The Connelly Boys (Celtic Witches Book 1) by Lily Velez

Author:Lily Velez [Velez, Lily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-11T16:00:00+00:00

27

“So we know the Reaping will take place on Samhain.”

It was almost dusk, and we were in Dublin, where Jack’s contact had said The Book of Fates was last seen. We’d taken up headquarters in the penthouse suite of a five-star hotel. The two-story space was massive, larger in square footage than my small, humble home back in Colorado. It was also dripping with luxury: balconies with stunning views of the busy city, bathrooms with Italian Carrara marble and waterfall shower heads, gorgeously tiled fireplaces, and the largest flat screen TV I’d ever seen in the common room.

After showering and changing into fresh clothes, I’d found the Connellys gathered around the dining table, a spread of room service before them that included pizza, hamburgers, cold sandwiches, and more.

“I wasn’t sure what you might want, Scarlet Ibis” Lucas had said, speaking around a mouthful of crisps, “so I ordered liberally.”

I now sat with an untouched turkey-and-cheese sandwich in front of me, struggling to find my appetite. I balled up a napkin and dabbed at the cold water trickling down from the still-wet bun atop my head. “Samhain,” I repeated. “That’s Halloween right?”

“Halloween originates in part from Samhain. Samhain is one of our Greater Sabbats and marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, or the ‘darker half’ of the year. It’s a time when we remember our dead and celebrate the lives they led. But of particular note, it’s also when the veil between this world and the Otherworld momentarily thins, making it easier to harvest power from the other side. It’s the most auspicious night of the year to hold a dark ritual.”

“But how can you be so sure that’s when the ritual will take place?”

“Our mother said it would happen when the Blood Moon fills the sky. That’s what we call October’s full moon, not to be confused with the total lunar eclipse of the same name. Our designation comes from our way of life. Back in the day, the clans would spend October hunting, slaughtering, and preserving meats for the coming winter, inevitably spilling blood. This year, the Blood Moon just so happens to fall on the thirty-first of the month.”

“If that’s the case, we only have two weeks to stop the Reaper.”

“Which is why we need to act quickly.”

Pressure built in my chest. It was bad enough when my dad’s soul had been in danger of becoming an eternal prisoner of the sluagh. But learning he was instead meant to be a sacrifice in some deranged ritual involving demons? That was a new level of terrifying. “So we know when the ritual will take place. What about where?”

“Our mother gave us a clue about that as well. She said, ‘The earth where the mother goddess sleeps awaits.’”

“The Hill of Uisneach,” Connor said.

Jack nodded. “Ireland’s sacred center. It’s one of the country’s most treasured and mysterious historical sites. It was an ancient ceremonial site, a place of worship, a seat of the High Kings throughout the years, and the place where the first Beltane fire was lit.

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