Chapter 55 Plans for Sacrifice
Amara’s POV
I was still in pain.
The mark on my arm continued to throb with heat, like fire creeping under my skin, even hours after I woke up screaming. Even though Mira had carefully wrapped it in herb-soaked linen, the sting and the murmurs persisted.
My hands were shaking in my lap as I sat in the healer's hut. I had a heavy head. My spirit was heavy.
With her arms folded and a worried expression on her face, Mira stood before me. "The connection is getting stronger," she remarked quietly. "The Hollow Witch... She is attempting to support you.
"I understand," I said. Once more, she appeared in my dreams. She showed me everything. She offered me a throne in exchange for the battle and death.
Mira's mouth tensed. She's attempting to control your will. The rest will fall away if she can bend you.
With his eyes blazing with silent anger, Rowan paced across the room with his fists clenched. With his arms crossed and his jaw clenched, Kian stood next to the entrance. Since I woke up, they hadn't spoken to each other. In any case, not to one another.
"What are we going to do?" I broke the stillness by asking. "How can I prevent her?"
Mira paused. She took a moment to glance at me. She approached her shelf and took out a little wooden box that was worn out and shattered. I noticed the shine of a curved silver blade within when she opened it.
My stomach turned over. "What is that?"
"A ceremonial blade," she uttered softly. "From the old ways."
Rowan took a step ahead. "No, Mira—"
She extended a hand. "Allow me to explain."
Reluctantly, he took a step back while keeping his eyes fixed on the sword.
Mira looked up at me. "There is a custom. Letting blood. It can break the spiritual bond between you and the Hollow Witch if done properly. It will be uncomfortable, risky, and uncertain. However, it's our last remaining choice.
I tried to control my respiration by blinking. "What does blood-letting mean to you?"
"You have to give something of yourself," Mira stated. "Your will must be stronger than hers, and your blood must be freely shed." We burn her strength under the moonlight after drawing it out of your veins. The link will break if it does.
What happens if it doesn't? With a firm voice, Rowan inquired.
Mira was silent for a while. "Then she might take full control," she added.
Silence enveloped the room like a thick shroud.
At last, Kian said something. We don't wait after that. Tonight, we do it. Before she makes another attempt.
With haste, Rowan answered, "I'll do it." "I'll keep the blade here. I've previously had ritual training. I'll get it done quickly.
"No," Kian yelled. "You act too carelessly. She has more faith in me than in you. I will be the one to touch her with that knife.
"You believe she has more faith in you?" Rowan snarled and moved forward. "You weren't keeping an eye on her, and she almost died in the woods by herself!"
"And you initially allowed her to be cursed!" Kian returned the bark.
"Enough!" Shouting, Mira slammed the wooden box. "Pride is not at issue here. It concerns Amara's life!
Their conversations swirled around me while I sat still, gazing at the floor. My heart pounded rapidly. My hands were chilly. In the back of my mind, I could still hear Lilith chuckling, as if she knew we were struggling, uncertain, and disintegrating internally.
Then I got up.
There was silence in the room. Mira seems surprised as well.
I approached the box, carefully opened it, and picked up the blade. I was surprised by how light it was. Chilly. In my palm, the silver shone like moonlight.
I said in a whisper, "I'll do it."
Kian and Rowan spoke simultaneously. "No!"
However, I didn't glance at them. I was staring at the blade. My own hands were shaking. Because it was my life, my blood, and my war, I had to make that decision.
I said again, more loudly, "I'll do it." It's my mark. Here's my link. My battle.
Mira's eyes were filled with pride and terror.
And as though in agreement, the silver blade in my grasp pulsed.
By the time we reached the clearing, the moon was high. Mira had used chalk and powdered herbs to make an old circle in the soil. As I entered the middle, sigils encircled me like luminous threads.
Outside the circle, Rowan and Kian stood tensely, watching me as if I were going to disappear in front of them.
Kian replied softly, "You don't have to do this."
"But I do," I answered, attempting to maintain a steady tone. I have her inside of me. Whispering. Observing. She will take control of me if I don't break the connection. She will ruin everything we hold dear.
Mira moved forward and ignited a little dish of sacred herbs made of silver. Something old and bitter filled my nostrils as the smoke curled in the air, gentle and uncanny.
She cautioned, "Once you start, you can't stop." "She will take more than your blood if your will falters even for a split second."
I gave a nod.
Rowan took a step forward and looked into my eyes. "Please. One of us should do it. You've already experienced too much.
I glanced at Kian and then at him. "No. I must be the one.
I could feel the weight of the blade in my hand. It was more than just a weapon. It was a decision. A pledge.
"Start," Mira whispered as she took a step back.
I shut my eyes.
As soon as I drew the blade across my palm, the whispering began.
The voice was what shook me, even if pain blossomed through my hand.
Lilith purred in my head, "Foolish girl." "You believe that blood will keep you alive? That they can keep you safe? As before, they will turn against you.
I tightened my jaw. "I'm not yours."
At my feet, the blood trickled into the bowl. The plants gave up a hiss. The runes became more radiant.
Kian took a step toward the circle's edge. "You're shaking, Amara."
I lied and said, "I'm fine."
Already, my knees were shaking, and every heartbeat made the ache in my arm worse.
Lilith murmured again, "You don't know what you are." "You were made just for me. The Hollow Priestess is you. I own your power.
"No!" Grasping the sword more tightly, I yelled. "I'm not yours!"
Red blazed the runes.
A chilly wind suddenly blew across the clearing. The bowls' flames flickered. Even the sky appeared to change. Shapes formed as shadows slithered across the ground, twisting and slithering in my direction.
"Spirits," Mira inhaled deeply. "She is phoning them."
The circle's edge was attacked by the shadows, but the sigils barely held. Rowan pulled out his blade. Kian took his blade out of its sheath.
"Avoid breaking the circle!" Mira yelled.
As the pain worsened, I went to my knees. The mark on my arm continued to pulse, brighter, angrier, but my blood continued to stream into the bowl. I gasped for air in quick bursts.
"You're going to die!" In my mind, Lilith screamed. "All for what? For them? You will never be chosen by them. They are not going to remain.
My cheeks began to well up with tears. "I'm not interested."
The bowl exploded with dazzling light. Like a surge of energy, the sigils rose. With a scream, the shadows disappeared into the smoke.
Then there was stillness.
I blinked.
The agony ceased.
The murmurs had vanished.
I looked down at my arm and gasped.
The mark remained.
But suddenly, as if it had fully awoke, it glowed brighter than before.
I staggered, but Kian caught me as he entered the circle. "Amara!"
Rowan also hurried over to join me. "What took place? Is the link broken?
"I'm not sure," I said. "However, she continues to observe."
Mira took a hesitant step forward. "The curse was lifted. However, the bond remains intact. It has changed.
Glistening like molten silver, I glanced at the mark once more. Something older and deeper throbbed in it.
"She is on her way," I said.
Rowan turned his eyes to the trees. "Then, together, we will confront her."
However, I felt deep down that this was not the end.
It was just the start.
There was more to the Hollow Witch.
She had only just begun.