Cernunnos

(From the Magickal Sisterhood Series)

“There’s a whole field over there,” Freya said, pointing to mushrooms sprouting through thatch in the forest.

“Those are Hen of the Woods,” Ginevra replied, annoyed. “We’re looking for Fly Agaric.”

“But we’re supposed to get Hen of the Woods too,” Freya complained. She was tired and wanted to stop walking. She knew the only way to do that was to make it seem as if she were working.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Ginevra replied. “We have all the Hen of the Woods back home we need for the season. Let’s keep moving.”

Freya groaned and kept up her snail’s pace of a search.

“Seriously,” Ginevra laughed at her baby sister’s feeble attempt to get out of work. “Those mushrooms don’t even resemble each other.”

“It’s dark, okay?” Freya smarted back.

“The moon is full,” Ginevra replied. “You can see just fine.”

Freya stomped away like a disappointed child until her long, sandy blond hair got caught on a twig. The youngest sister yelled and dropped her basket to untangle her messy curls from their latest captor.

“I told you to bring a hair tie,” Ginevra reprimanded as she checked her own auburn locks, which sat in a nice bun on the top of her head.

“Stop wasting time, so I do all the work,” Ginevra continued. “You’re always pulling crap like this.”

Freya looked to her older sister. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what it means. We’ve been having this same argument for centuries. You’ll never change.”

“Did you see that?” Freya asked in a way that indicated to Ginevra she wasn’t wasting time.

“See what?” Ginevra asked, taking her eyes off the ground, moving them in the same direction as her sister’s gaze.

“A wolf,” Freya answered and pointed to a clearing in the woods. Through the brush, Ginevra could make out a thick tail with tufts of beige, white, and black.

“I know that wolf. If she’s around, that means he’s not far behind.”

Freya and Ginevra turned around just in time to hear hooves approaching.

“Well, if it isn’t Ginevra and Freya,” a booming voice announced as The Horned One made his appearance known.

Cernunnos was hard to miss when he was in your presence. Standing taller than a two-story building, he donned a set of antlers that would make the most mature buck green with envy. His chest was chiseled like the God Adonis himself. His horns protruded from a nest of wavy brown curls that glistened with strands of silver.

The bottom half of his body resembled the rear end of an antelope with legs that towered over the sisters. His hooves left prints in the mud that they could stand in.

“Cernunnos,” Ginevra said, acknowledging the hooved, horned half-man standing in front of them. “What are you doing here?”

Cernunnos smiled. “Looking for you. Where is your oldest sister?”

“She’s not here,” Ginevra answered. Freya remained silent and grabbed her older sister’s hand.

“I can see that,” The Horned One said. Then he hopped over their heads and landed behind them in what seemed to be an instant.

From the look of him, one would not think Cernunnos could move so fast. He was monstrous, towering over the sisters. Plus, his girth was solid and thick. Yet, when the Stag wanted to get from one place to another, he could do it with the speed and grace of a doe.

“So,” Cernunnos hissed as he leaned his head down close to the women’s faces. “Are you going to tell me where I can find Allegra?”

“What have you been eating?” Freya asked, making an “ew” face.

The Stag stood again and put a hand to his mouth. He breathed into it and took a whiff. “Does my breath smell?” Cernunnos asked.

“It’s not great,” Freya replied.

“ENOUGH!” Cernunnos yelled, remembering himself. The blood sisters felt the ground shake beneath them. “WHERE IS ALLEGRA?!!”

“What do you want with her?” Ginevra answered God’s question with a question.

“I’m bored,” Cernunnos replied as he checked his long, pointed fingernails. “And I remembered how much fun it is to mess with her.” He chuckled. “I put some scouts out to find her, but they came up short. Then I smelled you in the woods here and viola!”

Freya and Ginevra looked at each other. Then they looked up to the Stag and said nothing. Cernunnos growled, and the sisters felt their knees bang together. Cernunnos began to circle them, and at first, Ginevra and Freya were able to keep their eyes on him. But the Stag picked up the pace and moved so fast the sisters couldn’t see him anymore. Instead, the witches found themselves in the eye of a small hurricane.

“WHAT DO WE DO!?” Freya screamed at her older sister. The wind whipped around them both, causing Freya’s hair to blow in her face.

“I DON’T KNOW!” Ginevra answered. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS?”

“NO!” Freya replied.

“WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO COME UP WITH IDEAS?!”

“GINNY! I COME UP WITH IDEAS!!”

“NO, YOU DON’T!” Ginevra was doing her best to keep her feet on the ground in the midst of all this wind. “ALL YOU DO IS COMPLAIN. THAT’S WHY WE’RE OUT SO LATE, AND NOW WE’RE STUCK IN THIS HURRICANE WITH THIS PSYCHO!!”

“OH, SO NOW IT’S MY FAULT!!?” Freya fought back.

“WHATEVER! I’M SO TIRED OF YOUR BULLSHIT! I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU ANYMORE!!!”

And with that, Freya was swept up the center of Cernunnos’ cyclone and disappeared.

“FREYA!!” Ginevra called out as the cyclone faded away. The witch found herself alone in the forest as a group of clouds covered the moon. “FREYA!” Ginevra continued to call out as darkness took her and the forest.

Hours passed. Ginevra continued to move through the woods looking for something, anything that seemed like a clue. She called out, “FREYA!!” more times than she could remember. Tears stained her cheeks as the wind began to pick up. Ginevra’s chest was filled with anxiety, and she was freezing. She didn’t realize it was this cold out when they left that evening. Allegra told her to wear a heavier jacket, but, just as Freya didn’t listen to her, Ginevra had to admit she didn’t listen to their oldest sister either.

Ginevra considered texting Allegra, but Cernunnos was watching. She knew it. She had to be careful not to give the Stag any hint of where her oldest sister was.

Wait a minute. Ginevra thought. I’ve been doing this all wrong.

She began to call. “CERNUNNOS!!! Come out!! I’m ready to talk!”

The Stag appeared before her. “I’m glad you came to your senses,” Cernunnos said. He towered over her, just as before. But Ginevra felt much smaller and more vulnerable without Freya by her side.

“Where’s my sister?” Ginevra demanded as best she could. She knew her voice was shaking, but how could it not? Cernunnos was a monster.

“That’s what I want to know,” the Stag answered.

“You know I mean Freya. Where did you put her?”

“How do you know I didn’t kill her?”

“All three of us know that you’re bound to our mother. She may be dead, but your commitment to her is as old as time. Killing her children would send you into a whirlwind of darkness. My mother might be Earth dead, but she isn’t powerless.”

Cernunnos grinned as a twinkle of delight danced in his eyes. “You speak the truth. But there is nothing in my bond with your mother about keeping her my captive.”

Ginevra didn’t think of that. She found herself without words.

“I can hold onto Freya forever if I want to. I’m a God. You’re a mere witch. Witches may live for centuries. But I could hold her until the day she dies. You’d never see her again.”

Ginevra felt the tears in her eyes swell to the point where she could barely make out where the Stag left off, and the trees began.

“Now, where is your oldest sister? Give me Allegra, and I’ll return Freya to you unharmed.”

Ginevra sat down on a nearby stump. She turned her tear-stained face up to Cernunnos, who overpowered her in size and magic.

“No,” Ginevra said. Then she crossed her legs and arms in defiance.

“So, you love Allegra more than Freya.”

“That’s not true,” Ginevra began to argue.

“Freya is well aware of the deal I’m striking here. When I go back to her, how do you think she’s going to feel? Freya will die betrayed by her sister.”

“No, she won’t,” Ginevra replied. “The three of us have a pact. She wouldn’t break it any more than I would. I don’t care what you tell Freya. She knows I’ll never give up, Allegra.”

Cernunnos stood tall over Ginevra. “What if I decide to take you too?” the Stag asked with a deafening bark.

“You won’t.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Cernunnos said, leaning in closer. Ginevra felt his breath on her face, head, and shoulders.

“You won’t do that,” the witch insisted. “If you do, who will go back to Allegra and tell her you have Freya?”

Cernunnos stood up again, and the smile had disappeared from his face. Ginevra continued to explain.

“Freya and I are the only two who know where Allegra is, and you already have Freya. You’ll be giving up your only chance of weeding her out into the open if you take me too. But if I tell her what happened, she’ll come looking for Freya. And that will bring her out into the open.”

The Stag was silent for a moment. Then he began to laugh and shouted, “You just gave me a great idea.”

Ginevra said nothing and let the Stag boast.

“You’re going back to Allegra and tell her I have Freya. If she wants her little sister back, Allegra must come here by sunset tomorrow. Otherwise, I will keep Freya forever!”

“Okay,” Ginevra said.

“Okay,” Cernunnos repeated.

Ginevra covered her head as a burst of wind came in and stirred up the forest surrounding them. The leaves and debris from the ground were swept into a cyclone around the Stag until a tornado covered him. Once the wind funnel reached his head, the twisting ceased, and Cernunnos was gone.

Ginevra stood from the stump she’d been sitting on and headed through the woods toward home. Allegra was there waiting for them, and she had to hurry. Boy, were they lucky to do that home protection spell yesterday morning; it had to be the only reason Cernunnos couldn’t detect their house or Allegra. Ginevra had to tell her oldest blood sister about Freya and the Stag. It wouldn’t be long before he saw through their protection spell and located their home, and then none of them would be safe.

As Ginevra moved through the woods, she couldn’t believe how quiet it was without her baby sister. She wasn’t sure how they were going to get her back. Allegra was going to be super pissed and blame her. She knew it. Ginevra was going to get a HUGE lecture on how it was her job to protect Freya.

“I’m no match for the Stag,” Ginevra argued out loud, preparing to stand up for herself. But then Ginevra realized that Allegra would know that too, and if she got angry, it would only be because she’s worried about Freya. Allegra also won’t hesitate to meet with Cernunnos, which brings other dangers.

Ginevra began to cry again as she moved faster. Their house was still several miles away. She regretted not listening to Freya when she suggested they drive. Ginevra thought they could find the mushrooms they needed in the woods on their property. She didn’t realize their foraging would take them so far away.

Now, Ginevra had to rush back, and she didn’t have her baby sister. A gust of wind passed by, making the leaves rustle. Upon hearing the foliage move about in the breeze, Ginevra’s tears increased. How could I be so mean to Freya? She thought. Now I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again.

When the last thought moved through her head, Ginevra stopped walking and began to run. She had to get back to the house. Allegra would know what to do!

As Ginevra ran, she reached the section of woods behind their property. She picked up the pace until she could see the lights from their back porch. Her legs were tired, but Ginevra ran faster. She could make out someone on the porch. Waiting for her. It was as if Allegra knew…

“HI!” a voice screamed out at Ginevra, and a body jumped in front of her. Ginevra was running at full speed, so she and the unknown body collided and tumbled to the ground.

Ginevra gained her composure and turned to see Freya lying on the ground beside her.

“Surprise,’ Freya said with a groan and a smile.

“Freya!” Ginevra hollered and grabbed her little sister. “Are you okay?”

The young witch let her older sister hug her until she couldn’t breathe anymore.

“I’m okay,” Freya shouted. Then she pushed her way out of Ginevra’s embrace. They both stood and, for a moment, looked happy to be with each other.

“Ginny, did you miss me?” Freya teased.

“Of course, I missed you. I thought we lost you for good this time.”

“Nope,” Freya said, and she started walking toward the house. Ginevra followed.

“What the Stag didn’t know is that those wolves he hired have ties to Mama.”

“I thought I recognized that tail,” Ginevra squealed.

“Yup. I had a long conversation with them, and they realized they had to let me go. Otherwise, they would be breaking their vow to Momma before she died.”

“To protect us when needed,” Ginevra said.

“Right. I daydream a lot, but I remember that.”

“Where are the wolves now?”

“Back at the house with Allegra,” Freya answered. “Now that they’ve found us, they don’t need Cernunnos anymore.”

“Imagine how upset he’s going to be when he finds you’ve escaped.”

Freya laughed. Then the two witches heard a frustrated groan come from the sky. Humans would call it thunder. They knew it was the cries of a God who had been beaten, at least for now.

The blood sisters picked up their pace until they reached the safety of their home with Allegra and the wolves. They all knew this battle was far from over.