Memoirs of a Witch (In Bloom Book 1.5)

Wedding Bells Part 2

"Why not?!" Ortho looked to each one of the students and pleaded, "Help me out! Please!"

"Idia avoids people at all costs. Now that he's in trouble he wants help?" Vil said, "This is completely selfish."

"It's your brother's problem," Leona crossed his arms, "Figure it out yourself."

Knowing Ortho's and the Headmage's words would not be enough to convince them, I put it into terms that everybody would understand, "What will the world think?"

Everyone turned towards me.

I continued, "Think of the amount of attention our school, all of us, would be getting from the media that a student was taken to the Land of the Dead. The fact that there were all these resources available and yet we all chose to do nothing," I looked to Vil, "As an actor and world famous supermodel, won't gossip like this tarnish your reputation?" then Azul, "Won't it affect your clientele?" then Sebek, "Won't this affect Malleus' status as a ruler that he couldn't help out one person?" then Deuce, "What will your mom think?"

Soon, they were all bobbing their heads in understanding.

I could spend hours educating them on the dangers of the living and the dead being bound in holy matrimony. However, I knew they would not get involved in the matter unless it affected them directly. What better target than their image?

"In that case, what do we do?" Ace asked, "The ghosts have taken over the entire school and they won't let us in."

"Why not throw a party and explain to them the situation?" Kalim proposed.

I thought, "How can you persuade a bride who has been searching for her 'true love' for so long?"

"That's true," Rook agreed, "If I was in her place, I'd never let my beloved go."

"Cassie, why don't you scare 'em away? Like you did before?" Grim asked.

"Like before?" Leona's curiosity piqued, "What did you do?"

I retold my encounter with Eliza's guards earlier, "Witches and ghosts don't exactly mix. We work with the natural, not the supernatural," a light went off in my mind, "But there is someone who's knowledgable on things like that."

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"Hey, Headmage and my little imps!" Mr. Sam welcomed us into his shop, "Looking for something to deal with that ghost bride?"

"This speeds things up, but it sounds like you already knew we were coming."

Sam chuckled, "My friends on the other side give me all kinds of info. Still, things are getting dicey."

Ghosts were tied to the Land of the Living by a lingering attachment. In other words, something is keeping them from completely passing to the Land of the Dead, like unfinished business with someone or an incomplete goal.

It was this same attachment that would allow ghosts to easily bounce back from any kind of magical attacks.

If we wanted to get rid of the ghost bride, we'd need to directly sever her connection to the Land of the Living.

Sam went behind the counter and pulled out a black velvet box. Inside it, was a silver band decorated with two tiny sapphires.

"This is the Ring of Severance," the shop owner explained, "All you need do is slide it on her left ring finger and say 'I love you 'til death do we part.' That'll send her to the other side and she will never return."

"Is there anything you won't find in this store?" Epel said in awe.

I replied, "My sanity."

Trey wondered, "We now have another problem: how do we slip this on her finger?"

"Why not give it as a gift?" Rook suggested, "Truly make it heartfelt."

I said, "I'd be terrified if on my wedding day I received a ring from another man."

"Not to mention, it has to go on her left ring finger," Vil added, "There's no woman, dead or alive, who would be okay with that."

"As her lover, Idia could pull it off, but we're not going to be allowed inside the school to give him the ring," said Cater.

Azul stunned the room with his idea, "Then we'll have to become worthy suitors. Become Princess Eliza's fiancée."

"But she already settled her mind on marrying Idia," Ace reminded us, "How do we convince her to switch marriage partners?"

"Then we have to win her love," Lilia said with a mischevious grin, "It'll be fun watching the drama unfold by stealing someone's bride."

"Cassie, are girls into this sort of thing?" Jack wondered, "Having multiple guys fight over them?"

I answered, "I can't speak on behalf of all of the ladies, but personally, I find it extremely pointless."

Reading love stories as a little girl, I thought the idea of two men dueling for a lady's hand was a rather romantic gesture. How valiant of an effort it must be for a man to duel with another to prove he is more worthy of the lady's love.

Looking back, it was more likely a validation for their masculine egos. The lady could have also spared them the effort of having to fight one another and chosen one man right from the beginning. She also could have chosen an even better option: herself.

"Just imagine for a second," Ace draped his arm over my shoulder, "If everyone in this room was fighting for your hand in marriage, who would you take?"

With no hesitation, I replied, "I would take myself and run away from you all."