"Who are the Rivenfell Clan?" Kat asked, holding tightly onto D'Artagnan's arm. "Do you even know how to find them, this Rivenfell Clan?"
Mindy nodded. "The Rivenfells are a friendly clan. They are experts in gems, crystals, and metal magic. A typical Rivenfell witch is kindhearted and likes to be of service to others. They worship Mother Nature, and usually have white hair and brown eyes. The Tree Of Life," Mindy said, motioning to the symbol on Matilda's wrist, "is the mark of the Rivenfell Clan. Now that we have her name, and know which clan she belongs to, Nina and I will be able to perform a summoning spell that should help us make contact with them."
Alexandria shook her head. "I just don't understand how someone could do this to her." She was quiet for a moment, thinking.
Kat shuddered, and D'Artagnan leaned down to kiss her cheek. "This could happen to anyone of us if we're not careful," she murmured.
"I would hunt them down and kill every last one of them," he said vehemently.
Mindy nodded. "You girls will have to be particularly careful from now on."
Nina picked up Matilda's limp hand and held it. "We should prepare her for her passing in the Rivenfell tradition. I need a simple white dress. We shall make her final hours as comfortable as we can. We should wash her hair, too. It is the least we can do until we find her people."
Alexandria threw her arms up in the air. "Are you kidding me? Are you telling me we just have to stand around here and wait for her to die? I can't believe that." She walked back over to Matilda's body lying unconscious on the table and stroked blood-matted blond hair off the girl's face. "She's just too young to die. She hasn't even had time to live. I wonder if she has family, or a boyfriend who knows where she was working, give us an idea of who did this to her, stop them before they have the chance to do it to anyone else. Someone has to know who she is, surely?"
"Well, I know she must be new around here, because I know everyone in Ferntree, and I've never seen her before," Kat said. "Maybe we should call the sheriff..."
"No," Mindy said flatly, her tone final. She stood, took the bowl of bloodstained water over to the sink and poured it out. "This is witch business, our business, not sheriff business." She refilled the bowl with clean, warm water, and added lavender, speedwell and rose oil to the water. "We will take care of her, not leave her to die in the sterile surroundings of a hospital with strangers. She is a witch, and it is our duty to make sure her death is celebrated in the customs of her clan. Until we find her people, we will be her people. We will stand up for her."
The pocket watch still hanging around Kat's neck began to whirl and she picked it up. "What does this mean, exactly?" she asked, holding it open for everyone to see.
Chapter 15 – Have Faith.
The branches on the old tree above the gazebo creaked and sighed, like a tired old man wanting nothing more than his bed.
"But you only just got here," Kat said, holding D'Artagnan's hands. "It isn't fair if you have to leave already. Why can't you stay for just a little while longer?" Kat turned around with a pleading look in her eyes and looked at Alexandria. "Please tell him he can stay here at Witchwood," she implored, grabbing hold of his arm now, afraid if she let him go he might disappear. "He could protect us if he stayed."
"It's not my decision," Alexandria said apologetically. She walked up and pecked D'Artagnan on the cheek. "Thank you so much for your help, earlier. I couldn't have done it without you."
D'Artagnan bowed, kissing Alexandria's hand. "You would have found a way," he said. "But I'm glad I was here and able to help. And I'm quite sure we shall meet again." He turned and looked at Kat. "I will most certainly see you again, my sweet Kat."
Kat looked from Alexandria to Mindy. "Aunt Mindy, can you please do something? Make this confounded watch stop," she said, dragging the chain over her head.
"It isn't my decision, either, dear," Mindy said, shaking her head. "We should go. Let you say your goodbyes to D'Artagnan in private..."
Kat stamped her foot defiantly. "No. Wait. If he can't stay, then I'll just go with him."
D'Artagnan turned Kat to face him, kissing her on the cheek, her lips, brushing a tear from her face with his thumb. "This is not our time, Kat. If we are destined to be together, then we will be. We'll find a way, I promise you."
"But I want to go with you, and this is my decision." Kat pressed the pocket watch into Alexandria’s hand. "This is yours. All the time you have it here with you, I can come back. Just don't expect me any time soon."
D'Artagnan shook his head. "I can't let you do this, Kat. My world, my time, it's so very different to yours. You'd never—"
"It's okay," Mindy said suddenly. "If Kat wants to go, I think she should be able to go."
Kat flew into Mindy's arms. "Thank you, Aunt Mindy. Thank you. Will you explain everything to my mom and dad?"
Mindy held Kat's face in her hands and kissed her forehead. "Of course I will. Your parents were young once. I'm sure they'll understand. You go have some fun, but don't forget about us, okay?"
"You can't let her do this," Alexandria said, shocked that her aunt would let Kat go so easily, and with a man she barely knew. She turned and looked at D'Artagnan. "No offense, D'Artagnan, but you guys only just met. And what about that guy, the one you came through the portal with? What about him. Shouldn't he go back with you?"
D'Artagnan shrugged. "When your vampire friend tracks the villain down, and I know she will, she has assured me she will send him back ... in one piece."
Kat kissed Alexandria on the cheek. "I'll be fine. I'll be better than fine. When you know you're in love, you'll do anything to be with that person. Anything. One day you'll know exactly what I mean. Say goodbye to River and Andrew for me, okay?" Kat turned and hugged her aunt again. "You're the best, Aunt Mindy. I love you so much." She fetched her phone from her pocket. "I'll text every day, I promise." She kissed Mindy on the cheek. "I'll text you, too, Alexandria. Every day."
"Your phone won't work where we're going, Kat," D'Artagnan said softly, wrapping his arm firmly around her waist as the orb's gravitation pull grew stronger.
"We have to go," Kat said, motioning towards the glowing orb, the wind whipping her hair across her face. She handed her phone to Alexandria. Look after this for me, okay? It's got River's number in it. You should call him. He's a good guy."
"This is a mistake," Alexandria protested, shouting over the whirling sound of the orb. "You need to think about what you're doing. And what about school, your education?" she said, in a last ditch effort to try and change Kat's mind.
Kat shrugged. "Love is my teacher now."
Alexandria rolled her eyes. "You're not thinking straight, Kat. Aunt Mindy, will you please say something ... do something?"
Mindy took hold of Alexandria's hand, pulling her away from the whipping air current coming off the orb. "Don't you worry, Alexandria. Your cousin is about to learn a very important lesson that can't be learned in the confines of a classroom."
"I love you both," Kat called, blowing them both a kiss, then stepping into the orb with D'Artagnan.
"This is complete madness," Alexandria said, shaking her head.
Mindy waved at the disappearing Kat and D'Artagnan. "Have a little faith in your aunt," Mindy said, squeezing Alexandria's hand and smiling. "Come on. Let's go help Nina. She should be ready to begin the summoning spell. Hopefully, we will be able to contact Matilda's people before she passes; that's the least we can do for her. She deserves the traditional passing over celebrations and rituals of the Rivenfell Clan, even though she never knew anything about them," She put her arm tightly around Alexandria's waist and led her towards the house.
The orb fell suddenly silent, turning back into the gazebo, glittering brightly with fairy lights. They walked in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.
Mindy was the first to break the silence between them. "I hope you're hungry."
"Hungry?" Alexandria asked, a blank look spreading across her face. "After
everything that's happened, I've completely lost what appetite I had."
"Let's just say, you’d better get it back awfully fast."
Chapter 16 – Life's For The Living.
After a quick refresher course in the traditions of the Rivenfell Clan, Mindy had made a new shopping list and had driven back into town by herself, insisting that Andrew stay and start preparing the food they had already purchased on their earlier trip.
"I'm back," she called, struggling through the front door with a box laden with an assortment of meats, fish, poultry, and game in one arm and a box of flowers in the other. She dumped both boxes on the kitchen counter. "That smells nice, and very familiar. What is it?" she asked, peering through the glass window on the oven. "Is that what I think it is?"
"I found this," Andrew said, pushing a hand-written recipe across the counter towards her.
Mindy shook her head. "I can't remember the last time I ate Grandma Savannah's potato and rosemary bread. It was always one of my favorites. Where did you find this?"
Andrew went into the pantry and pulled out a crafted box with brass hinges and sat it on the counter. "I found it up in the attic when I was up there looking around this morning."
"Oh, my goodness. These are all Grandma's handwritten recipes. There are some real treasures in here," she said, flipping through the ivory colored pages. "I'll have to go through these later, but for now, can you grab the rest of the groceries out of the car for me while I start on this lot?" She took a leg of lamb out of the box on the counter.
"Sure. How many people are you expecting to turn up?" Andrew asked.
"At least twenty of her ancestors," Mindy said, tying an apron around her waist. "It is an insult to the dead to have less than that attend the passing over celebrations, according to Rivenfell tradtions."
"How did you even manage to track down these ancestors in this short amount of time?"
"We witches have our talents when it comes to these particular matters."
"And where exactly are all these ancestors coming from?"
"Oh, that is the most amazing part, but you will just have to wait and see."
Nina bathed and clothed Matilda in one of Alexandria's plain white dresses, which was the custom of the Rivenfell Clan. With her hair washed and brushed, and the scars on her face, throat and arms healed, Matilda looked as though she were just sleeping on Alexandria's bed, and would wake at any moment.
"Is she..." Alexandria began, not wanting to say the word.
"Yes," Nina answered. "She isn't in pain anymore."
Alexandria took a few long breaths and let them out slowly. "She looks beautiful, Nina. You did a great job," she said, holding back a fresh wave of tears. She sat down on the bed and held Matilda's cold hand. "You know, I think, had I known her, if this had never happened, and we had met, I think we would have been friends."
"I'm sure," Nina said. "She woke when I was dressing her, and she wanted me to tell you that you did everything you could. She wanted you to know that."
Alexandria nodded. "But in the end, everything I did wasn't good enough."
"You got her out of there, don't you ever forget that. If you hadn't heard her, gone to her, who knows how long she would have suffered in that dungeon."
Alexandria placed Matilda's hand back down gently on the bed. "And now she's dead. Gone. Just like that, and we don't even know if there was anyone out there that loved her, or she loved them."
"Everyone dies, Alexandria. Whether they're loved or not."
"You didn't exactly die though, did you? You're a vampire. How old are you, anyway?"
"I was seventeen, the same age as you are now, when I died. The girl that I used to be all those years ago, she died, and I am what is left, a monster that barely tolerates the rays of the sun, and feeds on blood to survive. Some say that is not living at all, and most days, I would have to agree."
"How did you die? How long ago did you die?" Alexandria asked.
"I think that is a story for another day. Tonight is about Matilda, not me. We should probably go downstairs," Nina said. "We have guests and a feast to prepare for. The Rivenfell people believe that there is only one celebration that is more important than birth and marriage, and that is the celebration of death. You see, the Rivenfell people see death as a new beginning, not an end, and with every new beginning, there must be a feast. And if the smell coming from the kitchen downstairs is any indication, you are in for one hell of a feast."
"I'll be down in a moment," Alexandria said. "I just want to sit here for a little while. I hate the thought of her being alone."
"I can assure you she will not be alone. One is never alone in the Witchwood House."
Alexandria nodded. "I'll be down soon."
"Okay then. I'll be downstairs, helping Andrew and Mindy with the food and other preparations."
Chapter 17 – Let Her Go.
Alexandria could never recall the house and the grounds looking so beautiful, other than Christmas, when her mother would go all out and decorate the house from top to bottom. When had all this been done, she wondered, and by whom?
"We have our ways," Aunt Mindy had simply said, tapping the side of her nose and giving Alexandria a wink as she hurried off to get dressed.
As tradition demanded, Alexandria, Andrew, Nina and Aunt Mindy were all dressed in white, the mourning colour of the Rivenfell Clan, and their feet were bare. The women wore garlands of forest flowers in their hair, except for Nina, who wore red roses, as was the custom of the Rosenberg clan. Alexandria thought it strange, seeing Nina dressed in anything other than her customary black. The white fabric of her floor-length lace gown made her look even more pale than usual.
Even Andrew looked handsome dressed in a white, long-sleeved button-up shirt, a hand-me-down from Alexandria's father's closet. He did not wear a garland on his head, but rather a yellow wildflower in one of the buttonholes in his shirt.
At the stroke of midnight, the perfect witching hour, they all stood at the base of the gazebo, waiting for their guests. Matilda, the esteemed guest of honour, looked beautiful lying on a bed of flowers in the gazebo, and illuminated by candlelight and a million tiny fireflies.
The forest gentry arrived first, the mystical folk that inhabited the forest: fairies, pixies, sprites, dwarfs, and the elves, the tallest of the motley crew. Mysterious and mischievous, they all hailed from the far corners of the mystical world. Some flew, their transparent, rainbow-coloured wings making a musical humming sound. Some arrived perched on the backs of deer and foxes. Others walked, carrying musical instruments or pushing tiny timber barrels of liquor. Some carried armfuls of beautifully crafted wreaths made from forest flowers, which they laid on the ground around Matilda's altar. No matter what their kind or clan, they all blessed Matilda with a kiss on her forehead. Those not blessed with the advantage of height were quickly lifted up by someone taller.
Aunt Mindy leaned across to Alexandria. "Don't stare, Alexandria, it's rude," she whispered.
Alexandria turned to whisper back, "I just wasn't expecting one of my childhood storybooks to spill open and all the characters come to life. Are these the Rivenfell people?"
She was trying not to stare, but how could she not? This was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. Even Andrew had to concentrate on keeping his mouth shut and not staring.
"Kat is going to be so sorry she missed this," Alexandria whispered into Andrew's ear.
A few moments later, a beautiful white wolf trotted gracefully into the clearing, then walked up and sat down next to a stunned Alexandria. She edged closer to Andrew, away from the wolf, and wondered if it was the same wolf she'd seen on several occasions, including the time a wolf had knocked over that poor little photographer at the cemetery, the first day she had arrived in Ferntree Falls.
"I think he's harmless," Andrew said, patting the wolf on the head.
Alexandria held out her hand apprehensively, then smiled when the wolf nuzzled her hand, then licked it. "You're
right, he is quite friendly. I wonder whom he belongs to. I'm pretty sure I've seen him before."
At exactly half past twelve, the sky above turned almost as bright as day, as glimmering, crystalline snowflakes rained down through the branches of the old oak tree above the gazebo. The sweet sounds of flutes, harps, and violins filled the night air.
The scene unfolding around Alexandria was surreal; it was almost impossible to take it all in. Magical people that she had only ever dreamed about, all dressed in simple white attire and adorned with a kaleidoscope of wildflowers, the heavenly music wafting through the branches above, and the beautiful girl who now would never fall in love. As beautiful as it all was, and it truly was, Alexandria could not help but feel sad. The sound of Aunt Mindy's voice pulled her from her reverie.
"These are the representatives for the Rivenfell Clan," Aunt Mindy said looking skyward, a little smile playing on her lips.
"Where?" Alexandria asked, her eyes darting around in all directions.
"Up there," she said, motioning with her hand towards the snowflakes settling on the ground all around the gazebo.
"I can't see anyone," she whispered, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Neither can I," Andrew whispered back.
Seconds later, one after the other, like a bag of popcorn popping in a microwave, the fallen snowflakes erupted into blinding white pillars of light surrounding the gazebo. The pillars collapsed into shimmering piles of white dust on the ground, revealing twenty hooded figures completely dressed in white.
"They like to make an entrance that's hard to forget," Nina said, to which Alexandria replied, "There is nothing about this day that I will forget."
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