Beasts of Lore ♕ GOT

Blood Magic

Under the pale blue moon, Andriella bows. Her dark curls lay spread out before her. Arms outstretched and palms up. Blood pools in her palms. Under her breath, Andriella chants to herself, tears pricking at her eyes as she puts all of her being into the spell in order to protect those she cares about. 

Robb bows in front of her in a similar fashion. Blood held in his palms as well and drawn intricately up his arms and chest. The designs differ from that of the wedding ceremony they performed but bring up a resemblance in his mind. 

Around them, Ser Terren has carved runes into the ground and patterns from the old gods. Catelyn does not recognize them, having grown up in the light of the seven, but Robb remembers most of them. 

Although the religion in Agaliga is different than that of the North, the two had a similar origin. Both of the regions drew their beliefs from the people of the forest. What Agaligians called wood walkers, the northerners called children of the forest. Weirwoods were present in both regions though it would certainly surprise the northerners to find whole forests full of them east of Agalia. 

Those of Agaliga could probably argue that they were closer to their gods than the northerners. 

In the points of the runes drawn around them rest the leaves of the weirwood tree which Robb and Andriella were married under. Ashes of burnt ashwagandha fill in the rest of the carvings of the runes in the dirt. 

In a nearby fire, Ser Terren meticulously squeezes the nectar from nasturtium flowers. Each drop of the nectar into the blaze sends a plume of golden sparks into the air. At the base of the fire, a once yellow gem glows red, providing life and breath as the ritual draws on its second hour. 

The last two ingredients for the ritual were the most troublesome to come by for the Bryne girl. Moon water was an essential ingredient for the ritual but due to the hastiness at which it needed to be performed, they did not have time to wait for a full moon. A full moon would have made the moon water extra powerful and in turn make the ritual more effective. Alas, Andriella did not have time to wait.

Not when a red witch was involved and her new husband and family were at risk.

The last ingredient was something that had been touched by a red witch or their power. It didn't need to be from the red witch that they were protecting from but any red witch in existence. This ingredient had stumped Andriella and Ser Terren for many hours until their savior showed up in the form of a towering lady knight. 

Lady Brienne of Tarth was incredibly clever and had thought to grab the dagger which was used to slay King Renly Baratheon during her escape from his camp. The dagger was touched by the shadow, which was created by the red witch, therefore it fulfilled the requirement needed for the ritual. 

Andriella was truly grateful for the lady knight's quick thinking because without the dagger there may not have been any way to perform the ritual. At least not for many moons. And there was no telling how quickly the red witch's magic worked and whether or not Robb was one of her targets at all. 

She very well understood that she could also be one of the red witch's targets what with her interference in the tides of war, so the next ritual that would be done that night would be for herself. Ser Terren understood the complexities of the ritual so he would be able to perform it on her. Luckily. 

So far everything was falling into place for the Bryne girl. Luck seemed to be on her side so far and yet she couldn't help but worry. 

Not for herself or the North for she felt she had everything under control here but for her white-haired friend in the East. 

Andriella could no longer recall the last time she had received correspondence from Daenerys or the advisors she had left her with. 

The last the Bryne girl had heard, Daenerys was expecting her baby and she had been accepted by Khal Drogo and his people as their khaleesi. Andriella hoped that Daenerys was just busy with her new child and rolls as khaleesi, but that didn't explain why her advisors were unresponsive as well.