Avenging Angels Ch 05

The dappled early morning light filtered through the thick bald cypress stands that surrounded the small home in the middle of the bayou. The morning sounds had started, the cicadas song, the frogs croaking their good mornings to the sun, it was as it had been for millennia, the bayou awakens.

Takari stirred in her bed, her dreams had been vivid as they always were when she stayed on the bayou. The night's dreams had been filled with portents, images that did not make sense to the voodoo priestess but were nonetheless flashes of the future; a future that seemed filled with new places, new companions and a dark evil.

Rising from her bed, Takari stretches, she is an imposing woman; at almost six feet tall she towers over most of her followers. Her body is in proportion to her height, large heavy breasts, sensuous rubenesque features; she revels in the physical gifts Bon Dieu has provided.

Stepping naked onto the gal-ree she greets the morning, memories of last night's dreams still swirling in her head.

'Being high priestess is not all its cracked up to be', she thinks to herself as she sits, the cool morning air stiffening her nipples as she watches two squirrels spiral up one of the ancient cypress, frolicking in a dance that crosses species, the dance of life, the dance of lust the dance that drives everyone to mate, to pass on their essence.

Closing her eyes, Takari's mind drifts back to three days ago and the ritual, the one that had finally ended the terror Ingra Vondarn had brought to the bayou.

.........

After the hurricane three years ago the area was in turmoil, many turned to Takari for aid during this troubled time. Takari took her role as leader of the flock very seriously, performing the life affirming rights that would ensure a quick and fruitful rebuilding of her neighborhood almost daily.

She lost weight, looked drawn and tired all the time, she was putting in 20-hour days for months to help stabilize the area and get everyone back on his or her feet. It was during this time, when Takari's attention was so focused on the needs of those around her, that Ingra had shown up in the bayou.

Ingra was an Obeah priestess, just off the boat from Haiti, arriving supposedly to help her extended family. Ingra was an ugly woman short and squat with a coal black complexion and an even darker soul. From their first meeting Takari knew the woman was trouble but at that moment she had neither the time nor strength to be bothered with her.

Ingra quietly built up a following among the many Caribbean workers who had immigrated to the area to work in the rebuilding efforts. Her son Tom was always at her side, a mountain of a man he stood six foot six and was almost as wide, his imposing form had the effect of quieting anyone who questioned Ingra's decisions.

Once the area had begun to rebuild and her followers had begun to get back some sort of normalcy in their lives, Takari took some time to rejuvenate herself and make sure that all was well in her garden. What she found enraged her and put her on a path that culminated in the ritual.

Takari, like her mother and her mother before her always worked on the side of light.

As with all things in the universe there is balance. Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Right and Wrong; universal constants that cannot exist without this balance.

Takari was taught from a young age that shadows don't exist without light, meaning that for all of the good things that we try to do for those around us there are others who feed off that light to gain power, corrupt others and cause pain.

Takari had met several shadows over the years; they were the yin to her yang the balance to her light. Being who she was Takari had always sought a peace with these people, understanding that to fight them was to fight herself as neither could exist without the other.

And so, soon after her ascension at the age of twenty one to high priestess she had called a meeting of the leaders of the varying sects in and around the bayou, light and dark were equally represented.

"I want to thank you all for coming, it is rare that such a diverse group of us gets together in one place without... complications," Takari smiled as she said it and it elicited the hoped for chuckles from those in attendance.

"I have talked with many of you and shared my desire for peaceful coexistence between us, most of you have agreed that this would be best for all of us," Takari continued as she surveyed the varied group before her.

There were eleven total, five who would be considered "dark" 3 women and two men, five who would be considered "light" 4 women and one man.

The eleventh was Reynard he was a mystery and in a round a bout way represented the grey.

Reynard had been around for as long as she could remember.

Her first memory of him was from childhood, she had walked out into the back courtyard of her home to find her mother and Reynard in an unusual embrace. Her mother was sitting on the ground between his legs facing away from him, her hands resting on his knees while his hands slowly moved around her body, never touching her but getting a strong physical reaction from her mother.

Afterwards her mother explained that Rey was helping her cleanse a curse that another priestess had tried to infect her with

From then on Rey was around off and on her whole childhood, disappearing for months then showing up again to hang around for awhile before setting off once more.

Now in his late forties his most striking feature was that he was as Anglo as they come, this was a stark contrast to the mostly African/Creole decent of the rest of the assembled group.

The gathering, for the most part, was effective, lines had been drawn, rules had been put in place and a general agreement on living together peaceably had been forged. That had been 15 years ago and in that time only a few toes had been stepped on, the infractions minor and easily soothed.

That changed with Ingra. Her darkness was spreading, several of the other practitioners had come to Takari looking for help and guidance, even Rey had made his feeling known.

Sitting on the gal-ree he had looked into her eyes, deeper than any other had and said, "This Ingra, she is different than anything you have encountered before cher. Up till now you have met dark workers that still maintain an internal balance between the light and the shadow, this one has no such balance. She seeks only to dominate and destroy; do you think you are strong enough to go down the path that can provide for her destruction? Can you put aside your own beliefs and embrace both the shadow and the light to find the strength to defeat her?" Rey finished.

Takari smiled at her friend, "That is possibly the most you have ever said at one time Rey," she teased.

Rey's face did not change as he regarded her, 'so much like her mother,' he thought.

"Takari, this is serious, if you are to be the one to stop Ingra it will cost you much, you will be changed by it and may find that your life just doesn't fit anymore," Rey said, hoping that she understood the weight of his words, hoping that the decision she made would not cost her everything that she was.

Takari regarded Rey; she had never known him to be this adamant or this serious. Ingra was a monster, she knew of three people cursed by the black-hearted whore and dozens of others who had lost everything because of the evil Ingra had sewn over the past year.

The final straw was Catti, the young orphan girl was found wandering in one of the wards, beaten and bruised she had been used in a rotevane. The ritual was gruesome, the point of it to remove the soul from a living person. That soul would be bound to the one performing the ritual, feeding them their ethereal power unable to cross over to the next plane.

"What must I do Rey," Takari felt a shudder pass through her, immediately understanding that those five words had just changed her life forever.

It was a long process taking over 6 months to accomplish. Only with the support of both the light and the shadow could Takari hope to accomplish the dangerous task she had set for herself.

Over the months a balance was formed within her, turning her from some of her beliefs and helping her embrace others that would allow her to pull power from the shadow as well as the light.

She worked tirelessly, studying the ancient Ton-Se-Kra, the Rite of Un-Doing. It had been over 160 years since the last time the rite had been performed, then it was to destroy a sadistic plantation owner who had tortured and killed hundreds of slaves.

The Ton-Se-Kra was the most powerful banishing ritual ever created, when performed correctly not only did the individual who was the victim of the banishing die so did all of their relations for 3 generations.

It was not only a physical death, it was also a soul death, causing the imbalance that had engulfed the person to turn on the practitioner and destroy their soul and the souls of all who shared the soul-line.

Ton-Se-Kra was not taken on lightly, dating back in one form or another over 5,000 years the rite could only be used on those who had lost all sense of balance, who had banished within themselves either the light or the shadow.

Takari was surprised to learn during her studies that the Ton-Se-Kra was gray, meaning that it could be used on those of light or dark, for anyone who gives in totally to one thing causes a rift in the very balance of this plane and the balance must be restored.

Finally, on the day of the Vernal Equinox when day and night, light and dark were equal on the earth, the time had come.

After fasting for 7 days and nights, Takari went to the consecrated grove in the very heart of the bayou. For generations this place had been used by her family for the most powerful works, now it would be the site for the greatest of works, the last work of a line stretching back 9 generations.

Midnight approached and Takari entered the clearing, feeling the warm and sultry late summer air envelope her naked form she strode to the center and lit the ceremonial fire.

Roaring to life the flames climbed into the heavens, bathing the grove in an amber glow that reflected tiny sparkles off Takari's glistening skin.

The dance began, slowly at first just an unhurried pace around the fire, reciting the ancient words of power, invoking the protection on Mon Dieu to keep her safe while she communed with the elemental energies of creation.

Faster now she traveled around the fire, picking up speed as the summoning of the elementals began, spinning and jumping she embraced both the light and the shadow, feeling their energies fill her the dance became more frenetic, tears and laughter came forth from her lips, her body moved in unimaginable contortions.

With sweat pouring off her, the long black waves of her hair plastered against her back and face the dance came to an abrupt end. Standing next to the fire, panting like a wild animal at the end of the hunt she gasps and falls to her knees as she realizes the elementals have headed her call.

Hovering just over her head the two amorphous balls pulsate with power. One is bright, golden, providing a light which both warms and sooths. The other is pure darkness, a hole in the air where no light penetrates; looking into its depths you are lost in its dark serenity and power.

Shuddering Takari rises, standing before the elemental powers hoping that she is worthy to receive what she has worked so long to attain.

"You are strong for one so young," the voice in her head is comforting evoking a feeling of contentment.

"You are controlled for one so young," this voice vibrates through her head, like grabbing onto a high voltage wire, it ripples with energy.

Together, "We have heeded your call, name the one which renounces us."

In a cracking voice Takari answers "Ingra Vondarn."

Together, "mark the one which renounces us," untying the braid from her own hair Takari holds out the fetish made from locks of Ingra's hair. "This marks the one who renounces you," Takari intones as she holds the braid above her head and then throws it into the fire, blue flames jump out and consume the fetish before it ever reaches the pyre.

"Sacrifice for the one which renounces us," the elementals intone.

Retrieving her kouto from where she placed it near the fire she holds it skyward yelling with the fury elicited by the abomination, "I sacrifice my life blood so that she who renounces you can be consumed."

The knife flashes down on her wrist, the blood flows, black rivulets slip down her arm and stain the sand at her feet.

Intoning as one the elemental energies say, "The one has been named, the one has been marked, the one has been sacrificed for. Your desire for the Ton-Se-Kra is pure, it is granted young one."

"Rest now Takari, for your true life begins as our corporeal messenger on this plane, know that the path you have chosen is not easy but we shall be within you to help and guide as your life path unfolds, you have done well, enjoy our blessings."

The grove seemed to expand, as if the space was being filled beyond its limits to contain. Takari felt the energy bulge then flow into and over her as if she were sitting in the middle of a rushing stream. And then it passed, the grove returned to normal, the fire flared and died, by the light of the embers Takari looked skyward and smiled, thanking the universe for this amazing gift as her eyes fluttered and then slid closed.

At the instant Takari lost consciousness seventy-three men women and children simply ceased, both their physical and spiritual bodies blinked out of existence learning and fully understanding a universal truth for the nano-second they had understanding of what was happening.

Without the balance of light and shadow there is nothing holding us together.

Takari awoke as the sun began to filter into the grove. She expected her body to ache, however it was just the opposite, she felt amazingly good, she felt vital.

Rising she quickly dressed, said a silent blessing over the grove and made for the small canoe that would get her back to her home.

Now three days later Takari watched the sunrise, feeling detached from the bayou for the first time in her life.

Since returning from the grove her thoughts had been muddled and she was unable to find that quiet centered space that this place had always provided.

She understood that her life would be different after the ritual, she had no idea that her home would feel alien, that living here would just not fit anymore.

Rising and looking out over the bayou Takari was surprised to see a jon boat headed her way, she was sure that no one but Rey knew that this was where she came to be alone.

Watching the boat drift ever closer to her front door a figure started to materialize, it took Takari several blinks and head shakes to actually register the scene before her.

As the little jon boat pulled up and the diminutive nun stepped out; Takari was all at once aware of her nudity, she moved to rush inside but was stopped in her tracks by the lovely old nun.

"Not to worry dear, I'm no stranger to the human body, anyone as lovely as you must be blessed by god," the smile in her voice was disarming and Takari simply stood there as the elderly nun stepped from the dock and hobbled up the small stone path towards her.

"Not sure who you are love, but I was roused out of a nice comfortable bed to bring ye this, all the way from Italy it is," the nun's eyes glittered as she held out the large envelope in her hands, the crest of the Vatican emblazoned on the cover.

Takari nodded and took the envelope, gazing out over the bayou one last time she wondered if the path she had chosen was the right one, and hoped that her ancestors would be pleased.