Chapter 18
Amelie gathered ingredients in the pantry as the other three did their preparations. Delia had given her a list of ingredients necessary for the ritual they were going to try, and Amelie knew the pantry would have them, but to say she was nervous was the understatement of the century.
Preparing food was a ritual in its own right, each meal a magical product that could be used to change the course of someone’s day.
But she was completely unfamiliar with the art of ritual casting.
When Delia had shown her the circle that needed to be drawn, Amelie had almost shut down completely.
It was so incredibly complicated, with intricate symbols at each cardinal direction and swirling lines and runes running through the center.
“We can prepare most of the runes ahead of time; the real trick is going to be setting it up without being seen and completing the spell with all the zombies inside.” Delia had said, hand nervously running over her face.
Picking up her jar of basil, Amelie chewed her lip nervously as she placed it in the basket of her other herbs.
Basil for banishment, protection, and purification, cinnamon for protection and success, mugwort for protection and banishment, and rosemary for warding.
Talented witches who were practiced in the art of ritual casting could make tangible barriers out of rosemary and perform entire exorcisms with mugwort and bay leaf alone. Still, Amelie had only ever used bay leaf in stews and didn’t have the abjuration aptitude required to form true barriers.
When the pantry door opened this time, Amelie turned to see Delia, standing awkwardly in the doorway, five circular rocks in her hands.
“You ready?” Delia asked despite looking like everything but.
Amelie nodded and grabbed her basket, following Delia out into the kitchen where Hestia and Regina were waiting.
For once, Hestia was wearing shoes, which Regina had insisted upon since the ritual was going to take place outside and both were wearing pants and a movable top.
Delia had suggested they all wear something they could easily run in because if they got in over their head, they were going to need to book it back to the cathedral and barricade themselves inside.
“I inscribed the runes on the stones.” Delia began. “I just need to place them at their respective points on the circle.”
Digging into her pocket, Delia produced thirteen smaller stones with additional runes inscribed upon them. “Hestia, as you draw the lines between the points, you’ll need to drop two along each line and one in the center of the circle.”
Turning to Amelie, Delia took the basket of herbs. “I’ll make charm bags out of these that we can each wear; they should help us focus our power and provide enough protection that the zombies won’t sense us under Hestia’s illusion.”
“Should?” Hestia piped up, nervously rubbing her hands together.
“Should,” Delia replied, nodding solemnly.
“I have no concept of how much instinct to seek living flesh these constructs have. The bags and the illusion should be enough on their own to hide our presence, but I really just am not certain, so we are doing both. But even then… Roz and I descended from one of the most renowned necromancers ever to exist. Her blood is pretty potent, so… yeah… should be the best I can do.”
Hestia nodded. “Alright then. Let’s do it.”
Delia finished making the charm bags and secured them around each witch’s neck with a piece of twine. Just before everyone made their way to the door, Regina paused and clapped her hands together.
“Once we survive all of this.” She started. “All of us should go on a date.”
Amelie’s brows shot up in the air as she watched Delia’s mouth drop open in shock. Regina smiled at each and every one of them before nodding in contentment with her statement and walking out the side door.
Hestia laughed and followed suit, leaving Amelie and Delia alone in the kitchen for a moment. Delia looked at Amelie in a way that almost said, clear as day, ‘Is she serious?’ So in response, Amelie just shrugged and gestured to the door.
“Well. Let’s do this.”
Upon stepping outside onto the porch, a hush fell upon the group. There weren’t just a couple of zombies anymore; there were at least six. Fortunately, it seemed that the charm bags were doing their jobs, at least at this distance.
“Don’t forget,” Delia whispered. “Once Hestia puts up the illusion, they shouldn’t be able to see you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to hear you, so just… be careful, alright?”
Amelie nodded, watching as the other two bobbed their heads in agreement as well. Then, with a single snap of her fingers, the illusion settled into place.
It was strange; Amelie could still see herself, but it was almost as though her entire being was draped in a pliable fabric shroud that moved as she did. The illusion obscured the others from her sight, but she could still sense their magic auras since they were on the property.
Moving toward her spot, Amelie carefully crept across the graveyard, watching where she stepped so as to not make a sound.
Delia was in charge of ensuring the major runes ended up where they needed to be, Hestia was drawing the connecting lines and dropping the smaller runes since she had better control over the illusion on her own body and would be the one who would have the easiest time bobbing and weaving between the walking dead, Regina was tasked with drawing the circumference circle, and Amelie, was tasked with taking the position furthest from the house.
Since she needed time to get there, her only job was to make her way as quickly and quietly as possible to her place behind the mausoleum.
As she walked, Amelie had to pause several times, holding her breath to allow an errant zombie to pass her by, but so far she was doing well. That is… until the dirt began shifting next to her during one of her pauses.
It took everything in her not to scream as she watched a skeletal hand claw its way out from underneath the ground. Physically placing her hand over her mouth, Amelie watched in horror as another pile to her left began shifting.
They were awakening faster. She had to get to her position, and she had to do it now.
Delia was placing the last stone, Regina was almost done with her circle, and Hestia was on her second-to-last line, but here Amelie stood, frozen to the spot as she watched the zombies meander around her.
They were denser out here, she realized, probably because they were closer to where Roz’s blood had been spilled.
Just as she was about to move again, another zombie stumbled into her path, forcing her to sidestep onto a branch.
The crack was resounding and deafening in the graveyard's silence.
Then, just like a scene from a horror movie, every single zombie in the graveyard snapped their heads in her direction.
Trembling under her illusion, Amelie was only three feet from one of them as its unseeing eye sockets seemed to peer into her soul. For a moment, nothing moved, not Amelie, not the zombies, and not even the wind. Everything in the graveyard stood suspended in a timeless vacuum of terror.
And then the zombie closest to her took the first step.
Amelie felt tears gather at the corners of her eyes as, in quick succession, every zombie that had looked in her direction began moving again toward her.
She had to move, but her feet felt rooted to the ground. If she ran now, surely they’d chase her, right? But if she stood still, they’d find her eventually.
Amelie took a shuddering breath and willed herself to do something. Anything.
But her body wouldn’t cooperate.
The zombie was now only a foot away from her. Amelie clenched her fists, ready to defend herself when she heard the sound of Hestia’s voice.
“Get to your post, Amelie!”
Instantaneously, all the zombies turned their attention toward the sound of the other witch’s voice. When Amelie looked, she saw Hestia, clear as day, in the center of the circle, having just placed the last stone.
She wanted to call out, ask her what she was doing, but that would only ruin the chance the Illusion Witch had given her. With a new target locked on, the zombies began shambling away from her and toward the center of the circle.
Then the next moment, Hestia was gone. Amelie let out a breath of relief as the other witch reapplied the Illusion to herself and finally started moving again. Quicker this time.
When she finally reached her spot, she looked inward to ensure that everyone else was in position, then gave the signal.
“Hestia, now!” Amelie shouted.
And then all hell broke loose.