Strange Magic *Ambrose Spellman*

Totally Screwed

Freya

Everything is blurry but I can feel something or someone pulling on my arms. I groan in pain, but I can tell that it's Ambrose instantly. The smell of him is so distinguishable that it brings me back to my senses. Ambrose pulls me across the dirt and into his arms. I look around to see that we are still in that damn clearing. 

"Warlock." A voice calls out. My head snaps around to see my assailant. An old witch. Who looks like she's already started to decay. "Take this warning to your masters at the Church of Night." She hisses. She throws the object that Ambrose had fished out of the dying fire at us. A small figure of a man in red riding a white horse. I look back up at the witch... but she's gone.

"Freya! Freya look at me. Are you okay?" Ambrose says taking my face in his hands, making me look at him. I groan but nod. "I think that bitch gave me a concussion." I tell him. He quickly kisses my forehead and helps me up. Once I'm on my feet, I reach down and scoop up the figurine. But I most have stood up to quickly because I get very dizzy and almost topple over. I probably would have crashed to the ground if Ambrose hadn't been supporting me.

"We need to leave now. We have to find Father Blackwood." Ambrose says panicked. "What does this mean? Who was that? What message?" I ask rattling off questions. "I don't know. But let's leave before they come back. Let's get you somewhere safe." He tells me. I just nod. 

Ambrose basically carries me through the woods. I had tried walking on my own, but what I thought was walking in a straight line was me actually running into trees. So Ambrose wrapped his arm around my waist and high tailed it through the woods. 

"This is now how I imagined this night going." He mutters as we approach the church. As we near, I can see through the church windows. Inside is the whole coven. Apparently Father Blackwood must have expected something like this to happen. Why else would he have called an emergency coven meeting. 

"Father Blackwood!" Ambrose yells throwing open the doors to the church. Everyone stops and turns to look at us. "It is not the Dark Lord's wrath that has come for us." He says as I hold up the figurine for all to see. The crowd gasps. Either because they know what I'm holding, or they really think I look like shit. 

"The Greendale Thirteen." Father Blackwood says. Ambrose and I make our way to the front of the church, he quickly hands me off the the Aunties, who instantly starts scanning me for injury. "We stumbled upon them in the woods. They were performing some kind of ritual." Ambrose explains. 

"We're only alive because they wanted us to deliver a message." I add weakly from the pews. "They've returned to visit death upon the town of Greendale?" Father Blackwood asks. We just nod slowly. "Last night, they must have called forth their Crimson Avenger. Tomorrow, on the witching hour, he rides!" Father Blackwood calls out, telling us all what horrible tidings approach. Everyone starts yelling and scrambling around the church. All the noise makes me cover my ears and groan in pain. Aunt Hilda pulls me close in attempt to comfort me. 

"Silence! Silence! You've done well to bring this to us. I your High Priest will protect you. The coven will gather within the walls of the academy. Fortified, bound by our combined impenetrable magics. We will stand together!" Father Blackwood declares. The witches and warlocks of the coven go even wilder at this. Everyone is clapping and cheering. And that's the last thing I remember.

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Freya

Someone, probably Ambrose must have carried me home that night. All I know is that the next morning, I stumble out of bed and down the stairs in the same outfit I had the night before. Everyone is already awake, gathered in the kitchen. Now that I think about it, they probably never went to bed. 

"Good morning deary. I've made you some healing tea to help with that poor head of yours." Aunt Hilda coos. Ambrose pulls out my chair for me and rubs my back once I'm seated. Aunt Hilda pours me the tea and it smells absolutely amazing. One sip in and I can already feel the sharp pain dulling into a small throb.

"It's amazing that you managed to walk away from a blow like that." Aunt Hilda says with her hand on my shoulder. "It's probably all thanks to the protection charm." I say fishing around the front pocket of my dress to pull out the little sachet. I start to panic when I don't feel it. 

"Relax love. I put it on your bedside table. Fell out of your pocket on the way home." He tells me. I sigh and go back to sipping the healing tea. "Why would the Greendale 13 be angry with us?" I ask suddenly. Everyone looks at me and collectively sigh. 

"It's a bloody mess what happened to the 13. The most ignoble chapter of the Church of Night's history, but it is our history, and we cannot deny it. After the witch trials in Salem, all of the witches in this part of the country were terrified. Trouble was brewing in Greendale. Mortals were identifying and arresting witches, including the original 13." Aunt Zelda explains. 

"And while they sat in their cell, the other witches met and decided that the 13 would be sacrificed." Aunt Hilda tells us. "While those 13 women were tortured and hung, the rest of the witches burned their poppets and buried their cauldrons." Aunt Zelda adds as she takes a drag off her cigarette. 

"They were scapegoats to quell the rising witch hysteria." Ambrose says as he wraps his arm around me shoulders. "The coven could have come together to save the 13, but they...we, our ancestors...decided not to risk it." Aunt Zelda says, finishing the story. 

"So we are all descendants of the witches who turned their backs on the 13 and let them die? No wonder they hate us." Sabrina says crossing her arms. "The mortals that did the actual hurting and hanging have long since perished." Ambrose tells her.

"Well you better believe that I'm not abandoning my family." I tell them. Everyone hangs their heads. "Me too. I am not leaving my friends to go hide in some doomsday bunker." Sabrina says firing back. "Winter, Parker, and Mason need me." I add. 

"I think we should all stay and protect the town." Aunt Zelda says after a moment of silence. "Wait what?" I ask. I thought for sure that she would be opposed to the idea. "Why not? The Greendale 13 were sacrificed so that the pack might survive. We are not about to make the same mistake again. We are Spellmans. That means we stand tall, with dignity, and we do what is right." She says slamming her hand down on the table. 

"All right. Protect them how?" Ambrose asks. "We can hardly be all places at once." He says rising from his chair. "We can if we do the same as Father Blackwood is doing." I say suddenly getting an idea. Aunt Hilda quickly catches on.

"Dr. Cereberus told me something. He used to be the local weatherman. He said that in the event of a tornado or severe weather, that the town's designated shelter was Baxter High's basement." She explains. "That's a great idea. All we need is a tornado." Sabrina says with a smirk. 

"That's easy enough." Ambrose says as he begins going through kitchen cabinets for supplies. I go to help him but he stops me before I can get my hands on anything. "Slow down there. You're not doing any heavy magic until that cute little head of yours is better." He says. I pout like a child. "I want to help Ambrose!" I plead. Again, like a child.

"I know you do. You can help by calling your family. Tell them what's about to happen. Let them prepare." He tells me. He places a kiss on my cheek and a small smack on my butt as he pushes me out of the kitchen and into the hall where the phone is. 

Fuck. We are totally screwed.