Page 45 of Blood and Hexes

Sacrifice

Each moment seemed to last an eternity in the cold, dark silence of the valley. Diana couldn’t bring herself to say anything, do anything, look at anyone.

She felt small, lost, alone. She’d been prepared for nothing of what had occurred tonight. Just moments ago, they’d been dancing and then lighting the bonfire now burning in the background. She couldn’t feel any of its heat on her skin.

A touch on her shoulder shocked her out of her stupor. She looked up and found Mikar, his hand on her shoulder.

Mikar, who’d made her dance like she’d always wanted to back in the day.

Mikar, who was ready to give up his life.

Diana wanted to shrug him off, bare her teeth at him, shout. She did none of these things, staring into the distance, and allowing his touch. For what it was worth, his hand was warm.

Sylvan came back with supplies within what could have been seconds or hours. She had no concept of time at the moment. Stepping away from Mikar’s comforting touch took more out of her than she would have liked to admit, but she did it, to inspect the contents of the duffel bag the slayer lay at her feet.

She managed a tentative smile up at him. He’d brought everything she asked for, except…

Before she could tell him he’d missed the dagger, he pulled one out of his white jacket, handing it to her, leather hilt first. The blade was pure silver. “Thank you.”

Her voice sounded wrong to her ears.

He shrugged, walking away in silence. She wasn’t the only one who daren’t disturb the stillness of the night.

Pocketing the weapon he’d handed her, Diana addressed Gwen. "I need a circle of water around the table, could you manage that?” She could have done it herself, but Diana didn’t want to move more than necessary, or overburden her mind with anything other than the terrifying prospect of what she was about to do.

Diana sat on the ground at the head of the table, close to Chloe's head, while Gwen lifted the water from the two-gallon jugs, moving her hands together gracefully, directing it to form a perfect circle. There was no more nonsense about her not being in control. Not tonight.

Diana checked the line. It'd work. Really, lake water would have done in a pinch, but given the spell she was about to attempt, she preferred simple, clean water without fish piss and Levi’s magic messing up the chemical balance. Not that tap water was much better, even in Oldcrest.

"What else?" Gwen asked, anxious to help.

“I need a pentagram inside the water line—with the salt.”

Another witch Diana hadn’t been introduced to approached. “I can do that,” she offered.

She got to her knees, and placed her hands palm down on the moss. An earth witch. Her craft was deft and precise as she emptied the contents of the bag of crystal salt, each grain dissolving on the valley floor. Instants later, they reappeared, formed into a perfect five-point star. It probably wasn’t her first go.

“Anything else?”

Diana nodded. “Elemental help from you witches would be great. I need one corner for each element—water in the north, earth in the south, air in the east, and fire in the west."

There were plenty of elemental practitioners tonight. Almost all the witches on the lakeside rushed to take the positions she indicated, several witches sitting outside the circle of water, waiting for her instruction. They were all wearing white, as though they’d been prepared for just such a ceremony all along.

Diana cleared her throat. "Whoever will take Chloe's place needs to enter the circle with me, on the other side.”

She couldn’t bring herself to look at either of the men who’d discussed their fates. Especially not Mikar.

She didn't know why, but that he'd so callously dismissed his life hurt her. She understood why Levi would do it, but Mikar? Did he love Chloe this much?

Apparently so.

She waited. Gwen's ice would hold for long enough for them to sort things out between them. Within its confines, Chloe’s state wouldn’t deteriorate. Her soul remained in this world, for now. Which meant that there was hope.

As long as the Fates didn’t interfere.

Her senses suddenly locating a threat, Diana twisted her upper back to look toward a fast-approaching shadow in the distance. It moved too swiftly, a blur in her vision. The humans probably didn’t even see or feel a thing at all.

Except for fear.

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