Chapter 15
Viria was surprised to see the time on her phone. She’d spent twelve hours in deep sleep. With no nightmares or any other forms of discomfort. This was the strangest thing that had ever happened to her, but she’d noticed that she’d slept well here, even last time when she first visited. For once in her life as a witch she had no explanation for something. She knew the dinner she’d been offered the night before was not messed with in anyway or else she would have smelled it. If not that, then she would have tasted it. Even if not that, she’d made herself immune to poison and other illicit drugs so it would never had worked.
“I hope you slept well,” Mitch said from the curtained entrance. Viria rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t believe she was still sleepy. She did not want to get out of bed at all.
“Better than ever, to be honest.” She yawned. “I’m absolutely baffled.”
Mitch smiled. “Breakfast?”
“More like lunch.” She sighed. Her phone rang and she answered it on the first ring, “Hello?”
“Mission’s completed, and Ivanna has initiated breaking into the Inner Circle,” came Yale’s voice.
“You’re on your way here now?”
“Will take us fifteen minutes at most.”
“Good, then.” She sighed. “I’ll be waiting.”
She hung up and saw a tray being lowered before her. An odd realization hit her like a brick that she was literally being cared for right now, and it was the same case last night for dinner. It brought her discomfort, the hospitality, but she didn’t let it show. Mitch seemed fine with the gesture as if it was something completely normal to do.
It wasn’t that Viria hadn’t felt cared for. She’d strived so hard to be completely independent that she’d forgotten what it was like to sit back and have things done for her. It reminded her of the days when she first came into Ivanna’s family and was adopted.
She ate slowly. It was hard to believe ghouls were capable of so much flavor, but she enjoyed it to her fullest. She’d forgotten what it was like to enjoy something.
As she was chewing, her eyes fell on Mitch’s face, his left side exposed to her as he stood guard. Narrowing her eyes she tried to convince herself her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. She got up from the bed carefully and approached Mitch, staring at him so hard that he had to turn to look at her. She grew closer to him and Mitch looked at her weirdly, almost nervous. He stood extremely still as her fingers traced his mouth.
“Viria, what are you doing?” he asked, grabbing her hand. He couldn’t believe it, but he felt a jolt in his heart. It was supposed to be dead.
“Your mouth was not like this,” she said and moved closer to observe his face. “Mitch, you’re healing…”
“What?”
“You’re healing,” she stated again. “See? Fresh meat, not decayed. I could see fourteen of your teeth before when you closed your mouth, and now I only see twelve. Give me your right hand.”
He raised it for her to see and was surprised to see the flesh he’d ripped on his hand coming together very slowly.
“What the fuck?” he breathed, grabbing his hand and staring.
“You’re evolving,” Viria said in amazement. “I don’t know how this will turn out, but you’re evolving.”
“I don’t get it.” He looked at her, a little alarmed.
“Ghouls have evolved about twice in history,” she explained. “Once when it came to processing dark energy for absolute sustenance, they stopped needing to eat to survive. Second, when they obtained powers to control other dead bodies to their bidding. The dark energy in you has leveled up in its efficiency and is starting to practice it in another manner now. You did say you were powerful.”
“But the Heads are stronger than me,” he said. “Why not them?”
“Who knows, but you’re the new product now,” she said. “Only time will tell what will happen from here. This isn’t a bad thing, trust me.”
“Should I tell the heads?”
“Absolutely not.” She wagged her finger. “Not until the cemetery has been shifted.” He nodded obediently. Viria wanted to observe him a little more for more signs of return of life. “Can I touch your head?”
He bowed his head to her and she ran her head over it. She felt small bristles of hair brush over her skin. His head looked darker than before now.
“Your body is using dark energy for all of this,” she said as she grabbed his wrist and felt for a pulse. “You’re heart is not beating. You really are evolving.”
“This is insane,” he said with a shake of his head.
“Don’t say a word to anyone about this, Mitch,” she said. “Okay?”
He nodded again. She gleaned at his eyes and they weren’t as dull as before. His lips not as grey as before. She was awed to be witnessing something like this.
Mitch looked at her, fascinated with him. It made him feel…somewhat embarrassed. In a good way, though. She liked her interest in him, but it dampened his mood to think it was just this new thing that was taking place that piqued it. It wasn’t him, but what was happening to him. With a deep breath he looked away and toward the entrance of the cemetery he could spot from where he stood.
“Your companions are here,” he said and Viria moved away from him in seconds and off downhill toward the cemetery gates. He sighed and turned away, walking inside and sitting on the bed. He knew it would be useless to deny anything, but he wasn’t all too sure of what was going on. He was confused. Maybe it was because she was the only intelligent girl around, firm and determined about life and others around her, despite the pain she held inside herself. It was refreshing to be around her. It was something he wished he had ever since he was resurrected. Maybe it was a momentary attraction that would fade.
He hoped it would. He knew how much trouble it would bring not just for her, but for himself, too. Because girls like Viria, who prominently faced pain more than happiness in their lives, were hard to deal with at their worst. It scared him how much he was willing to put up with it if he had to despite the sight being unbearable. It was so unbearable that when he saw her sleep for the first time, face contorting in pain and tendrils of magic curling off from her skin against a threat that was never there, his first thoughts was to help her no matter what and no matter how. Thoughts aside, it was an instinct that kicked in all too suddenly. He just wanted her to be okay. He knew the moment he started to fail bringing her peace, conflict would arise. He’d get hurt, and he’d hurt her, but he wouldn’t ever be able to let go.
So, he hoped he felt nothing. And he hoped Viria didn’t come around to feeling anything, either.
Viria greeted her companions at the gate. “We need to surround the whole area,” she explained, “and make sure the temple is at the very center of what we cover. It’s the main source of power for the cemetery.”
“We’ll make a round and start marking points,” Yale offered. “You’re supposed to be at the temple, right?”
“Yes, I’ll be the one to carry out the transfer,” she confirmed. Fae reached forward to put a hand on her shoulder.
“You know the implications of this,” she reminded her. Viria nodded with determination.
“I’m okay with it,” she said, “I’m the only one who can do this.”
“Viria.”
“There isn’t much to live for all that long, anyway,” she almost snapped, “I’m fine with this.”
It had been a while since she’d shown the slightest of emotions, and Fae was taken aback. The young witch was always so controlled. More than any of them. Viria stomped away from her and Fae looked at everyone who was equally as surprised. Tina shrugged and asked the others to let her be.
“She’ll come around on her own when she has to,” she said. “Let’s get this work done and take one less burden off her shoulders.”
Viria felt frustrated. Proper frustrated, and as soon as she realized it she stopped in her tracks and composed herself.
“It’s okay to feel this way,” she told herself. “You’re supposed to feel things. It’s fine. They only say it because they care for you, is all. It’s not that bad.”
These were some of the words she heard from Ivanna that she’d repeat to herself to calm herself. She wished Ivanna was here to hold the Council off when they got like this. Viria had wanted to ask how far she ad Nina had gotten in the process, but she’d let her emotions get in the way and got frustrated. Nothing she was proud of, but she forgave herself. She was glad to have felt it in a way. She was still capable of feeling more. She hadn’t felt feelings so intensely in a long time, though she may not have portrayed them as strongly.
Sighing, she started to walk again, slower, breathing deeply and trying to calm down her head that had grown hot.
Wow, that really made my blood pressure rise, she thought. Fae didn’t even say anything that annoying.
She reached the temple, and with another deep breath, she entered. “Please don’t suck my soul out,” she requested, “I need to perform a ritual to initiate the relocation.”
The ghouls nodded in their dark coffins. Viria went to the center and sat down, waiting for the call to start the process. Minutes later, it came and she stood up to get on with the ritual, moving slowly and fluidly as she formed symbols using her glowing hands and feet to trace symbols in the air. The Heads watched in awe of her as she encased herself within an intricately precise cage of power and magic, the drawings an old language translating into spells, but acting more power than it did with a simple chant. The ghouls felt it, and for a moment, it threatened them to see something that they could feel so easily overpower them.
Viria felt the unease and did something very out of character. She gave them a comforting smile. “Nothing overpowers death, so don’t worry.”
Viria felt the ritual starting to take effect as different-colored lights broke in from the walls and right into the smaller symbols traced onto the cage and disappearing right through them. She closed her eyes and went into meditation. The moment she opened her eyes, they glowed golden and markings zipped down her whole body as her full potential came into play.
The ghouls watched in absolute awe as Viria’s whole form glowed brighter and brighter through her marks with each passing second until it enveloped the whole room and blinded everyone.