“Let’s get out of here. Classes will be starting soon. I don’t want you to miss anything,” I said.
She nodded and gave the three urns one last look. “Bye, guys. I’ll come visit again. I love you all.”
She took my hand, and we left the mausoleum together. Somewhere in all the madness and chaos, she and I had become more than just friends. We’d become family. A family we both desperately needed.
25
VERONICA
“Happy Halloween,” I said as Wendy and Declan walked in.
“You mean Samhain?” Wendy said, rolling her eyes. She’d grown almost two full inches in the last ten months and looked more like a teenager than a child.
“We’re inclusive here,” I said.
Declan glanced at his watch. “It’s five minutes to midnight. Are you sure we’re ready?”
“Positive,” I said.
I’d spent months ensuring I had everything prepared for this specific night. We wanted Wendy to be removed from Sucellus’s bond sooner rather than later. It terrified me what awful thing might happen to her if this connection wasn’t severed. But rather than rushing it, we chose to wait for tonight, the most powerful night in all of magic, to ensure the ceremony had as much power and respect behind it as possible.
In the last year, I’d also grownmuchmore competent at magic, which helped my confidence in knowing I had this right. It alsohelped that I managed to find a ton of notes in Virgil’s old room, which laid the ceremony out. His years of study and research saved me tons of time, plus, I understood the actual calendar that Sucellus used.
“Ready?” I said, holding a hand out to Wendy.
She joined me on the small platform. We’d built a miniature temple to Sucellus in the basement of the school and done all the blessings to make it as welcoming as possible to a god.
Taking her hand with my right, I lifted the ceremonial dagger with my left, and held the blade above her palm.
“Time?” I asked Declan.
“You’ve got about a minute,” he said. “Go ahead.”
I nodded, reciting the words I’d memorized over the last few months, ensuring I said every word exactly right. I finished a few seconds before midnight, and made a shallow cut along Wendy’s palm. She hissed, then made a fist above the small, golden chalice on the pillar we’d erected. When the first drop of blood struck, a low, rumbling sound erupted around us. The building and room itself didn’t shake, but it seemed as though the air itself was vibrating.
Wendy moved close, and I put an arm around her, glancing at the corners of the basement. Declan did the same and slipped a hand into his jacket, though I didn’t think even an enchanted gun would do much damage to a deity that had been around for millennia.
A few moments later, the familiar bright light appeared, hovering in the air a few yards from us, like a bright white star, illuminating the room and casting away all the shadows. Beforeany of us could say anything, a man stepped out of the light. This time, he wore flowing blue robes and sandals. Over his shoulder, he held the massive hammer. Rather than the look of bewildered rage he’d had before, a kind and gentle smile lay on his lips.
He hovered a few inches off the ground. His body seemed to flow and was also mildly opaque, as if he was made of smoke in some way.
“Good evening, children,” he said, bowing his head slightly. His voice was shockingly deep, and I could feel it rumble in my chest as he spoke.
I gave Wendy a slight nudge. She had to do the rest.
She stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Uh…Lord Sucellus, I am Gwendolyn Freedman. You have been my family’s patron for over a century.”
Sucellus’s grin broadened. “Ah, yes. The Freedmans. A noble and honored family. I am…” The god hesitated, a look of sadness crossing his rugged features. “I am most heartbroken to hear of Balthazar Freedman’s passing. He was the greatest of all my followers.”
Wendy shrugged her shoulders. “You took care of the guy who did it last year.”
Sucellus threw his head back and belted out a booming laugh. This time, the roomdidshake, and dust trickled down from the ceiling. It was all I could do not to put my hands to my ears to block out the deafening sound.
“I did indeed,” he said when he finished. His ancient eyes slid toward Declan. “Mr. McClintoc? Good to see you as well.”
Declan, usually stoic and calm, actually flinched in surprise. “Uh, you…you know me?” he said, pointing to himself.
“Oh, many of the gods know you, my good man,” Sucellus said. “Your name rings in many halls. Quite the accomplishment for a mere human.”
