Blackmail Earth

Chapter 7





Forensia sat “sky clad” on the crunchy meadow grass. The strikingly pretty twenty-three-year-old wore only the sunflower tattoo on her right shoulder and a red ankh—the oddly anthropomorphic-looking Egyptian cross—on her left breast. She resisted a powerful urge to brush aside one of her long black braids and look at the other naked bodies gathered behind her and Sang-mi.

The two young women were about to be initiated into a witches’ coven. A few feet in front of them a “circle of power,” formed of white stones, glowed under the full moon. Inside the circle, an altar of rough-hewn pine had been raised. A twig broomstick, known as a besom, rested against the altar’s left side. Three candles burned at its center. Forensia worried that they’d set off a raging conflagration. Then she spotted a bucket of water just outside the circle and hoped that it would be enough to snuff the flames if the candles fell over.

At the end of the altar closest to Forensia, incense smoldered, giving off a sharp, spicy odor that she couldn’t identify.

A thick iron cauldron squatted beside the candles; the tip of a boline—a black-handled knife with a foot-long blade—had been sunk into the wood beside the pot. Reflections of the red and orange candle flames danced on the blade’s shiny silver surface.

Forensia worried about what would come next—the blindfold, the tethering of her hands behind her back, and the scourging with whips. She struggled to take solace in the reassurances from Heart Warrior, her spiritual adviser, that these practices were largely symbolic. “You will not be hurt,” Heart Warrior had told her. Even so, Forensia’s nakedness—her sense of vulnerability—made her squirm silently. But more than any other goal in her life, she wanted to become what she had always known she was: a witch. It made bearable all the anxiety swirling through her system.

Reminding herself of her aspiration steadied her nerves until she realized that seeing the boline had caused a tiny knot to tug at her gut. Even the most benign-looking butter knives had always unsettled her, and this weapon did not look kind or gentle or forgiving. Made for murder, her mind whispered. Her worst fear—by far—had always been that she’d be killed with the savage inefficiency of a blade. One of her earliest memories was of hearing a news report over the radio in her mother’s old Ford Falcon about a twelve-year-old girl who’d been stabbed forty-seven times. Fear of such a fate never left her and she was somehow drawn to every bit of news that mentioned a knifing death. Just days ago, she’d read of a young woman who had been killed with a butcher knife in New York City.

It’s just a symbol, she reminded herself, of how you’re cutting yourself off from your old life.

Forensia forced her gaze to a large pentagram of woven animal skin that was hanging from a branch behind the altar, like a giant pendant from a neck chain. But this was no laser-cut diamond heart or sapphire oval. The ancient five-pointed star had been hacked from crudely tanned hide spotted with patches of dull fur and scattered shanks of coarse hair that hung unevenly, like roughly chopped fringe. A cattle horn, grayed by smoke and time, curled out of the twisted pelts, a forged fang in an errant grave.

The star’s harsh appearance was not reassuring and Forensia quickly reminded herself that the five points symbolized the five appendages of her body. That it hung from a tree also was symbolic, for trees represented the five true elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. And each element represented the five points of a compass: Air was east, fire was south, water was west, earth was north, and spirit was the center. Microcosm upon microcosm of creation. Real meaning in all that you did and thought, especially on this day.

Only hours ago, Forensia and Sang-mi had given themselves a ritual bath in a spring, though finding one that hadn’t succumbed to the devastating drought hadn’t been easy. They’d had to drive forty-three miles and then hike for an hour up into the Catskill Mountains to bathe outdoors. But on the day of their initiation they knew that their skin and spirits needed to feel nature’s elements directly. A bathtub would never do.

Once a witch, always a witch. Even as a young girl, she’d been drawn to witchcraft. Not the dark side, but not Disney’s commodified version, either. Or Harry Potter’s, for that matter. Much as she’d loved the Potter series—yes, she’d been one of those kids lining up at midnight for each new book—the world of Hogwarts had never appeared as real to her as the world within herself.

For Forensia, witchcraft was all consuming: befriending the trinity of maiden, mother, and crone who lived inside her; learning about the spirits of the land, sea, and air; using natural herbs and balms for healing and to gain wholeness; and enjoying the companionship of like-minded women. Practicing spells, too. Yet despite several years of study, she felt that she had only begun to learn these ancient magics. She’d be studying enchantments and charms—and a few carefully selected curses—the rest of her life. Spells were so hard to perfect, yet so vital to her growth.

Her fears ebbed as she considered her long path to the circle of power. Then she noticed a distinct trace of giddiness blooming in her belly, sweetened by the knowledge that Richtor sat, also shamelessly sky clad, only feet away. Over the past two months she’d been drawn to his quiet overtures, lured by his shockingly abundant blond dreads and his densely blue eyes that reminded her of cornflowers. She tried mightily not to look at him, not to linger on his lovely nakedness, but her body wouldn’t obey such an easily eluded command, and a smile parted her lips when his open gaze met hers.

The feelings that had drawn her to Richtor, to hold his hand and kiss him, felt strong as thunder. They’d spent many evenings reading by candlelight in his simple wooden cabin, imagining the rites and rituals that neither of them had yet performed. But she’d never shown him her private Book of Shadows, an intensely intimate journal filled with jottings about spells, and the results—still spotty—of her magic making. And he and the other nonwitches would not be permitted at the initiation ceremony itself.

She looked at him once again, caught his eye, and felt ever more naked, open, willing. Any thoughts of blood or blindfolds or blades had been eclipsed as totally as the brazen face of the moon in the willfully calibrated heavens.

* * *

“Let’s go check ’em out. Naked. No f*cking clothes.” Jason Robb pumped his fist, felt his abs clench. Girls loved that shit; too bad none of them was around to see him.

But maybe mo’ betta, mon, not havin’ dem shorties wich you. Ever since his parents had taken him to Montego Bay, Jason had begun talking to himself in what he thought of as his “Jamaican voice.” He might be white, but he didn’t have to sound like it. Still, he kept his quarterback’s bark alive for his teammates: “Come on, you a*sholes. They’re gonna be dancing around gettin’ all horny. Got to strike while the punani’s hot.”

“Sounds too good to be true,” groused Carl Boon, his center. Jason had seen enough of Boon’s fat butt to last a lifetime, and he’d about had it with all the fag jokes about reaching down between Carl’s chunky f*cking legs. “You jerking him off during audibles, QB?” Like I’d juke him, mon, even if I was some batty boy.

“Hey, you know the one with the tat on her shoulder?” Jason said. “Big f*cking flower?”

“Big f*cking tits?” Gabe, his halfback, smiled. Built like his father and uncles: square body, square head, stumpy legs. Tiny dick.

“Yeah, Forensia, the one my brother drilled.” She’d never f*cked Gareth again. Wouldn’t even kiss him. Called him a “bad mistake.” And then Gar ran off and signed up and got his ass shot to death in Baghdad. The bitch didn’t even come to his goddamn funeral. She breaks his heart, gets him sent to f*cking Baghdad, and then spits on his grave. Time to defend de family honor, bredda. “She’s joining some kind of witches’ thing along with that new chink chick. Christy told me.” Christy Walker, the sheriff’s younger daughter.

“Christy gonna be there?” Carl asked, sounding like he couldn’t have cared less.

“She wasn’t sure. Suze’s going.” The older sister, the one Jason had played grab ass with forever. More like grab dem everything, mon.

Jason and about half his team squeezed into two cars and tore down the old lake road, which led along rolling hills before they roared onto a dirt track and raised a huge cloud of dust that tailed them past the Empire Campgrounds. If not for the drought, the campsites would have been packed with every kind of suck-ass city shithead, but since the lake started looking like a burned-up biscuit the place had been practically deserted.

Jason slowed, turning off Shabba Ranks’s reggae rap because now he had to focus. (“Make yuh choo-choo like a train…”) This is where it gets tricky as shit, he thought. He pulled over; the second car followed closely. Jason kicked open his door and hopped out. “We’re gonna hafta huff it for about a mile up to Pointer Ridge.”

“Shit, man, I don’t want to hike all that way,” Carl complained.

“You know what?” Jason stuck his head back into the car and stared as Carl tried to crawl out of the Camaro’s tiny backseat. “You really are a f*cking faggot.”

“F*ck you,” Carl muttered for the millionth time. “I’m just tired’s all.”

“Get out so Bert can move. You’re no faggot, are you, Bert?”

Bert was a lineman, a body crusher; and he’d be a lineman the rest of his life, near as Jason could tell. Always staring at girls like he was Lurch from The Addams Family. Not that any girl would go near him. Jason figured Bert was storing up the sight of legs and tits for later use. A goddamn squirrel thinking only of his nuts. Well, not only de nutbag, mon.

“Everybody,” Jason said after the guys emptied out of the two cars, “shut the f*ck up when we get near the ridge. You want to see some f*cking ass, you shut your f*cking pie holes.”

“I’m planning on a whole lot more than seein’ some ass,” Ryan Petress said. The team’s split end.

“Yeah, Ryan, what’re you thinkin’?”

“I’m thinkin’ we’re raidin’ their hot witchy asses.” That set off a cheer.

“Yeah, nobody ever recognize you.”

“It’s dark.”

“Ain’t that dark, bro. Full f*cking moon. Let’s just get up there, see what happens. Hey, they may be rapin’ us.”

They set off like they were possessed, except for Carl, dragging ass like always. Got de moves of a potted plant.

The team settled down, but the trees went off like .22s every time an arm or a shoulder caught a branch.

“Watch your goddamn step,” Jason hissed. “You want them throwin’ on their panties before we get there?”

“Long as we get to tear the f*ckers off,” Ryan said.

Carl laughed, but like he had to.

Jason scrabbled up to where the trail fed onto the ridge, and crept to the overlook.

Holy f*cking boom dogs, mon. They were all starting to stand, turning this way and that, really showing off their snatches. Giving him a crotchful, thanks to Mr. Moon. Couldn’t be more than a hundred, hundred fifty feet away down in the clearing. Twenty of ’em, at least.

Shit. Some were guys, including the one with the butt that had caught Jason’s eyes.

“Hey, Carl, check it out,” he whispered. “There’s your boyfriend,” he said, pointing to the dude Jason had wanted to ream till he figured out the owner of that firm round ass had a goddamn dick.

Now he could see the girl who’d f*cked his brother, moonlight splashing all over her tits and tattoos. F*cking whore. Killer whore.

“We got to get closer,” Jason said, drawn in by the raw excitement of so much willing p-ssy. Beside him, Ryan was panting and Bert was almost drooling, staring like a starving squirrel.

* * *

Forensia brushed bits of dry grass off her legs and bottom, more conscious of her nudity now that she was standing and could feel eyes on her. Richtor’s, yes, but other Pagans, too, about half of them witches. She didn’t blame any of them for looking—she would have, in their place. Still, all those eyes on her … it felt like a million. Not that she was self-conscious about her appearance. She worked hard on the farm. Her arms, legs, back, all showed her strength, and her belly was tight and narrow.

GreenSpirit stepped naked from the shadows and raised her arms before them.

Oh my God, Forensia almost exclaimed aloud. It’s her. It’s really her.

Heart Warrior had intimated that a high priestess would conduct the initiation, but GreenSpirit herself? The rumors about her being around had been true, after all. GreenSpirit had been known to suddenly appear at such ceremonies, but Forensia had refused to let herself hope that the Wiccan leader would show up at her own initiation.

The tall woman stepped into the circle of power, her back to the altar. Her eyes roamed the gathering: almost two dozen devoted followers. She was naked but for a beaded necklace with a wooden ankh, the same symbol Forensia had tattooed on her shoulder. And GreenSpirit’s face glowed in the moonlight, lean as her long limbs, and as serious as the spiritual practice she had long embraced.

“Shall we begin?” With a brief wave of her hand, GreenSpirit drew Forensia and Sang-mi into the circle and made them kneel before her. With another gesture, she banished the Pagans who were not witches, including Richtor, to a natural amphitheater hidden in the trees beyond the far side of the clearing. Heart Warrior had instructed them to conduct a silent ritual in support of the two young initiates.

Forensia felt the lingering intensity of the woman’s gaze even after GreenSpirit turned to study Sang-mi. She thought the witch had a handsome face, a commanding presence. GreenSpirit had reportedly spent her adult life moving from coven to coven, nation to nation, making mysterious visits to powerful men and women, and occasionally speaking in public of the threats to Gaia. “Gaia is an organism as alive as you or me,” she’d often said, “and it has its own survival foremost in mind.” Now she repeated those cautionary words as the ceremony began, adding, “Gaia is magic. And magic is the science of the control of nature. Someday, science will understand what we know in our hearts: that other worlds thrive within and without.”

She looked back down to Forensia and Sang-mi. “Have you studied the Law of Threefold Return?”

“Whatever action a person takes, good or bad,” the two answered in unison, “will return to them with three times as much force.”

“Do you know this in your hearts?”

“Yes,” they said.

“And the eight virtues?”

“Beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence.”

GreenSpirit turned from them, raised her eyes to the pentagram, whirled back around—arms reaching up to the night sky, as if imploring the moon. Then she lowered her hands so that she could cup Forensia’s face and draw her close. The initiate closed her eyes in anticipation of a kiss.

“Open your eyes,” GreenSpirit whispered.

Forensia complied, staring into the witch’s large green irises, eyes that were wild with an exuberant, entrancing spirit. The Pagan leader remained only a sweet breath away, so close that Forensia could indeed have kissed her. Wanted to kiss the swooning seductive power of belief, not body. For the first time that night, Forensia fully sensed the lush world of mysticism and magic that awaited her.

The witch’s hands warmed, quickly becoming as hot as stove pads. GreenSpirit drew away so slowly that seconds passed before the tips of her fingers lost contact with Forensia’s cheeks.

GreenSpirit repeated these actions with Sang-mi. She and the Korean woman were locked in an intense union when the night’s silence was suddenly broken by the snapping and trampling of nearby branches.