thing?"

"It’s a ceremony, used to raise magical energy. It’s a spiritual practice that involves sex, either literally or symbolically."

I eyed her. "What are you getting at?"

She continued fiddling with something at her hip. "In the symbolic sense, during the ceremony a knife, or Athame, represents the male half. A cup, or Chalice, represents the female half."

I finally understood. "So we are the Chalice to Shawn's Athame."

She shook her head. "No. This Chalice…is the Chalice to Shawn's Athame." She held it up and we both leaned away as if it were the devil itself.

"Is that the one from Bee's Wiccaning?" I asked.

"Yep." She turned it in her hand and light from the moon glinted off. It had come in handy at Mammoth Cave, but only because Susan used it as a physical weapon. It had left a mean lump on someone else's head.

I swallowed. "Does it hold Shades like Shawn's Athame?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't have the ability to find out, anyway."

But I do. We both sat in silence. I could most certainly try, but these things never seemed to work the way I intended. I wasn't sure if the risk was worth it. I sighed, and took a step back. Sitting on the deck, I really took in the view for the first time in a while. With our passing from the Ohio to the Mississippi earlier that day, thick groves of tall trees along the banks of the river had given way to shorter shrubs and opened our view to the horizon.

The night was cloudless, and fluorescent green swirls streaked across the sky. The aurora borealis had been visible in the lower latitudes ever since Daybreak, like a constant reminder of my failure.

Susan sat down beside me. "Remember when Bee got that pack of crayons and paper?"

I nodded. We had had a lot of luck with wild berries that season and plenty to trade for frivolous extras.

Susan smiled. "She held up the green crayon, and said, 'sky'. Then she ran around for an hour, holding up her crayon trying to trace the green lines, trampling the paper into the ground."

I laughed with Susan. I guess the magnetic fields weren't all bad.

Snoring from the front deck reminded us to keep our voices down. We lowered our gaze from sky to inky black river, and all at once I was reminded of the experiment in Spain when Susan and I had stood alone at the end of a long pier in the Mediterranean.

"The green reminds me of phytoplankton," I said.

She smiled. "Yeah – it kinda does. Funny how nature has a way of repeating itself."

"Just like history." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I cringed, half expecting another tidal wave to take us out.

Susan's hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality. "We've come a long way since that night. And we have plenty to go on to ensure history doesn't repeat itself this time." She held out the Chalice for me to take. "Have you ever held this before?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No." I extended my hand cautiously, letting it hover over the cup. It was definitely powerful. This close to it, I could feel the energy coming off in waves. "Was it ever used for the same purpose as the Athame?"

Susan nodded her head. "Yes – though not in my time. During a saining, the inductee would bleed into the cup until it was full."

"Lovely." I stood and walked around the cup, studying it. "Do you think I need to consecrate it first, like I did the Athame?"

Susan shrugged. "Probably not; this was never cursed to begin with, and never corrupted, so far as I know."

I moved my hand closer, and a static shock jumped from the cup to my finger. "Whoa." I pulled my hand back. "That doesn't bode well."

Susan looked like she might drop it. "Maybe we should consecrate it." Susan stood just as the boat lurched to the right. Knocked off balance, Susan stumbled then tripped. The Chalice went straight up into the air. I caught it.

Just as I had done with the Athame, part of me went forward, falling to the deck unconscious. Another part fell back, and I watched green streaks rush down to meet me. One bright flash, and I was falling, or rather flying. Instead of plunging into a deep cave, I was thrust into the air. It was just as uncontrollable. My arms and legs flailed, trying to slow my momentum.

Give in to it, I told myself.

I heard Susan call my name in a distant echo. My face stung. She was trying to slap me awake.

Just give me a minute, I thought.

I extended my hands in front of me, and angled my body one way then another. Just like S-curves on a ski slope, it allowed for some control. Blackness opened up to a small sliver of light. My eyes adjusted to the brightness as I came closer and closer.