Read Online Ordained by Devon Ashley - Free Book Online Page B

weaving through the tightly packed trees. The trail was well overgrown; it was clear hunters weren’t allowed to leave very often, if ever. Abby wondered if the three hens down in town flew the coop.
    Abby felt light on her feet, as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Her mood was more uplifted. Her time with Noel had completely released the negative energy this place had so quickly built up inside her.
    The festival in the town square was well under way. The gentle fall of snowflakes and the burning of the wind chill did nothing to dampen the mood. The festivities were alive with an eclectic range of food, booze, music, fireworks, costumes and carnival rides.
    Abby saw Emily, Darby and Mira through the crowd. They too had managed to find costumes. Mira was a glittering fairy, Darby a Swiss bar maid and Emily an Athenian goddess. Whether from the liquor or the cold, all three were cherry red in the nose and cheeks.
    Abby watched from afar but didn’t join them. A squeaky wooden sign swinging in the wind down the back alley drew her in.
    The bell on top of the door rang as she entered Twindel’s. The wicca store was brightly lit with candles and warm to the touch and senses. It was filled to capacity with books, trinkets, gems, incense and candles - most available for the pretend wicca. The business cards on the counter listed Madam Melina Twindel as the store owner.
    The lower and mid bookshelves were filled with amateurish rubbish that preyed on the eager, non-magical customers: love potions, hex spells, tarot cards, etc. The upper, out of reach section of the bookcase was far more alluring. Aged leather bindings with gilded lettering told Abby these books were more likely the real deal. She pulled a book on dark magic and opened it out of curiosity. A little hardcore; Abby was surprised the book wasn’t kept behind the counter with the other more dangerous items.
    From the side, an old, overweight gypsy with beads in her long, white, braided hair emerged from the darkness down the hall.
    “Find something that interests you, dear?” Madam Melina asked kindly.
    “No. I was just surprised to come across it. Not too many shops carry the subject.”
    “I carry everything. White and black and everything in between.”
    “I’ve noticed. Do you ever sell any on the subject?” asked Abby curiously.
    “Not to anyone with the power to actually make them work. Would you like one?”
    Abby was flipping through the pages. Some of the spells included damnation and infliction of pain. “Really shouldn’t.”
    Abby returned the book to the gypsy. Her palm was immediately seized as it sparked Madam Melina’s interest. Holding tight, she closed her eyes. Underneath the eyelids, her eyes forcefully twitched every which way. When she opened them again her amazement had changed to despair.
    “You’re right. You definitely don’t need this book,” she said with sad eyes. She inspected Abby’s hands more closely. “You have very rare and unusual marks. Have you ever had your palm read?”
    Abby shook her head no. She had faith in many of the wiccan ways but palm reading was never one of them.
    “Your life line is thicker and longer than usual. And you have such an old soul.” She pulled her hand closer. “Oh.”
    “What?” Abby asked, not particularly too interested in the answer.
    “Your fate line is broken into so many pieces. And through all three stages of your life.”
    “What does that mean?” Abby asked.
    “That destiny will never be your friend,” the gypsy said sadly.
    She wasn’t sure if it was the gypsy’s use of the word destiny or the intense aroma of the incense, but Abby left Twindel’s in a daze. She wasn’t the first witch to hint that Abby’s purpose in life, her destiny, would not be a kind one.
    Loud pops and a blinding glare hit Abby as she stepped into the town square again. Fireworks glittered in the sky and drew the attention of most of the crowd.
    Not too far away, Emily,