Free Black Wolf by Steph Shangraw Page A

invocation to the Goddess, all went smoothly. I don't
believe I'll ever forget the sight of Eleanor swearing her love to
Darcy with a grey and white furball in her arms.
     
    There's going to be a
pet show in December, like the one last year, it'll be on the
weekend of Dec 4th and 5th, in the Community Hall. There are
classes for domestic longhair and shorthair cats, purebred cats, a
few classes for dogs including obedience, and a class for exotic
pets. Judges will include Samantha, Peter 'Blackbird, and Ilya
'Prism. If you want to register for it, stop in at Sam's, there are
forms there to fill out. Like any cat in Haven could give
Samantha's Alfari a challenge for domestic longhair if she ever
entered!
     
    Gardens grew passably
well this year, not as well as last year, but everyone who uses
herb-magic should be all right for the winter. There are half a
dozen people selling a wide variety of herbs, more details of who
has what are up at the White Stag and the other usual places.
     
    Other news, and I'm
going to try to keep my anger on a leash while I write this: Coven
Whitethorn has pulled their most insane trick yet against Coven
Sundark. I won't go into detail, because Sundark asked me not to,
but they gained a new friend out of the mess. Mid-to-late teens,
male, dark, slender, likes to wear black, his name's Jesse. Take it
easy on him if you see him around, he's completely innocent of
magic and badly torn up psychically. As for you, Rebecca... give it
a break already! What are you trying to prove, anyway?
     
    Historical notes:
Lindsay opened Venus Alive, our very own store for the erotic arts,
four years ago on the ninth, despite many people telling her Haven
is too small to keep such a place open. Also in October, seven
years ago the 23rd, Coven Artemisia took over White Stag,
everyone's favourite place for all the necessities of ritual and
ceremony. And last but far from least, Solomon's Seal, the best
bookstore ever, was opened thirty-nine years ago the 25th. October
must be a lucky month for opening new businesses! The nineteenth is
the birthday of one of our Adepts, but I've been strictly forbidden
to tell you which one or how old. I'm sure you can figure it out,
you only have two to choose from.
     
    I've been informed
that Trista 'Merrymoon will be writing an article for us in
November's issue about magic in traditional and historical
blacksmithing. Sounds fascinating to me! Since some mages can work
soft metals without needing a fire, would a mage blacksmith need a
forge at all, I wonder?
     
    6
    Eight people
made the living room a bit crowded, but the two covens present had
shared the space cosily and cheerfully with a third coven and a
couple of solitaries so many times that they hardly noticed. Bane
sprawled in one of the chairs, his older brother Bryan sitting on
the floor at his feet and leaning against the chair arm. Deanna and
Cynthia shared the couch with blind witch Naomi, whose broad hips
and large breasts combined with her long walnut-brown hair and
fondness for full skirts made Bryan teasingly nickname her his
peasant wench. The grey husky Gwyn who served as Naomi's eyes lay
at her feet, to all appearances an ordinary contented dog—despite
his mysterious origins as a gift from Bryan's absent roommate
Samantha, whose origins were equally mysterious. Kevin lay on the
floor, his oldest and favourite cousin Lori between him and Flynn,
all three on such a mass of blankets woven earlier by the two mages
from the fading sunlight that it would have made a comfortable
mattress.
     
    Even watching
a movie was more fun this way, Kevin thought. The good-natured
discussion did mean that sometimes it had to be paused for a bit,
but the varying perspectives of his friends always fascinated
Kevin—how people who were so close, and spent so much time
together, could have such diverse viewpoints.
     
    "Pause," Flynn
said suddenly. Lori glanced at him, and the VCR paused itself.
Kevin's first thought was that Flynn