CHAPTER 19: THE SACRIFICE.

WILLOW.

Ugh.

What was I thinking?

Waiting till ten? I am not that patient!

Under normal circumstances, I would have flown off the edge and taken the girl myself.

Fortunately -or unfortunately- depending on the perspective, the ingredients I would need for the ritual are in my house.

The one where I had kept Lyra all these years.

Which is why, I am now trekking around the moist forest floor, heading there.

I wave away the weaved enchantment hiding my access and come into the clearing, only to stop dead in my tracks.

There are people here.

Wolves.

I guess that answers my question. Lyra is in the Varon pack.

Still, this is fast.

I did not expect to manage to track me down this fast. There is no way she could have been able to direct them here. She doesn't know anywhere.

This was somebody else.

I fall back into the shadows, watching as they move around the place before walking into the house.

This… is a complication.

I know they are here for me and by all logic, I should just kill them and get it over with.

But that would just start up another foolish witch hunt and with Lyra by Damien's side, I am not willing to bet that they won't find me.

Now that she has reunited with him, her powers are going to start growing exponentially and whatever binds I placed in her wolf would soon wear off.

I need to get her back before that happens.

I need those ingredients.

With a shrug, I put a cloaking spell over me, one that not only masks my presence but also my sounds.

That done, I head into the house quietly.

I move through the space, taking care to not displace anything or make any sound. The spell will hold as long as there is no external interference.

I arrive at my room and curse at my luck.

They are already here and twins.

How… tempting.

Twins have a special kind of essence that others lack. I wonder if they are virgins too.

"You know, for a witch, she has got good taste," one of them says as she stares and handles one of my figurines.

"Can you please, stop complimenting the witch!" the other snaps. "She is a bane to our community and the originator of all this mess. Have a little tact."

The serious one pulls open a drawer and dumps the content on the floor, breaking and spilling precious vials and their contents.

I can't stop the hiss that escapes at that.

Both of them snap up at the sound, eyes going straight to where I am standing.

For a minute I think they can see me and then I remember they are wolves. A mere cloaking spell isn't going to deter their heightened senses.

"Did you hear that?" the serious one asks as she moves slowly from her position.

"Yeah," the other answers. "It came from the doorway."

That's not good.

Together, they move slowly towards me, hands outstretched and claws drawn.

I carefully step to the side of the door, holding my breath and letting them pass me by.

Unfortunately, they don't move too far.

"Something is wrong," the relaxed one says. "There is some kind of… -displacement- I think, in the air."

"You mean, like an enchantment?"

Oh, not good. Not good at all.

I need a distraction.

With practiced ease and focus, I visualize my mind's eye to the front of the house, where most of my potted plants are hanging off the ceiling and cut off the rope holding them.

The resulting crash has them both rushing out of the house.

Quickly, I head into the room and pull open the false board from the floor.

I grab the silver-coated box and jump out of the window, just in time to hear them rush back into the room.

"Dammit!" I hear one of them scream, the continuing words being swallowed by the wind.

I don't look back, I don't stop.

Not because I'm afraid, but because killing them now would be a mess that I am not willing to risk.

Not yet.

Finally, I manage to escape out of the forests and away from them, but I don't slow down. I hurry over to my silver Corvette and speed away from there.

It is such a shame.

That house had served me well.

With one flick of my pinky, I cast a spell.

If they are lucky, they would manage to escape with just a few burns.

They are wolves after all.

It is dark when I arrive at the destination, I park my car and walk the rest of the way.

Before I enter the clearing, I can already hear the terrified, muffled pleas of the girl.

Turning, I see her tied and gagged at his feet, tears streaming down her face in horror and fear.

He, on the other hand, doesn't seem remotely bothered. He is looking up at the moon in wonder.

"What a beautiful light the moon is," don't you think?" he asks without turning around.

"You are a wolf, so of course you will be obsessed with the moon," I answer as I place the box on the outcropped rock.

He turns to me with a cheeky smile before it immediately falls away.

"What is wrong?" he asks.

"Oh, just some wolves including my house.*

"They found you?!" he asked surprised.

"Yeah. It shocked me too. But don't worry, they didn't see me."

"That is good. Very good. We can't risk your cover just yet."

"Hmm."

"Are you ready?" he asks as he watches me lay my knife, candles, and other ingredients out.

"Yeah. Help me tie her to the tree," I say.

At that statement, the girl begins to struggle even harder. I can see her begging me through her eyes, hoping it is just a nightmare.

The poor child.

Pity I no longer have a heart to feel mercy.

The ritual is fast and clean, thanks to the amount of time I had done it.

I carry the bowl back to the rock, one of them contains her vital organs, and the other her blood.

The next few seconds are spent in a trance-like chair, calling in the elements I use to deliver my pleas.

In a burst of fire, both contents of the bowls are consumed.

"It is done," I announce in the silence.

"So, what now?" he asks.

"Now we wait, as the curse flies to her. They will have no choice but to look for a dark witch and I will be there, ready to offer my services."

"Won't she recognize you?" he asks.

"How?" I ask as I turn towards him. My face and voice now that of the recently sacrificed girl. "She has never met me before."