Issabeau clutched her mother’s frail body, desperately begging her not to die.  

Katianna’s violet eyes, faded with age, smiled gently up at Issabeau, unafraid of death. A sudden stillness seemed to seize the air as the Elder closed her eyes; her sharp inhale echoed through the room, this last breath signally she was gone…

In shock, Issabeau stared down at the warm, now lifeless body.

Death’s finality triggered a flood of memories, a stream of the overwhelming and profound losses in Issabeau’s life: the loss of her home, her identity, her safety, and now her mother.

Stored deep within Issabeau’s body, and now refusing to be ignored, the flooding ache of these repressed memories and their unexpressed grief aggressively pushed their way up through her chest, exploding into tears.

Clutching her mother’s limp body, Issabeau buried her face into her chest, smothering her desperate cries of heartache; tears perpetuated by the burning loneliness that now consumed her.

Eventually, the grieving daughter had to prepare her mother’s body for the ancient, sacred burial.  Wiping her tears away, Issabeau gathered her strength to remove herself from the bedside she had held steadfast to, realizing aloud to no one who could hear, that what was happening here in this very moment was real; even though the room of their small, rustic cabin seemed to have become very unreal.

Issabeau stood and stretched her weary legs.  She walked to the hearth, fed it a log, then stared at the embers that sparked to life from the fresh wood. Time seemed to stand still as she stared more deeply into the fire, forgetting where she was until its intense heat broke her out of her spell. It was time to begin what she dreaded to start.

With gentleness and care, Issabeau removed her mother’s night dress and washed the frail body with a sanctified magical elixir.  Next, she wrapped her mother in a prepared white cloth scented with lavender, while chanting the expected ritual hymns; thanking the Great Goddess for blessing Creation with her mother.

Lifting the slight and shrouded body, Issabeau carried her mother outside into the cold winter dawn. The rising sun shot rays of burnt orange through the forest treetops, illuminating the crisp, snow laden clearing, as if outlining Issabeau’s path to the consecrated, wooden alter prepared for this moment. The alter that would be her mother’s final journey to their Creator, the Great Goddess.

While numbed in a dreamy daze, Issabeau carefully lay the body on the alter, gently smoothing out the fabric of the white shroud, making everything perfect. Exhaling loudly, while feeling a painful lump in her throat that felt as if she would choke, Issabeau took a long last look at the wrapped flesh of her mother.  The body that had lovingly cuddled Issabeau, held her, was familiar to her.  Every fiber of Issabeau fought against letting go of the flesh, because once the flesh is gone, nothing is left.

Denial started voicing its thoughts in Issabeau’s mind.  Maybe her mother isn’t really dead?  If Issabeau started the fire, she would be killing her mother! Issabeau fought the compulsive urge to touch the body to see if she was alive.  Maybe it wasn’t her mother? Issabeau’s head hurt as the volume of the denying voice intensified. Issabeau knew the only way to get rid of the voice was to start the fire.  She had to accept the inevitable.  

Issabeau took a few steps back, closed her eyes, and with a thought ignited the fire, turning the funerary arrangement into a resplendent blaze.

The rush of white heat, as the fire engulfed the alter and its offerings caused Issabeau to stumble back. Regaining her balance, and her mind, she stared blankly at her mother’s burning body as it enchanted the color of the flames; violet from the color of her mother’s eyes and white the color of her hair.  

Only one creature in Creation could enchant a fire like this.  

A Sisullia.

Like her mother, Issabeau is a Sisullia – beings that are of the Great Goddess, a Divine Essence of Pure Magic.  The sole purpose of a Sisullia’s existence in Creation is to be a Métier:  the voice and protection for nature, the environment, and all animals of land, water and air from non-magical and magical beings.

A Sisullia’s Pure Magic is almost infinite, particularly allowing them to communicate telepathically and with spoken word with all beings of Creation. Susillia’s are also powerful healers, can create and control the elements of water, earth, fire and air, and when necessary to avoid harm to self or others – control animals under their command.  However, they are not able to create inanimate objects.  Nor can they create anything living. It is only the Great Goddess who has infinite magic and can birth the miracle of Life.

The most powerful beings in Creation, the Sisullia’s form are made in the likeness of non-magical beings called humans.  They are always female, small in stature never growing over 5’6, have long white hair, snow-white skin with eyes either the color of bright violet, dazzling azure blue or sparkling gold.

A Sisullia’s home is the Isle of Lindorly. The Isle of Lindorly is a mystic haven of Supreme Magic, hidden from the rest of Creation to protect the Sisullia because of their Sacred Essence, their powerful magic and how very few in population there are. 

The Great Goddess only allows for three Sisullia to exist at one time. 

The Queen and Elder Sisullia resides on Lindorly. Her role is to give birth to the Third Sisullia, then raise her to be Métier.

The Second Sisullia is an active Métier, relocated to a region in Creation where animals and the environment need her protection and care. The Second is accompanied by six Sentinel Gargoyles who are her fiercely loyal bodyguards.

The Sentinel Gargoyles are an army of warriors created by the Great Goddess to guard and protect the Sisullia and Isle of Lindorly. Co-inhabiting the Isle with the Sisullia, this army of gargoyles and their families are the Sisullia’s only friends.  But don’t let this friendly side trick you; Sentinel Gargoyles are the mightiest warriors in Creation. 

When the Queen and Elder Sisullia dies, the Second Sisullia and Sentinel Gargoyles return to the Isle of Lindorly. The Second Sisullia becomes Queen and Elder. The newly trained Third Sisullia moves to Second and fulfills her destiny as Métier. The Queen will be impregnated by immaculate conception by the Great Goddess. She then gives birth to a new Third.  

This is the way of the Cycle of the Sisullia since the Great Goddess Herself created time.

Because the Sisullia are hidden from the populations of Creation, only the ruling sovereignty of a race, tribe or kingdom can affiliate with her.  This is for her protection.

This is because all beings of Creation have free will, and free will breeds dangerous behavior.  Dangerous behavior like greed and envy.  So, the fewer beings who know the truth about the existence of the Sisullia, the better.  

Therefore, the Sisullia, the army of Sentinel Gargoyles and their sanctuary of the Isle of Lindorly have remained a truth to a select few; and as it should be… a bedtime fable or epic tavern tale to the rest of the beings in Creation.

Of course, all animals in Creation know about the Isle of Lindorly, the Sisullia and the Sentinel Gargoyles.  This is for piece of mind because they know they have a Savior. That whatever “beings” – magic or non-magic – in Creation try to do to the environment and animals, they are safe from free will.

Then the inconceivable happened.

For the first time in its history, the Isle of Lindorly was invaded.  How? A dark magic, thought impossible to exist, was incredibly created or found.  These brutal human invaders calling themselves BloodSkulls were actually able to use this impossible dark magic to find the hidden Isle of Lindorly and attempt to capture the two Sisullia and the entire army of Sentinel Gargoyles.  

A great battled ensued, and only three inhabitants escaped capture – Queen and Elder Sisullia Katianna, newborn Third Sisullia Issabeau and Malfius, High Commander of the Sentinel Gargoyles.  

Thus, resulting in the absolute unthinkable; these three Divine fugitives fled for safety in the dangerous realm of Creation.

∞

Enchantment

Enchantment – Introduction

Enchantment – Chapter One

Enchantment – Chapter Two

Enchantment – Chapter Three

Enchantment – Chapter Four

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