Samhain

It looked like most of the party guests had stayed the night, and had been prepared for it, but we hadn’t, so we didn’t have any clothes to change into. Rebecka had left after brunch to celebrate with her boyfriend, but Ellie and I got to borrow clothes from Aurora.

We needed to wear white for their Samhain celebration, which we were staying to celebrate as well, thanks to Ellie. We were all gathering dead branches from the forest to build a great bonfire.

Aurora and Damion insisted they had to be gathered by hand. It was serene, seeing all the people dressed in white walking around in the autumn forest, where a light fog licked the ground.

Aurora had put out a lot of carved pumpkins and lights. The scene was even more surreal and beautiful because of it.

The ghosts Aurora had invited for Halloween were still in the house, holding a banquet. I refused to set foot back in the house after learning about it.

Aurora said a reaper would come after we lit the bonfire, to guide the lost spirits to the afterlife.

“So you’re telling me you were actually hunted by one of the ghosts?” Ellie asked, laughing at me while we wandered the woods, discussing yesterday’s Halloween party.

“You’re telling me you weren’t?” I asked, surprised.

“No, I had the ghost of a small boy follow me. He was curious about me, and later, when we were ghosts, he helped me find my body,” Ellie answered.

“Lucky you! I had a horrible night!” I confessed, feeling a little envious.

I suddenly caught sight of what the old legends meant by carved pumpkins guiding the dead. I hid behind Ellie.

Three Victorian ghosts came floating through the woods, following Aurora’s pumpkin trail.

“How beautiful!” Ellie remarked in amazement.

“Why did I agree to stay?” I asked with regret.

I really didn’t like ghosts and spirits. Ellie laughed at me.

“To be part of a beautiful tradition, of helping lost spirits? No? That’s what I’m staying for, at least,” she said.

I cringed when I saw another ghost follow a pumpkin trail. “I admit that Aurora’s decorations are beautiful, but the ghosts I could live without,” I said in a low voice.

“No need to brag to the dead, Bella,” Aurora said as she joined us.

I couldn’t help but giggle. It probably made me a bad person. It had been an unintentional pun.

“If I’d known how terrified you were of ghosts, I might have been a little kinder. I was very surprised to learn of it,” she said, looking amused.

“It’s not exactly something to brag about,” I mumbled.

“This is my first time actually celebrating Halloween, but it honestly felt more like getting pranked than celebrating,” I answered.

“Well, you’re fun to tease,” Aurora said.

“Agreed!” Ellie chuckled.

Ellie turned to Aurora. “So, want to tell us about Angélique? We’ve yet to see Alex today.”

“And spoil all the fun in the surprise?” she answered with a devious smile.

“Are you playing some kind of cruel prank on Alex?” I asked, concerned.

I could tell by the look on Aurora’s face that she felt a little insulted.

“Of course not, I’m as surprised as you. I know Alex is very popular, but he’s an umbra, and she is…not,” she answered, slowing down on the last word.

She probably almost misspoke.

“I’ve never heard about her before, but she is French. Could simply be because she’s none of our concern,” Ellie said.

***

When it got dark, which was very early at this time of year, we all gathered around the pyre we had made. It was situated in front of a Stone Age tomb.

I knew old legends said they were gateways between the worlds at this time of year. A guest had arrived.

It was my first time actually seeing a reaper. He looked as I’d always imagined a reaper to look: pale, black hair, red eyes, dressed in black and wearing a hood.

He was also handsome, and looked very similar to Damion. He glanced at me and smiled before returning his attention to Damion.

“Today, we have gathered, the same as every year, to honor the gods of death and help a few lost spirits to the afterlife while the veil is thin,” Damion began his speech.

“We also welcome the darkness and celebrate the gods of night as the nights are now longer than the days. And with that said, let there be light,” he finished as the pyre lit itself.

A vision suddenly flashed in my mind. ~I was standing by another bonfire. Many people were gathered around, all dressed in white as well. With me were Damion and the reaper, talking and laughing.~

~

I snapped back to reality and looked at them with a frown. What was that? It felt as real as many of my dreams had for the past year, but it had never happened to me while I was awake before…

Was I maybe being contacted by a spirit? There were plenty of them here, after all.

I shook it off and found something to drink with Ellie. To my great surprise, the alcohol that was now being served wasn’t enchanted at all. It was normal red wine and mead.

Damion did seem to follow Old Norse traditions. I really hoped there wouldn’t be any human sacrifices. That would complicate things.

We were also advised not to drink too much, as this was not a party, but a celebration to honor the gods.

I observed the reaper from a distance. The ghosts had left the manor and stood gathered around him.

I watched as he spoke to them, and one by one, they entered the old tomb and disappeared.

“Sorry for ditching you last night,” Alex said when he joined us.

He wasn’t wearing his pirate outfit anymore. He must have borrowed clothes from Damion. He was dressed in white like the rest of us.

“Decided to finally join the living?” I asked, smirking at him.

A ghost looked at me with annoyance.

Alex chuckled. “I never joined the dead, remember?” he pointed out.

I facepalmed. “That was unintentional,” I admitted while my friends laughed at me.

“Angélique must be very special,” Ellie remarked, raising her eyebrows at Alex.

“She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met!” he answered.

“But I agree that it’s a little odd. I’ve never experienced attraction like this before,” he admitted.

“Any idea what she is? I can’t read her at all,” I asked curiously.

He shook his head.

“Well, I’ve never met a nymph, so that could be a possibility?” he suggested.

“How can you have spent a night with her and not found out what she is? She said you didn’t even sleep together,” Ellie said skeptically.

“When did you talk?” Alex asked, surprised.

“This morning, you were sleeping. She wanted to know if you are single,” I informed him.

“Really?” Alex asked, looking at Angélique.

She was standing on the other side of the bonfire, talking to her brother. Her white hair was reflecting the flames with an orange glow.

“Are you talking about Angélique?” Erik asked from behind me.

I smiled at him, pleasantly surprised. I hadn’t seen him since this morning.

“We are just curious as to why we can’t read her. Do you know what she is?” I asked him.

“You really don’t know who she is?” he asked, looking surprised.

I shook my head and frowned at him.

“I guess you just don’t know her by her real name. I’ll let you find out for yourselves,” he said with a mysterious smile.

“I really can’t remember ever reading about Damion having siblings,” I mumbled, confused. Although I hadn’t really read that much about him.

“Oh well, I came to find you because I wanted to be with you for this,” Erik said in a low voice, not including the others in our conversation.

I saw Angélique joining us as well. She snaked her arm around Alex’s.

“Be with me for what?” I asked curiously.

Right as I asked, I heard the beats of drums, and soon after, music started to play. It sounded old, very old.

“As we honor the gods, I’m usually part of it, but I wanted to watch it with you,” he said while I felt his fingers intertwine with mine.

A few of the spellcasters started to sing in Old Norse as others, Aurora and Damion included, began to dance around the bonfire. They moved so gracefully around the pyre.

Then suddenly, the fire changed color—it was green, only to turn blue, then purple, then pink. It shifted in all the colors of the rainbow.

It was so beautiful to watch. I was completely entranced by the scene.

“It’s not our doing. It’s the gods, showing their appreciation for the lost spirits we helped,” Erik whispered.

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the ghost of a young woman exit the tomb. She wore white as well, and in her brown hair was a crown of thorns and white roses.

I watched in awe as she joined in and danced with the living, laughing happily. She was so very beautiful.

I saw how Damion gave her a loving look.

“It’s Damion’s daughter, Idun. He might be immortal, but his children aren’t,” Erik whispered in my ear.

“That is so sad,” I said as my eyes teared up.

I barely knew them. Yet I felt so sorrowful.

The ritualistic song and dancing went on until the fire started to die down. By then, we were probably all very tired.

We would stay another night at the manor.

“Well, we really did get to witness something new and beautiful,” Ellie said when we went inside.

“Maybe next year you could even be part of it,” Aurora said. She gave Ellie a pat on the shoulder.