Lughnasadh

I wasn’t sure what to wear to a wiccan celebration, especially one hosted by the most powerful spellcaster alive. I was nervous, knowing Erik would be there.

I eventually picked out a short dress with flower patterns and a pair of wedge-heeled sandals. I made sure to accessorize with a big sun hat, jewelry, sunglasses, and a Gucci bag.

The celebration took place out of town. Ellie didn’t have a car, so I picked her up at her place in my car.

She wore a red short-sleeved silk shirt and black shorts. It made me wonder if I had made the right choice.

“That’s a lovely hat, kitten,” she said as she entered the car.

It took about an hour to drive to the location Aurora had sent. It was out on an island, so we had to take a ferry.

“So, kitten, just to be sure, you know we are working, right?” Ellie asked while we were on the ferry.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It’s okay to enjoy yourself. However, remember to watch and listen. Don’t interrupt any kind of gossip. Especially not about dangerous or illegal activities,” Ellie said.

Come to think of it, this was what we were supposed to do. Louisa had told me to make connections, get to know people.

“So if they eat people or something, I’m supposed to do what?” I asked.

“Observe, blend in, and then report to Louisa,” Ellie answered.

“But what if we could stop it?” I asked.

“We don’t. If we would, the other witnesses would know we can’t be trusted,” Ellie answered.

“Besides, we’re powerless compared to Damion Nord. Remember that.”

I wouldn’t feel right just standing by and watching. But Ellie probably knew what she was doing.

***

We pulled up outside a giant manor, built in gray stone. The windows all had tinted pictures, and half the building was covered in ivy.

There were a few other cars parked in the courtyard, so I just parked where I felt my car wasn’t in the way. The entry doors were beautiful.

They were almost entirely made of tinted glass. One door had a warlock with the night sky behind him, and the other a witch with the sun and clouds behind her.

I was just about to knock when the glass witch spoke.

“Welcome, Ellie and Bella,” it said, and the doors opened on their own.

I shot Ellie a look of surprise. I had not seen much magic in my life, yet at least.

I knew mages were our biggest enemy. It was mostly spellcasters who were behind demons entering this world to begin with.

Only those selected for squad eleven and twelve were taught magic at the umbra headquarters, with a primary purpose to close gates and tranquilize other spellcasters.

“We are quite literally gonna have the most magical day,” Ellie chuckled.

I believed her.

We were not greeted by our hosts in the hallway. Instead, there were butterflies in the air, leaving a trail to follow.

It led us straight through the house and out into the yard. There were quite a lot of people talking, dancing, and drinking.

They were all dressed in light, flowy summer clothes, so I fit right in. Aurora stood together with a tall, very handsome man with dark brown short curls.

He had a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes and had the most powerful aura I had ever encountered. He gave me a big, bright smile as soon as he laid eyes on me.

I was surprised when he walked up to me, even more so when he suddenly hugged me like an old friend.

“You must be Bella,” he said, and looked at me like he knew me.

He lingered a little too long before he moved on to Ellie.

He turned to Ellie. “And Ellie, of course, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said and shook her hand.

She didn’t get a hug, and it puzzled me.

“You probably already know, but I’m Damion Nord. Guardian of the spellcasters, and host of this party,” he continued.

He felt like a very relaxed and kind person, but so did Aurora, and she had a vicious past. There wasn’t much about Damion in our history books.

Just that he was the most powerful of all spellcasters, and that he was at least a few centuries old. I just stood there, not knowing what to make of the situation.

“I am most honored to meet you,” Ellie said, and I knew she meant it.

“Any friend of Aurora is a friend of mine,” Damion said.

He was so much more relaxed than I had thought he would be. We were both given a sparkly red drink that Aurora insisted was mostly cherry wine, before they gave us a quick tour.

The decorations were mostly made from wheat. As Aurora explained, they were celebrating the first harvest and thanking the gods.

The other spellcasters there glanced at us suspiciously, but seemed to trust Damion’s judgment. I caught sight of Erik in a small cluster of spellcasters.

He hadn’t seen me yet, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him to. He hadn’t replied to my apology.

The main attraction of the celebration, apart from the drinking and dancing, was bread. Small breads were baked in the shape of little figures.

I looked at the odd little bread men in awe. They were adorable, so detailed.

They were all laughing and dancing on the table. I’d never witnessed such magic before.

“They are baked today, with flour from wheat harvested this morning. We eat them to honor the gods of harvest and prosperity,” Damion explained.

I gave Ellie a slightly uncomfortable look. Did I have to eat it? I felt very uncomfortable eating something that was alive.

Aurora could read me and laughed.

“They aren’t really alive, it’s just a spell. I can undo it, if it makes you more comfortable,” she suggested.

She picked up a bread man and mumbled something in an unknown language. However, I could understand it?

“Back to bread?” I asked, feeling puzzled.

“Yes, that’s right,” Aurora said, unsurprised, and gave me the bread man, which was moving no more.

I understood the arcane language? That wasn’t a talent the umbra had. Most spellcasters didn’t even know it; they just learned the spells without being able to understand the language.

I was probably just lucky.

Ellie looked at me oddly before she ate her bread man, still moving. She was braver than me. She even seemed to be enjoying it.

It was delicious and fluffy, and its flavor reminded me of a sweet scone.

Aurora looked at me and nodded discreetly toward Erik. He had seen me and was making his way over to us.

She got up on her toes and whispered something to Damion.

“Enjoy the party, I’ll find you later,” Damion told us while Aurora grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

She smirked at me before they disappeared into the crowd.

“I must admit, I’m surprised to see you here. Are you friends of Aurora?” Erik greeted us.

He was smiling at me, obviously amused. I tried to still the butterflies fluttering in my tummy.

“Yes, we were invited by Aurora.” I smiled back at him, looking into his beautiful golden eyes.

“Erik, I assume?” Ellie asked and glanced at me mischievously.

“Yes, I’m Erik, and I assume you are not afraid of getting sacrificed?” he teased me while introducing himself to Ellie.

She couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing. “I’d have a death wish if I was. I’m Ellie, I’ve known Aurora for almost ten years,” she said.

I didn’t know that. I got a little jealous watching them laugh together.

“So, how did you meet our kitten?” she asked him, like she noticed without even looking at me.

“Bella? We met in a line at a coffee shop. She was so obviously checking me out, it was adorable,” he said, then winked at me.

“How could I not?” I muttered, looking at him innocently, before Ellie said anything more to embarrass me.

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” Ellie agreed.

“Anyway, I’m going to make myself scarce. See you later, Bella. It was nice meeting you, Erik,” Ellie said and wandered away.

“Want to get another drink and tell me why you volunteer to get sacrificed?” Erik smirked at me.

“Sure,” I giggled, although I was secretly a little scared he wasn’t joking.

“What’s the thing about sacrifices anyway? I know it’s a means to summon demons, but why is that?” I asked while we walked.

We who weren’t taught magic weren’t taught how it worked either.

“When we take life, the veil between worlds gets thin, and through rituals, we can access them. You can summon more than demons, but they are the easiest to reach since they want to escape hell. I can assure you I consider human sacrifice vile,” he explained and looked at me seriously.

His intense gaze made my skin tickle. I folded my arms to scratch the itch.

“I see, I guess that makes sense,” I mumbled and looked at his hands.

They looked smooth, like they hadn’t been used for any rough work, unlike mine, which had calluses from gripping weapons and throwing punches.

I really wondered what they’d feel like, sliding across my skin.

“Are you always this trusting? Two umbra against seventy spellcasters are very bad odds, and Aurora is very mischievous, you know?” Erik chuckled, making my heart skip a beat.

“She is?” I asked, surprised.

“I haven’t been out in the world much. I’ve learned to fear demons, and I’ve read about the dangers in the world, but I’ve never really experienced any of it, if that makes sense,” I explained.

“It does. So you’ve been shielded. Only hunted demons, then?” he asked, looking a little relieved.

I nodded, looking at him curiously.

I wondered how powerful he was. He’d had a very strong aura when I’d met him before, but now I barely felt it.

That was a tricky thing about spellcasters. We could only feel traces of magic they’d used, unlike other, actual nonhuman beings that always emitted energy equal to their power.

“Were your family spellcasters or did you discover your gift later in life?” I asked him.

“Born from a line of spellcasters,” he replied, looking troubled.

“Erik!” another warlock called, approaching us through the crowd.

“Need me?” Erik asked.

The man nodded. “It’s urgent,” he said.

Erik turned to me with an apologetic smile. “Looks like I have to go, but I’ll be back. Will you wait for me?” he asked with a low and seductive voice that sent a pleasurable shiver through me.

“You want me to?” I smirked at him and bit my lip.

He smiled mischievously. “May I have your hand?”

I raised it, curious as to what he’d do. He took it in his hand. It felt just as smooth as it looked.

I parted my lips in surprise when he bent down.

I felt a spark when his lips touched the back of my hand. “I do, very much,” he said while looking straight into my eyes.

“Then I will,” I replied, feeling completely spellbound.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

He let go of my hand and chuckled. “I’ll see you soon then.”

I stared after him while he followed the other warlock until he’d disappeared out of view.

“There you are, Bella,” Aurora said behind me.

I turned and looked at her, surprised.

She handed me a glass with a blue substance in it. “Here, drink this!”

I recognized the everdream and drank it in one go. “Thanks, I needed that.”