Ch. 27 - Raise the Dead
When hearts are broken, we are assassinated by our own demons with shiny, white teeth.
***
Necromancy is an ancient and elemental ritual. To those kept from the dark, necromancy is merely an ability or gift for the purpose of speaking with the dead. Ari has never practiced this bizarre ceremony but she has learned and no other witch has, aside from her very own sister who is the origin of all wickedness. Necromancy plays a small part in turning reanimated bodies into vampires and Ari hopes she won't need as much as she expects.
A gentle knock on the door announces the arrival of a much needed book of spells. Carmen, who has little knowledge of what is happening, opens the door for a very anxious Vladimir who is holding a large leather-bound book in his hands.
"Welcome, Vlad," she greets but doesn't turn to him. Her eyes have stayed glued to Saphira's lying figure since Valentine and James left to chase after the runaway shifter. She is slightly grateful that Valentine isn't here; the old bloodsucker has a tendency to be controlling at times.
Vladimir intends to return the greeting but he gets distracted by hundreds of glowing candles and vases sprawled over the immense space of the clinic. "Wow, you've been busy," he comments while peering into a bowl of rose water. "Where did you get the candles?"
"It's nothing," she waves her hand around. "These are just spare candles I have in my bag for emergencies."
Vladimir's eyes adjust to the warm light and he carefully walks over to Ari, who is kneeling on the ground by Saphira's corpse-like body. She has turned the entire room into a magic conducive room of runes and elements - fire, earth, water and air.
"You carry these in your bag?" He asks, slightly snickering.
"What a silly question." She finally turns to him and smiles. "Of course I don't, Vladimir, you're too gullible."
He stares back at her, now more afraid to ask another question. Humiliation is a feeling he's all too familiar with, especially with women. Vladimir carefully hands the book to her and she receives it eagerly.
"Did you have trouble finding it?"
"Well, let's just say, I won't be doing it again, that's for sure," he answers with a less than pleased expression on his face. "I had to dig through bones to find that, I even dislocated the poor, old bat's arm."
Ari giggles and stroked the book's spine with her index finger. "I'm sure Mordecai won't mind," she says, referring to the father of all vampires. "He's been sleeping for millennia."
The keeper receives a flashback of his gruesome endeavors in the crypts. It wasn't an honorable feat, or a very distinguished one. Librarians shouldn't have to dive into graves and disrupt their slumbering masters. They shouldn't even help witches perform a dark ritual but due to circumstances, he has no choice but to comply. Vladimir is suddenly kicked out of his memoirs when Amaryllis tugs sharply on his shirt, causing him to kneel right next to her.
"Couldn't you have just asked?" Vladimir says through his teeth.
"I'm a witch, Vladimir, I don't need to ask."
He narrows his eyes at her. "You're not a witch, Amaryllis, you're a sassy bi-"
"And you'll be dead if you finish that sentence." She cuts him off with an intense look and he freezes, wide-eyed. Vladimir gulps deeply as he looks in her violet eyes - the sweet and playful orbs of light have now shaped into threatening beacons.
He shrugs and gives her a wide smirk. "What's the difference? I'm already half-dead."
She scowls and points her finely polished finger at him. "You need to learn how to hold your tongue."
"And who better to teach me than you?" He winks at her. Witches should not be teased and Vladimir knew better, but he simply cannot help it, the stunning beauty is like him, very much like him.
Although old and experienced, Ari is young at heart; she does not allow her age to define her. She, too, knew better than to tolerate the dhampir in his plights to make her squirm. "Alright, alright, just shut up and help me arrange these." She sighs and lets her tense shoulders rest.
Ari hands him a few herbs, runes and small ceramic vases. With his hands full he can no longer protest and has no other choice but to comply. With the smaller tasks eliminated, Ari can now focus on the core ritual.
Her hands shake as she takes the decaying book in her hands and nothing is helping with the nerves, not even a deep breath and an assurance that Saphira will most definitely survive. She is not afraid of the technical aspect of the ritual but the spiritual. With necromancy, her sister was able to tap into a power so vile it consumed her; she hopes to never do the same.
The thick, leather-bound book is sealed with an intricate brass lock. "Mira voclora ren," she mutters under breath while she hovered her hand over the book, unlocking it with magic. With a click, the book unlocks and her heart starts to pound heavily against her chest.
She flips through the book by gently handling its ancient pages. The spells, even merely written, whisper like broken records in her ears - each leaf contains mystical words that she hesitates to utter.
"Carmen." She breaks the eerie silence with an odd request for the oddly placed nurse. By this time he felt as though she had been forgotten. It didn't matter anyway; she has not a single clue of what is happening or how to help even if it was needed.
"Yes, ma'am?" Her bewildered eyes switch to the graceful witch.
"Please, do call me Ari," she replies sweetly. "A favor, hon. Fetch me a bag of blood?"
The nurse rises from her seat and nods. "Of course," she utters quietly. Without a single sound, she quickly ambles over to the glass chiller and obtains not one, but three bags of blood. You never know if more will be required. She returns to their presence and hands the bags over to Amaryllis who is holding a brass goblet.
Ari gives her a kind smile and asks her to sit with a gesture of a graceful hand. "Thank you, dear." Quietly, she pours the blood into the goblet and sets it aside. Her deep violet eyes rests on two other pairs, and she holds them for a moment.
The witch's eyes lock with Vladimir's and she opens her mouth to utter a confession. "I don't know if this will work."
"What do you mean, you're a high witch?" His eyebrows scrunch together in bafflement.
She inhales sharply. "Saphira is already a transfigured darkling, which means it may not be possible to turn her into a full vampire." She glances at Saphira's still figure and frowns. "Her body has been through multiple incantations and the poison in her blood is a bane created just for vampires."
He raises an eyebrow and purses his lips. "You can at least try - Saphira is already half a vampire, what more could happen?"
"She would have turned into a full vampire when Valentine turned her, but the poison in her body deflected the vampire cells. I don't know what will happen."
He turns his whole body to her and gently hands her the book. "And with a stronger force of vampire cells it will destroy the poison in her body. You are one of the most powerful witches in the history of Elriel, you can do this."
She sighs and drops her shoulders. "You're right. Thank you, Vlad." She nods but knows what would happen if this ritual is ineffective. Ari just hopes Valentine would not go stark raving mad when he finds out Saphira can't be turned into a vampire. "Shall we?"
Both onlookers nod with an equal amount of fascination and anxiousness, giving her the push she needs.
With the book in her hands, she starts a melody, both beautiful and fearful.
"A curse as crimson as the blood that drips
A thirst, so bold, a thirst on your lips.
Eyes full of darkness, teeth like knives
Death has passed and death offers life."
She says it once, because once is all you need as her voice echoes ten times over, filling the empty space with a spell, so powerful it renders everyone speechless. Ari's breathing increases in speed - she can feel a dark and evil entity blanket her, trying to enter her mind. To prevail against it, she thinks of good memories, thoughts of light that can dispel any darkness that exists in the world and beneath it.
Each candle flickers, but no drift. The goblet rattles, but the ground remains still.
When the last word reverberates on the walls, a silence distills around them and leaves them to anxiously wait for something to happen. They wait patiently but nothing happens, not even a sweep of the wind. Amaryllis grows impatient and stands on her feet to closely examine Saphira. No movement.
Her heart starts to pound and she had never feared anything more.
"Is she?" Carmen's small voice whimpers.
Ari raises her hand to her to halt her from speaking further. She needs this time to analyze the situation and check to see if Saphira still lives. Sweat breaks free from her palms and she gulps as she doesn't receive a single response from Saphira.
It's rather odd and curious, because she can strongly feel that she is still alive.
"Vladimir, hand me the goblet," she dictates softly.
He swiftly follows her order and hands the blood filled cup. Ari follows an ancient inkling and pours a sufficient amount of blood into Saphira's mouth, violating the conformity of the ritual. The spell book said the dead would rise first before they taste human blood, but this is a completely different, completely new situation.
Just as the blood hits Saphira's tongue, her eyes shoot open and her chest rises up, as if something is brutally attacking her lungs. Saphira gasps loudly with her glazed eyes wide open. She seems to be convulsing, which is the terrible sign. After a moment, her body falls limply on the floor.
The witch trembles slightly and whispers, "Saphira?"
Again, no response. Her eyebrows come together and her frown deepens. What's going to happen if she doesn't turn as we expect? She touches Saphira's pale body with her fingertips and instantly, her eyes are clouded with a milky white.
Vladimir sits up in concern. Ari has become still and immobile, much like what happens when she is shown a vision or when another witch is speaking with her. Normally, she quickly snaps out of it, but this time, she's very deep into it.
Just Vladimir is about touch her, her eyes clear and she abruptly takes her hand off of Saphira. She shakes her head, blinking multiple times before Vladimir captures her eyes.
"Ari," a deep voice breaks the silence. It was lulling enough to give her a sense of comfort but not strong enough to kick her out of a frightened thought.
Just when she thought everything was spiraling in disaster, Saphira exhales a short and strained breath.
"Ari," Vladimir utters softly. "What did you see?"
Her shoulders drop along with her head. "I-it's nothing. She's alright, it's ju-"
Her words are interrupted by a gentle opening of the door. Her heart seemed to have stopped beating, she was more nervous than ever. "Valentine," she struggles to say.
"How are things?"
She hesitates for a moment and stands to her feet. Maybe, she can rid herself of buzzing nerves if she tells the truth. "I-we-she..." she stutters and Valentine speeds over to her in immense speed with rage in his eyes. Both Vladimir and Carmen stand in caution.
"What happened?" The scared vampire shakes the witch by her shoulders. He was just as unsure, just as anxious as the rest.
"I don't know," she rasps. It's not the best answer, but an honest one.
"What do you mean?"
She stays quiet and he grinds his teeth in anticipation. His bite was hard enough to let his fangs break the sensitive flesh in his mouth. "Ari," he repeats with aggression.
Amaryllis closes her eyes briefly then looks into his raging eyes. This is an expression she is all too familiar with - as friends, she has seen many of his faces - this is the hard edge he's shown for years and years, one that has cloaked his true self. Nevertheless, she knows just how to handle him.
"Calm yourself, Valentine, she'll be fine."
"I suppose you'd like to tell me what you've done with her."
She steps back. "We didn't do anything."
"Then why is she not awake?" The vampires eyes flash a bright red she takes another step back. She'd rather not get bitten, at least, not by him.
"She just needs blood and a good nights rest," Ari sweeps past Valentine and with a wave of her arm all candles blow out and the room, again, gets bathed in artificial light. To take her mind off of the failed procedure, she starts to pick things up and put them away.
"There's something you're not telling me," he stops her as she makes her way around to Vladimir.
"There are a lot of things I don't tell you, hon."
Valentine kneels down to asses Saphira. "She didn't turn." He is surprised by her pulsing heart. Vampires' hearts don't beat, and even if they did, it isn't that fast. "I think you better start telling me what I need to know."
He looks at her wondering what they did wrong and how they could correct it. He wishes he was present during the ritual, to see for himself. Maybe he could have done something different. Valentine trusts Ari with his life and with the life of all he loves, but you cannot deny the selfish feeling you get when something goes wrong.
"She can't turn into a vampire." And she musn't.
His face contorts into confusion. "Why? Is there something we must do differently?"
"No, we've done all we could. A half-vampire is all that she can be, nothing else."
Valentine decided that he's had enough and his fangs extend. He figures she knows, she really knows what is happening and is leaving him to cower helplessly while everyone around him dies.
"You saw something, didn't you?" He finally asks. Ari has the gift of prophecy and it's the only reasonable explanation as to why she's been dodging his questions and request.
She stops and goosebumps riddle her arms. She doesn't know why this is having such an affect on her. There are things far worse that she has seen or encountered.
"Yes," she replies. "I did."
"Will you tell me?" He gulps, hoping she will say yes. One word from her is even enough.
She nods and closes her eyes.
"Scarlett is still alive."
***
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