Her words echoed and died in the dark hall, obsidian hues taking in a few particular individuals here and there only to linger on the form of
Dreidi Xeraic
. She had been late again, unable to sneak in without being noticed despite her use of the Force, but Vanya did not speak to reprimand her this time. The tattooed witch had taken the young woman under her tutelage and was in the process of teaching her both Coven culture and how to harness the witches magick. Thus far she had proven quite determined and had earned a reprieve from being scolded. Vanya had, though it was unspoken, taken a liking to her. Dreidi reminded her, in some ways, of her own daughters.
"
There are some that are squeamish at the sight of blood." The Nightmother turned away from the crowd to face the large bowl that had been prepared earlier in the day. Within it had been an ichor of life harvested for the ritual, blood thick enough to coat her hand as she placed it inside, only to drip from the tips of her fingers when she removed it. Her motions were natural, as though she was not performing to a crowd. Bloodied fingers traced one line and then another until a five-pointed star decorated the platform. Four points for each of the elements, the fifth for the spirits above. The final piece was the circle to encompass it, to tie each point together.
"
Blood is the essence of life. It, like the Force, connects us. Brothers to sisters, parents to children. Blood binds us together. It is natural, and it is powerful." The Nightmother had not been squeamish; even her holocron had been constructed with her own blood so that only those descended from her would be able to access it. She moved to stand in the centre of the pentacle and took a breath, calming herself so that her heartbeats slowed. "
Ad te vocamus superos spiritus. Te suscipimus et invitamus in sacram aulam." Beneath her feet, the symbols had begun to glow, at first a brilliant red and then a more muted crimson that seemed to seep into the stone.
Vanya wondered if those gathered felt and noticed what she did. The sudden wildly flickering flames, the subtle darkening of the room, the density in the atmosphere. The words had been an open invitation to the spirits, welcoming them into their castle, and into the ritual hall. "
Cum sanguine gratias agimus tibi, qui nos superi spiritus gubernas." With a flick of her fingers, the bowl tumbled from its pedestal, the viscous liquid washing over the ground at her feet and over the ledge of the raised platform. It spread out until it touched the first of the intricate symbols that decorated the floor of the hall, and then spread through each line like rapid-fire only to be sucked into the stone.
And as the last droplet was greedily swallowed the atmosphere became denser. A bone-chilling breeze swept through the hall, the cold piercing the tattooed woman straight to the bone and making her shiver. Every flame went out, leaving the room bathed in darkness as the faint smell of sulphur permeated the air.