“They protect this land. And they want to see who the new empath is,” Eddie explains.
Victor notices two tall, muscular men wearing Aztec garments and feathered headdresses several feet in front of them. An older woman, holding a wooden walking stick, stands in front of the men. Eddie holds out his hand, gesturing for everyone to stop. He walks up to the three Aztecs and speaks to them in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. When he finishes, they turn and walk away.
Eddie turns around and waves for the group to follow. “They will take us to the spot that will work for us.”
After ten minutes of walking, the muscular men split and walk a few feet in opposite directions. The woman turns to Eddie and stomps the ground with her walking stick before walking away.
“Place Derek here,” Eddie tells Leo.
Leo places Derek on the spot while Superior Charles and Madame Jeanette set down the boxes. Once Derek is in place, Eddie is handed a jar of salt. He creates a circle around Derek.
Leo takes a jar of black sand and creates another circle next to Derek. Victor takes the bones from a snake and places them between the two circles.
Superior Charles lights three large candles and places them around while tracing a triangle with the melting wax.
Madame Jeanette begins to burn sage in a bowl and uses a large eagle feather to waft the smoke over the two circles before placing the bowl at the head of the circles.
“Is that everything?” Leo asks.
“Almost.” Everyone turns around and sees Superior Jackie carrying four large rose quartz crystals. She hands them to Superior Charles and Eddie. “These need to be placed at the edges to create a square.” As Eddie and Superior Charles carry out the task, Superior Jackie turns to Victor. “Are you sure about this?”
Victor looks down and examines everyone’s work. “Not really. But if this is what needs to be done to get answers, then I’ll do it.”
“Who’s the third necromancer?” Superior Charles asks as he places a crystal into position.
“Sorry I’m late,” Wren says as she walks up. She’s wearing her blue suit with high-water slacks, a teal blouse, and a matching teal tie. She has a pocket watch in her vest and wears black-and-white loafer-style heels. As she approaches Victor, she hands him a garment bag. “I got what you asked for.”
Eddie looks at the garment bag, slightly confused. “You need to do a wardrobe change?”
“Yes. Be right back.” He walks behind one of the small buildings off to the side. A couple of moments later, he’s changed into his new platinum silver shirt and matching tie. As he walks back, everyone but Wren is surprised by what he changed into.
Superior Charles crosses his arms, scrunching his face as he disapproves. “As if you don’t have a large enough target on your back right now, you’re going to light a beacon, allowing everyone to see you with this new color.”
Victor walks past Superior Charles, handing Leo his blue shirt and garment bag. “I’m very aware. But if I plan on being safe in the astral plane, then this is what I need to wear.” Victor steps into the center of the circle of black sand and pulls the charm necklace from under his shirt. He looks at everyone and notices the Aztec men and the older woman walking away.
“Is everyone ready?” Victor asks. Everyone nods.
Victor takes out his dagger and slices his hand. He balls his hand into a fist, dripping his blood along the bones. He then takes a deep breath and lies down in the circle.
Superior Jackie steps over to Victor, placing a black tourmaline gem on his heart and an amethyst on his mind’s eye. Superior Charles, Madame Jeanette, and Wren take their position behind a candle. As Superior Jackie, Leo, and Eddiestep outside of the square created by the quartz, Superior Charles, Madame Jeanette, and Wren hold their hands out to their sides with their palms upward and start to chant in Latin.
While they are chanting, Victor looks up at the stars. He slowly takes a breath. Then, he closes his eyes as he exhales.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Victor opens his eyes and looks around. He sees he’s sitting on the rock where he and his mother last spoke. As he continues to look around, everything seems to be in order. The stream is blue, the plants are glowing, and he’s in his full platinum silver suit.
Victor sits and ponders what he’s doing there. He knows that there is a reason he’s here. Suddenly, Victor hears rustling in the background. He turns around to see where it’s coming from. Victor scans around the forest but doesn’t see anything. As it continues, he decides to walk around and investigate. When he turns to round a tree, he sees Derek trying to break out of a thorny bush.
Derek struggles to break free, but it is of no use. He looks up and sees Victor.“Where am I?”Derek pauses and feels his face.“Why can’t I speak?”He becomes confused.“I’m speaking, but my mouth isn’t moving.”
“You’re in the astral plane,”Victor replies as he remembers the reason he is there.
Derek looks around and is unimpressed.“It looks like a normal forest to me. And why are you wearing that godawful suit?”
Victor looks around as he approaches Derek. He looks up at a tree and tilts his head.“You don’t see the forest glowing?”
Derek jerks his neck back, giving Victor a grimace.“Glowing? What are you, high? And what did you do to my powers?”
