Betty

This has been one of those work days that went on for eternity. The office was very busy today, keeping me hopping from one thing to another. I was able to keep up with the work, but my lack of good sleep because of my dreams made it all the harder. The vividness has been disturbing, with last nights by far being the worse. The dreams ran like a badly edited movie, with scenes starting and ending in random order. This didn't allow me to focus on any one long enough to mentally understand what I was seeing. Emotionally was another thing entirely, every thing a person could feel I was experiencing in overlapping waves.

Work today was much the same as my dreams, with different jobs coming across my desk as flurries with no particular order. I worked like a fiend, in fits and spurts but staying on top of things. The only down side was by the end of the day, I couldn't remember the details of all that I had done. Thank goodness for my paper memory, I wrote all that happened as I went along in my Bullet Journal, so the particulars were recorded, but my oh my, the brain was scrambled eggs.

The one incident, today, I do recall is one with the widower, Mr Johannes. It was a simple renewing a dog license but he was so distracted by my cleavage that he had to keep bringing his eyes back to the paper work. That was an interesting experience for me as no one, with, the exception of my wife, ever looked at me long enough to stare at my chest. There are so many things wrong with an 85 year old man ogling me. But there was a certain feeling of satisfaction from the smile on his wrinkled face. Later that evening when I was eating at the Dragon, several of the younger guys from town were staring at me then blushing when I looked back at them.

When I got home I checked out what was they were so interested in. Taking time to look myself over in the shower, then afterward in the mirror. This was the first time in a few weeks that I really studied myself, since the first time when I noticed that my features had started to change. When you have been “ruggedly plain”,there is no room for being a vain person. That was what I was accustomed to, then to suddenly see myself morphing into someone pretty, really shook me up.
I have no idea how to handle men’s attention, and reactions to me, or how to properly conduct my self around them. This is something most moderately attractive women learn how to handle as they grow up. I never had this happen to me before this. This was something that I need to learn how to cope with, but that is in the future. Right now I need to prepare for September’s full moon so I needed my rest. But that plan only lasted until my head lay upon my pillow.

Betty.

I would have sworn to the Goddess that my pillow was a revolving door. I knew I just had fallen asleep warm and snuggling in my bed only to find my breath catch in mid inhale. Suddenly my lungs cramped from the cold damp night air sucking the warmth out of me. I found my form standing behind a group of standing stones at night. It was a moonless night under clear starlit sky, I was so cold I shivered in my simple clothing that was not warm enough to keep me comfortable. My senses were on high as I clutched a rough woolen cloak around my head and shoulders.

Unlike other times I was still me, not Alease, it was me Betty stealing through a group of stones trying not to be noticed. I had no clue why I was being so intent on remaining unseen but I knew in my bones it was necessary. I sniffed the cold air and was rewarded with the smell of peat bog and living earth, then the overpowering invasion of the stench of unwashed man. This caused me to think “ I wonder how far that smell could travel in the wind. A horse whinnied near by, informing me just how close the men were, and that they smelled stronger than their horses. Being warned, I then froze behind a large boulder that shielded me from the road and detection. There were distant men’s voices talking in a strange language that sounded like Roman but wasn't quite totally understandable.. I crouched down making my self as small a visual profile as I could, hoping the ground fog would allow me to be mistaken for just another rock in the field. I remained as I was for a long time as the men loitered around talking. Then I heard one of them cuss and shout at his compatriot who answered just on the opposite side of the boulder I was behind. I then smelled the stench of urine and heard the pissing man talking to what I understood as his penis, telling it that there was a treat awaiting for it back in town. The man on horseback made some comment about putting the bull away so they could get back to someplace warm. Walking away, the 'penis' man was rapidly speaking something that sounded a little like Spanish. I started to breathe again but stayed down until I heard them ride away back down the road.

Suddenly a soft hand found my mouth, then a woman's voice whispered “Lady, follow me so I can bring you to safety, but caution make no noise, there are cutthroat's riding in packs everywhere.” To that I just nodded my agreement. She was a bit shorter and slighter than I, and she led me hand in hand away from the road. We wove our way across the frost covered ground keeping the larger boulders between us and the road. The path she directed me along was rocky but those rocks acted like steps and hid our foot prints as a pair we zigzagged up the hills towards a darkly cloaked mountain that was only visible because it masked the stars. We stopped a moment to catch our breath then we continued on our long, high climb.

Just as we crested a rise near the cliff face when suddenly, I was dragged into a hidden cave that reeked of bear. With out a moment’s hesitation my guide softly placed her hand over my gaping mouth to stop me from protesting. My companion then started softly singing in a rhythmic voice as our toes Braille-d there way over the uneven floor of the cave. The farther we walked the stronger the bear smell became. My rescuer continued chanting a sing song prayer in Gaelic, which suddenly ended in the name Bruce, just as we saw the bear looking at us. Before I could utter even a “shit it is a bear” we were standing , outside the mountain. To my eye we had to have traveled through the mountain to where we were. Looking at the horizon I became aware we were in a hidden valley with mountains on the far side from us. In the valley there was a village which lay before me. I made the distance to the village being only a couple of miles away. I could see the soft smoke that issued forth from the many hearths inviting me to seek their warmth. When I inquired the name of this village was.

“ It's Teramar in our old speak, to the Romans it is Porta Santus. Where else would you be silly, come on ,you’re expected, our head women is wanting to talk”.

“I am new to these parts who were those men hunting me”

“You are in a war zone and those cut throats are commanded by the Italian Count named Medici. We fear the brigand of Italy is seeking to destroy this village to gain favor from the leaders of his church . We are to be used as sacrifice to prove to the higher church men that Medici is an outstanding member of his new church. It would be in his favor if he can break us the last free Celtic women, or witches is what they call us, here in our last strong hold here in the old Peckish home lands. .
The Count's one god religion maintains the rule of man is absolute, thus reducing women to being slaves, with no standing or rights. Those of us here are worth even less than that, because there commanded by their god not to allow witches to live, so our fate is death.. It is thought he s trying to elevate his families prominence with in this new power in his country by using these. murders and thief's he calls an army to destroy us.”

I was following my guide when I stumbled on a rock, causing a sharp pain in my right big toe. Waking up with a gasp from the pain in my right big toe, I found that I was once again in my bed in Haven. I limped into my bathroom to see that I had given my toes a good whack splitting my Big toenail on something hard that wasn't in my soft bed. Then I noticed the impressions on my foot and calves matched the marks that would be left by high wool socks and the traditional soft slipper gillies.
This Dream Walking just went up another level of intensity, with me bringing back these wounds and marks. I need help from my mentor real soon. Before I end up bringing back some illness, or an arrow in my back.

Sam

My motor cycle Toroke got me within four clicks of where I wanted to start my spotting for the Wolf Man. My spotting scope was one of the best to be found ,allowing me to see in very dim light of the forest below. I had found a covered ridge line where I could look down on a spot of ground I had tracked him to. It was just before sunrise and the air was crisp just above the frost point, and down below was my target of interest.

Below Wolf Man was doing some warm up exercises, stretching everything, before he got busy with of all things sward practice with a short sword like from gladiator. Wolf man was very limber as if he was made of liquid muscle. His sward moves demonstrated a skill that was Ninja level, if not better. Then he picked up the pace the sword moving so fast I only saw a blur. I have seen a lot of good sword people in my time this man was inhumanly quick. The whole time his face was calm and it was like he was dancing to a silent song no one else could hear.

I was impressed with the total package I do mean everything, making it really sexy to watch him work out. Then he melted my brain, he took off his shirt and started to work out with a really big arsed brood sword. The sweat glistened on his torso in the early morning sun light. It highlighted a body so cut and toned I involuntary gasped at his sheer beauty, as steam rose from his bare skin. I found my self drooling over the vision of his body. There is no Greek or Roman statuary, that could capture the total perfection of this mans pecs and gluts. If I was going to lose my heart to some one, I found the one that was exceptionally easy on my eyes. But the biggest thing that made him worthy of my love was that he could be my equal, some one who I could stand back to back with in a fight and know I am safe. The real odd thing was his vibe was that he needed the same thing.
Competition ?

My wolf spotting went on for about an hour more, as I watched him pick up and press stones over his head like they were toys. Muscles rippled and bulged as he worked out. I could only sigh and look on from a distance. There had to be a better way I could gain some real up close intelligence on this guy.

Then unexpectedly a women came out of the woods. She had native features and the guy greeted her with a very warm embrace, they spoke for a few minutes then he tossed a bamboo Kendo practice sword to her. Just a blink of an eye the two of them were sparing with each other. Not just the formal type practicing but an all out trying to kill each other with sticks. The woman moved stiffly at first but in a very short time and after a few prodding blows from his sword she started moving more quickly evading and attacking at the same time. The Dark haired women landed some very direct blows on the man and he never flinched or said ow.

There were breaks in the action when the man would demonstrate some very dirty and effective moves. My guess this was this was some sort of self defense class. Judging by the escape techniques being demonstrated, as the techniques were hit, and run like hell. Several times the Wolf Man would snag the women and do what most big men would do by throwing her where he could dispatch her. But from the git go this gal would roll with the punch, and not lose it, she instead came back with a really vicious attack.

Once he pulled a toy gun, and I saw something I never seen before. The women snapped her free hand in a strange gesture, then it was like she hit his hand with something as the gun flew out of his hand, strangely just a few micro seconds delay I heard a crack like a small bolt of lightning. The big guy just fanned his hand like the whatever packed some wallop. From the open palm gesture I could see she didn't have any weapon, so I had no idea what had happened, or what she did. But I got a bad case of feeling it wouldn't be a good idea to piss this person off.

It didn't end there, the man tossed rocks at her that she deflected with some of the same gestures. When he tossed a head sized rock she used both hands and a larger more visible streak of light smashed the rock into several pieces deflecting them harmlessly away from her. When the man tried to grapple with her there was a swirl of smoke and all he got was open air. The next thing that happened was a piece of fruit sailed from behind a group of rocks and hit the man in the head. At that time the man shouted enough That's enough. Oh god there was that Scottish accent again just melting my insides. But who is that women with him, god I hope she isn't competition. If so I wonder just how far away I would have to be, to survive taking her out.

This leaves me in a conundrum of how do I get close to this guy so to get a message to him. I had just cracked a bottle of Guinness Stout and had finished a little over half of it when I noticed the guy sniffing the wind and scanning the hill that I was standing on the far side of, so he could not see me. Not wanting to take any chances I put an unopened bottle in the crux of the tree, just at his eye level, with a small note rubber banded on the bottle, then leaving the open bottle at the base of the tree. I got out of there double time. Toroke was just were I left it, so I just made a quiet git away, only using the electric drive. After making it back to my home on wheels I needed a very cold shower to calm my self down. That night I went to bed with visions of his glorious body in my head.

James

Three scents that stand out especially in the great outdoors venue. One of them for me is the scent of Guinness Stout carried on the wind. When I reached the location from which I could track the perfume of that scent the person was gone. While scanning the area my eyes fell upon a capped bottle of me stout, just at my eye level in the crotch of the tree. Next to the tree base was a partially drained bottle which gave off the scent that brought me here. Some one went to some trouble to draw me here for some reason. This made me suspicious but there were no warning bells going off in me head so after checking for traps on the unopened bottle. And finding none, I retrieved it and looked at it. Prominently around the bottle was a note attached with a rubber band, there was a scent on the note that matched the wolf girl and it simply stated

I never remember blushing before in my life, but I never had some one interested in me that way either. So wolf girl wants to play tag, so be it I be it for now let me see what I can do about that.

Betty

I stood with James by my side when we were ushered into the receiving room of the Morrigan by a giant of a man who gave James a good nature slap on the shoulder along with a toothy grin.

“He seems to like you James. do you know him?”

“Oh we sparred the last time I saw the Queen, I believe he is one of her sons.”

“From the smile I think it must have been a good sparring session?”

“Ai it was lass, I had to get past him, to see the ladies so we had a bit of a row, but once I cut off his head the two of us have been good ever since!”
James has to be the greatest straight man in the known universe, he delivered that line, totally dead pan with out cracking a smile. I asked my self do I really want to know? Not wanting to probe that answer for details, I decided only to nod and waited quietly to be ushered in.

I was alone when brought into a private small cloistered room, where I was introduced to all three of the faces of the Morrigan . Badb was the maiden, Macha the mother and Nemain the matriarch but each spoke separately as individuals but they shared one drive and purpose. I explained what was happening to me with Alease memories bleeding through time into me now. and what happened the night before with James.

Macha

“My apprentice I commend your judgment in seeking us out, you need to become aware of when to share your experiences with us. This is one lesson that I pray in the name of the one source, that becomes burned into your souls memory, that what you are experiencing is real, and not an illusion, You were there when you stubbed your foot, therefor you could have been killed if those men captured you. But worry not my apprentices, this incident indicates you are ready to learn the wee simple methods I can easily teach you to protect yourself. But that will not do ye very little bloody good if ye do not remember to use them. ”

Nemain,

“And pleasant it shall be to instruct you, worried we were about finding a proper replacement to fill Ann's slippers. But I must commend you in how you have taken to the mixed bag of problems and responsibilities facing you”

Badb

"Lady Betty, I apologize to inform you there is need for us to send ye back to finish what ye missed. That rock was very rude to have ambushed your toes, but the fate of some very carefully laid plans rests upon your mindful precipitation when performing your role within these plans. Consider it to be a dance that is necessary to remain within the rules the universe operates by. There is wisdom in how things are structured and we must always be mindful of them. We can not explain more because your at the moment actions are important for the success of this venture.”

Macha

“My sisters,. there is much is to be said about that, but at a later time. Now the issue is how to aid our apprentice to integrate the divergent portions of her past, so it becomes an asset rather than a sleep robing distraction. To that end I believe Badb you have a suggestion for a face to face meeting between the two, that may offer some insight into a solution.”

Nemain,

“Be acceptable with you this is Betty ?”
“Yes certainly it would be stupid to lose the insight Alease brings to me. I was just concerned she was going to push me out of the way using me as her instrument to rip James apart. I was not going to accept it; that's when I requested your aid in subduing her.”
,
Badb

“And glad we were to aid you in that endeavor. The time is now, for you to greet you sister personality. So the two of you may resolve your difficulties.”

With that Badb waved her hand at the space in front of me where a solid as I am Alease appeared. She held a relaxed and peaceful air about her totally unlike how I remember her the night at the Dragon.

“Betty my sister it is good to see you from the outside for a change.”

“You are me are you not, but me from the past, Long past?”

“That is a wee sticky question ye have asked of me. But roughly yes I am that part of your soul that lived during the time of the Roman occupation of me Da’s land. But you are the sum of all the rest of the lives our soul has had since then. Ye are a whole lot more polished than I back then.”

“But how is it you remain as a distinct separate person from me rather than just being me.?”
“How it has been explained to me is that I am a special part of you that was cut short by an untimely death before I could finish that life tasks incomplete. So I need to be rejoined with the you who is now to complete the cycle of growth necessary for us to ascend onto the next stage of our soul’s growth.”

“Wow, heavy girl, How are you with this? It is freaking me out just a bit going from sleeping in a comfortable cave at night, killing giant bears with a single arrow by day. Face it I am a wimp now compared to your Wonder Women stomping Romans for a hobby. “

Alease laughed loudly turning to the assembled Morrigan. Ye are right she does have a grand sense of humor.” Turning back to me, “ Betty it is good to nay find out I have not become a silly stuck up ass. But nay ye are not a wimp in any way. Ye are just inexperienced as to how to gut people efficiently. But I do also understand that practice is frowned upon in these present times.”

“Alease I have had enough happen in my life to keep me grounded and humble. I just need a teacher to help me learn how to 'gut people efficiently' if the need should arise, and I fear that it will.”

Sam

It was about nine thirty when I was about to finish up my policing up my camp site, when I was taking the trash to the trash dumpster nearer to the camp store. My landlord had been very happy with me staying here and has invited me to stay the winter if I wanted. He just asked for me to watch the place during Christmas so he could go and spend it with his kids. Having payed my rent he informed me I owed him nothing for the winter claiming.

“Sam you give me peace of mind knowing I have some one like you with my back while I am not here, the least I can do is to give you free rent for the winter for that service, kid. Just let me know if you need anything and I will rustle it up for you”

Thanking him I made my way back to my rig when in the dimming light I noticed the rig moving like a weight had been moving around inside of it. There were no racoons on the roof so I had my Glock in hand when I unlocked the door and flung it open.

There was no place to hide inside such a small space. There on my table was a dozen roses and a small bottle of Red wine with a note rubber banded to it. The note was a bit cryptic consisting of a series of numbers and a short neatly printed script .”Bring your own stick.” The numbers were time and, date the other numbers were GPS coordinates. I would guess the ball is in my court, this looks like a man who seriously is trying to court me, BYOS indeed, how sweet.

Betty

The first night of September’s cycle last night was a bit anticlimactic, nothing really happened the entire evening except for my feeling of something brewing on the horizon. I still didn't let my guard down until I felt the probing from a distance dissipate.

I didn't know what to expect tomorrow but I know that it may be a real slammer. I looked at the star and planet chart to see if there is anything especially standing out for tomorrow night finding nothing. The only thing followed up the last waning night when there was an overlap of the moon rising, while the sun was still up which didn't mean anything to me, I only experienced a mild discomfort thinking about it.

Imagine my surprise when the second night was a dud as well. It sailed by with nothing but a few blows sounding out the state of the Barrier. My work was to make sure that every bit of energy I could stash into the Barrier I did. At the end of the second night of the cycle everything was cruising along quietly.

The third night I was relaxed but focused on my tasks tonight. Because of the early moon rise I wanted things to be ready before sunset. I was in my robes humming to my self while I prepared my circle and placed my candles where they belonged. Everything was in harmony and I was feeling good about tonight. I did not anticipate what would happen next.

A breeze ran through the town that felt out of place it was cold and had the scent of sulphide like swamp gas when I looked in the direction from which the wind was now blowing what I saw made me blanch. The billowing angry clouds rolling over the hills boiled like an evil brew in a pot. The cloud had many different colors to it that did not occur in nature tipping me off that things were about to become very interesting.

I didn't try my tinderbox style of lighting my candles I used my butane lighter. I frantically raised my circle and drove shafts of pure white light down through the cardinal points of my circle with the south one thicker and more robust. I was still reinforcing my circle when the front slammed into me, like a freight train loaded with iron ore. I didn't have time to properly prepare my self so I was still loose inside of my circle and not as is my custom, anchored down.

The wind and all in the path of it is screaming. That includes the Barrier, and yours truly standing in the circle trying not to be torn to shreds. The air was filled with everything the wind could lay hands on, that was not fastened down to the ground, plus a few things that were. Dirt, stones, dust, trash, leaves, branches, children's toys, a dog house, you name it was blow-en in the wind, except the answer of where the Hades did this come from.

This started before the sun was fully set as the moon had just cleared the horizon. The furious vengeance this manifestation struck was tearing to shreds everything in its path. Wind speeds were approaching that of the windward edge of a small tornado, and it wasn't for the wind break of the grove I would have been pulled out of the circle airborne, then sand blasted. If I thought it was bad for me it was worse for the Barrier. She was being torn apart from the inside out. My job was to hold it together no matter what it cost me to do so. The town and my children wouldn't survive a month, if the barrier wasn't here shielding it from all the hate and envy thrown at Haven.

I consider my self prepared for almost anything but not this. All I can do is persevere and search for any way to buffer this wind even just a bit, every little thing counts in this game. Once I was able to recover from the initial shock, which took unknowable minutes, I was able to squeeze out a couple of frantic thoughts. I started to pull energy from the surrounding area to thicken the Barrier at its lower edge where it connected with the earth. I then pushed the footing out a bit to relieve some of the flat area the energy in the wind was working on. This directed the air upwards lessening the strain on the footing and buffering the wind striking the higher levels. That was when I was able to notice that the wind was carrying an enormous amount of particles of negative reductive from a lot more people joining in tonight than I just the original circle that I encountered during the August full moon. There were more people than I could not count all supporting threads to this effort, it was all driven by their off the scale hatred for Haven.

I was gasping, panting and sweating like a cross country runner in Death Valley. I was still too reactive and not proactive enough. So my next move still gasping the thin air around me was to alter the Barrier frequency just enough to create a slicker surface than it usually has. Reducing the purchase the wind could get on the fabric of the Barrier. Who ever was generating this storm was seeking blood, and may just have enough horses to pull it off, if I don't think and act fast. I could not flinch even once. I needed to act as my strength was nearly tapped. Unlike Atlas I could not afford to shrug and wouldn't even if I could.