Okay. So once again, I skipped dinner due to getting ready (and being with Loren before I did) but thankfully, I wasn't so hungry. Also, I was thankful for this blindfold to be clear for me but black in the outside because it was darker than usual for the night time. I managed to find Zoey and Stevie Rae at the oak tree. From what I could only hear from my distance, they're probably talking about this Erik guy. Damien and the Twins joined them and so did I.
"Did you get the things we needed?" Zoey asked, giving me a nod of greeting.
I nodded back to her.
"I had to mix the sage and lavender together." Damien said, pulling out a smudge stick with the components tied up.
"Perfect." Zoey smiled.
"I used cross-stitch thread." Damien looked like he was going to sigh with relief and became a little shy.
"Hey." Stevie Rae began. "You shouldn't be ashamed that you like to do that. It's a cute hobby. You're good at it also."
"I wish my dad thought so." He said, sounding sad.
I understood now. His parents didn't like his homosexuality. If he was going to say later on that they tried to make him all macho and change him so that he could be straight, I was honestly going to plan to kick some butt in the future. Whether he was or not, he's still a person either way and that's what mattered. At least, that's what I believed. Zoey's next question broke my thoughts again.
"Did you get the candles?" Zoey looked at the Twins.
"Easy..." Shaunee opened her purse to get out green, yellow, and blue candles with glass cups.
"Peasy." Erin finished, pulling out red and purple candles with glass cups.
"Let's move over here." Zoey said.
We all moved a few steps away from the tree. Having a feeling that I shouldn't take part of the circle, I looked over to Zoey.
"I'm going to stay outside of the circle." I said. "That way, it would make things easier."
She nodded at me before looking at the others.
"I'm going to give each of you a candle and you will represent the element." Zoey said. "I'll be spirit." She took the purple candle. "I'll be in the middle of the circle and the four of you take places around me." She gave Shaunee the red candle that Erin held without any hesitance. "You're fire."
"Sounds good to me since everyone knows how hot I am." She takes her place at the southern edge with a smile.
"You're earth." Zoey gave the green candle to Stevie Rae.
"Green's my favorite color, too!" Stevie Rae moved to the position across from Shaunee all happy.
"You're water." Zoey gave the blue candle to Erin.
"Perfect for me since I liked lying out after swimming." Erin walked to the western position of the circle.
"So I'm air then." Damien took the yellow candle in his hands.
"Yep." Zoey said. "Your element opens the circle."
He moved to the eastern position of the circle.
"What's next?" Stevie Rae asked.
"Let's use the smoke from the smudge stick to purify ourselves." Zoey settled down the candle so she could only have the smudge stick in her hands. Then she made an expression that said that told me that she forgot something. "Hell. Did anyone remember to bring something to light the stick?"
I sometimes hated it whenever my feelings were right. Damien took out a lighter from his pocket.
"Thanks, air." Zoey said.
"Don't mention it, High Priestess." Damien replied.
"Here's how to use the smudge stick." Zoey began as she walked toward Damien before standing in front of him. "Smudging is a ritual way to cleanse a person, place, or an object of negative energies spirits or influences. The ceremony involves the burning of special, sacred plants and herbal resins, then either passing an object through the smoke or fanning the smoke around a person or place." She smiled at Damien. "Ready?"
"Affirmative." Webster said.
Haha. Sorry. I just couldn't resist of calling him that. Maybe I should ask him later on if it's okay to call him that just to be on the safe side. Zoey lit the stick and let the fire burn the herbs before blowing them out so there was just an ember. She started to waft smoke up his body while continuing.
"It's really important to remember that we're asking the spirits of the plants we're using to help us and show them proper respect by acknowledging their powers." Zoey said.
"What does the lavender and sage do?" Stevie Rae asked.
"White sage is used a lot in traditional ceremonies." Zoey answered Stevie Rae's question as she continue to smudge Damien. "It drives out negative energies, spirits, and influences. The desert sage does the same thing but the white sage is better since it smells sweeter." She reached Damien's head and smiled. "Good choice."
"I think I'm a little psychic sometimes." He said.
"Turn clockwise and I'll finish up with the back." Damien turned around before Zoey went on with her explanation. "My grandma always uses lavender in her smudge sticks but I think it's partially because of her owning a lavender farm."
"Cool!" Stevie Rae said.
"It's an awesome place." Zoey smiled at her over her shoulder while smudging still. "The other partial reason is because it's able to restore balance and create a peaceful atmosphere as well as drawing loving energy and positive spirits. You're done, Damien."
She tapped his shoulder so he could turn around before moving to Shaunee to smudge her.
"Positive spirits?" Stevie Rae repeated, almost sounding as if she was a scared little kid. "I didn't know we would call upon them with the elements of the circle."
"Please. Just please, Stevie Rae." Shaunee frowned at Stevie Rae. "You cannot be a vampyre and be scared of ghosts."
Heh... Made an inside joke about Lord of the Rings. "One cannot simply be a vampyre and scared of ghosts." Okay. That was a bit mean so I'm just going to push that aside.
"I'm a fledgling, not a vampyre so it's okay for me to be scared of ghosts." Stevie Rae said.
"Isn't Zoey talking about Cherokee spirits though?" Damien asked. "They probably won't pay much attention to a ceremony done by a group of vampyre fledglings that are not Cherokee outweighing the Cherokee High Priestess four to one."
"I don't think it matters about what we are on the outside." Zoey finished Shaunee before moving to Erin to smudge her. "It matters of our intent."
She used the Aphrodite and Dark Daughters being what I call them hateful preps and being all that, which was a good explanation. She began to smudge Stevie Rae as soon as she was done with Erin.
"What I mean is that I do think the spirits of my ancestors could hear us and that the spirits of the sage and lavender would work for us." Zoey said. "There's nothing you have to be afraid of, Stevie Rae. Our intention isn't to call them and use them to kick Aphrodite's ass." I saw her pausing on her smudging, making me smirk a little. "Even though she deserves it and there won't be any scary ghosts hanging around tonight." She gave her the smudge stick. "Alright. Your turn to smudge me."
Stevie Rae started to smudge Zoey, mimicking the actions completely.
"So we're not going to ask them to help us with kicking Aphrodite's ass?" Shaunee was disappointed.
"No." Zoey said. "We're purifying ourselves so we could ask for Nyx's guidance but not for beating Aphrodite up. I would enjoy it but it wouldn't solve the Dark Daughters problem."
Stevie Rae finished smudging Zoey. Zoey was about to put out the smoke but then noticed me.
"You have to get purified, too, Red." Zoey motioned her head so I could get smudged.
Once I was near her, she began to smudge me with the stick. My head began to throb for some odd reason, making my vision go white before going back to normal. As soon as she was done, I stepped back from the circle again so she could rub the stick on the ground to put out the smoke. I went to my zoning out moment again as they talked. What just happened to me? The others didn't seem to have been affected the same way that I did. Was it because I wasn't so used to the Cherokee ways both in this life and my life as Ailesor? I shook my head before watching Zoey as she lit the purple candle.
"Ready?" She asked.
"Ready!" The four answered.
"Pick up your candles."
The four picked up their respected candles. Zoey walked up to Damien with her lit purple candle and took a deep breath before speaking.
"Air is everywhere, so it only makes sense that it is the first element to be called into this circle." Zoey said. "I ask that you hear me, air, and I summon you to this circle."
I watched as a gust of air circled around them after she lit the yellow candle, amazed of how Zoey really could manifest the elements. This was only one though so I decided to wait for the others. After a few quiet words between her and Damien, she moved to Shaunee.
"Bring it on!" Shaunee smiled. "I'm ready."
"Fire reminds me of cold winter nights and the warmth and safety of the fireplace that heats my grandma's cabin." Zoey continued. "I ask that you hear me, fire, and I summon you to this circle."
I couldn't see what happened to the air but I could tell fire was manifested by Shaunee's expression when Zoey lit the red candle.
"That's cool!" Shaunee said, making me smile at her expression.
I turned my gaze to Erin as Zoey walked up to her.
"I'm ready for water." Erin grinned.
"Water is relief on a hot Oklahoma summer day." Zoey said. I wonder how hot it was in Oklahoma in the summer. I was just used to Texas weather. "It's the amazing ocean that I really would like to see someday, and it's the rain that makes the lavender grow. I ask that you hear me, water, and I summon you to this circle."
The ocean? Yeah. Come to think of it, I did miss the ocean now since I mostly lived by the beach. I watched as water manifested for Zoey and Erin after Zoey lit the blue candle.
"Really, really awesome." Erin said.
Three down, two to go. It was as if Zoey knew what she was doing. That and it felt like Nyx was at her side helping her.
"I'm not scared now." I heard Stevie Rae say.
"Good." Zoey replied. "Earth supports and surrounds us. We wouldn't be anything without her. I ask that you hear me, earth, and I summon you to this circle."
She lit the candle just as easily. I looked up and was surprised as the oak's branches moved over us like a shield. This was quite amazing even to me. That was four down. There was no doubt that Zoey could complete this circle with ease. I watched as she took her place in the circle and lifted up the purple candle of spirit.
"The last element is one that fills everything and everyone." She said. "It makes us unique and it breathes life into all things. I ask that you hear me, spirit, and I summon you to this circle."
I blinked in surprise as the circle became complete. A silvery thread of light combined the four elements and the four that held the candles together. I could tell that joy had covered Zoey by the way that she smiled.
"Look at the circle!" Damien shouted at her.
She looked at the circle and the light that bind it, making me smile at her expression.
"That makes five." Damien smiled.
"Holy crap!" Zoey exclaimed in surprise.
I started to laugh with the others. So much for sounding all High Priestess-like but I wouldn't judge her for that now.
"I'm going to speak the purification prayer." Zoey looked to all of us. "While I do, I'm going to face each of the elements in order."
"What do you want us to do?" Stevie Rae asked.
I was thinking that we just needed to focus completely on it.
"Focus on the prayer." Zoey answered. "Concentrate. Believe that the elements will carry it to Nyx, and that the Goddess will answer by it helping me to know what I should do."
She sounded completely certain. I smiled as I thought to myself that she sounded like a real leader or a High Priestess again. She faced the east toward Damien and began speaking the Cherokee purification prayer. I could easily tell that she did change it so it could fit both the ancestry and Nyx.
Great Goddess of Night, whose voice I hear in the wind, who breathes the breath of life to Her children. Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom.
She paused to face the south. Her voice was clear and strong like Loren's was in the Full Moon Ritual. I didn't give much thinking toward him for now, it was the time specifically for the prayer and Nyx.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset that comes before the beauty of your night. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught your people.
She turned to the right toward Erin, completely into the prayer.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes toward me. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others. Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
She turned to face Stevie Rae. I was finding myself lost in the prayer, too. I felt like I heard it from somewhere. Perhaps from Ailesor.
I seek strength, not to be greater than others, but to fight my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself.
She walked back to the center of the circle to finish the prayer.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.
I smiled as she added a few words to conclude it. "And Nyx, I don't understand why you Marked me and why you have given me the gift of an affinity for the elements. I don't even have to know. What I want to ask is that you help me know the right thing to do, and then give me the courage to do it. Blessed be!"
Good job, Zoey. Good job.