The Mirror

Chapter 7: Summoning

Raven took in a deep, calming breath. She had her hands fisted in her lap to keep them from trembling. It had taken longer than she'd wanted to set everything up and get the necessary items but they still had just enough time to perform the spell.

"Raven, are you sure-" Oceana's soft voice broke the silence of the room.

"I'm sure." Raven interrupted her. She couldn't think about what might happen. She had to go through with this.

She opened her eyes and stood. The others followed her lead. "You three need to grab each other's hands. Crowe, Elijah, place your open hand on one of my shoulders." Raven issued the orders with calm assurance, her eyes focused on the red candle burning in the bowl in the center of the table. Around the edges of the table, Raven had carefully carved symbols deeply into the wood. Embedded into a spot in front of each person standing at the table was a white candle, wrapped in sandalwood and lavender.

Gulping, Raven raised the athame, holding it by the end of the handle with the tips of her fingers so that it dangled loosely in her hand. Shutting her eyes again, she took another deep breath, before she began chanting quietly, swinging the athame north, south, east, then west in a steady beat. She did this until she reached a specific part of the chant, then she flipped the knife up into her hand.

Before she could doubt herself, she held her palm over the bowl with the red candle and with a swift motion, she brought the blade down across her palm, her voice raising as she continued chanting. The other three stared at the center, awestruck as her blood pooled around the candle, swirling in a constant rhythm. The latin rolled off of Raven's tongue with a practiced ease, the words bringing the table before them to life. The candle flames were dancing in beat with the chant, the smoke from the incense swirling around the room.

As Raven finished the last of the chant breathlessly, she dropped her hands, Raising her head, Genevieve's apparition became clear through the smoke. She stood above the group with a broad smile stretching across her face.

"Raven!" She called out. "You've summoned me. What a talented witch you are." Her words were kind but there was an edge to her voice, a very dangerous edge.

"How dare you," the growl came from her right and Raven turned to Elijah as he bared his fangs at the apparition.

"My sweet Elias," the ghost purred, leaning down towards him. He growled louder, the blood red that had faded bleeding back into his irises. The apparition looked offended.

"You are not Genevieve." Crowe spoke up, his jaw set but his silver eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"What are you two talking about?" The apparition spoke, looking around the circle in faked shock.

"Reveal your true face." Oceana continued quietly. The apparition faced the less experienced witch, baring her teeth.

"This is my true face you wench!" She screeched. Raven and Oceana made eye contact.

Raven placed her hand over the flame of the red candle, the heat tickling her hand in a slightly painful dance. The two witches began chanting in sync, the magic flowing across their skin with a dizzying effect.

The ghost screamed, grabbing her hair.

Crowe and Elijah were watching the apparition, jaws dropped in shock at the sight. The witches were maintaining eye contact, never pausing in their chanting.

In a gruesome display, the apparition's skin began to peel away slowly, revealing wrinkled, stained skin beneath it. The hair fell out in clumps, revealing a scraggle of midnight black hair with streaks of red. The violet eyes gave way to obsidian ones, the sure sign of a dark witch.

Raven's breath hitched slightly, the words still pouring from her.

As all of Genevieve's image fell away to thick black spoke, the face revealed underneath shook Raven to her very core.

Instantly, she was reminded of the face in the pool as the goddess described the history of witches and vampires. As the last words of latin fell from Raven's lips, she gasped, choking on her breath.

Of all the things she could have released, it just had to be the first dark witch. Her face was imprinted into Raven's mind, the wide smile even more terrifying in person than it had been in her image.

"Well, well, well. It seems you're a smart witch after all." She sneered, her voice high pitched and hoarse. Her voice alone sent shivers down Raven's spine, forcing her entire attention onto the evil being before her.

"You should have never gotten out of that personal hell you had gotten yourself into." Raven spat out, sounding much braver than she felt.

"Watch your mouth, young lady. You may be a very powerful witch but I promise you, I'm more powerful." The witch drifted down, sitting on the edge of the table between Raven and Crowe.

Oceana and Elijah were frozen in place. Just behind them, Raven could see Aleksei and Cain frozen in mid-lunge.

"What have you done?" Raven asked, glaring the witch down.

"Just given us a little privacy." The witch held her hand out in front of her, examining her talon-like nails. "I really do need a manicure." She said nonchalantly. Then she turned her terrifying black eyes to Raven. "I really must thank you for releasing me from my little bit of solitary. I am so much happier out here where I can manipulate things and have a little fun. It's been so long since I used my magic." She sighed in content, swirling her finger in the air. Outside, thunder boomed.

"If I had truly known who you were I never would have let you out of there. You're a manipulative bitch, taking advantage of someone who hasn't had much experience in the world beyond menial magic." The words were out of Raven's mouth before she could stop them.

The witch narrowed her eyes, glaring at Raven. "You really don't know who I am, beyond the witch who invented necromancy and tried to become immortal, do you?" Raven clenched her jaw. "Thought so," the witch spoke in a condescending tone. "I am known by many names, but the one you may recognize is Baba Yaga." At the look on Raven's face, she smirked. "Ah, yes, it seems you do know. Then you know what I am capable of. You should really learn to watch your mouth around me, you little idiot." Her eyes narrowed.

"I am going to be so happy when I can lock you away so that you'll never see the light of day again," Raven spat out through clenched teeth. It took the ancient a moment to take a deep breath so she didn't strangle Raven right then and there.

"That's quite alright dear. You can go ahead and try. But, to slow you down a bit, I have a lovely little distraction for you." She reached a talon out to Crowe, tracing a rune on his chest over his heart.

His breath caught in his throat, a horrible sound escaping as the flesh began to burn. Raven's eyes widened.

"Crowe!" She shouted, fighting to move towards him. The hand he had on her shoulder tightened painful.

"There we are." The witch smiled at her handiwork as the rune burned black into his skin, black as night. The witch placed her hand on Crowe's cheek in a gentle caress, a faux look of sympathy scrunching up her face.

"Tell me, sweet Crowe, him who has suffered all these years with no escape," the look on his face grew more concerned by the moment, and Raven fought the paralysis as hard as she could, "How does it feel to finally be dying?"

Raven froze, watching Crowe's eyes grow huge as the witch laughed in delight. His mouth was dropped open, but no sound was coming out.

"What did you do?" Raven whispered, staring at the deranged woman. "What did you do?" The second time was a yell.

"Oh, calm down. I just gave him what he'd asked for all those centuries ago." She smiled, patting his cheek. "Now, what else can I-" The witch's taunt was cut off with her own scream as the room suddenly blazed with bright white light.

Raven gasped, feeling a strange kind of magic fill the room. She could barely make out a voice that spoke a language older than time itself before she lost consciousness.