Chapter 25 Veronica
VERONICA
“Happy Halloween,” I said as Wendy and Declan walked in.
“You mean Samhain?” Wendy said, rolling her eyes. She’d grown almost two full inches in the last ten months and looked more like a teenager than a child.
“We’re inclusive here,” I said.
Declan glanced at his watch. “It’s five minutes to midnight. Are you sure we’re ready?”
“Positive,” I said.
I’d spent months ensuring I had everything prepared for this specific night.
We wanted Wendy to be removed from Sucellus’s bond sooner rather than later.
It terrified me what awful thing might happen to her if this connection wasn’t severed.
But rather than rushing it, we chose to wait for tonight, the most powerful night in all of magic, to ensure the ceremony had as much power and respect behind it as possible.
In the last year, I’d also grown much more competent at magic, which helped my confidence in knowing I had this right.
It also helped that I managed to find a ton of notes in Virgil’s old room, which laid the ceremony out.
His years of study and research saved me tons of time, plus, I understood the actual calendar that Sucellus used.
“Ready?” I said, holding a hand out to Wendy.
She joined me on the small platform. We’d built a miniature temple to Sucellus in the basement of the school and done all the blessings to make it as welcoming as possible to a god.
Taking her hand with my right, I lifted the ceremonial dagger with my left, and held the blade above her palm.
“Time?” I asked Declan.
“You’ve got about a minute,” he said. “Go ahead.”
I nodded, reciting the words I’d memorized over the last few months, ensuring I said every word exactly right.
I finished a few seconds before midnight, and made a shallow cut along Wendy’s palm.
She hissed, then made a fist above the small, golden chalice on the pillar we’d erected.
When the first drop of blood struck, a low, rumbling sound erupted around us.
The building and room itself didn’t shake, but it seemed as though the air itself was vibrating.
Wendy moved close, and I put an arm around her, glancing at the corners of the basement. Declan did the same and slipped a hand into his jacket, though I didn’t think even an enchanted gun would do much damage to a deity that had been around for millennia.
A few moments later, the familiar bright light appeared, hovering in the air a few yards from us, like a bright white star, illuminating the room and casting away all the shadows.
Before any of us could say anything, a man stepped out of the light.
This time, he wore flowing blue robes and sandals.
Over his shoulder, he held the massive hammer.
Rather than the look of bewildered rage he’d had before, a kind and gentle smile lay on his lips.
He hovered a few inches off the ground. His body seemed to flow and was also mildly opaque, as if he was made of smoke in some way.
“Good evening, children,” he said, bowing his head slightly. His voice was shockingly deep, and I could feel it rumble in my chest as he spoke.
I gave Wendy a slight nudge. She had to do the rest.
She stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Uh…Lord Sucellus, I am Gwendolyn Freedman. You have been my family’s patron for over a century.”
Sucellus’s grin broadened. “Ah, yes. The Freedmans. A noble and honored family. I am…” The god hesitated, a look of sadness crossing his rugged features. “I am most heartbroken to hear of Balthazar Freedman’s passing. He was the greatest of all my followers.”
Wendy shrugged her shoulders. “You took care of the guy who did it last year.”
Sucellus threw his head back and belted out a booming laugh. This time, the room did shake, and dust trickled down from the ceiling. It was all I could do not to put my hands to my ears to block out the deafening sound.
“I did indeed,” he said when he finished. His ancient eyes slid toward Declan. “Mr. McClintoc? Good to see you as well.”
Declan, usually stoic and calm, actually flinched in surprise. “Uh, you…you know me?” he said, pointing to himself.
“Oh, many of the gods know you, my good man,” Sucellus said. “Your name rings in many halls. Quite the accomplishment for a mere human.”
That statement caused Declan’s eyes to go wider than I’d ever seen them.
“I also heard of you from my priest,” Sucellus went on, and the god’s eyes grew dark, anger clouding his face.
“He has been dealt with. My apologies that he assisted in the unfortunate trouble you all experienced. It is an unfortunate thing that I was not more involved in affairs. Had I kept a firmer hand on him, I may have noticed his dealings with this Virgil Tacitus.” He spat the name, as if each syllable disgusted him.
There was no way I’d ask what he meant by dealt with, but if I had to guess, Sloan was most likely no longer in the land of the living. As angry as Sucellus had been with Virgil for killing Balthazar, he must have been more angry with his priest for being involved.
“What have you called me here for, on this glorious night of the New Year?” Sucellus said, regaining some of his joviality.
“I…uh…I wish to remove the Freedman family from your patronage,” Wendy said.
There was a long pause as Sucellus looked at the girl. With each second that went by, my fear and worry escalated. I still recalled the rage with which Sucellus had done in Virgil and his men, and how painful it had all looked.
At last, Sucellus gave a single nod of his head. “You have discovered the limitations of my gift, I take it?”
“I don’t want to die young,” Wendy said.
“Ah, but you would leave behind such wonders,” Sucellus said.
“Knowledge like no others, fame, perhaps infamy if you’d like?
Money, power, and influence? All good things.
Many on earth would give up a few years of life for such treasures, would they not?
” The god gave her a shrewd look that told me he was trying to negotiate, but if that was what he wanted, he’d chosen the wrong girl.
Wendy shook her head. “No, sir. I want to end this. Please.”
Sucellus stared at her for a few long seconds, then finally nodded, chuckling ruefully.
“As you will,” he said. “Though it pains me dearly. The Freedmans were the most faithful of my followers. None ever brought as much honor to me, not in all my many years. I give you back your life, young lady.” Sucellus raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A boom thundered through the room, and Wendy gave a grunt, clutching her stomach and hitting her knees.
“She is fine,” Sucellus murmured as I knelt beside her.
“It is no easy thing to separate yourself from a god.” A shrewd look came into his eyes as he looked at Declan and me.
“Perhaps one of you would like to take her place? Mr. McClintoc? You could have even more knowledge than you have now. Imagine the successes you’d have.
And you, Ms. Paolo? Full and complete control of magic, with power you only dreamed of? Tempting, no?”
“I’ve only just come out of retirement,” Declan said, “but my skills are plenty good enough. Plus, I’m already spoken for, if I’m being honest.”
“Ah, yes,” Sucellus said. “The well of knowledge. Yes. What of you, Ms. Paolo? What do you say? Be mine, and I will bestow power unlike any you’ve ever seen.
” His eyes turned to me. “What of you, my dear? Would it not be nice to be more than a middling witch? A being of power and skill the likes of which your kind has never known. By my side, you could make all other witches, sorcerers, and warlocks pale in comparison. What do you say?”
I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t tempted.
To bypass all the studying, roadblocks, and frustration of learning to harness my powers?
Life would be so much easier. Though, most good things came through hard work and dedication.
This? It would be cheating. If I’d learned anything the last year, it was that I was good enough the way I was.
If I spent my life as a mediocre witch, then so be it, that would be who I was.
If I did continue improving and became an expert, then I could be proud that I’d done all that myself.
“No thanks,” I said. “Better to do it on my own. I’m right where I need to be. The blood, sweat, and tears it takes to become better will, in the end, make success all the sweeter. But thank you for the offer.”
“Very well,” he said with a heavy sigh. “You can’t fault me for trying.”
Wendy, having recovered, stood. “Thank you. I was worried you’d be mad.”
Sucellus adjusted his hammer, moving it to the opposite shoulder.
“My darling child, only a truly unworthy god would say no to a request like that. After these many years of faithful service, your family has earned its freedom. Though, I can’t say I am not sad to see the Freedmans go their own way.
Now, if you don’t mind, I have other business to attend to. A god’s work is never done.”
Sucellus winked at us. With a thunderclap that rattled the room and sent out a pulse of air that billowed my curly hair back, he vanished.
Wendy let out a shuddering sigh and bent over, placing her hands on her knees.
“Holy shit,” she muttered. “That was kinda scary. Kinda cool, but scary.”
“Tends to be sort of terrifying when you deal with beings who can kill you with a snap of their fingers,” Declan said with a sarcastic grin. “Can you believe that guy tried to tempt us?”
“Actually, yes, I can,” I said. “That’s what gods do, right? Tempt people with promises. Redemption of sin, heavenly afterlives, power, influence? It’s who they are deep down.”
“True,” he grunted. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Wendy had asked for her favorite dinner that night as a celebration. Declan, in a move that surprised both me and the girl, offered to make the food.
“Spaghetti and meatballs, right?” he said. “I’ll make some garlic bread to go along with it.”