Sea Storms

[Phoebe Nox]

Many tasks have taken my time as of late and preparing The Market for Spring Storms was last on the list. I had procrastinated for weeks, but it was time to do something. The Market creatures needed stabled, and the shutters needed closed and locked. The morning had been dark an dreary, signs of an approaching storm was coming. The magics I had felt in the air the last several weeks was intense this morning. My fingertips were burning perhaps just the cold winds chilling me making them feel frost bitten. The winds from across the sea were picking up and debris began to fly through the air. Turning to look out over the waters I saw ships being tossed about like toys, and then one completely capsized. Oh my this one is going to be a doozy. At that moment I saw a tarp from a ship cargo flying towards me as I swung my arm out to block it, fire emitted from my fingertips, and turned the tarp to ashes within seconds. Holding my hands out in front of me looking at my fingers I was in shock, never had this happened before. Well, that was something new, I thought. Ossian had seen me struggling to lock the shutters and ran to help, looking at me oddly he began to talk as we worked to protect the windows, " I saw the flames, you are coming into new magic, aren't you?", I nodded and continued working. Not much more was said after that as we finished up covering the glass of the windows. "Let's go shut up the shutters at the Inn and the Council Hall....and by the way I am glad you found us" I kindly said to him and smiled. " Not sure where the Kid is .... looking around for Latch. Always here except when its stormy. I think he is afraid the storms will carry him away from us" as I finish my sentence, I notice him in the top of the tower at the Council House. He wasn't paying attention to me just looking out to sea and hollering something I couldn't make out. Turning to look back at the sea I saw what he was pointing at, huge dark blue waves, almost black in color and they were about to hit land. There wasn't time to make it back to the Apothecary and Ossian and I both darted towards the Council House, screaming at Latch to get out of the tower and inside. The winds were howling, and the building shook every now an again. I hoped that my Sisters were safe. During the next few moments, I heard a beating on the door. We need to open it, what if its someone trying to escape the storms, opening the door slowly a head popped around the opening of the door, it was Hellig, I snatched his collar and pulled him inside. Lighting a candle for light, even inside the flame flickered frantically and my fingertips still burned. The magic was growing.......

~to be continued

[Phoebe Nox]

The storm had been rough, but we made it through it alive with very little damage to the Fens. Yet the rain continued after the winds and waves from the sea had quieted. Lightly raining for days afterwards. The ground was even marshier than usual. I had rolled my skirt up and pulled it between my legs an tucked the hem inside the waist of the skirt tucking it securely, so it wasn't drenched from the puddles of water everywhere. I looked like a weirdo tromping around picking up debris from the winds. Spring always brought storms and rain, of course we needed rain to survive the summers. This year they seemed different and there was an energy that lingered around the Fens. It seemed to be strongest near the small graveyard on the borders of the Fens. Today I would take flowers to Mothers grave, as always a sense of dread hung over me walking to the graveyard. but as I got closer the energy seemed to pulse through my veins drawing me towards her grave. Looking down at the words on the stone that read, Persephone Nox, Daughter, Mother I noticed someone had painted in the words Harlot and Witch. Quickly I began to scrape the paint off the stone. I wonder when that had happened, I had just been here few days before the storm, and it was not there then. Many things ran through my mind as I scraped the paint from the stone, a slight chuckle thing that mother had brought the storm, from the spirit world to wash away the paint. She had been in my thoughts a lot lately, since my vision of her. I wonder if it's her that's behind the magics I feel from the energy in the air lately. Is she using her magic from the other side or is it just my imagination that I feel this surge of magic lately. Either way I felt it and for some reason I felt the magic was connected to water. Each time I felt it the strongest we experienced a storm and much rain, and the sea darkened and raged. What if this was mother causing this, and if so, what was she trying to tell us? Finishing the removal of the painted-on words on the stone I felt her presence again. Kneeling over the grave as I has just finished cleaning the paint I looked up and saw a billowing image hovering beside me, dressed in a death robe, "Mother?" as I spoke the words the entity reaches her hand out and touched my shoulder. watching her nod in agreement. "Mother, all this magic thats filling the Fens is it you, are you using your powers from the spirit world to cause this?" watching as the entity tilts her head as if not knowing how to answer that question. " I mean does this have to do with you?" and then she spoke, " My child, the questions you ask are as if you believe I'm causing pain for the world around you. you are partially right, but there are others involved with the magics you feel here, and the storms are like a war between good and evil. There was once a great city here, and within that city lived great leaders, oracles and even sooth-sayers. There is also magic from another land involved and the sea is the war zone. Please be careful upon the seas until the war is over. Look for clues and ingredients for a powerful incantation from a lost land...." and then her image vanished.

`to be continued