The Storm and the Enchantment

The cold air slipped in through her window and washed over her body. Viola pulled her thick feather blanket back up to her chest. The feeling of the heavy cold air caressing her exposed body was strangely arousing, her deep exhale invited the liquid-air hands.

As the strong cool air wrapped itself around her body she pressed her tailbone toward the sky, soothing her back into a beautiful cat stretch. She lowered her blanket, and flexed her seat muscles in anticipation of the next slinky wave of air to stroke her tired body. The heavy air pressed its way up along her arm; she dropped back her shoulder to expose her neck to her invisible seducer.

Her eyes snapped wide open and her breath caught in her throat. As quickly as her pupils dilated, her cool liquid-air lover became weightless and blended with the humid breeze coming in through the window.

Was that a dream? She turned toward the open window; it was dark out, still early in the night. It could have been a dream, she thought as she flexed and stretched her body, the whole experience left her feeling groggy. She sat up on the edge of the bed and massaged the side of her head to relieve some of the tension.

The physical reaction of her body, left her with an uneasy feeling that this was more than a dream. Have her look around her room a bit so we can get the idea of her surrounding. She shakes the experience off as a dream.

She fumbled in the dark for a flint to light her candle, when suddenly the night became day for 4 long eerie seconds. She was left blinded in the darkness as she turned toward her window, jagged lines of white fire seared the sky forcing her to wince and turn away.

The thunder sounded like a giant whip cracking, cutting the heavens in half from where the bolt branded the sky. The sound rolled in a thick mountainous wave, circling away from the burnt air and echoing across the land for minutes afterwards. Viola watched the sickly yellow and gray clouds rolling in the sky, fast and fluid like soup in her cauldron.

Oh, the rain should come soon, she sighed to herself, I better put out a bowl to collect some fresh Element Water, it will make for a nice wash in the morning. She chose a basin she had recently handcrafted, one of a twin set socketed with five bloodstones on the inside of the bowl.

In her bare feet and nightgown, she went outside and placed the bowl in the north corner of the front garden. Miles around, lightning flashes engulfed her land - the boiling sky threatened to bring the storm directly upon her.

She rubbed the sides of her ears; the weighty humid air was so dense that the bones in her face ached. Horses whinnied and screamed in the background of the echoing thunder. She pressed up under her cheeks to try and relieve some of the pressure.

At a time of such elemental passion - wind, water, fire touching down to earth - she wanted to recharge her spirit before the violence of the storm. She dug her toes into the earth and enjoyed the wind lifting and tousling her long wavy hair, the occasional strand playfully slapping her in the face.

Taking a deep breath in, Viola connected with the earth as she rooted herself into a mountain pose. She raised her palms to the heavens, exhaling; she lowered her arms and pressed her palms together in front of her heart.

Viola opened herself to the wind.

Her body was being pulled in two equally opposing directions; the crown of her head lifted towards the sky, while her spine and legs remained firmly rooted to the ground. As the first droplets of rain fell on her face, she felt the reassuring presence of her Ancestors.

Abruptly, the cold slinky air wrapped itself around her body. This time the liquid-air lover didn't bring the promise of bliss, this time it bound her like a slave to it's master.

The cold hands that bound her wrist together, holding them high above her head, seemed to now invade her mind. Black and white images of a tower on a Tor, giant insects, a fence of bones and skulls, and blood pouring down the faces of young men, flashed in her minds eye. She tossed her head from side to side, as if she could shake these violent premonitions from her consciousness.

The cold passion wrapped its way around her body and between her legs; strong invisible fingers entwined her hair and jerked her head back, exposing her neck in an arc of passion. Her body bound invisibly, she choked on a scream as the imagery left her confused and vulnerable to the mix of passion and punishment.

With every heartbeat her blood pulsed hard and hot in her legs and chest. With every breath the cold liquid-air pulled her higher off the ground. With every flashing image her body pressed rhythmically against the seducer's cool hands. Instinctively, she grabbed the leather bag around her neck, a charm she made one day when she was locked in her room.

If I won't let Them have me, I won't let this storm have me either.

Lightning and thunder simultaneously tore from the diseased clouds. The cool thick air abandoned her, letting her drop down to the wet earth. The warm rain washed over her body as she slowly floated into unconsciousness.