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Kathleen and Chrisween

chapter 7

The trials of Kathleen

The faceless hooded voices assault Kathleen like arrows flung in battle as she enter the circle of stones. Edging forward cowering on the ground, she flinches as volition rattles her consciousness. She cries out in fear. “What do you want of me? Who are you? I was transformed into a wolf, I cannot help you.” Her words echo about the henge.

The soft but commanding voice of Hehewuti calls for silence. A chilling mist forms in the henge a violet glow forms above the altar stone.  Kathleen trembles as the images of battles unfold, The Viking berserkers attacking, and pillaging of the henge, Avon’s cart battle and his escape, her being transformed, the sacking and slaughter of Wilton, The raping of her mother the killing of her parents reveled in full horrifying,  tormenting review. Kathleen howls in shattering agonizing pain. Her bowels churn in agonies; she cries out “why are you doing this to me?”
 
“She is a coward, a worthless coward not fit to breathe the foul air of the decaying fish.” The hooded Aspiration spoke form the mist. “Stop! It was you that lost the wheel.” Injected Hehewuti in a stern but soft voice. “If I had my Katara I would bleed her.” The hooded shadow of Agrona spoke grudgingly. “To your place, be silent.” Hehewuti commanded.  A strong wind stirred the mist as Agrona goddess of slaughter and revenge took her place among the stones.

Hehewuti spoke softly to Kathleen “Do not fear us we are the gods of the nature, I am Anu, the mother of the earth and queen of the gods of nature.”  “We called you here to help you and to ask your help. The Viking gods have stolen the wheel of Helios the star wheel it tells us when to change the seasons. It open the door way to the afterworld our home. Without it time is stop. We need to recover it” “we are trapped here in this circle of stones.”


Kathleen mind a battles raging of thoughts and images unsure of what is real, she knows she was standing here moment ago a young woman dressing the altar stone with burnt orchids and mistletoe, but time has not past yet these things have happen. Is this all a bad dream, the pain in this body is real enough she see her hands are the paws of a wolf. She senses Chrisween and sees her with that highlander. All these hooded figures are they really the gods she has been worshiping? And what is to become of her? She want to be back in her own body she wants this all to end.  She shouts “Go away, leave me alone.” She crawls between the stones fearing to be struck down any moment the fear plunges her into unconsciousness.

Agrona charges Kathleen to strike a blow stepping on her throat shouting “let’ be done with her. She has no meat. Her blood is soured and weak.”
“No! Driving back Agrona, Hehewuti gushed letting her hooded cloak fall over Kathleen tormented body protecting her. We will place in her what powers we possess.”
Brigid goddess of fire, fertility, the hearth, love, and all feminine arts and crafts, and the art of seduction, came to Kathleen side saying “I will endow her with my powers.”   
Agrona jilted Brigid empathic charge erring “You would have her seduce the Viking into returning the wheel.” 
            “Merlin can you help her?” Hehewuti begs.
“I cannot change her back she must find her own courage and will to live. My magic will not help her.” Merlin replies.
            “Agrona, it is you who failed to return the wheel and lost your Katara in the bargain.” Hehewuti charged.
            “It was not I it was that christen highlander, his cross grab my Katara and I was thrown back here trapped in this circle of stone like you”
“That is true it was Thor’s handy work. We cannot but offer men our nature they can choose to do our biding or not.” Spoke Hehewuti giving solace to the charge.
“That’s it!” Merlin exclaimed “The she wolf she is still an animal of nature I can magic the wolf, Brigid can endow her with the power of a woman. Agrona can possess the she wolf.”
“Wait the she is not strong enough to have three beings in her.” Hehewuti stresses. “The She has the mind of a child in the body of a wolf; the being of Chrisween the wolf is in the girl Kathleen and the being of Kathleen in the she.”
Cernowian god of the forest speaks “I will give her the strength of a thousand oaks’.”
Hehewuti check the body of Kathleen “She is dying her spirit is leaving the body of the she wolf. Merlin; do something quickly or we will lose our only hope of retrieving the wheel”
Merlin enter the spirit world blocking Kathleen path appearing as her father “Kathleen you must go back into the wolf we need you to help your mother and I will be waiting for you. We cannot enter the afterworld the way is block and time has stop.”
 Kathleen turns her back on him crying “you are not my father; you are one of them demons.”
Merlin changes back to his form and implore Kathleen “only a pure heart could see that. You are the one to make the world right again.”
Kathleen turns back getting in Merlin face “I can see that Chrisween she is loving up to that highlander, purring and rubbing on him, like a barn cat after milk and in my body.”
“I sense you are in love the highlander yourself.”  Merlin replies.
 “No I am not but he is quite hansom and brave. I want my body back and I don’t want to be a wolf.”
“If you don’t go back he will be killed and Chrisween will be stuck in your body forever and you will be stuck here in the spirit world.” Merlin counters.  
Kathleen battles back “She is reckless and kills for the fun of it she will get us all killed.  She is a she wolf bitch. I don’t want to be in her body”
Merlin responds “Its Agrona’s Katar it is thirsty for blood if it fall in to the hands of man there will be a war that won’t end till all are dead. Chrisween can handle the Katar she is still a wolf she kills to protect herself and love ones. Man is the only one that kills for sport and bloodletting.”
“If I go back into that body it is still racked with pain its bone are broken how can I help being in that thing?”
“I will magic it you will feel as if you were in your own body. But you will have to enter it and give it the will to live. It is mortal and needs a spirit to live.” Merlin bargains.

Kathleen reluctantly reenters the she. She stands on wobbly legs her tail hanging between them. Hehewuti starts to explain what is to happen to her. “Kathleen if you will let him Cernowian will give you the strength of a thousand oaks’. When you are ready Brigid will endow you with all her powers of a woman and then Agrona will join with you to help you with the Viking gods she thinks on their level and will help find the wheel of stars.” “I am give you the ability to speak as a human so you can tell Avon of all of this and recruit his help. Once you have recovered the wheel you are to bring it and the Katar to the temple of the moon. Agrona will show you the way.  No man should handle the Katar or the wheel you should only speak when no one but Avon or Chrisween can here you”

The mist begins to wade and the gods fade into the stones of the henge, Kathleen is standing tall for the first time in her life she feels powerful she feels a she could do anything. She feels the present of Agrona and the powers of a woman.


 Hehewuti appearing lager speaks to Kathleen I will put you back to the march on the Vikings. 

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