Page 14 of Call of the Blood

“Schedule us to see her when we arrive to fully explain the trip, then we’ll discuss which of her branching residences is closest to Everly’s brother. We’ll be there for a month, so we’ll need something she’s willing to lend out that long. If there’s a payment necessary, I bet there’s something she would rather me look into while I’m there, and I’ll take the work instead. To get myself busy again.”

I checked out, still unbelieving that we were about to ignore Isaiah’s orders to stay in Savannah until he reached out.

Knowing our luck, he was going to reach out while we were breaking the one rule he wanted from us after leaving New York.

Oh well, I guess. I’ll just tell him the truth and blame Alexius.

He was still busy with that while the witches came outside for the ritual.

I was ushered into the right spot as nearly twenty women made a full circle around the tree. High fences and massive bushes protected their plot of land from prying eyes, and the tree was so huge, its canopy so vast, that I figured even drones, helicopters, or even satellites wouldn’t get good pictures. A bit of magic to protect from thermal, and almost no one would have any idea what was happening underneath the branches.

I was handed a knife made of silver and pointed toward the tree.

“When we start the ritual, walk up. Slowly, follow the beat of the ritual. When you arrive, cut your hand and let it bleed. When it’s given you a good handful of blood, press it to the tree,” Nancy explained. “You’ll know when it’s worked. Remove your hand and wait until the ritual is over. And get barefoot now.”

I kicked off my shoes and looked at the tree.

Then the chanting began.

The chant made the world pulse with energy. The tree’s leaves fluttered in the night breeze, summoned by the magic at play.

I walked nearly twenty paces and cut my hand, letting the blood pool.

When I placed it on the tree, it dripped, running through the bark lines. It nearly happened too fast. The tree absorbed it. Alexius had said his blood was integral to the spell’s original casting. Now I knew why, at least in theory. The spell tied us in with it.

The ground felt alive underneath me. It felt like, for a moment, something inside me was drawn into something far more vast. The earth beneath me, the sky above me, the tree before me. For a split second, I was all of it and all of it was me.

Then it was gone, the witches ending their chanting. Some went down to a knee where I could see them. Some wobbled. Others grabbed them, while the most just stood, resolute.

“Oh,” I said softly, looking for the one face I cared to see.

Alexius nodded at me once our eyes met.

“Now, let’s eat some food, drink some wine, and let our guests be on their way,” Nancy declared.

The witches went inside, and I could tell now why this was a party, an event. The magic drained them of power, energy they needed like my own vampiric abilities did. They partied as an excuse to eat as much as they wanted and drink sugary things to recuperate. The booze probably took the edge off. They offered me nothing, nor to Alexius, all knowing we didn’t indulge in those items anymore. It wasn’t impossible. It wasn’t entirely pleasant, either. They certainly didn’t offer blood, though I wouldn’t have asked.

We stayed, gave pleasantries for a minute, and with goodbyes to Nancy and the other elder council members, we left.

I followed Alexius out, getting into the car, still taken in by the feeling I had experienced. I would be thinking about it for a long time.

“We leave two hours after sunset for California. Tell your brother. He’s in Los Angeles, right?”

“Close to it, yeah. LAX would be the airport, and it won’t kill us to stay in the city and meet him on the outskirts… I think.”

“Perfect.”

“I’m going to close my eyes now and just sit in silence.”

“Of course… I wasn’t sure how to warn you⁠—”

“Alexius.”

“Silence. Of course.”

And finally, there was silence, and I could remember what it felt like to be just in my body. That split second had felt like an eternity.

6