I rummaged through Grammie's shop, looking for all the ingredients I'd need. After telling me what I'd have to do she had walked me back over our house to begin preparing for the spell.
"You'll need a voodoo doll to signify the body and the soul," Grammie had told me before walking into the dining room to begin making one.
I was in charge of gathering the supplies for the protection charm. Grammie had most of the ingredients in her shop, but some I'd have to mix together myself. In the corner of the room I noticed the bouquet of roses that Indigo had given Grammie. A small smile flitted across my face thinking about how kind Indigo was before I quickly went back to the task at hand.
I quickly started pulling the paraphilia from her wall of ingredients. I found the ash from a twice lightning struck tree as well as the wings of a bird that died mid-flight. They were both kept neatly in sealed jars, which I thanked my lucky stars for.
I found widow's tears and an old bible with pages ripped from it and quickly set about dunking one in the other.
I found a cat's first tooth tucked away in a chest filled with bones and teeth. I gagged a little seeing it.
I quickly found the other ingredients I needed along with the other supplies and turned towards the door.
Everything in the room radiated power; it was all giving me a small headache.
I gathered the ingredients I had and made my way to the dining room. Outside, the sky thundered.
Grammie looked up from where she was binding the doll. "Do you have everything?"
"Everything that we have. The rest I can get from Indigo or myself."
Grammie nodded. "Good. The voodoo doll is almost ready."
I watched as she cut off the frayed ends before wrapping the neck of the voodoo doll in a scrap of red fabric. Something about it looked familiar but I had other things to think about at the moment.
"Done," she announced, setting the doll down carefully before looking up to me, "Do you remember all the steps?"
I nodded.
"Good. If you mess up any of the steps there'll be hell to-"
"I won't mess up," I interrupted.
"Make sure you don't. I need you here in one piece."
I smiled at her. It touched my heart that she was scared for me.
"I'll be fine, Grammie. I promise."
Grammie didn't say anything, just stared at her hands in worry.
After a second I began putting all the ingredients in a small basket that Grammie had gotten out of the hall closet.
"Are you sure that you won't come with me? I could use your help."
Grammie shook her head. "No, Child. Just because I'm helping you doesn't mean I support this. I learned the hard way that you never bring back the dead."
It was an obvious attempt at changing my mind but it didn't work.
"I'll see you later, Grammie."
I turned to leave, taking a few steps before Grammie's voice stopped me.
"Lavender, you understand what you're giving up, don't you? Anansi will expect certain things from you for doing this. Is that boy worth it?" Worry bleed through her eyes and for a second I could see my own future in her face. Yes, I understood that I wasn't powerful enough to do this without Anansi's help. Yes, I understood that that meant that I'd have to be the sacrifice afterall. Yes, I understood that that meant I'd have no more magic, that I wouldn't be welcomed in this town ever again. But ... I loved Indigo, with all of my heart.
So I answered, "He's worth it, Grammie. He just is."
Grammie didn't say anything and after a moment I turned back around and kept walking down the hall and out the door. It was coming down hard outside, like the sky was weeping but I just hurried on. I had unlocked Indigo's car before going back to my house and I quickly threw the ingredients into the passenger side seat.
Next, I ran into Indigo's house and to the kitchen. Indigo was still splayed out across the floor, his blood having developed a film over it by now. I reached down and hooked my arms under his armpits, trying to lift him. I got him maybe two feet off the floor before I was forced to drop him back down again. He was too heavy. So, I grabbed his ankles and started dragging him towards the car.
The sky was pitch black and all of the neighbors were asleep so no one was around to see me moving a dead body. I thanked whatever God was watching over me before I dragged Indigo down the stairs and to the car. I propped open the back door with my foot and after some maneuvering I got him into the backseat. I hesitated for a moment before I buckled him in. That was how I was coping with the whole situation - by pretending that Indigo was just sleeping and not actually dead.
I jumped into the driver's seat and quickly started the car. It choked for a second before the engine turned over and roared to life. I pulled out of the driveway and quickly started heading towards the edge of town. I kept the headlights off as I drove, I didn't want anyone to see me.
Grammie's words echoed in my head as I maneuvered through the twists and turns of Nowhere.
"Head towards the heart of the sugarcane fields, there's much power to be had there."
The drive went much faster this time than the first time around. It was probably because I was going twenty over the speed limit. I could barely see five feet ahead of me with the rain coming down as it was and the headlights being off. I kept slowly starting to swerve into the other lane and would have to jerk the car back at the last minute to correct myself. Indigo's head thrashed from side to side with the movements of the car, his eyes still open.
Finally, I came to the long driveway that signified the start of the property. I couldn't see the trees with the spiders this time; I didn't know if it was because it was too dark or if it was because they had sought shelter from the rain, but either way, I didn't see them.
I drove down that long road, over the bumps and dips in the path, towards the house backlit by the storm. I skidded to a halt right in front of the doors and, giving myself a pep talk, I got out of the car.
The rain immediately whipped me in the face, stinging my eyes. The sky thundered and shrieked but I didn't pause for a second. I grabbed the basket of ingredients and hoisted it up to the crook of my arm. Then I opened the back door and unbuckled Indigo.
His eyes were still open, staring out at nothing. I ran a thumb across his cheek for a quick moment.
"It's going to be okay, Indigo. I promise," I whispered into his ear.
He didn't say anything back.
I grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him out of the car, his body quickly sagging towards the soggy earth. His dried blood flaked off against my hands, but I did my best to ignore it. I slowly - very slowly - dragged him towards the fields of sugarcane. I glanced up at the house and noticed a single window was lit by a candle. My eyes narrowed but I didn't stop; no mystery was going to deter me from helping Indigo.
It took forever - actually, forever might have passed quicker. I'd have to take breaks every few steps to catch my breath before I began to drag Indigo again. My arms were quaking by the time I got deep enough into the field to feel that throb of power again. It crashed into the base of my skull like a hammer, beating its way down my spine. I clenched my teeth against the pain of it but kept dragging Indigo. Grammie had told me that that's where I needed to do the spell, that that spot was where all the magic of Nowhere radiated from. I vaguely wondered what made that spot so special but I quickly pushed forward; I couldn't afford to be distracted right now.
I kept dragging Indigo deeper into the field, closer and closer to the origin of power. It buzzed against my skin, dancing like a live wire. By the time that we were only a few feet away, my nose had begun to bleed. The blood tasted burnt where it dripped into my mouth, almost acidic.
I immediately knew what part of the field was the center. I broke past the rows upon rows of stalks and suddenly found myself standing in a clearing. It was a perfect circle with a radius of about ten feet. Nothing grew in it - nothing. It was devoid of life. Not even insects crawled within the clearing. I swallowed my fear and walked towards the middle. Was Violet buried here? I vaguely wondered.
The first few steps were fine - well, they were agonizing but no more than the last few hundred had been. But suddenly, about three feet from the true center of the circle, as I took another step something more struck up from the soil. The only way I could describe it is like stepping onto a landmine. It was a sudden, unknown burst of energy exploding out of the ground into my leg. I let out a scream and crumbled down, dropping Indigo in the process. I cradled my leg as I screamed. I expected it to be bloody or burnt from the amount of pain I felt, but when I glanced down my leg was untouched. I stared at it in shock, running a hand along the length of my calf, checking for some sort of injury, but it was fine. I was fine.
But even now I could feel the stabbing power that radiated up from the Earth. Something - something old, something powerful - was here, beneath me. And I didn't have a single interest in figuring out what it was.
I stood up again, my leg still screaming in pain and grabbed Indigo again. I kept dragging him towards the center, each step torture, every breath agony. This is for Indigo, I reminded myself. This is for Indigo.
I gently laid him down onto the wet ground, pain radiating up my spine as I did so.
I threw up in my mouth and quickly swallowed it back down. I needed to have a clear head to do the spells.
I glanced down at Indigo - he was beginning to look even more dead. His eyes had fully clouded over and his body was now cold. I swallowed my fear and beginning laying out the supplies like Grammie had told me.
"Place a candle at the tips of each limb and one above the head. Don't light them - they'll light themselves if the spell works." Grammie's words echoed in my head as I did as I was told.
The candles were thick and black with the Nyame Nwu na Mawu symbol carved into them. The symbol itself looked like a mix between a cross and an X with circles attached to the end of each limb. It represented the immortality of the soul and the protection of God. I hoped that the High God was protecting us now.
I was soaked to the bone but kept working. Next, I pulled the wings of a bird that died mid-flight and, lifting Indigo's body, placed them underneath him.
"Lay the wings beneath his body to symbolize his soul having taken flight too soon. The wings will help tell his soul where to land."
Next, I took out a knife and leaning over Indigo's head, cut of a lock of his baby's hair. I grabbed the page from the bible and placed it in the center, curled around a cat's first tooth, then raised the knife above my wrist. I pressed down on the blade to draw blood. Right before it managed to break my skin, I remembered that my nose was bleeding and the spell never said the blood how to be freshly drawn. I placed the knife back in the basket and swiped my thumb under my nose then smeared the blood onto the cat's tooth. Then, I bound page around the ingredients and, reaching into the basket, bound the page with some twine. I made a slipknot and placed the newly made necklace around Indigo's neck.
Grammie's voice echoed in my head. "This charm will keep the soul in his body. He must never remove it or his soul will more than likely slip away again."
Next, I uncorked the jar containing the ash of a twice lightning struck tree. I opened Indigo's mouth and thought back to what Grammie had told me.
"Pour the ash down his throat to signify the flame of his life. This is the most important. It purifies the body to rehold life. If you miss this step ... well, don't miss it."
Looking away I poured the thick ash down into his mouth and massaged his throat to get the ash into his stomach.
All that was left to do was pump his heart and recite the protection spell. Then the really magic would begin.
I took a deep breath, trying to center myself before I got down on my knees, mud immediately soaking through my jeans. I placed one hand over the other before placing them over Indigo's chest. I took a deep breath again and tried to remember everything I knew about CPR. If I remembered correctly, I had to pump his heart about a hundred times per minute to actually mimic a beating heart. Steeling myself, I began to pump on his chest. I kept hitting his ribs and after a particular hard push, I felt a rib crack underneath my hand. I flinched back but kept pushing down. I counted in my hand to make sure I was getting the rhythm right before I began to speak the words of the protection spell.
I stared into Indigo's eyes as I spoke.
"I welcome those invited
And cast out those who are not
With this spell I tangle our lifelines
With these words, I protect those who I have sought!"
Nothing happened. Nothing. The candles didn't even flicker.
So, taking another deep breath I spoke the words again, making sure to enunciate each syllable in case the magic had a problem with my pronunciation.
"I welcome those invited
And cast out those who are not
With this spell I tangle our lifelines
With these words, I protect those who I have sought!"
Nothing happened again until suddenly something did! The candles suddenly burst into an unnatural flame that glowed green, twisting around itself like a spiral. They grew higher and higher into the air until suddenly they collapse into themselves, converging in the middle, directly into Indigo's protection necklace. I fell back and watched with awe as the bundle began to glow faintly. I wouldn't have even noticed the glow if it wasn't pitch black all around us. I swallowed and waited another moment but nothing happened.
Sneaking forward, I stretched a hand out to touch the charm. The minute my fingertips touched it, I recoiled. It burned hot like fire, searing my fingertips. Even as I nursed my hand, I was smiling. The spell had worked.
My smile faded as I realized that all that was left to do was the actual necromancy. I glanced at the basket containing the rest of the materials.
Could I do this, I wondered to myself. Could I really kill someone else to bring him back? Grammie had said that the magic would pick, that I wouldn't have to actually choose a person to die. In some ways that was worse. If I could just choose who had to die to bring Indigo back, I would choose myself. I had no problem dying so that he could live. But killing someone else? The very thought turned my stomach.
But what was the alternative? Leave Indigo dead? When it was my fault that he died in the first place? If I had just told Grammie about my new powers! If I had just agreed to give them up sooner, maybe Indigo would be alive. If I had given my powers up already then maybe Indigo and I would already be out of this town. Maybe we would be somewhere hundreds of miles away, safe. All I knew was that Indigo couldn't stay dead. I had to bring him back. I just had to.
Convinced now, I reached over to the basket and dragged it closer. I looked at the ingredients and went over the purpose of each one in my head.
Heather: a symbol of passion and love and sacrifice. It was said to open the doorway between this world and the next. It was even said to be able to call a spirit to this realm.
Daisies: to symbolize rebirth and kinship. It'd help bind his soul back in the body.
Black elder thorns: to gain luck. It was said that black elder was connected to the Fey. That it was a symbol of doorways and marked the path between worlds.
And finally, the voodoo doll: to symbolize the sacrifice of life.
I reached into the basket and grabbed the heather stocks. I began to braid them slowly, my hair falling into my face as the rain weighed it down. I kept braiding till it resembled a circle. Circles were always good in magic, as they had no start and no end.
I grabbed the daisies and wove them into the heather. Then I bound the crown of flowers tighter and tighter into a ball then, holding my breath, shoved it into Indigo's mouth as the mouth was considered the door of the body.
Next, I grabbed the spikes of black elder and shoved them into the eyes, heart, hands, and feet of the voodoo doll. It was supposed to represent the pain of rebirth and act as a binding for the soul. I also shoved this into Indigo's mouth, pushing the flowers further down his throat until only the head of the voodoo doll was visible around his puckered lips. It peaked out like it was saying hi, the red fabric around its neck fluttering merrily in the wind.
I glanced in the basket at the very last item. It was a single nail about seven inches long. It hummed with power.
Grammie's voice once again echoed in my head. "This nail - this sacred nail - was once used to crucify Jesus."
"Jesus?" I had asked, shocked.
Grammie nodded, her face grave. "I spent my life looking for one of these. Decades upon decades searching. I finally found it when you were a child. It has uncontained power, child. Untold power. I'm giving it to you now."
"Grammie. I can't take this."
Grammie smiled at me sadly. "I want you to, baby. Use it for good. But don't be mistaken, this isn't a gift, this is just on loan."
I had hesitated before grabbing it out of Grammie's hand before leaving.
I stared at the nail now. I don't know why but it symbolized everything that I was about to do. I was about to sacrifice one person to save another. But I already made my choice. There was nothing left to do now but follow through.
All that was left was the spell.
My mouth opened and closed a few times before I began speaking. The words came out low and gravely, but they came out.
"From Light to Darkness
From daybreak to day's end
I call the reaper
The servant of men
By holy tongue, with sacred talk
I rewrite the fates
I free from him death's lock
Undo heart's fail
Heart begin thy beat
With this holy nail
Thy creator I seek!"
Grabbing the nail, I raised it above my head. Saying a prayer asking forgiveness, I drove it into Indigo's forehead. It sunk in, sharp as it was, about three inches. I felt it crack his skull and I couldn't contain the gag that rose in my throat.
My hands shook but it was done.
For one blissful second, nothing happened and I could pretend that I hadn't taken a step forward into the unforgivable, but then the rain stopped. I don't mean it stopped raining, I meant the rain literally stopped. It froze in the air where it had fallen hovering like it was in zero gravity.
My mouth dropped open and my eyes widened, but I didn't say anything.
"Do you know what you're doing, Ma?" A voice thundered in my head. I immediately recognized it as Anansi's though it was much, much louder this time, like he was closer.
"Yes, I do," I answered back.
"Good. You're mine then."
Nothing happened for a second, then suddenly the rain began to fall again and a single lightning bolt flew down from the sky and hit Indigo's mouth. The voodoo doll and the flowers immediately burst on fire, flaming all around Indigo's face.
I fell back, screaming, covering my eyes. What was happening!?
I moved my hand away from my face and watched as the fire sunk deeper and deeper into Indigo's chest, till a light could be seen radiating out from him. I watched in a mix of horror and fascination as Indigo's eyes started to glow before they too seemed to catch on fire. The flame consumed his body, growing brighter and brighter until finally I couldn't see anything anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut to protect them from the light.
Finally, the light started to die down, but my eyes were still too shocked to make out anything more than shapes.
But I did hear something: screaming.
Indigo was screaming.
So, tell me what you think. This took forever to write. I think there's only two-four more chapters left in this book before the story ends. Anything you want me to know? Anything you'd like to see going forward? I really appreciate your feedback. And like always, remember to vote, add, or comment!