A Whisper to the North

Chapter XXXVII ✠ Deliverance of Darkness

Tonight was the night where the light passes into the darkness, the time of year where the veil was thinnest between the worlds of the living and dead. Samhain was here, and Ingrid could not be more frightened by it.

Each year since Ingrid became a servant of Wilona, she was forced to witness depraved things. These rituals peaked the night of Samhain, where Wilona could access the dark forces that would be difficult, if not impossible, to contact any other day of the year. Ingrid's worst memories were when Wilona tore open a baby's neck with her teeth. She forced Ingrid to catch the blood in the cap of a skull. She would pour it into a goblet and then proceeded to drink it. After the town grew suspicious of the missing children, Wilona moved on to virgin girls' blood. She forced Alaric to drug them and then drag them to the sacred circle in the forest. They were usually the poor daughters of the farmers and harlots of the town. No one cared when they disappeared.

Wilona wanted to talk to the Gods, and to do so, the veil had to be lifted. She had to conjure the darkness first by torturing the girls through physical, sexual, and mental abuse. At the peak of their misery, Wilona would slash them from ear to ear and drink their blood. The murder of the girls opened the portal to the underworld in which their souls would leave into. As Wilona drank their blood, their life essence still existed in her body, and a spirit would come through the death portal to Wilona and offer her assistance for the dark energy she created through torture and sacrifice.

Wilona killed these girls for petty things, for wealth, power, and beauty. It was such a waste of life. Anyone who witnessed the torture would also be bestowed these gifts from the Godless dark world beyond. It worked a little too well in Ingrid's favor. Slowly Wilona's sacrifices did not work for her beauty. It went to Ingrid. This infuriated Wilona. Soon Wilona used Ingrid's blood to draw up symbols instead of her own. The dark realms preferred the purity of virgin blood over Wilona's.

Finally, Wilona had enough and made her men force themselves on Ingrid and rape her during her last significant ritual a year ago. Ingrid fell pregnant, and Wilona made her kill the fetus and coverup what she had done to her. Since then, Ingrid had not been in another sacrifice. She still has the scars on her arms from the bloodletting, but no scar will be as deep and wide as the one on her heart.

"Are you alright, Ingrid?" Alaric asked, looking down at her.

"Yes," Ingrid said unenthusiastically.

"It's too early to seem so upset."

"It's Samhain, Alaric. You know very well why I'm upset." Ingrid said, running her fingers through her hair.

Her hair was almost long enough to put into braids finally. She couldn't sleep all night, hence why she was up before dawn. Very few were up this early but Alaric. He had to rise early to make Wilona something for her morning purges. She would be up in an hour or so.

"I think you're upset with your hair." Alaric laughed, making light of the problematic situation.

"How is it that my older brother has longer and more beautiful hair than I?" Ingrid hissed, trying to pull a tat out.

"Maybe if you'd brush it for once." Alaric laughed.

Ingrid puckered her lips and grinned. She picked up one of the chess pieces and hurdled it towards Alaric's head. Alaric had a fast and steady hand and caught it midway in the air before it could hit him.

"Hey! This is real ivory! Don't throw things." Alaric said calmly as he walked over to the table and gently laid it back in its position on the board.

Alaric sat down in front of her and sighed.

"Nothing is going to happen, Ingrid. You can't be bitter anymore."

"I would have been a mother by now, Alaric," Ingrid said, crossing her arms and looking off to the side.