Take what you need, Giuliana.
Snow. He was there too, hovering over Red. She had her nose to the air, breathing deeply, and pulling from the air.
Like this, Giuliana. Take it.
Giuliana mirrored her wolf, lifting her face into the wind and breathing deeply. Pure essence filled her lungs, and she gathered it in her chest before leaning down and breathing it over Kalinda. It pressed into Kalinda, forcing her color back. It wasn’t permanent, but it kept her from slipping over the precipice no one could grab her back from.
“Good, chile. More.”
She was so focused on her work, she hadn’t heard the witch doctor return. Giuliana did as Zahara asked, pulling more from the world around her to give to Kalinda. Her head was swirling, but she fought to contain the energy.
“Romano, hold your mate’s other hand. Let her know what to come back to.”
Giuliana didn’t pay attention to him, concentrating on giving Kalinda what she could.
“I’m going to use Silva’s blood. Giuliana, whatever happens, don’t you let her go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Zahara pulled out a wicked blade and sliced open Silva’s palm. Putting her hand back with Kalinda’s, she lowered them to the ground. She then stepped back, her white gown fluttering on the wind. Zahara had changed and her face was all white along with a white headwrap on her head.
She danced, singing a song Giuliana couldn’t understand. Faster and faster she moved, swaying back and forth with her dress flying out around her. Drums filled the air from somewhere unknown and matched her rhythm. They moved as partners.
“Omi tutu. Ona tutu. Ile tutu. Ori tutu. Tutu Esu. Tutu Orisa. Tutu Egun mi. Tutu bobo Egun ara orun tiembelese Oludumare.”
Zahara kept going, lifting her head to the sky as she sang. Giuliana poured more magic into Kalinda. Zahara moved closer to the prone women, pushing her hands at them.
“Hear me!”
The ground vibrated underneath them, but Zahara didn’t hesitate. She danced with the earth’s vibrations. Lightning shot through the sky.
“Kawo Shango. Modupe Ogun. Come to me, for I am the Mother of Nine.”
The lightning danced, streaking down and shattering around Zahara. The trees seemed to lean to meet her, the earth rising under her feet. Rain pelted their bodies, a pure torrential storm created with Zahara at the center.
She laughed, a sound that wasn’t her own. Her eyes hazed with purple, and machetes slipped from her skirt. Nine in all, they danced around her, glinting in the lightning and dancing as thunder boomed.
Silva and Kalinda lifted into the air and hovered at eye level with Giuliana. Zahara directed the storm at Silva. The Fae twitched and jerked. Blast after blast of lightning struck her heart with a forceful punch.
“Ogun, former of the body, knit her back together. Shango, give life to her heart. Obatala, bring back her consciousness!”
Zahara was screaming now, her words almost manic as she moved. She continued chanting, stomping her feet in groups of threes as she moved. Finally, one of the blades shot away and Giuliana heard a deer wail. Another blade whizzed by, and each of them were met with a cry.
Blood. Offering.
Giuliana didn’t know why those words entered her mind. But the earth’s life increased, pushing more inside her with every inhale.
Take what you need as you asked, daughter.
More power fed into Giuliana, and she fed it into the maelstrom, enraptured by Zahara’s connection with the very elements and their acceptance of Giuliana as well.
Silva grunted. Fucking grunted!
Kalinda moaned.
“Mate!”
“Silva.”
