Sickly, Sweet - Book One

Ch. 27 - Raise the Dead

When hearts are broken, we are assassinated by our own demons with shiny, white teeth.

***

Necromancy is an ancient and elemental ritual. To those kept from the dark, necromancy is merely an ability or gift for the purpose of speaking with the dead. Ari has never practiced this bizarre ceremony but she has learned and no other witch has, aside from her very own sister who is the origin of all wickedness. Necromancy plays a small part in turning reanimated bodies into vampires and Ari hopes she won't need as much as she expects.

A gentle knock on the door announces the arrival of a much needed book of spells. Carmen, who has little knowledge of what is happening, opens the door for a very anxious Vladimir who is holding a large leather-bound book in his hands.

"Welcome, Vlad," she greets but doesn't turn to him. Her eyes have stayed glued to Saphira's lying figure since Valentine and James left to chase after the runaway shifter. She is slightly grateful that Valentine isn't here; the old bloodsucker has a tendency to be controlling at times.

Vladimir intends to return the greeting but he gets distracted by hundreds of glowing candles and vases sprawled over the immense space of the clinic. "Wow, you've been busy," he comments while peering into a bowl of rose water. "Where did you get the candles?"

"It's nothing," she waves her hand around. "These are just spare candles I have in my bag for emergencies."

Vladimir's eyes adjust to the warm light and he carefully walks over to Ari, who is kneeling on the ground by Saphira's corpse-like body. She has turned the entire room into a magic conducive room of runes and elements - fire, earth, water and air.

"You carry these in your bag?" He asks, slightly snickering.

"What a silly question." She finally turns to him and smiles. "Of course I don't, Vladimir, you're too gullible."

He stares back at her, now more afraid to ask another question. Humiliation is a feeling he's all too familiar with, especially with women. Vladimir carefully hands the book to her and she receives it eagerly.

"Did you have trouble finding it?"

"Well, let's just say, I won't be doing it again, that's for sure," he answers with a less than pleased expression on his face. "I had to dig through bones to find that, I even dislocated the poor, old bat's arm."

Ari giggles and stroked the book's spine with her index finger. "I'm sure Mordecai won't mind," she says, referring to the father of all vampires. "He's been sleeping for millennia."

The keeper receives a flashback of his gruesome endeavors in the crypts. It wasn't an honorable feat, or a very distinguished one. Librarians shouldn't have to dive into graves and disrupt their slumbering masters. They shouldn't even help witches perform a dark ritual but due to circumstances, he has no choice but to comply. Vladimir is suddenly kicked out of his memoirs when Amaryllis tugs sharply on his shirt, causing him to kneel right next to her.

"Couldn't you have just asked?" Vladimir says through his teeth.

"I'm a witch, Vladimir, I don't need to ask."

He narrows his eyes at her. "You're not a witch, Amaryllis, you're a sassy bi-"

"And you'll be dead if you finish that sentence." She cuts him off with an intense look and he freezes, wide-eyed. Vladimir gulps deeply as he looks in her violet eyes - the sweet and playful orbs of light have now shaped into threatening beacons.

He shrugs and gives her a wide smirk. "What's the difference? I'm already half-dead."

She scowls and points her finely polished finger at him. "You need to learn how to hold your tongue."