Chapter 30 - The Ceremony

Although I had finally learnt of my lineage and how I came to be adopted, I felt emptier inside than ever before. My mother had died to protect me, and I would never know the type of woman she was. All I knew was that she was the type of woman to fall in love with Ulric Rookwood, but something changed. Something in her snapped, enough to make her lose her sanity.

I was lost in my thoughts as Towe dressed me for the ceremony. After our talk in Rookwood's tent, he ordered Towe to ready me for the ceremony and he didn't glance back at me as he exited. I was in a numb state as Towe roughly stripped me from my clothes. I didn't care when my bare body was exposed, I still had my black boots on my feet. Towe and dressed me in a long ornate black dress that covered every inch of my skin. She flicked her wand, and my hair was neatly brushed and smooth along my back. My mind kept wandering back to images of my mother laughing, covered in my supposed blood. I didn't even argue with Towe when she forced me to open my Mokeskin pouch for her. I didn't care anymore. They had obviously taken my wand earlier along with my shoulder bag, but they had been unable to open the Mokeskin pouch. I removed the opal necklace from the pouch. The gift from Ominis that night of the ball. How much simpler life seemed then. Towe eyed the necklace with greedy eyes but placed it upon my neck anyways. I had no idea why I had to be dolled up for this ceremony, I felt like a pig being prepared for the slaughter.

"I highly doubt you'll survive the ceremony, in which case I'll take this pretty necklace off your hands." Towe stood in front of me as she cantered the necklace on my chest.

"What's the point of all this?" I managed to ask dryly.

"Don't you wish to die in something pretty?" Her happy tone as she said it made me shiver. She leaned in closely to me and whispered in my ear.

"Ulric underestimates me, he thinks I'm stupid. But he doesn't know how involved I've been since the start." I looked into her eyes that seem to swirl with madness.

"I overheard your conversation with our master, I had no idea you were Ramona's daughter. But I can see the likeness now. This was the dress she wore the night she hung herself. I've kept it all these years for a special occasion." Bile crept into my throat as I stared down at the velvet material that was once upon my mother's skin.

"Why on earth would you keep it?" An evil grin grew on her face ay my question.

"I was hoping that I would wear it the day I married Ulric. Ramona was a weak woman, she didn't deserve a man like him."

Towe was delirious.

"What makes you think Rookwood would ever want to marry you?" she smirked at me.

"Your father and I frequent one another's beds most nights, but he has sworn loyalty to The Blackhand's purpose. He said he cannot be distracted like he once was. Once the ceremony is complete and he obtains the ancient magic that is rightfully his, then his purpose will be complete, and we can marry and reshape the world with his power."

"You are deranged. He's just using you, he thinks of no one else but himself." I tried not to imagine Towe and Rookwood sharing a bed, the thought nearly made me gag.

"We are very similar in that sense. I always look out for myself. I knew your mother would always be in the way of getting what I wanted. Who do you think gave her the rope that night she hung herself?"

Towe and I were now so close that I could smell her breath and my heart was beating uncontrollably in my chest.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm sure your mother would've ended her life sooner or later. I just gave her a little push. I Dissapparated before Ulric could discover me. But I was there for him when he needed consoling." Anger poured through my veins.

"Why are you telling me this? I could easily tell Rookwood what you've done. I doubt he will be pleased to learn that you destroyed the one source that knew what happened to me."

Towe chuckled as she stepped back from me and admired me in my dress.

"You forget that it was only Ulric that made a vow not to track down your friends. There's nothing stopping me from going after them. I do miss my little plaything. The Sallow boy was fun to torture."

Instinct took over and I punched her in the face. She wasn't expecting and it wobbled backwards, my hand was aching after the impact with her jaw.

"You little bitch!" She grabbed me by the hair and pulled a dagger from her cloak, where she held it at my throat, I could feel the tip was close to piercing my skin.

"Towe. Let her go."

The familiar voice of Ulric Rookwood came from the tent entrance. Towe growled and let me go. A small trickle of blood made its way down my throat as I straightened to look at Rookwood. He was wearing his mask and he was wearing an elaborate emerald coloured coat. He took a moment to look at what I was wearing, if he recognised the dress, he gave nothing away.

"It is time." He gestured for me to exit the tent whilst Towe glared at me.

My breath was shallow as I made my way out of the tent. I heard Rookwood say something along the lines of "I'll deal with you later," to Towe. I didn't have time to imagine how he would punish her for hurting me, because I was faced with hundreds of masked faces encircling the largest fire I had ever seen. They cleared a path for me towards the front of the fire where there was a large alter made of stone. There were candles scattered around the alter and I tried to gulp down the fear.

"Stupid girl. This will be the end of us."

I ignored the disturbed voice inside of me and I tried to push it deep within.

My last thoughts were going to be own.

Rookwood gently held his hand at my back as he pushed me towards the alter. His touch made me shiver. The members of The Blackhand were chanting in whispers, words I didn't understand. My heart was beating uncontrollably, and it took all my strength to not let my fear show on my face. My only giveaway was my ragged breathing.

As we approached the alter, there was an elderly woman on her knees before it praying. Her hands were raised to the sky as she continued her hypnotic prayer. I couldn't see her face. Rookwood put a hand on my shoulder as we reached the alter and the chanting around us stopped. The old woman stood and turned to face me. My mouth dropped open in horror. It was the old witch from my nightmares. The realisation hit me in a wave of emotions. I had envisioned my future. My nightmares were warning me this very moment. My death.

Rookwood released me and turned to face his followers.

"Brother and Sisters! After all this time we shall finally have the ancient magic rightfully restored."

The crowd cheered and fear prickled along my spine.

Rookwood turned to face the old witch, "Mother you may begin, as we agreed." She nodded and turned her attention to me. My grandmother looked at me.

"She looks just like her." She said it with a hint of revulsion in her voice loud enough only for me and Rookwood to hear, and I could tell that she didn't approve of my mother.

"Keep your voice down." Rookwood said in an angry whisper. The old woman just chuckled as she grabbed my face in her wrinkled hand.

"We'll need an item of a personal item from the girl to complete the ceremony."

I pulled my face from her grasp as Towe spoke out, having followed us from the tent.

"That necklace was part of her belongings."

The old witch looked down at the opal necklace and grinned, "That will do."

She retrieved her wand from her own cloak and flicked it towards my necklace. It unclasped from my neck and floated in the air before us.

"Why do you need a personal item from me?" I was amazed at myself for being able to speak firmly, because my throat felt tight as I kept eyeing the alter.

"This ceremony has never been tried before, did you really think we would try to extract the ancient magic from you and transfer it directly to Ulric. We will use a catalyst to ensure no harm comes to him. Come now girl, surely there's some brain power behind that pretty face." The old witch flicked her wand, and I was thrown back onto the alter, my back hit the stone hard, and tears swelled in my eyes. My arms were outstretched and held beneath and invisible ropes.

"I need a living host. I should not be contained in some lover's trinket." The voice within me was angry. But I was even more angry. The whole point of me giving in to Rookwood's demands was because I thought he and I would both perish during this ceremony. My plan had failed. I had failed. Now this power would be at the mercy of Ulric Rookwood to use as he wished.

"What makes you think this will even work?" I was trying to stall them, I had to think of another plan. My grandmother stalked over to me and swept the hair from my sweat speckled forehead.

"Just as others have done before. How do you think those repositories of ancient magic were formed? If the ancient magic is safely stored in an object, it can never die. If it resides fully within a witch or wizard, the magic dies with them when they do."

I grimaced at the thought of all the power within me being so accessible through the opal necklace. A miserable thought entered my mind. If I had just broken my vow, I would've died, and the ancient magic would've been protected. Lying here, bound by invisible ropes, I had no way of attempting to do so. Defeat flooded my soul and the tears started to flow freely.

Ulric Rookwood approached the top of the alter and gestured the old witch to begin. The opal necklace was still floating just in front of the alter. I looked up at his face as he studied my own.

"You don't have to do this. I'm still your daughter." I felt shameful as the begging words escaped my mouth, but I was willing to try anything to stop this. Rookwood leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I didn't move as he did so.

He whispered just loud enough for me to hear, "My daughter died fourteen years ago."

I lifted my head with such vigour so that it connected with his with such a force and he cursed as he grabbed at his face. Rookwood just looked at me with such loathing, he didn't react further but just nodded to his mother.

The members of The Blackhand began their whispered chanting once more. The old witch now stood at my feet in front of the alter and she began her spell as she pointed her wand at me, her other hand directed at the opal necklace floating in front of us.

As soon as her spell began, I felt the familiar pain from my nightmare. The ancient magic was pumping through my veins, trying to burst through my skin. With every moment that passed, with every word of the spell she uttered, the pain intensifies. It's as if my skin and blood vessels are being pulled apart and sewn back together at the same time. The sweat is rolling off my brow and I can hear my pained screams echoing through the woods. I'm shaking uncontrollably as the old woman shouts her words even louder. The air was so electric it felt like storm was brewing around us. She continues mercilessly, barely stopping to take a breath. I feel my body start to levitate off the alter, the invisible ropes no longer holding me down. My throat starts to close and my screaming stops as I can no longer breathe. I could feel the grips of death enclosing around my neck.

"Make it stop!" The voice says within me.

I knew I was close to death. I could see flashes of my life as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I saw my adoptive parents, we were in a field of sunflowers near our home. They were hugging me and laughing as we ate blueberry muffins under the sun on a picnic blanket. I saw Professor Fig, he was with me in the map chamber, supporting me in my journey of discovery with this ancient magic. I saw Natty and I rescuing Highwing from the poachers, flying amongst the Hogwarts region, sunlight reflecting against the water as we soared through the air. I saw Poppy. She was feeding the beasts in the Vivarium, her smile even brighter than the feathers of the Fwooper she was tending to. Then I saw Ominis, we were dancing at the ball, smiling at one another. I felt safe in his arms. Sebastian. We were in the library, hiding from the librarian and teasing one another. Then we were in the abandoned cottage, sharing that wonderful kiss and I felt his hands on my skin as he held me. For a moment, I felt relief from the pain. Then I saw Anne and Ominis playing chess in the Undercroft, they looked happy. Then I saw Sebastian travelling the world, exploring hidden caves, and discovering lost mysteries and treasures. These weren't memories I was seeing, but possibilities. Possibilities of future I would never get to experience. But they would.

The ancient magic starts to spill out of my eyes, my ears, even my fingertips. It escapes from me and flows into the opal necklace before me, it felt as if a piece of my soul had gone with it. I hung in the air with my arms outstretched in an eerie manner, my mouth opened as if I was screaming, but no sound escapes me. I say a quiet prayer begging for release from this agony. The witch screams the last word of the hideous spell. Everything goes silent. The air stills. As I float above the alter, I can hear a faint heartbeat within me, so slow, so peaceful. I can no longer feel the corrupt voice within me. The moment is over as I am slammed back onto the alter.

²

I strain to open my eyes, squinting them as I do. I'm surrounded by a thick white mist. I can't see through it. It's so quiet. So peaceful. I can just hear my own breathing. My own heartbeat. I manage to stand and try to take in my surroundings. I take a few steps forward and my footsteps echo as I walk through the mist. "Hello?" Only silence answers me. I wasn't sure how long I walked, but I came to a halt as I saw a silhouette of a person a few feet in front of me. I can just make out that it's a profile of a woman. My legs feel heavy. I can't move. She steps through the mist closer to me and I can see her face now. The most beautiful face I'd ever seen, her long dark hair swaying behind her. She looks familiar, but I don't know who she is. My eyes try to focus to see her face more clearly, but her image is fading. I try to reach out towards her, but I'm being pulled backwards. I call out for her, but she just stands there watching me, smiling at me. "Not yet, Alina." Before I can argue she pushes a hand into my chest, and I am slammed backwards. The white mist fading into darkness once more.

²

I wake with a start, my back aching from hitting the stone alter and my eyes wrench open. My skin still felt like it was on fire, but I felt lighter than I had in these last few days. My head felt clear. My soul felt like my own once more. The corrupted presence was no longer within me. There is no voice in the back of my mind. I managed to raise myself to my elbows and take in my surroundings. I could see the old witch and Ulric Rookwood, my grandmother and father, looking at me as if they've seen a ghost. I was alive. I turned to see Towe staring at the floor in front of the alter, the opal necklace was no longer floating above, but had fallen to the ground. Everyone turned to Towe as she started to make her way towards the necklace.

"Wait!" It was the old witch that broke the silence.

With a flick of her wand, Towe summoned the opal necklace and placed it on her chest. For a moment, her face was filled with power and achievement. Her face quickly changed to one filled with torture. No scream, not even a breath, escaped her wide-open mouth, but her arms extended outwards, and she levitated in the air. The pain on her face was unbearable to behold. Everyone just stared at her body floating in the air. I knew the moment I saw her face, that Towe was gone. She was dead. The expression left on her face was one of absolute torment. As her limp body hit the ground, I swore I heard the faint laugh of that familiar evil voice that was once inside of me, coming from the opal necklace.

The members of The Blackhand just stared in stunned silence at Towe's body and the necklace upon her chest. It was only Rookwood that moved. He slowly approached her body, and he used his wand to lift the necklace from Towe's chest, careful not to touch it.

"What is this mother?" He seemed angry, not even a little sad that Towe had just died before him. The old witch looked just as angry.

"The ancient magic was corrupted, it's the only reasoning. That necklace is now cursed to whomever touches it."

I had kept silent throughout the whole ordeal, although I had wished death upon Towe, to see her in that kind of pain was inhuman. It reminded me of the look of pain on Oliver Wright's face before I killed him. No wonder Ominis was frightened of me.

My thoughts were interrupted by a firm hand around my neck, as I stared into the petrifying blue eyes of my father.

"Who possessed the power in the repository before you?" He growled at me. I could feel his strong hand gripping my throat and I grasped at his hands as he restricted my air. I just coughed and spluttered, unable to speak. He swiftly released me, "Answer me!"

I swung my legs off the alter and stumbled to the ground, trying to breathe normally once more. I felt a hand grab my hair and pull me upwards to a standing position. The old witch had a vice-like grip in my hair held me towards Rookwood.

"R-Ranrok," I managed to say between breaths.

She released me from her grip, and I slumped to the floor once more.

The members of The Blackhand were whispering amongst themselves as Rookwood and his mother spoke so that no one could hear. I could see the worry etched on their faces.

"This was not part of the plan mother, she should not have survived the extraction." Rookwood whispered angrily as he glanced around the encampment at his members.

"If she's still alive the ancient magic still resides within her. But the element of the power that was corrupted is now stored in this necklace." She hovered her fingers over the necklace, not touching it, but caressing the air around it. "You've seen firsthand of what it can do. It's marvellous. It can be used as a weapon. I've never seen anything like it." Rookwood grinned at his mother's words as he too looked upon the necklace.

My stomach turned at her words. That necklace contained all the pain and torment of so many witches and wizards. And they would use it to inflict even more pain.

"You're both sick," I said loud enough for everyone to hear.

They both fixed their attention on me now, along with all the other members of The Blackhand. Before I could retreat the old witch grabbed me by the hair once more and sniffed at me like a rabid dog.

"The corruption was hiding how much power she truly holds."

A look of greed and hunger spread over my father's face. "Then we need to repeat the ceremony. That power belongs to me."

I don't know how I survived the ceremony in the first place. I had died and had gone to the place where you cross over into the next life. But I was forced back into this world, by my mother, Ramona. "Not yet, Alina." Her words rung in my ears. I did not come back just to be sacrificed once again. I came back for a reason. I came back to end The Blackhand once and for all. To destroy my father. To avenge Ramona. I could feel my ancient magic rippling through me, surging through my veins. The same surge of energy that I felt that night in the abandoned cottage with Sebastian, where I nearly lost all control. Only this time, I would. My grandmother released me from her grip as she stared at me, fear sinking into her face as my magic pulsed around me. Only my father took a step towards me, hungrily, his arm outstretched towards me. I could feel the air go static as I felt the building of power within me.

"If you break your vow Riley, I will locate everyone you love and kill them!" Rookwood snarled at me. From the corner of my eye, I could see the other members of The Blackhand slowly starting to retreat. My grandmother was frozen in fear.

"I vowed to serve the Blackhand for all its reign. That reign is now over." My voice was firm as I spoke.

"Give me the ancient magic which is rightfully mine!" Ulric's face was one filled with fury and hatred. And it made me smile.

You can wield it. You have the ability. I remembered Sebastian's words to me, and that was all that I needed to push myself over the edge.

"If you want it, then take it. Take all of it!"

The exceptional power erupted from me. The electricity in the air crackled at the ignition of my scream. The release was ecstasy. It was blinding as the silver wave of fire detonated from me. My eyes were shut, and heat tickled at my skin, and I heard the screams of The Blackhand ringing in my ears. The smell of burning flesh reached my nose, carried by the strong winds surrounding me. The blast was so large that I felt the earth rumble beneath my boots. I heard the thunder crashing down around me. It was as if every earthly element was at my control, but also in complete disorder. Natural but not. Chaos but calm. This was me. All of me.

Then the world went quiet.

Darkness engulfed me before I collapsed to the ground.