Starchild

Happy Lughnasadh!

I nod, and with a hand movement, I make the sword disappear into my pocket dimension. I will bring it out and give it to Sabrina when it's all arranged. She cannot get the throne without touching the sword.

—If, —Barney starts, —She threatens Vic and it gets violent. What's the plan? Can we protect her? —

—I can assure you we will. —Strange, who I had not noticed arrived with Wong and stayed by the door, says, —We have shields, we have illusions, and we have the Mirror Dimension - which we can use to lock you until it's peaceful. —

Wong adds, —That includes you, Barney. You could get harmed in a fight like that. —

—Seems fair. —he sighs. Then, he smiles, —Will there be food at least? —Victoire chuckles.

Of course there will. It's a harvest festival, after all. Just seconds after arriving at the entrance with a portal we are offered some cookies, which we gladly take.

The field looks just like it did years ago; big, green, and bright. It used to be the only place I would go to outside of the coven, and it was a great break from the small and dark house we stayed in. The Lughnasadh altar is in the middle of everything, surrounding the soon-to-be lit bonfire, and there are many food stands around the ritual circle. There is music, there are people dancing, and most importantly, eating as much as they can.

I can't find anyone familiar here. It's easy to point out the non-wicca visitors, but even from the thirty or so witches, I cannot recognise a single one. Sabrina's coven was always changing members, and apparently, it still is.

However, Happy Lughnasadh! says every person we pass by, and Happy Lughnasadh you too! we respond. Everyone's roots, abilities, and beliefs are unimportant when you are celebrating what your planet gave you.

—Happy Lughnasadh, Starchild. —

Sabrina's arm snakes around my shoulders, as She stands right next to me, observing the festival. Victoire gets as far as she can from Her, and the men watch Her carefully.

She looks at them amused. —You brought your little friends... —with a smile, She turns Her face to me, —And you brought news, I suppose. —

—Yes, we need to talk about-—

—No. —She puts Her hand up, so I stop. —Not now. You're not going to ruin my mood for the ritual. I don't wanna know anything. Just, —using that same hand, She gestures to our surroundings as an invitation, —Enjoy the day! Keep it to yourself for some time and have fun. Maybe introduce your friends to your beautiful culture. —She shrugs. —And change your look so everyone knows you're mine. —

Once more, I change my hair and eyes.

—Good. —She points at my dress, —That's a nice colour on you. —with nothing else to say, She starts walking to the altar. —The bread sacrifice starts in five minutes. See you there. —

Barney leans into my side. —Bread sacrifice? —

I nod. —Yes. And you will do it with me if you don't want Her to get annoyed. —

Sabrina is many things, and traditional is one of them. She respects the Wicca and demon rules, celebrations, and rites, even though it might not look like it sometimes. She loves Her culture, and She does not disrespect it or others - I take that from Her.

The bread sacrifice is done every year in Lughnasadh to thank the gods for the harvest. It is a group ritual, led by the High Priestess, in which each person also sacrifices something about themselves to honour the grain god. You will need a fire, a lot of wheat straws, a cup of wine, and a loaf of bread.

And it is about to begin.

The fourty-or-so people here start making a circle around the altar - big enough for everyone to fit well - and I join them, well aware of the four adults awkwardly imitating me. Sabrina stands in front of the bonfire, with a helper by Her side, and She opens Her arms,

—Thank you gods for your sacrifice! —

With a finger twitch, She lights up the bonfire.

Everyone in the circle holds hands, including my guys and I. Victoire is at my right, and Barney at my left.

She continues. —It is the time of the harvest once again. Life, growth, death and rebirth, all have come full circle. —slowly, She walks around, directing Her words to all of us, but also, the gods, —The god of the harvest has died once more, that we may eat and consume him, giving us strength in the months to come. —

She makes a gesture to the helper, who starts giving each one of us a bunch of straws from her basket, and a small bit of red yarn. We hold them with both hands.

Sabrina gets Her own sheaf. —We now create dolls in our image. These dolls symbolize our selves, in our many aspects, and all the things we give up each year, so that we may thrive and flourish later on. —

We kneel down - left leg behind, right leg in front. The siblings look at me in confusion, so I just whisper, —Try to make a doll like you with this. It doesn't have to be perfect. —

As a child I was great at making these dolls. With just a bit of magic as a cheat you can mold the straws into decent shapes that look kind of like body parts. Braided straws work as the legs and arms and a crumpled ball can work as a head. Aside from tying the parts together, I use the yarn to decor the doll, giving it details I feel like I would wear. She looks nice. She looks like me.

—Is this all? —Victoire asks,

I shake my head. —Give it your essence. Your energy. It has to represent you. And on the way, start thinking of a personal sacrifice, because that's the hardest part. —

What will I sacrifice?

One by one, all of us who finished our dolls stand up. When there is no one left kneeling, Sabrina continues,

—The god of grain is dying, vegetation returns to the earth. We call upon the gods of the harvest, asking them for their blessings. Tammuz and Lugh, Adonis, Dumuzi, Cernunnos and Attis, Mercury, Osiris. You are born each year, and live in our fields, and are sacrificed as part of the cycle. —

We hold the dolls on our left hand and put the other hand on the left shoulder of the person to our right. Slowly, we walk in an anticlockwise circle around the altar. Victoire, in front of me, turns her head around and whispers, —What's this for? —

—We are raising the energy. —

It's a very important thing, especially when it comes to group rituals.

After circling the altar three times, we stop, and face the center again. Sabrina points at a lady about ten people away from us, who steps to the front with her doll and stands next to Her. She looks at the fire, mutters a few words, and throws it to the bonfire after receiving an approving smile from Sabrina.

What can I sacrifice?

It's supposed to be an abstract concept. An addiction, a belief, a worry. Some people have it easy to choose; they have been waiting to sacrifice such a thing for a long time but they waited for an excuse to do so. I don't know what I have to sacrifice.

Do I have anything to sacrifice?