WALPURGIA ✔️

Chapter 8 - The Ritual

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"Not like that!", the priestess shrieked, making Elise fly away, my shadow back off and Victorie cover her ears.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew another step would only anger her. And I never wanted to see what that looked like.

"Where are your robes? Your broom? Your hat?", she didn't even let me answer. "Get your broom! The goddess will be angry if you don't have it with you!"

The old woman fleetly ran up the stairs, making Victorie pale in worry. "If she falls ...", she covered her open mouth with her left hand, her other hand on her stomach. "You needn't worry! Have you ever seen her take a hesitant step? I think she will never fall in her life," I instantly reassured her.

Mother shadow returned with beaming eyes, a black cape and a witch's hat. "The right attire is needed for a ritual! Especially such a big one." Before I could ask, she draped it over my shoulders, tying it at the front of my chest.

Elise took the hat from her grasp and dropped it on my head. I fixed it slightly and unsure stepped back so she could eye me. "Fix that posture, child! You are a witch, this flows through your blood and heart! You are not a lousy human who dresses up as one!"

I straightened. "Fix that face before I fix it for you!" I forced myself not to let my indecisiveness seep through.

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The whole house had been on edge this morning.

Baldwin insisted he would be around me the whole day long, especially when the ritual would take place. I had barely been awake when he had informed me of his decision, tiredly nodding not knowing what I agreed to.

He was glued onto me when I got dressed, while I drank the tea I had been prepping for the last week, ate along with me, was next to me as I sorted everything in the household – from decoration, to ordering the servants around, to choosing all the meals and checking on the progress of the cleaning.

Baldwin didn't even ask if he should accompany me to mother Margeaux – instead, the minute I was ready to leave the house, he waited at the door for me, hat in his hand while the other extended towards me.

"Out, out, out", but she shushed him away, dragging me inside and slammed the door shut. With a blink of her eyes, blocking spells were tied around the door, windows – anything that didn't let Baldwin enter.

"We'll get him once he is needed; until then, he's only a bothersome vampire." I couldn't even make them budge, moving to the window to check if he was still there. He was, his eyes beaming as he spotted me. "Get moving! The ritual won't be prepared on its own!"

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She snipped her fingers in front of my face. "Child, are you feeling well? You were gone for a bit." "Dwelling on memories, excuse my behaviour mother." "It's alright. Are you sure you are well?" "Yes, yes, I'm just thinking about my vampire." I looked to the window. Knowing him, he surely spotted a way to get in and was planning his entrance already.

"What did you say was next? The candles and the salt ring?" "Yes. We need silver candles, for the goddess, and preferably candles that fit our ritual. I suggest silver for the goddess and golden ones for success. If you want to strengthen it further, you could use colours that correspond to his aura." "That's a good idea", I let her lead me to the room the ritual would take place in.