Complete Dark Urban Rising Box Set by S M Henley

Author:S M Henley [Henley, S M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Darkish Fiction

21

Witches

The meeting Jacob attended in Boston was not what he’d expected. Until now, his participation in magical circles had been restricted to sitting with his father and the elder men in his village repeating antiquated rituals performed as lip service to a long-forgotten entity.

During his university education in the West, Jacob had continued to perform certain elements of these rituals to please his parents. They’d told him they would improve his clairvoyant gifts, but he hadn’t found that to be the case.

This magic was altogether different. He could feel the atmosphere changing as the ritual progressed.

Proceedings began in a very formal manner. He’d been introduced by his contact, Aideen, to the group of nine women and two men, and was required to formally ask their permission to join the ritual. It seemed she’d prepared them well as no one demurred at his request. Some simply nodded their assent while others gave him wide smiles and hugs as though he was a long-lost relative.

Jacob was grateful. He hadn’t wanted to justify his presence. Not yet anyway. He’d wanted to get the lay of the land first, to understand what these witches thought they could achieve or better still, to find out what they knew.

The initial telephone conversation with Aideen had been awkward. She was an old flame, and the relationship had ended badly three years ago. Once Boston was under siege, he’d reached out again, concerned about her safety. Communication re-established, she’d shared some information she’d learned about the Risings and invited him to visit.

Outside the warehouse, they’d hugged stiffly before moving back an arm’s length, a distance they’d studiously maintained for the rest of the night.

When the formalities of setting the circle were dispensed with, one of the female witches took center stage while the others seemed to be providing a protective boundary around her. He recognized the first stages of the ritual: the witch paid respect to, and asked the assistance of, various elemental entities. Then proceedings began to deviate into rather more unusual territory for him.

At first, the witch in the center of the circle began to tremble. The shaking intensified until violent tremors threw her from her chair onto the floor where she remained jerking uncontrollably. The other participants chanted softly, ignoring her sufferings.

Voices rose and the members of the circle swayed back and forth. To Jacob it looked jerky and discordant, as though they were all dancing to different music. While he watched, the energy intensified. An invisible force began to use the poor woman on the floor as a plaything. It flipped her from front to back and dangled her by a leg above the ground.

Over the chanting, the air filled with high-pitched ringing. The sound rose along with the energy he felt tightening his chest. It circled the room, vibrating against the windows and bouncing off the walls, like it was looking for an escape and battering all that stood in its way. Several times he felt it approach him. Cold air collecting against his body.

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