Magic Goes Awry
1046 Words
One by one the ladies raised their arms, malicious smiles on their faces, the moon shining brightly upon their circle. Isadora was the last to raise her arms, the leader and strongest of their coven Black Moon.
"It's time" she hissed, dark eyes flashing "hold hands with each other and complete the circle."
The coven followed her instructions obediently. Xantha felt her hands getting clammy, sweaty as the old woman next to her grabbed her hand and held it, shooting her a dirty look at how slippery it felt.
The poor man looked desperate, his eyes turning red in a futile attempt at gathering his strength. The circle waited as Isadora hummed.
"Goddess Hecate" she intoned, her hair waving around her head "we bring you a sacrifice, one whose power and strength much more than a mere mortal has. We ask that you cast our powers down to us and help us perform this ritual as we drain their life force. We dedicate our lives to you, Goddess of Witchcraft and witches."
"Hecate" the others shouted as one in unison, their voices in perfect harmony. Xantha's failure to shout the words as they did, unnoticed in the noise.
"As one we unite" Isadora cried.
"As one we unite" the coven chorused
"Hand in hand we sisters stand"
"Hand in hand we sisters stand" the coven repeated, a dark green light forming underneath their hands.
"A life for our life" Isadora said as her eyes stared at the vampire who was beginning to struggle mightily.
"A life for our life"
Xantha hadn't been caught out, having cast an illusion to appear as though green light extended from her hand. Rituals were only done for powerful spells as these, only because they required a coven of witches to drain a life force. Her heart was thumping so loud she was surprised no one could hear it. The light was swirling now as the coven began to share their power with one another, closing in on the vampire who hung his head defeated.
She couldn't listen to any more screams or watch another creature die for their own selfish gains. As the green light got thicker, Xantha closed her eyes and concentrated. She had one shot and if she didn't time it perfectly she would be caught out. Then her life force would be drained. Xantha shuddered at the thought. She summoned her power and flicked a finger at the tree branch over head. Thick and sturdy it began to make a creaking sound, disrupting their intonations as they looked up at the noise.
As it began to crash down, several witches jumped out of the way, releasing their hands and disrupting the circle. During the chaos, Xantha burnt the chains around the vampire letting him loose.
GO she screamed in his mind as the branch fell down with a heavy thud, narrowly missing her as she jumped back. She swore he looked at her before throwing the chains off him and racing away.
"He's getting away" a coven member screamed as they looked at the now empty pole. They raced into the forest but it was too late. His headstart meant they couldn't locate him or use their powers against him. Vampires were so fast they were a blur when they ran. Xantha suspected that he had run into one of their concealed traps in order to become a prisoner in the first place.
Isadora swore as the coven returned empty handed. To avoid suspicion Xantha had raced off and pretended to search for him as well. Stella was sitting on the floor, too superior to run like the others.
"No sign of him" Xantha said sorrowfully.
"It will be another month before we can perform this spell again" Isadora cried exasperated. "Why on earth did this branch have to fall and ruin it. Next time we will cast a dome over the circle" her mother ranted as the other coven members stood silently, also disappointed.
"Mother nature is a b***h sometimes" one whispered in the background, flinching as Isadora's angry gaze swept over them. Xantha fought to maintain an innocent expression.
"Xantha, clean up the circle and throw those chains away" Isadora snapped "we must have not spelled them correctly or strong enough."
She did as she asked, moving the branch out of the circle and grabbing the nearby besom broom, sweeping all traces of magic away.
One by one the coven dispersed with reluctance, heading back to their cottages with scowls on their faces. Isadora and Stella walked away and left Xantha to clean up without a backwards glance. She watched them go, relieved her secret hadn't been discovered. She needed to leave, she thought, and take poor Serena with her.
She dreamily thought back to the vampire she had realeased. There was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on. His aura had been different to the other vampires she had seen. More commanding maybe? He was gorgeous too she thought blushing, but it was the desire to know where he was and join him that was startling her. Not once had she ever been affected by a man the way she was now.
She grabbed the chains with a groan at the weight and dragged them with her to the nearby lake. The only way to get rid of these chains was to bury it or throw it in water, slowly eroding the magic away over time. Burying it would take too long. But damn these chains were heavy. With all of her strength she drew her hands back and threw the chains as far as she could into the centre. The chains glinted in the moonlight, sinking beneath the water, bubbles the only thing rising to the top as she waited. If she took too long, Stella would come back and find her. Her hatred festered inside her. Stella was cold, colder than their mother and believe it or not more cruel. Isadora had already declared her next in line to be successor and Xantha sardonically wondered if she knew her daughter at all. With one last look at the still lake, she turned and headed back to her home, the sound of leaves crunching and twigs breaking beneath her boots.
- Writer
