A Study of Poisons

TWELVE

      If my nightmares correlated to my emotional state, I guess you could say my sanity was getting worse and worse by each growing day. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see the Lost from my last mission. His eyes that watched me, haunted me. My veins were hot as I put my hand down the wood of Maggie's door. The darkness had spread to the outside wall of the manor, it was festering around to something more. Something wicked.

I opened the door and bared myself, ready for battle. Flipping the light switch, I noticed the servants took the furniture from the room like I asked. The willow ash still drew a pentacle into the ground.

My body moved on its on, I locked the door and covered the window in a sheet. I couldn't have anyone sneaking any peaks to what I was doing. I still needed to figure out if Maggie was the only witch in the building. A long cold chill followed down my spine.

Lighting the smudge stick I placed it in a ceramic bowl, the smoke filling the room. Flaring to my nostrils. The Angelica leaves were next to go into the bowl, the fire crackled around the edges as they went up in heat. There was so much that could go wrong right now, I needed to be a head of it all.

My hand drew down to the jar of black pepper, I created a boarder around the doorway and the window to ensure that the dark matter would stay in the room with me. My sword matched to my palm as I sliced it. Blood dripping to the floor, speaking my peace. "Blood from shadow, night from darkness." I sat onto the ground and crossed my legs.

The room drew from the cold, it was summer but yet you could see the fog of heat that escaped my mouth. I put the black pepper jar into the center of the room, following the rim of glass with the blood on my fingertips. "I encase the curse of this room." I conjured as my body began to burn.

It was fighting me.

"I encase the curse of this room." I said it again. This time my voice boomed of echoes. The darkness spiraled around me, my mind drawing from unease. "I call out to you." I battled at my throat felt like hands had sprung and began to tighten around them. It suffocated me every time I called out to it. The ringing in my mind warning me not to step any closer from it.

I bit down on my lip and held onto every part of my strength, I would need more than blood magic if I was going to break this. I closed my eyes and reached out into my fears. My nightmares brought to light. The Lost boy came to mind his anger and disgust in his eyes. When my blade came down and killed him in a single swipe. His head which rolled over and escaped from me, my hand began to shake.

My father's fists to my chest as he beat me down. Every part of my being flinched. The darkest part of me reveling in the pain, I needed to bathe myself in the fear. So I did.

I thought about the feeling of my life being ripped from me, Holstein's fangs to my neck as he drained me of all my life. The others watching- the Prince joining in on the fun. Killing me for the feeling of my last breath between their teeth. The burning stopped and all I was left with was the cold. I opened my eyes.

The room was dark and not just from the night. A dark fog outlined the ceiling of the room, consuming every inch of light. It was Maggie's curse as it loomed around me. Waiting for me to make a move. "I banish you, I encase this curse." I yelled but the spirit that dissolved didn't seem to enjoy me here.

I could taste blood in my mouth.

Anger boiled from every inch of my body, I refused to lose. This spirit would not best me. I've faced worse. "Protero." I conjured. I knew my father would hit me if he saw what I was doing right now, but the safety of my hosts was more important than the punishment of a man who cares more about his job than his child. "Unde venerunt ad te." My latin was rusty since the last time I used it was my anointment. The words between my lips pushed on.