¶I.
The Shamaness Faith raught beside her as she there sat with her sister Serenity in the shallow small pool unto her purse that lay on the dry ground nigh her, then took up the hemp bag atween herself and her sister and forth from it poured what remained of the herbs she had ere in that even gathered -- fruit and foil, seed and stem -- into the sparkling water between them. And Faith set her hemp bag once more aside and began to knead in the pool’s dreg her unction, roiling her adown into the myrk her magic provender to craft for her sister salvation. Faith then took up some of the dreg with crushed herb and seed into her hands and rolled it, working it finally into a salve. Faith began then to inunct her Serenity, starting with the pap nearest her forlorn heart, and sang, to the tune of Harmony’s playing:
“With this liniment do I thee bless,
that imbonity shan’t thee repress
hence in thy doom as thou dost incess;
I pray thee now from thy pain egress!”
Slowly wrought Faith in circular motion to slather Serenity with the emollient lotion, ever in rhythm to the tinnient ring of the Rhapsodist’s play, covering first each of her sphery mammets, then the incurve and the flat of her belly, then atween her sleek legs with Faith’s one hand and her lower back with the other, then her legs themselves from toes to calves to inner thighs followed by what abaft Serenity could be raught of her roundly muscled hind, and then the sides of her waspish waist. And having then raught aback and above to Serenity’s shoulders Faith embrocated Serenity still with her left hand as her same arm wreathed ’round Serenity’s mud-clad form, the two maids’ mouths breathing each into the other’s, each feeling the warmth of the other Nymph’s breath upon her lips as each Nymph’s breast pressed warmly against the other’s; and Faith’s dexter hand stroked the aft of Serenity’s neck in so demulcent a soporiferous tendering, that Serenity was drowsed nigh to sweven. And Faith took then Serenity’s cheek in that very hand ere Serenity raised her own hand to clasp it, and she guided Serenity’s face nigher her own; their foreheads leant now together as they each one stared into the sam-lidded eyen of the other Nymph fondly, each nearly losing herself in the starry abyss of the other Nymph’s gaze with the aid of their Harmony’s musique. Serenity breathed more heavily now, and with the unwholeness she’d felt thereunto that sennight the sadness in her eyen oping so welled she could no longer hide it as thither she had all even. And Faith herself had begun nigh to weep when she smiled, and unto her beloved sister sultrily rowned as she held softly Serenity’s face in that moment, continuing abaft Serenity’s back to anoint as the twain there writhed, together entwined:
“With this mud balm, I thee caress.
Though I know not what ’ath caused this mess,
nor why it did so ingravesce --
this rite should mend thee, natheless.”
Serenity then lidded her eyen a slight more and assayed to turn her head and laugh, though with tears trickling adown now to her chin; but Faith, holding gently Serenity’s face, brought Serenity’s vise aback up to meet hers and with her lips she caught to Serenity’s surprise her smile, bussing her sweetly at the crease of her mouth. So meekly Serenity then grinned as Faith smiled aback at her truly, still cradling Serenity’s face in her hand, her thumb brushing tenderly across Serenity’s cheek, accoying her, ere Faith continued lenitively to cover her sister in the unguentary mire by Faith’s very hands concocted. Harmony then ceased her play and placed her reed flute carefully adown on the ground beside her, and went shortly to join her sisters in the lew of the shallow small pool. There Harmony colled and kissed her sistren as they reacted together in kind, ere Harmony herself behind her sister Serenity then posed. And abaft Serenity she there sat, aiding Faith in their sister’s salvation, as mote by mote Serenity’s joy was unto her then returned -- and in this moment, manifold. Once swathed wholly in the ointment of Faith’s craft, Serenity lay aback as contently a wight could dream in the rapture of her Harmony’s arms, who held Serenity there lievely as Faith returned to her feet, bowned to finish her new rite. Faith then gathered up her shaman-staff whence by her it was laid, and holding it in both her hands with her arms raught high, turned up her vise unto the starlit sky, and with her eyen closed she rowned:
“Hail Eosphoros of the Grigori,
Watcher of the Inner Gate,
Guardian of the Seasons and Ether,
and the Sacred Circle’s fate;
from this Circle do I loose thee,
to return unto thy realm,
till another should call thee
to an other Circle helm!”
And once this rune escaped Faith’s lips it reverbed throughout that corner of the wood and ’twixt the trees around them. And all within that moment the ethers seemed to clear, waving about in the midnight’s mysts, throughout the woodland near. An thence it be ever a mote effable, the Dryads three were suffered yet greater a peace than ere that eventide, and therein were also inly slain; for tremulous had been their hearts which now in quietude were lain, and began soon again to quake: for as the Horn of the Sun God was poured adown on them so did the store of the Gods course through them. Then widdershins went Faith around unto the circle’s northward end, and in both her hands she held high her staff above her up-turned vise, and she closed then both her eyen and rowned unto the northern guards:
“Hail Formalhaut of the Grigori,
Watcher of the Northern Gate,
Guardian of the Winter and Earth,
and the Sacred Circle’s fate;
from this Circle do I loose thee,
to return unto thy realm,
till another should call thee
to an other Circle helm!”
¶X.
¶X. And Gaya stirred.
¶XI.
¶XI. Neath the Dryads three the earth began to tremble, and the Dryad Faith adown knelt humbly, and submitted herself unto her Mother Gaya as the new rune rebellowed with the other about them, yet as quickly and quiet as the ground had woke, so too did its growling wane.
¶XII.
¶XII. A gnostic grin then creased Faith’s cheek as she raised up her vise unto her sistren twain, and overawed at first, the twain were calmed as into the emerald eyen of Faith they peered. Then Faith regained fast her stance as she widdershins walked ’round the circle unto its western end, and there held high again her treen staff above her. And looking first unto Serenity, and then Harmony, she closed her eyen and up-turned her vise, and unto the sky she rowned: “Hail Antares of the Grigori, Watcher of the Western Gate, Guardian of the Autumn and Water, and the Sacred Circle’s fate; from this Circle do I loose thee, to return unto thy realm, till another should call thee to an other Circle helm!”
¶XIII.
¶XIII. Slowly the mysts that filled the wood crept aback in toward them, carrying in them Faith’s three reverbing runes, girding both tree and brush in the rimy, alban haze that upon the Dryads gained from darksome myrks without. Erelong another rain descended lightly adown on them, washing away the nepenthean salve that thereunto covered the Adryads’ now skyclad forms as the water deflowed upon their forms, cascading gently over their every curve as the clouds above began to thicken, occulting again the eventide welkin.
¶XIV.
¶XIV. Widdershins went Faith then ’round unto the circle’s southern end, whereupon she stood and with her eyen closed and face up-vised she held high her staff in both up-raught hands and rowned:
“Hail Regulus of the Grigori,
Watcher of the Southern Gate,
Guardian of the Summer and Fire,
and the Sacred Circle’s fate;
from this Circle do I loose thee,
to return unto thy realm,
till another should call thee
to an other Circle helm!”
¶XV.
¶XV. A thunderclap cracked [levin flashed] beyond the most distal of hills visible, silencing for a moment Faith’s rune, as Harmony tightly held Serenity, who cowered deeply into her Harmony’s grasp. And the runes began again to reverb throughout the wyld as Serenity and Harmony somewhat loosed their mutual enclasping.
¶XVI.
¶XVI. Widdershins went then Faith ’round unto the circle’s easternmost end, whereat she once more upturned her vise with her eyen closed, and holding firmly her treen staff in both her hands as high as she could above her, rowned:
“Hail Aldebaran of the Grigori,
Watcher of the Eastern Gate,
Guardian of the Springtide and Air,
and the Sacred Circle’s fate;
from this Circle do I loose thee,
to return unto thy realm,
till another should call thee
to an other Circle helm!”
¶XVII.
¶XVII. A warm breeze swept that instant throughout all the woodland nigh, as each of Faith’s five runes rebellowed in rounds about the glade, and faded slowly away. And all in that moment did a heavy calm descend unseen upon the Dryads from the starry deeps without their Mother Gaya, and rise up also from Her womb below. And together these magics mingled within the hearts of the Dryads three, that by this shamanry were allayed.
¶XVIII.
¶XVIII. Faith cast then aside her staff and rejoined her sistren in the shallow small pool, that she might after so long a night embrace them once again, outside the rite, and with them thank the Gods. So she lowered herself into the pool and there took her Serenity into an arm and enclasped there her Harmony with her other, and drew them as tightly to her as ever the three were wont. And Faith stood to her feet, bringing each sister up with her, and looked to the stars with upborne heart and arms upraught, with her each sister’s hands in hers entangled, and sang:
“We thank Thee,
O Father of Splendor and Light,
Lord of the Sun and the Moon,
for lending to me upon this night,
to my sister Serenity’s boon,
the power needed to wreak this rite,
and the gift of Harmony’s tune!
I pray Thee keep us in Thy sight
and let not what is spun be unsewn!”
¶XIX.
¶XIX. Harmony then upbore her vise, with arms upraught and let chime her voice, as she sang unto the Moon:
“We thank Thee,
O Mother of Darkness and Night,
Who indwellest the heart of the Moon,
on this the eve of Thy fullest height,
when the time be our most opportune
for this night’s spelling; Faith’s newly wrought rite,
and for granting us such fortune
that we avail Serenity in her fight
against that which doth her impugn;
for aiding us in what us doth fray
and cause us to thusly croon!”
¶XX.
¶XX. Harmony then gently wrung her sister Serenity’s hand, and as Harmony’s verse had added two lines, so Serenity was to add three. And Serenity breathed deeply, and let escape from her breast a sigh, and then bore up her vise above unto the starlit sky, and sang:
“We thank Thee,
O Daughter of Day and of Night,
Begott’n of the Sun and the Moon,
Life of the Earth, in all whits forthright,
for all of Thy help in this eve’s rite;
for imparting to me so soon,
from Thine heavenly quarter, now alight,
an’ upon this even, strewn,
this needed strength to end my plight,
and for wreaking it verily hewn
whilst my Faith did so excite
as she lovely rowned her rune;
whilst my Harmony did fain delight
as we with Thee did commune!”
¶XXI.
¶XXI. And in wake of the Beta Dryad’s magical work the Dryads found themselves abstersed, basking nigh aglow in ethers of night beneath the effulgent stells and brighted Moon, and were in this swept of heart unto the starry welkin high, for naught of their laden souls could endure so great a burden as the love more than wont upon them in this moment of their Gods. So together the Dryads sat once more adown into the shallow small pool, whence cupped Faith her hands into the clearest of the water and bore forth of it this handful with which to pour upon Serenity, and lave her in this manner. Thus the other sistren twain did likewise begin each one the other to lave, and whenas they had rinsed away the silt upon their tender skin, arose, that they might then lave those parts that in the pool’s dreg had sat.
¶XXII.
¶XXII. Now clean, the Dryads lovely kissed and colled as they went thence away, in their merriment laughing and playing in the wise that Dryads will.
¶XXIII.
¶XXIII. And thus the work of Faith was wrought.