Page 79 of Their Blood Rite

This I can control. It’s mine to start and stop. My pain. Not theirs.

Mine.

Tighter. Tighter.

When the deafening sound of my pumping blood settles and my emotions become my own once more, I release the chain.

Breathe. Just breathe. In and out. I’m not at the rite. I’m in a beautiful forest. No blades. No fire.

Breathe.

In the distance, I hear the peaceful trickling of water. I've always loved the water. I find that a little stream has carved a winding path through the woodland. Ancient Ivy-clad trees and giant ferns line the banks. Chunks of flattened slate jut up through the tumbling water, all covered in thick moss.

The water calls to me. I roll up the legs of my trousers and clamber down, dipping my feet into the water.

I stand there, feeling it rush past me, painfully cold and irresistibly fresh. I close my eyes and listen to it. Listen to the sound of the birds. The rustle of the ferns and canopy above that dance in the wind.

Everything inside me calms.

My racing heart. My anger and fear. My uncertainty and confusion. The intense sense of betrayal. My growing urge to go back to my coven and slaughter the fucking lot. A new emotion, I grant you. But a powerful one.

All of it abandons me. All there is is this.

When I open my eyes, I start walking against the current. It’s not long until I hear the unmistakable sound of a waterfall. Ten minutes later, I come to a sheer climb where the stream tumbles down from above. Gripping the roots and vines, I climb, pulling myself upwards onto the first of three ridges. There’s another climb ahead. It's not too large but high enough to know it will hurt if I misstep and fall.

I reach the second ridge and take a moment to admire the view.

Then I climb the third. Water crashes down on my face, soaking me through entirely, making me laugh out loud as I slip and slide all over the place.

But when I reach the top, I know it was all worth it.

‘Wow…’ I whisper.

Ahead, a sixty-foot-high waterfall cascades down into this crystal clear pool. Great purple vines with pink flowers trail the rockface, swaying from the rushing water's breeze. Firebugs and dragonflies skim the water’s surface, and a light mist swirls in the air.

I walk towards it, drawn to its beauty.

To its power.

This is a spiritual place, there’s no doubt.

Water witches must have worshipped this place before they were driven out to the edges of the sea.

Walking closer to the waterfall, I find markings carved into the slate beneath the water. Blessings in an ancient tongue. Slips of coloured ribbon containing wishes, prayers, promises and regrets have been tied to the trees surrounding the waterfall.

I put the Kedar snake onto a rock and out of the way of the water before stripping. Then, I wade to the base of the waterfall, my entire lower half disappearing in the pristine waters.

I laugh loudly at the shock of the chill but revel in it nonetheless.

My hands run through my long hair and over my body. Sinking to my knees, I slip below the water completely.

Every muscle relaxes. I make sure of it, starting from my shoulders to my stomach and then my legs, releasing the tension and stress, thanking the waterfall for permitting me to find peace within it.

There’s a splash as something lands in the water. I resubmerge with a yelp, seeing Archie standing before me, completely and utterly naked.

‘Fucking hell!’ I gasp, slamming my hands over my eyes, seeing as I’m crouching and his cock is precisely level with my head. But if I stand, he’ll see I’m naked, too. ‘What the hell are you doing here? Andwhyare you naked?!’

‘What’s the matter with you? Never seen a dick before?’

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