Winter Night's Ritual - Halloween Night
After the announcement that midnight was fast approaching many decided they had had enough for one evening and began to say their goodbyes, departing into the night without blood on their hands. There were those that chose to stay in the mansion, busy taking the Queen up on her generous offer of food, beds and anything else they could possibly desire. Most of the guests remaining slowly trickled outside preparing to witness the ritual. For most of them, the sacred meaning behind the tradition meant nothing. They only desired to witness the slaughter of a Hunter. There were the curious few who’d never been a part of a ritualistic sacrifice, the young ones new to the ancient traditions, who wanted to see what it was all about.
No matter what their reasoning, the crowd followed the candle lit path honoring those that had passed to a large altar made of piled stones arranged in a square. They gathered around, candles and Faerie lights illuminating the area with an eerie glow. There was light enough to see what needed to be seen, but still much hidden in the shadows.
Freya, now in a ceremonial dress, had been standing before the altar for a while, watching the crowd gathering, ensuring that everyone was behaving and everything was being attended to. She let the energy build in the air, feeding off its power. It wasn’t often that a night such as this occurred, where Fae gathered in the hundreds, even thousands, and spirits roamed the air. She couldn’t see them without the assistance of a necromancer such as Edmund, not really, but she could feel them, lingering in the dark, reaching out to those they loved, or even those they hated. She was sure that she had quite a few in her presence, most of which weren’t there on good business. There were deaths that weighed over her, but this one wasn’t one of them.
As midnight drew nearer the Queen signaled for the prisoner to be presented once more. Minutes later the bound and struggling man appeared to shouts and jeers of the crowd, which made the Elven leader smile broadly. Someone threw a rock and she scowled snapping towards the offender, “This isn’t a mob lynching you will respect the ceremony or you will be removed from the premises.” Everyone seemed to settle down after that, not wanting to upset their host.
The Human was dragged up to the altar, Jari and another general attached to each arm. There was no escaping his fate, but he still fought for his life uselessly. Ropes were produced, but Freya waved them off, asking Jari to join her behind the altar. The thought of feeling the life drain from his body was too strong to allow him to be strapped down. Allowing Jari to share that honor with her only made sense as he was one of the only people present who truly new what this ritual meant. Memories of Vetrnætr from her past made her homesick every time this time of year came around. It had been far too long since she had been to see her parents or her motherland. Unfortunately, her job sent her everywhere but Scandinavia it seemed.
The hour was upon them and Freya silenced the crowd in an instant. Edmund joined them behind the stones, standing off to the side until his moment of glory. One of several presented throughout the celebrations, although the Elf hoped this would be the one he cherished the most. Jari removed the gag that had been muffling his protestations. A slew of insults followed. Four letter expletives combined with words like monsters and beasts. Freya looked to Witch knowing he would end the nuisance. Mere seconds passed before the Human was quieted and she was free to continue.
Her Elven warrior pressed the offering against the stones as a nameless slave brought forth the sacred dagger, used only for rituals such as this. Lifting the lid from the plain box she removed the blade, running her hand along its surface, still smooth after all these years. Her finger moved towards the edge, letting the magically infused iron pierce her skin, drawing a small drop of blood, which she smeared in a line down the Hunter’s forehead. Raising her hands to the air addressing the sky above, her voice echoed across the grounds, the Queen’s native tongue falling from her lips, “To my ancestors, the blood they’ve spilt, the protection they’ve provided year after year. For delivering us another year of life I give you this life. This man is not worthy of the ground you have walked, but his death is more fitting than that of another other. I honor you with his blood. I hope you find it deserving of your name. Stenberg glory forever.” She looked out at the crowd and lowered her arms. One hand grasped the Human’s hair, pulling his head back exposing his throat. Jari tightened his hold as the man began to thrash. The Norse woman brought the dagger to his skin, glaring down at the Hunter wanting to drink up the fear it instilled. “You are nothing,” she growled, returning to English for the benefit of those witnessing the event. “You and your kind will never triumph in this world for we have time, and power, and the strength of the Gods on our side.” She held the dagger there for a moment pressing slowly inward before drawing the blade across the quivering man’s neck in one shift motion yelling out as she did so. The Elves held the worthless being, feeling his life slip away as his blood shot out onto the stones before him. Flecks of the warm fluid reached her face and she merely smiled. After a minute of relishing in their kill, Jari moved to his feet and the two threw the corpse on top of the altar. Either could have completed the task with two fingers, but it meant more finishing the ritual together as they had done for centuries. He wiped the blood from his Queen’s face and placed a soft kiss to her lips and then her forehead, drawing her into his arms for a moment before she pulled away. She let his arm remain draped around her as she turned to the crowd and looked at the Necromancer.
Edmund approached the altar as blood wept out of the Hunter’s wound; the body no longer demanding the soul to stay confined within its earthly vessel. Acknowledging Freya he bowed his head, and stepped forward and simply raised his hand in the direction of the altar. Closing his eyes tightly he pushed forth energy, and offered up only two words. “Animus Accendo.” The useless human cadaver lay lifeless before the crowd as a dark shadow began to cover the figure; however it was only for a matter of seconds before the dimness lifted and a white luminous glow appeared mid-chest and washed over the body. The light lifted from the figure, but kept the Hunter’s earthy form, and continued to rise into the backdrop of the starlit night sky.
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