The First Dark Witch

Chapter 5 - Creatures in the Deep

Chapter V - Creatures in the Deep

The first task was to form a circle with her pink salt. Strong magical spells were prone to attract things that went bump in the night. She whispered to herself in an old and forgotten language while pouring the salt, creating a large border. From her studies, familiars were also drawn to the ritual and incantations uttered. If they truly were her spirit guide, they’d be able to step over the circle of salt without concern. That was if she could perform the spell at all.

After the circle was complete, she saw the gargoyle on the other side of her barrier. “Sorry to leave you out of the fun,” she said, finding humor in talking to something that still didn’t come alive even after the sun fell. She half expected it to and was disappointed when the gargoyle remained a statue. “I didn’t have enough salt to invite you in too.”

She laid out two dozen chime candles. The colors of their wax depended on importance. She had several red candles to garner physical strength for such a practice. The more powerful a spell, the more draining it was on the person who cast it. The yellow candles were for focus. Green was to channel success. The black and white candles were to keep herself protected if the salt had failed. Carefully propping them up on the ground, she looked at her handiwork with pride. Lifting her hands up just in front of her chin, Lenora snapped her fingers as she whispered in the old language. They all ignited in unison, hearing her incantation.

Next on the agenda was to paint in each direction of her circle: north, south, east, and west. Lenora opened the lid of the jar and dipped two fingers into the black paint. On the north side, she painted the symbol for ancestors. Working clockwise within the circle, she stepped to the east and painted the symbol for intuition. To the south was the symbol for divine interaction. West of the circle was manifestation. With that work complete, she closed the jar and brought the residue paint from her fingers to her face. Lightly, she placed dots underneath her eyelids to her temples, dots from the bridge of her nose to her forehead, and dots from her lower lip to her chin. Without a mirror, she supposed it would suffice.

Lenora gazed at her surroundings in the forest. Even though the sun had gone and the moon was rising in the sky, she could still see faint descriptions within the darkness. She supposed it was a talent that led others to find discomfort around her. During festivals within the village, some of her peers would scream if they had heard a creature in the treeline move. As a mode to calm their fears, Lenora assured them that it was merely a rabbit scurrying away. She would say so with such confidence, which in turn made them look at her curiously, “How do you know it was a rabbit?” They would ask. “Because I can see it,” she replied with honesty. They then would look into the forest and back to her, the same skepticism on their face. It would have been better if she hadn’t said a word.

Even now, she looked into the darkness, able to see silhouettes and minor details that others could not when their light was taken away. It wasn’t the most perfect of vision like she had during the day but it was enough where she could travel in the forest without a lantern if the situation demanded it. Not too extraordinary, she thought.

She waited for the moon to travel up to the sky a little bit more before she would begin the ritual. There was a nervousness she felt, knowing this could be a great disappointment just as Daren had said or her biggest triumph as far spells were concerned. Lenora hoped for the latter. After so many dreams about the banshee, she wished that the universe would give her some sign of worthiness. She needed to feel like she could accomplish something in the name of good.

A twig snapped in the dark, Lenora glancing back into the forest. She could smell the creature just as she could smell the rich and delicious aromas that traveled within Liriel. It was a small pine marten climbing upwards in a nearby tree. Her heartbeat quickened and her blood ran cold. No, Lenora warned herself. Fight that craving like the plague. How else are you supposed to appear normal if you continue this behavior? 

She continued to wait for the pine marten to go away. Stepping slowly to her left, Lenora reached down for her bow and grabbed an arrow. Taking little time to adjust the feathers and fingers on the bow, she aimed at the pine marten and kept it in her sights for only a few seconds before thinking about her decision. The Rule of Three, Lenora reminded herself. At one point during her stalking of such small prey, she must’ve stopped breathing. She let the air fill her lungs once more, hating herself as she watched the marten fall privy to her closeness the second that she inhaled sharply. It scurried away from her as she sighed in relief. There were many secrets she discovered about herself over time. In no way did it give her answers. If anything, such unnatural tendencies only gave her more to ponder. She told no one of these discoveries. What would they think of her if they knew?

Her throat ached miserably. Settling on water to quench her thirst, she reasoned that eating a meal would benefit her energy before beginning the ritual. Taking several bites of a bread loaf and apples, she began to center her thought process on the task at hand.

During tutelage of their witch coven’s capabilities, Lenora learned from a young age that the mind was a powerful thing. In order to perform any ritual, all intentions had to be crystal clear. Setting her food aside, she closed her eyes and began to think about what she needed from her spirit guide if she were blessed to receive one. Protection was the first concern that she had. Whether that be herself to fear like the tea leaves had said that morning, she ultimately wanted a being that could ground her if need be. She lingered on that thought, solidifying that desire to be the ultimate intent for the ritual and the reason why garnering a familiar was so important. 

Second, she thought of the need to feel understood. Grandmother Rawena could only do so much anymore. No one in Liriel was offering to help. She was desperate for another being to empathize during her struggle to conform. Lenora took several moments for her thoughts to permeate the energies surrounding her. There was a static energy that she sensed within the circle. Already the ritual was beginning and the atmosphere around her was busy circling through as she thought of the intentions set for summoning.

Lastly, she sought a familiar that wouldn’t just protect and empathize, she wanted a soul that could be a friend. She ached for a being that she could call a confidant. She thought of such a kinship between one soul and another. In her thoughts she imagined taking care of a familiar just as much as a familiar would take care of her. If it was a success, she vowed to give that spirit the loyalty it undoubtedly deserved.

Opening her eyes, she saw orbs of light floating over the lit candles. They stayed still and didn’t venture past the circle of salt. She sat mesmerized by such a view. They flickered like stars in the sky. So far, her intentions were heard.

All she had to do was ask out loud until a spirit answered back.

“I summon you, spirit familiar. Answer my call and make our fate sealed as one,” she whispered, tasting the words on her lips. The orbs shuddered from her words. With wide eyes, she watched them settle into place again. Holding her hands forward, she cleared her throat, forcing the words to come out with more strength. “I summon you, spirit familiar. Answer my call and make our fate sealed as one.” 

This orbs shook at her words again and the ground quaked with a groan. “I summon you, spirit familiar…ugh!” Lenora began to say but felt the words catch in her throat as a tightening in her stomach made her slouch forwards. She fought it, tears stinging her eyes. The exhaustion formed instantly and sweat dripped from her brow. Such a spell required a lot of energy from her as she reached out toward the candles on the ground, the fire having its own power that she needed to obtain in order to keep going. “Answer my call and make our fate sealed as one.”

The ground shook with more force. Lenora dropped to her knees, still reaching her hands out for the candle flames. Fissures formed above the rune symbols. The orbs did not stop shaking.

It was as if something held her from speaking. She screamed to make it go away, determined in proceeding as the pain in her middle persisted. “I summon you, spirit familiar! Answer my call and make our fate sealed as one!” 

The fissures grew in intensity. The orbs shook so much that they began to ring with an ear-splitting pitch. The candles blew out as the ground shook so hard that the earth itself cracked. The throbbing grew, forming on her back and on her chest. Her mind felt foggy as everything in her whole being was begging her to stop. The darting pain made her heart race. Something moved behind her but she paid it no heed. The pain was foremost on her mind above everything else. Something within her mind forced her to remember the intentions, despite having little to no clarity on anything else. Her first thought was to have something to protect her. She thought of it over and over again, the ground never ceasing in it’s shaking. “I summon you, spirit familiar! Answer my call and make our fate sealed as one!”

The pain increased once she uttered the final word. As if the ground could shake more. As if exhaustion could be tenfold. She tried to snap her fingers in the attempt to make the candles glow again. The only light were the orbs above her as they began to circle clockwise, picking up speed as they floated on. She thought of the next thing. What was the second intention? She implored herself to feel beyond the aches and tiredness. She was so close and couldn’t give up. Scrunching up her face, she finally could think over all the commotion. She wanted to be understood. Thinking about that for a moment, she opened her mouth to chant again. “I...ugh! I summon you, spirit familiar! Answer my call… answer my call and… make our fate sealed as one!”

The final intention came to her mind the easiest just as soon as she finished reciting the last utterance. 

She longed for a friend.

“Spirit familiar! I need you!” She finally screamed as she planted her hands on the ground and let out a deafening cry. The orbs shot up into the air. The earth stopped shaking. The pain immediately stopped, allowing her to drop onto her side as she hugged her middle. The sound of something falling grew closer and closer. Glancing up to the sky, she rolled with haste out of the way, the sound whistling closer. She moved just in  time to get away from whatever being had fallen out of the sky. Lenora felt faint. Her eyes seemed unclear as she took a moment to catch her breath, her heart beating quickly from the energy that had left her from performing the ritual. There was a snort and whinny that she heard within the circle. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, Lenora’s eyes blinked several times before widening in surprise. A creature had entered her salt circle. She did it! She performed the ritual and had succeeded in gaining her spirit familiar.

Lenora looked up to the sky. There were no more orbs that were floating above her head. Only stars. Craning her neck to the right, she saw… she wasn’t sure exactly what she saw. In the dark of night, even though her eyes had adjusted better than most, she felt as if her mind was playing tricks on her due to the exhaustion. She snapped her fingers feebly. All the candles surrounding them flickered on.

Them. 

What was in front of her seemed beautiful and terrifying all the same. Could this possibly be her familiar? And if it was… what did it mean?

The creature appeared to be a black-winged horse from the candlelight’s flame. From the miniscule amount of light shining down from their dark moon, there was no black hair to be found on the spirit. Or even skin. By moonlight, it appeared to be a walking corpse with only flesh and bones to be seen.

Lenora stood enamored while beholding the creature as it moved one way or another in the moonlight. It looked at her and studied her as well.

“Are you my familiar?” Lenora inquired, her voice strained, her body sticky from the sweat. 

The black-winged horse moved it’s head up and down.

Lenora smiled with relief and felt as if she were going to weep from the joy and fatigue. She held her hand out. The next step was equally as important as the summoning itself. She needed to bond with the creature for their connection to be sealed in this lifetime and the next. She stepped forward, seeing the horse back away. Lenora stopped, not wanting to frighten the creature away. “You needn’t be afraid of me. I’m Lenora. What’s your name?”

The horse gave her no answer but looked her in the eyes and held her gaze. Lenora took that as an invitation to name it herself. “I’ll name you once I know more about you, spirit. I don’t want to do a disservice and give you a name not worthy of your prominence.”

Lenora inched closer, her hand only a step away from the horse’s snout.

She was so close.

Another twig snapped directly behind her.

Dammit.

The horse let out a nervous bray and began to trot out of the circle. “Wait!” Lenora cried. With one flap of it’s wings, the candles grew cold again from the mighty breeze and the salt circle had been swept away. The bond had not been made. Her familiar flew over the forest in an instant.

All that work for nothing.

Frustration was an afterthought. Even though her familiar had vanished, whatever scared Lenora’s  winged-horse was still behind her.

She could hear whatever it was breathing.

Lenora turned around slowly to find another winged-creature lurking in the shadows, crouched down low. 

The statue no longer stood up tall where she last saw it. 

The gargoyle awakened from it’s rest and now watched her warily from the shadows. Lenora could only feel the adrenaline forming on her already exhausted body. She didn’t know why but she had the distinct impression that the gargoyle wanted her dead.

She only had herself to rely on in this brawl. There was no avoiding it. There was no running. There was no chance she had to hide. It was her against the gargoyle.

And she would be damned if she allowed him to become the victor.