The price of foolishness

How come that portcullises always have a purpose?Some are meant to prevent the evil going in and others to keep it from spreading.Yet something even more peculiar is that this portcullis stops even the rain from falling in the castle’s yard.The fates have been watching the young princess trying to be a man,learning sword fighting,how to ride like one,and even dress in pants and tunics.She knew that she was to be married to her second cousin,duke of Pheerys,what an insufferable prick,he was already lording over her,that after they will be married,she will be forced to do as he pleases,that meant giving up all that she loves.He would be sitting in her father’s privy council and she would be stripped of her dowry and would have to depend on him for all of her expenses.

It wasn’t enough however to act like a man so she waited for the full moon to make an offering to lady Hecate.She gathered pomegranates,plums,grapes and dates and asked one of the maids for a goblet of wine and one of mead.She raised the altar and started chanting:

“Hecate all powerful Goddess of the Moon,

Tonight I honor thee with the Witches Rune.

Hecate goddess of the dark night,

I humbly ask for help in my rite.

To serve you well with honor and grace,

I ask please Hecate bless my space.

Lets work the Magick and make it flow,

higher and higher the energy will go.

O Great Hecate,Hear my call

Triple Goddess,Queen of all

With Reverence and Humility,

I come tonight to Honor thee.

Blessed Be.”(Magickal Moonie)

So did Hecate come in her triple form,back to back, the phases of the moon: new, waxing, and full. Each holding something:one a key,the second a basket and the last the twin torches lighting up the crossroad.Cassandra fell to her knees and bowed to the goddess.

“Rise childe.”said Hecate.

“Thank you,my lady.” murmured Cassandra.

“Why have you summoned me?”

“I am desperate,fair goddess,as a girl I have no power over my future,in a few weeks I shall be married off to a mere boy who is going to take away from me what I have known all my life.I need you now more than ever.I beg you to help me in this dire situation.”

“Do not despair childe,there is always a way.What is your wish?”

“I…I want to get away from this world,I want to bathe both in sunlight and petrichor,I want to live in a place far away from Peaderos,a place where I can be free.”

“Each of the objects we are holding can transport you to another world,but for each there is a price,one higher than the other.”

“Please,tell me,what do I have to do?”

“Should you choose the key,you’ll have to pass through the Cerulean Moon first,one of the darkest places of the universe where all of your fears will block your path to try to make you succumb,succed and you will get to Ebrique.In Ebrique however,the realm of shapeshifters,their powers shall be bestowed upon you,with that power also comes forgetfulness,you will not remember who you were before,you will forget your father,your friends, your happiness and most important of all,your knowledge,but you will be plagued by your fears.”

“I do not think I like the sound of it.”

“The torches will take you to Eafiothra.In this realm women are the rulers,men and women alike wish for a daughter so their house may rise to greatness from the ashes or shame.You will have to live in Perpetual Sanctum for a day,before you pass in Eafiothra,there your body will suffer the necessary changes,you will be reborn as the only daughter of king Caspian and queen Doreea,who will die from poison minutes before you arrive.You shall have both sets of memories,yours and those of princess Yolande,but you will have to give up what you do not know you have.”

“This is awful,I do not wish to take her life like that.Would she live if I didn’t chose Eafiothra?”

“I can not tell you.”

“Oh,but what about the basket?”

“The basket is for Iromar,the land of never ending autumn,there you will be born in a family of wasps,as wasps are the ones that work the land.You will work the nights and rest the days,however you will have to pay with your peace,plagued by paranoia,you will think everyone is out to get you.”

“Do I have time to think about it?”

“You have one moon to give me your answer,or else you will never be able to call any deity again.”

“Thank you my lady.”

The goddess disappeared in a gust of wind and any evidence of the ritual with her.Cassandra fainted from exhaustion and the trees revealed Antoine,her future husband.

King Dorian was informed by Antoine of his daughter’s actions and sentenced her to 100 fire lashes and her wedding date was set two days after the whipping.Cassandra was pacing back and forth in her cell in the Nexus Tower,murmuring to herself,”How in the world had Antoine seen me?How could I have been so stupid as to not see him follow me?.I should’ve been more careful,I have to make a choice and fast or else I will be trapped in Peaderos forever.”Ebrique was out of the question as she did not want to give herself up,to forget what had made her the Cassandra she wad today,yet she still had two options left.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the king’s guards,that were coming to take her to the public whipping.Casssandra struggled with all her power,but they surpassed her,no matter how many times she scratched,bit,hit or yelled at them,they were immune to all of it.One of the guards chained her to the pole standing in the Jade square,the lashes lacerated her skin,but she refrained from crying out in pain,instead she bit her tongue and let the salty tears run down her cheeks.

10..14…27…55..67..78..99.just as the last whip was about to cut even deeper into her scorched skin the new moon rose higher than she has ever seen it.Then she raised her chained hands to sky and screamed:”FAIR LADY OF THE NIGHT,GODDESS OF MAGICK I CHOOSE THE TORCHES TO BE MY GUIDES,LET THEM TAKE ME AND THE PAYMENT SHALL BE MADE.”

Lady Hecate descended from the sky,dark haired this time dressed in a knee-length maiden's skirt and hunting boots with one torch in each hand,the crowd backed away,fearful of the goddess’ power.Hecate snapped her fingers and unchained Cassandra,she threw her the torches without a word.Cassandra was taken to Perpetual Sanctum so that her body could transform in that of Yolande’s.

She woke up to a place of blinding whitness,in something resembling a hut,but so different from those of Peaderos,this one looked as if it were new.Her body was aching in places she did not even know she had.With bleary eyes she tried to distinguish the furniture surrounding her,but she was interrupted by someone opening the door.A scaly womanly figure,holding a goblet of what looked like water and mandrake roots called out her name.Cassandra tried to stand up and dizziness hit her,before she could react the woman put the goblet to her lips and forced her to swallow,sleep claimed her.She dreamed of her home,but what she did not know was that with her departure the quiddity of Peaderos had been swallowed by Hecate,for Cassandra had been holding in her hands the source of life on Peaderos.All the souls had been taken to Hades and the realm had crumbled to dust.