The Love of Power.doc

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1、The Love of Power by Maggie Shayne Chapter One It was an ordinary day, but she should have known her ordinary days were numbered. There was nothing ordinary about Solange Deveaux, though shed tried to create the illusion of the mundane. Shed tried. But how did one live a normal life when ones very e

2、ssence was intrinsically tied to a chunk of granite hidden in the belly of the Earth? Solange tugged weeds from the rose garden behind the manor house, her long skirts protected from the soil by the swatch of old fabric on which she knelt, just as her soft-skinned hands were protected by the gloves

3、she wore. Nothing, though, could protect her from what she was. Not the happy home shed made, not the precious little boy running and playing in the backyard, not even Jonathon. By the gods, how she loved that man. And shed never told him. Not in the seven years theyd been living in marital bliss. S

4、hed hoped she would never have to. But now. She felt it, all at once, and her hands stilled, gripping a stubborn weed as she lifted her head and looked around. There was something a chill in the air. A static energy that crackled and sparked. A feeling of evil. The very ground beneath her began to t

5、remble. In the distance, she heard a voice calling her name. 1 Solange, come. Come to me. No she whispered. She didnt know whose voice it was, though it seemed deep and vaguely familiar. She only knew it was something otherworldly, supernatural. She was through with all of that. The ground shook har

6、der, still harder, and beneath her hands it cracked the very earth splitting as a fissure opened in its surface. A window exploded above her, raining a shower of shattered glass down on her head. Mommy! Her little boy raced toward her even as she ran to gather him into her arms. She hugged him again

7、st her skirts, leaving soil handprints on his shoulders. An ice-cold wind like the very breath of evil unnatural and foul, plunged the temperature downward so fast she could see her breath as she hustled her child up the back steps and into the house. She kept hold of him, running through the back d

8、oor and the kitchens, into the parlor where she came to a sudden halt as that voice came again. Come to me, Solange. Do as I say! I have the Stone! Her heart contracted in her chest. This dark presence had the Stone? What if he destroyed it? What would become of her then? She thought she knew her fa

9、te was bound to that stone. But she didnt want to think about that, not now. The earth shook harder, and another window shattered. I have the power to take all you have. Your precious Jonathon. Your little boy. Never! she shouted, hugging Bobby closer. Mamma? She looked down into the trusting eyes o

10、f her son, aware he couldnt hear the voice that she heard. Nor was he likely sensing the evil that chilled the very air. He was a boy. The power of her line passed only to daughters. Pasting a reassuring smile onto her face, she knelt in front of her child. Its nothing, Bobby. Only a passing storm.

11、Go now, go on up to your bedroom and work on your lessons. Butwhats happening, Mamma? Its only a storm, love. Only a storm. Go now. Pappa will be home soon. The cherub-faced child seemed reassured by her confident tone, her genuine-looking smile, her promise that his beloved father would soon return

12、. How Bobby loved him. 2 She walked him up the stairs to his room, but as soon as he was safely behind its closed door, she rushed ahead, wrenching open the door at the end of the hall and starting up its dusty, dark stairway. Ill destroy this entire city unless you obey me, Solange! Ill destroy you

13、! So frightened her entire body trembled, Solange continued up the stairs. Her hand ran along the wall beside her as she moved, until she felt the candleholder there, a taper at the ready, a match sticking out of its base, for easy access. She tugged the match loose, struck it on the wall, lit the c

14、andle and let its light guide her up the stairs. Something was tugging her, pulling her. There was no question in her mind that she needed to open the trunk shed vowed she would never open again. And even with that she knew it might well be too late. Her charge was to keep the power alive, to keep t

15、he Stone safe. If it were destroyed while under her protection, her link to her ancestral power would end. And maybe.maybe even her life. That was the bargain her ancestors had made. Shed never thought anyone would find the Stone, with or without her magical help. Crossing the attic toward its darke

16、st corner, she moved aside boxes, tugged off the old sheet that covered the trunk, knelt beside it, and felt for the key tucked into the hidden compartment beneath one of the hinges. When she had the trunk open, she felt a rush of power, one she hadnt felt in years. Whispers seemed to waft from that

17、 box, voices from the past, womens voices. She felt their breath rushing past her face as she reached inside and removed the tools of the woman she had once been. She was the only living female of her line. And she had turned her back on her calling. Her duty. Now, though.now something threatened he

18、r family. She had to reclaim her power. She removed the items one by one, then spread the altar cloth over the flat top of the trunk. Then she laid out the tools. The cauldron and chalice, the scrying mirror, the double-edged dagger, the censer. One by one she placed them in their proper positions.

19、Then opened the drawstring pouch and cast the cowries shells and interpreted the message revealed in the way they fell. Disaster. A day of reckoning. A curse to come. An evil that must be stopped. A call to action that could not be avoided. Shaking her head, wishing for a way around the inevitable,

20、she whispered, And what if I refuse? She gathered the stones, and cast them again. The death of a child. Please, not that, she whispered. What must I do? Tell me, please, what must I do? 3 Chapter Two Swallowing her fear, and determined to find answers to her desperate question, Solange moved the ca

21、ndle aside, swept the shells from the surface of the trunk and focused on the scrying mirror. She gazed into its polished black surface and hoped her skills had not fled with the years of disuse. She let her eyes relax until her vision was an unfocused blur. Her mind went blank, and her muscles limp

22、. The breaths moved in and out of her lungs so slowly and softly that there was no line of demarcation between inhale and exhale. They rolled and receded gently, like waves over the shore. And the glass clouded. And the faces of her ancestors appeared in the mists. Mothers of my mothers, grandmother

23、s of my grandmothers, tell me what I must know, she intoned. The voices came, whispers, breaths, overlapping one another like a gathering of breezes, but gradually, they melded and became one. One voice, made up of many. Our powers pass to the women of our line, Solange. They have from time immemori

24、al. Always, there has been one carrying the power in each generation. And protecting its source. You chose to live as an ordinary woman. Tried to turn your back on your calling. You took for granted that the Stone of Power would remain hidden, safe, and you chose love over magic and duty because of

25、fear! You let fear rule you! But, Solange, you cannot change what you are. You are needed now. Its time to put the fear aside and take back your power. She shook her head slowly. I dont understand. Your lack of attention to your calling allowed the shields of protection to weaken, daughter. And now

26、the Stone of Power has fallen into evil hands. I never thought anyone would find it, buried in stone, in the wall of that cave. How could anyone find it? The daily rituals and magic the women of our line have always performed so faithfully, the prayers and offerings, the very act of being a witch an

27、d being alive to act as the Stones guardian, all these things added to the mystical shields we placed around the Stone of Power generations ago. But you failed in your duties, turned your back on magic, and so the shields weakened. He sensed it and now he has taken it. And he will use its power only

28、 to further his own. Who? Darien. Solange knew the name. The black sheep of a magical family, hed loved her since she was a small child. Hed known of her calling, her legacy, though, and shed been certain it was her power that drew him. His hunger for it, his desire to make it his own. Darien had ne

29、ver had the best interests of the whole in his heart. In his heart, there was only room for the best interests of Darien himself. Hed been furious when shed married Jonathon. 4 But, she said, speaking her thoughts aloud, hes only a man. Not anymore, the voices said. He used his knowledge of magic to

30、 grow in power. Even as the protective barriers placed around the Stone were weakening, Darien was getting stronger. And he never stopped searching for the Stone. When the shields grew weak enough, he sensed it and went to the cave to dig it out. And now it is in his hands. She could hear the unnatu

31、ral roar of the quaking earth outside, feel the deep chill penetrating her house. She thought she would need to kindle the hearths soon unheard of in midsummer. Beyond the house, flashes streaked across the sky. Not lightning.no, more like falling stars, or flaming meteors raining down on the Earth.

32、 What can he do with the Stone? Bind his energy to its energy, just as our ancestors did. Who knows of the results in one so evil? Our goal was always the greater good, the well-being of our line and our community and the planet. But in him immortality and ultimate power are his goals. It may be tha

33、t he will achieve them with the power of the Stone. Hes been calling to me. He wants me to come to him. Possessing you is another of his goals, along with untold wealth and limitless influence. Hes a madman, Solange. A madman. He threatened my child, she whispered. Of course he did. It would be in h

34、is best interests to see to it that our line ends with you, Solange. For he knows we are the only ones who can defeat him. Your child is in danger; he will attempt to harm Bobby, whether you obey his commands or not. If the Stone is destroyed, well end anyway. No, Solange. You are bound to the Stone

35、, as were your ancestors before you. Your essence is tied to its power, and because youve given in to fear for so long, youve let both the Stones protection and your own grow weak. Because of this, you may well end your mortal lifetime with the Stones destruction. Solange felt the truth of those wor

36、ds like blades of ice in her soul. But your line would not end. Nor would the magical skills passed on naturally through its bloodline. The only thing that would end is our familys link to the power of the Stone a gift and a charge we have treated with honor and reverence for generations upon genera

37、tions. She nodded slowly, closing her eyes. Im sorry. I.let you all down. Swallowing hard and lifting her head again, she said, Tell me what I have to do to save the lives of my son and the generations to come. Then she listened as the voices spoke to her. 5 Chapter Three I thought Id find you here.

38、 The sound of her beloved husbands voice was like a balm to Solanges frayed nerves. She rose quickly, turning in hopes of blocking her altar from Jonathons sight with her skirts. I.I was only. He stopped her attempted explanation by pulling her into his arms. Dont, my love. Dont try to explain. Not

39、now. By God, woman, have you any idea whats happening out there? She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his arms around her. This unnatural storm, you mean? Storm? Its no storm, Solange. There have been earthquakes. Meteors are pounding the French Quarter. The entire city is ablaze! She closed h

40、er eyes, wondering at the extent of Dariens power. You have to do something, my love, he whispered. Slowly, Solange lifted her head, searched her husbands deep brown eyes. She saw what they held: pure love for her. What do you mean? she whispered, terrified of his answer. Did you think Id never hear

41、d the rumors, the gossip about the women of your line? She pulled free of his embrace, her eyes widening. Gossip? What are you talking about, Jonathon? I know, Solange. Ive always known. You knew? she whispered. You chose not to share that part of yourself with me, and Ive tried to respect that. But

42、 now.now everythings changed. Everything. My God, there is destruction raining down on New Orleans from the skies. People are panicking, rioting. Some have already died. She shielded her eyes. He knew, he knew what she was. But did he realize what it meant? He couldnt or he would be turning away fro

43、m her already, she thought. Its only a quirk of nature, she said. It will surely pass. The air is alive with static. The ground is quaking, Solange, and every witch and priest and voudon in New Orleans has taken to the streets, all of them asking the same questions Whats happened? What can we do? An

44、d when they see me there, they run to me, their faces desperate as they ask me, Where is Solange? Why isnt she doing something? He held her shoulders firmly, refusing to let her turn away. The diviners on Rue Royale say that our son is in grave danger, Solange. Is it true? 6 I.I dont know, she said,

45、 aware now that there was no use in continuing to deny what she was to him. He knew her face. He wouldnt let her deceive him. Gathering her courage, she admitted, The black mirror says he could be. And is there something you can do? She lowered her head. Perhaps. Then for the love of God, do it. Whi

46、rling away from him, Solange paced the attic floor, her skirts swishing about her legs. You dont understand, Jonathon. This is not a mantle I can take up briefly. Once I make the decision, my life is no longer my own. I will be committed to serve the gods and the greater good, no matter what is aske

47、d of me. You our child our life together will no longer be my only, sometimes not even my primary focus. Thats the calling of my line, Jonathon. Its all or nothing. Thats why I gave it up. I knew you could never accept, nor did you deserve, a wife with such split loyalties. He stared at her for a lo

48、ng moment, holding her eyes, his own so full of love she ached upon seeing it. She could feel its touch. How could you have thought I would love you any less? Shock rinsed through her body. Solange, I thought you didnt want this.this witchery in your life. I had no idea you were living in denial of a sacred calling because of me. Not because of you. For you. And our child. But youve denied your true self. Ive been perfectly happy, Jonathon. But incomplete, Solange. Livin