Sins of Witches

Page 2

They hid behind the trees under the cloak of darkness and watched with breathless shock. The women were naked. They danced around the bonfire, their voices chanting a melody in crescendos that rose and fell in soft, mellow tones. The fire glowed with a surreal crimson light, painting the twisting, writhing limbs of the women with shades of blood. They moved in a slow circle around the fire, their eyes closed; yet neither faltered from the rhythm of their dance. There were six, maybe eight, maybe ten women. It was hard for Jake to judge since they were all bathed in the strange red glow and moved steadily around the fire.

Their strange song was lightly teasing and made Jake's heart triphammer with dark promise. He wanted to move forward, reveal his self, but he didn't dare. He wrenched his gaze away to look at Shane. He stood, peering from behind an enormous black pine, staring at the women with his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Their ballad changed suddenly and Jake snapped his head back toward them. It slowed, their voices becoming hushed and secretive. The melody became encouraging. Beckoning. Demanding. His breath came in shallow gasps as he moved out of the forest, into the clearing. The crunch of dried twigs behind him told him that Shane was following.

The circle of nymphs stopped moving, but they didn't stop dancing. They swayed in place, gyrating their hips in soft, rippling ululation. Their eyes were open now, watching the boy's approach. Their lips moved slightly, the song now pulsating with delicate tones of welcome. Jake and Shane came to a stop in front of them, and stood transfixed side by side, neither daring to talk. The two directly in front of them moved backwards, creating an opening in their circle. Their hands rose in unison, gesturing for them to come forward. Hypnotized by such beauty and wanton movements, Jake and Shane slid silently into the aperture. Jake turned to the woman on his right.

Beneath the scarlet hue of the blaze, he could tell her hair was dark, but couldn't make out what shade of dark. It spilled in soft waves over her shoulders, then trailed down her back to kiss lightly at her hips. Her arms rose above her head, her fingers reaching for the ebony sky, while her body gyrated in a liquid tango. Jake's mouth was dry, his eyes filled with awe as he watched the woman. She tilted her head, a question seeming to come over her. Then she smiled and brought one hand down, reaching for Jake. Fingers that he could not feel slid through his hair. Her body moved closer, dancing at the edge of his sanity, until she was within a fraction of his face. The scent of lavender enveloped him, tickling his senses. With each fluid motion, his heart stuttered. He wanted to speak, to move, to fold this ethereal beauty into his arms. But, he suddenly realized he couldn't. His limbs were frozen in paralysis and he could do nothing but watch.

She moved forward. Jake understood two things simultaneously. One, that the dance had begun to move again and two, that the woman had just moved inside of him. Passing through his body. He seemed to lose contact with the world as she entered him. He had no awareness of the ground beneath his feet, the red fire that blazed next to him, or his friend behind him. He was simply one with the woman, now.

A gentle warmth rushed through his body. He inhaled deeply of her lavender scent, tasting the flowery passion. He was overwhelmed with the joy she felt at dancing with her sisters under the moonlight. He was seeing the ritual from a different perspective now. It was the same place, but a different night. A different time. It was darker, somehow. Colder. Older. Their dance was a ceremony of celebration. Nature, Mother Earth, the universe. They gave thanks and made offerings to their gods; their religion as ancient as time. The dark beauty moved on quickly, flowing out of him like a soft exhale and another woman danced in front of Jake. Her hair was lighter in the bleeding luminance of the fire, framing high cheekbones and dark eyes. A hint of tongue slid over full lips as she moved forward. Her heat flowed through him, teasing him with dark waves of excitement. He saw the mystical connection shared by the women, flowing from one to the next like an electrical currant. These sisters were gifted with abilities that far outreached those of mere mortals.

The second woman drifted out of him and another rushed forward, moving into him before he even had a chance to register what she looked like. Hers was a scent of passion. Raw. Edgy. Inviting. It stole his breath as she danced in his soul and then she was gone, and the emptiness was like a huge black hole.

The tempo of the dance became faster, the spirits of the women rushing through him in a collage of scents. Lavender, Cinnamon, Rose, Jasmine. They came alive inside of him, as if blossoming inside of his soul, showing him the wonders of their existence.