Sarina sat with Sydney, Ali, and Margaret at the kitchen table enjoying a pot of chamomile tea and light chatter. Ali had mentioned upon entering the kitchen that Dagon and Sebastian were deep in discussion in the study. Sarina needed no magical skill to tell her that she was the topic of conversation, or that Sebastian was probably presently defending her actions to Dagon. A friend would do that.
A confrontation with Dagon would come soon enough, and she actually hoped to delay it at least until tomorrow. She was completely worn out and tired from head to toe, body to soul, and that depth of tiredness left one vulnerable. Not a good place to be for an unskilled witch, especially when confronting a powerful witch.
“Deep thoughts?” Sydney asked of Sarina.
“Too many thoughts of late,” she admitted freely.
“Love does that to you,” Ali said, drawing all attention to her. Ali sighed dramatically and shook her head. “It’s obvious Sarina is in love with Dagon, why should we all deny it?”
It was Sarina’s turn to be the center of attention with three questioning glances falling on her. She was about to dispute it when she realized there was no point in denying the truth any longer. She simply shrugged and said, “I’m a fool.”
The three women laughed.
“Love does that,” Ali assured her. “Love makes you feel and act foolish. You do and say things you never imagined you would. Love robs you of your sensibilities. You don’t even know who you are.”
Sydney continued from there. “And that’s the best part; you get to discover a new part of yourself. You don’t look with the same eyes, hear with the same ears, and feel with the same senses. Your awareness takes on a new deeper awareness. That is why passion usually rules early in a budding relationship. The senses are aware much sooner than the people themselves.”
“And still we doubt,” Sarina said.
Ali spoke. “You must remember that love tampers with all the emotions because it is the highest of emotions. Love cannot flourish if it does not integrate with all that is part of you.”
“Which is why love drives you crazy,” Margaret offered with a smile.
Sydney and Ali nodded their agreement.
“I foolishly thought it would be easy to love,” Sarina said.
“Love is easy,” Ali said. “It’s the falling part that’s hard.”
“Love is part of all of us,” Sydney explained. “It is when we reach out to share that love on a deeper, more meaningful, and intimate level that it becomes difficult, but yet remains simple.”
“We make it difficult,” Sarina said with a smile.
“A seasoned witch once advised me on love,” Sydney said. “Her words were not profound, yet they were meaningful. She told me that love is simply love. If we demand or expect too much from it, we lose the very essence and purity of its being. Love is and always will be. It is up to us to simply love.”
“And yet love remains elusive to many,” Margaret said with a sad shake of her head.
Sydney responded. “Because they expect too much, demand too much of themselves and others. They never simply love for the sake of loving. They always want more when they already have abundance, but then greed always leaves one feeling dissatisfied.”
“What do you plan to do about your love for Dagon?” Ali asked.
Sarina thought of her dilemma and how Dagon could possibly be the one to help her. She had searched far and wide, and every time she had met someone, she had thought of her problem but never of love. Only since meeting Dagon did she begin to think differently and now her only desire was to love Dagon whether he could fulfill the spell or not.
She answered Ali with a generous smile. “I plan to simply love.”
Ali clapped her hands. “The poor man doesn’t stand a chance.”
They all agreed with a hearty laugh.
“I thought I’d find you here,” Sebastian said to his wife upon entering the kitchen and walked over to give her a kiss.
“A late cup of tea, small talk, and good company,” Sydney explained.
Sebastian stood behind his wife with his hand on her shoulder. “Sounds like fun and mischief in the making.”
Ali dramatically pressed her hand to her chest. “Are you implying that we’re up to something?”
He leaned down, placing his cheek to hers. “Sweetheart, you’re always up to something.”
She squatted playfully at him as he backed away from her.
Sarina yawned, the long day catching up with her. “Excuse me, but I think it’s time I said good night.” She had thought perhaps that Dagon would request to see her, but Sebastian made no mention of him, and she did not intend to pry into their meeting.
“I agree,” Ali said and stood, bidding all a good evening and latching on to her husband’s arm to stroll out of the kitchen like two lovers intent on a pleasurable night.
Sarina attempted to clean up the table, but Margaret stopped her. “You’ve done enough work for one night. I’ll see to this.”
Margaret shooed her from the room, ordering her to get a good night’s sleep. Sarina did so gratefully, yawning as she waved good night to both women.
“Did it turn out as you had hoped?” Margaret asked in a whisper.
Sydney produced a smile of pure satisfaction. “Better than I expected.”
“Then Lady Lily made her entrance at a good time?”
“Couldn’t have been better.”
“And I suppose Dagon is presently wondering how you can right Sarina’s wrongs.”
Sydney filled her teacup once again. “I imagine he does, poor dear. He doesn’t realize Sarina had nothing to do with tonight’s fiasco, therefore, it was simple to right my own misdeeds. The spell cast on Sarina is much too powerful for my meager skills to correct.”
“Yet you interfere.”
“I think a little interference is necessary at times.”
Margaret once again whispered, as if fearing to be overheard. “You don’t fear retribution?”
Surprisingly, Sydney lowered her own voice. “I think this spell on Sarina was cast in haste, not intentionally.”
“I must admit, and with regret, that while Dagon is powerful, I fear he is not powerful enough to handle a spell of this magnitude.”
“I’ve given that thought myself,” Sydney said with concern.
“But Dagon possesses an arrogance of pride and determination that is rare. And if anyone is capable of confronting this power, he is, and of course a little help goes a long way.”
“Little and limited,” Margaret reminded.
“A little can go a long way.”
“Soon, I hope.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Sydney agreed. “Time is of the essence here.”
“You thought tonight would see them united, didn’t you?”
Sydney raised her teacup. “The night isn’t over yet.”
o0o
Sarina expected sleep to claim her as soon as her head hit the pillow. That was over an hour ago, and she remained wide awake. Lady Lily slept comfortably on the pillow beside her as if she had not a care in the world.
A strong wind whistled outside her window, and a chilly draft filled her room. She snuggled more deeply beneath the blanket, glad for her white flannel nightgown and thick cotton socks. She assumed it was the night’s unexpected chaos that kept her mind fertile. She had played the scene over and over and over again and still could not understand the sequence of events. Two things continued to trouble her about the evening. One was the way she remembered Lady Lily twirling like a top toward Janey’s feet.
At first she thought it was her imagination, but she recalled it too clearly to doubt her own eyes. The other was the fact that her wrong was made right. There was simply no one present who was powerful enough to right her wrong, which led her to believe only one thing.
The unfortunate incident was not her fault to begin with. But if not her who? And why?
She had been so embarrassed she could barely look at Dagon, and while he appeared furious with her, she had been momentarily stunned by his desire to once again protect her, to rescue her from herself, to ease her hurt, her pain, her disappointment. But then she would do no less for him.
She turned over on her stomach, burying her head beneath the pillow, attempting to shut out her thoughts. Her defensive action did little good. Her incessant musings continued to plague her; actually Dagon plagued her. She could not chase him from her thoughts. He was always there in some shape or form, and admitting his constant presence in her life made her realize just how much she liked him there.
Perhaps that was why it was easier to admit her love for him. When Ali had questioned her, her first instinct was to dispute her claim. But how did one deny the truth? It was not possible and denying it to others when it was so obvious was just as wrong.
She was glad she had talked with the women. They had helped her to understand herself and to remember what love was all about. Now she only needed to confront Dagon, not with demands, for she wanted nothing from him that he did not choose to give. She simply wanted to love him.
In her attempts to solve her problem she had lost her way, misunderstood and misguided herself. She flopped on her back, staring at the ceiling and the faint light of the bright moon shining through the window. She had forgotten her own teachings, her own lessons, and her own wisdom. In essence she had lost herself, but the beauty of the whole experience was that she was free to once again discover herself, and that was a unique opportunity.
Tomorrow she would seek out Dagon and talk with him. She would not wait any longer—she would once again take charge. She suddenly felt like her old powerful self, and she smiled with insight she had lately ignored.
Tomorrow was a new day, but then, it already was tomorrow. Why wait any longer?
She laughed softly and hopped out of bed, causing Lady Lily to protest with a gentle meow at being disturbed. She thought to dress, but then thought better of it. Dressed in her white flannel nightgown, her dark hair tousled, and her feet covered with slouching white socks, she headed for Dagon’s bedroom.
o0o
Dagon tossed and turned until he thought he’d go mad with the want of sleep. He didn’t want to think. He wanted nothing but pure, uninterrupted, dreamless sleep. And he was getting none of it. Instead his thoughts were driving him insane. He could not get Sarina out of his mind. She haunted his every thought whether waking, resting, or sleeping. She was there, a permanent thought in his mind.
He hadn’t even given consideration to the Ancient One. He was actually losing interest in his well-formulated life plan. What he once thought important—a powerful mating and an exceptionally skilled wife—seemed dull and unattractive to him. Chaos had entered his life in the form of a bumbling witch named Sarina, and he wondered if he could ever live without her.
He had once considered his life to be full, yet he didn’t know the true meaning of abundance until Sarina.
He grabbed for the pillow beside him and placed it on top of the other pillow beneath his head. If sleep was to elude him, he might as well be comfortable. His intentions had been to speak with Sarina this evening before he retired, but after his conversation with Sebastian he thought better of it. He needed time to think this through, to better understand what he felt.
Besides, he didn’t think Sarina would welcome him. He smiled, recalling how Sydney once told him he had never known true love, and he now could agree with her. Love was a crazy emotion that could not be understood or ever fully grasped. Too often people chased after love when love never ran from them in the first place.
He had chased after it in an attempt to capture its essence when all the while it was right there in front of his eyes, and yet he was too blind to see its beauty. He foolishly thought he could manipulate, plan, and produce love the exact way he wanted it.
Love had other ideas.
He now understood why love was considered the highest of emotions. Love set no limits, asked for no guarantees, love simply was. And he simply was in love with Sarina. And it felt good, right, perfect. He wanted her in his life permanently. He wondered when it had happened. When had he fallen in love with an unskilled witch who dangled from a chandelier and a window, got stuck in a chimney and a tree, flooded the laundry room with suds, and walked barefoot through the woods?
He laughed softly at the many memories and wondered what other adventures awaited him and wondered if perhaps he had not fallen in love with her the very moment he saw her dangling from his chandelier. Had he failed to pay attention to the obvious? Had he not listened to his own heart, his own emotions when dealing with her?
This evening was a prime example of his disregarding his emotions. He instinctively knew he should not have waited to invite Sarina to participate in the dinner party. It was his fault that she was forced to serve, and that could have been avoided as well. One word from him to Bernard, and she would have been released from her duties for the evening. But he had foolishly not paid attention to his instincts. He had allowed her to serve, and naturally chaos prevailed, though it still disturbed him that Sydney had been able to right her wrongs. Her powers did exceed his, and perhaps they were substantial enough to deal with Sarina’s inadequate skills. He would have to remember to discuss the matter with her.
Right now he was thinking that he needed to talk with Sarina. There was much for them to discuss. And there was much for him to learn and understand about her. He should have summoned her to his study after speaking with Sebastian. Instead he retired to his room to sulk like a spoiled child. When he should have admitted just how much he loved her.
Admitting himself a stubborn fool wasn’t easy for him to do. He always prided himself on his intelligence, especially his ability to deal with any given situation. He would sense what was necessary and proceed accordingly, but then those situations had never involved him being truly in love.
True love did not play fair.
He drew his hand slowly down his face. He had never felt more frustrated in his whole three hundred years. He was not acting at all like himself. If he were himself, he would have this whole dilemma settled by now. He would take charge and charge in, and fate be damned, he would succeed.
He sprang up in bed. What was he waiting for? Did he expect fate to intervene and determine the outcome? Or did he intend to be himself and determine his own outcome?
He would do what he did best, take charge. If he could straighten out the mess Ali had gotten into over Sebastian, he could certainly handle his own dilemma. And besides, there was no spell involved in this situation. He did not have to concern himself with a time frame or worry about words that could break or seal a spell. He was free to pursue Sarina at his leisure or in haste.
She was young, perhaps barely a hundred years old. There was much he could teach her, and he would be patient with her lessons. Of course, she did possess the gift of sight and a remarkably accurate sight. A worthy skill to pass on to children.
Children!
He hoped she wanted many for he had always planned on a castle full. He laughed thinking of a daughter with less than adequate skills chasing after Lady Lily, whom she would probably have flying upside down through the air.
He threw the covers off himself and walked naked to the chair where his silver silk robe lay and reached for it. He was tired of waiting. Waiting to talk with Sarina about the night’s events, waiting to tell her how much he loved her, waiting to tell her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and waiting to tell her he wanted to make a baby with her as soon as possible.
The ultimate act of sealing their love.
With determined strides he marched toward the door and flung it open.
Sarina jumped back startled.
Dagon smiled, stepped back, and waved her in.