Cult of the Hexad (Afterlife saga Book 6)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “Shit I forgot not to make you angry.” He mocked and I carried on regardless.

  “Earlier tonight I dreamed I was back at the wall that surrounds the Colony. This time I could see the symbols that will keep us out…Runes.” I said what they were at the same time I pulled out the sheets of paper we had covered in the unknown language. Sigurd’s eyes widened in surprise and I briefly noticed the snake in his eye coil round tighter.

  “And you say you found these exact ones on the wall.” He said picking up one sheet to inspect it in greater detail.

  “Yes, with six symbols in particular always circled together. Like this…” I pulled out the sheet from the bottom that I had drawn first. I handed it to him and he frowned down at it as I continued,

  “Now I believe that it has something to do with the Hexad. This symbol here…” I said pulling out yet another one for him to see but as soon as I mentioned the Hexad his eyes shot to mine.

  “What...? What is it?” Vincent asked him as he also noticed the change in Sigurd.

  “She’s right.” He uttered in some kind of awed disbelief.

  “She is?”

  “Yeah, but it’s been mixed up.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked and he got to his knees and put all the pages back on the low table, laying them out for us all to see. Vincent came closer until all three of us were around the table, solely focused on the symbols.

  “Okay so Runes are a bit like the alphabet. But they can also mean more than just letters, like a magical script. Arrange them in the right way and you get a gateway, like a path between different worlds.” I looked down at the way he started to arrange them and then looked back to the one I had done of the runes always arranged together in a circle.

  “And see this, these Runes here spell out, but wait, that’s wrong…unless…of course, they have used more than one set.” He quickly started to talk to himself and Vincent and I exchanged looks which said it all. We would have never been able to do this without him, that much was clear now.

  “Okay so they have used both Germanic Fupark, along with both Anglo-Saxon and this, well this could be either or maybe even Danish. But this here is an H.” He said pointing at one that actually looked like an H only with the centre line at an angle.

  “And this one, well only in Germanic Fupark is this an E but they would need their X from an Anglo-Saxon Fuporc to get this symbol.” He then referred to the one in the middle that looked a bit like a tree with three branches.

  “Yes, all these combined together this way and they spell Hexad and look, even the symbol of the Hexad can be found through the Method of Tacitus.”

  “The what now?” I was still wondering what on earth that word Fupark was that sounded like he was saying Foot hark.

  “It is a way of Divination…a way of telling the future, like reading tea leaves or crap like that! Only instead of tarot cards or reading lines on a palm, you get your Rune Staves and cast them down onto a cloth.” He said getting animated with his large hands as he explained the history of his people to us.

  “What are Rune Staves?”

  “They’re usually nine straight twigs obtained from a fruit bearing tree or hell in this day and age matchsticks would do, but at the end of it you find what runes it made and…”

  “Spell out a word?” He grinned at me and said,

  “Nice guess but no as I think the chances of finding true love’s name or some shit like that would be more than luck, it would be a fucking miracle.” Vincent coughed back his laugh and I shot him a look.

  “What, he has a point.”

  “Alright smarty pants, what would you find then?” I snapped crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Well Runes don’t just mean the alphabet like I said, they also each have their own meaning, Deity, function and association. Like this one…”

  “The one that means H.” I said, clarifying for myself.

  “Yeah, its God is Urd and also Hella, its function is The Norn of the past and its meaning is the Wrath of Nature.”

  “What’s a Norn?” I asked and this time Vincent was the one to answer me,

  “They are the three Goddesses of fate, the Past, the Present and the Future.” He said looking thoughtful about something.

  “So you’re saying that they got the symbol for the Hexad by throwing sticks on the ground?” I looked to Sigurd who started shaking his head.

  “No, because there is another use for the Method of Tacitus and that is casting spells.”

  “So I was right.” I muttered before he elaborated on how they must have done it.

  “So you have the Method that is future told by chance. But there is also another way of getting exactly what you want. So say if you are looking for defence or a spell that you can adapt, you would use this one that they used here for an E. Then this one means protection, one they used here for an X. So when you put them all together in such a way you find this Hexad symbol doesn’t just have five symbols but I can count many hidden away beneath its lines.”

  “You can? But what do they mean?” I asked on the edge of my seat being utterly fascinated by it all.

  “Well, now all of these that you say you saw written on the wall are hidden within the Hexad symbol, but even if you were to just use the five that spell the word it would create a spell that reads ‘Destruction and wrath of nature to those who fail the test or trial. Defence and protection and shields for the leaderships and power within. Awareness and awakening to those that sin against us’.” I flopped back against my seat hearing all that was needed to fight against us.

  “But there’s more.” Sigurd informed us shuffling the paper around to the others,

  “See each rune has its meaning but when used for binding spells you can also use them another way, so they mean something else.”

  “I’m not following.” It was Vincent’s turn to say and I was glad because neither was I and also it was somebody else’s turn to sound like they were bottom of the Viking class.

  “Right, so this one is one of those you saw carved into the wall.” I nodded and when he held out his hand for the pencil I had been using earlier I passed it to him.

  “So this one is used both on the wall and in the symbol, see like this.” He said drawing the flag shape over the symbol of the Hexad and he was right, it fit.

  “This is the God of Thunder and means boundaries and self-discipline which has its uses for this spell but if you turned it like this, how it fits in the Hexad the other way, it also means, hate, rape and evil.” I sucked in a sharp breath as he just described everything the Colony stood for because as much as I hated to admit it, the girl they had sacrificed looked to have first been violated repeatedly and most likely by all Six of the Fathers. Vincent saw my distress and swiftly came over to sit next to me to then put his arm around my shoulders.

  “So you see, each rune has two meanings, when put together like this Hexad symbol is then it combines the two together. And also, you said the symbol you saw was carved into round stone?” I nodded not being able to speak for the moment as it all began to sink in. But then what he said next turned my blood to ice as the last of the puzzle came together and painted a dark and damning picture. Words so strong and powerful that I too had felt them come to me when facing the wall and now I knew why,

  “Well in both Celtic and Germanic Wiccan symbols there are three that are all round and each mean…

  “Time, Truth and Life.”

  Chapter 33

  Got Any Matchsticks?

  “So, what now?” I asked as we all needed to take a minute before formulating a plan.

  “To be honest, I have never seen any binding like it, even with the symbols on the wall for added strength with that Rune set in the Binding Stone, then having that in place we have no shot at ever getting over that wall…not unless we all become assholes and turn human overnight…no offense.” Sigurd said and I replied in a sarcastic tone,

  “Oh, none taken.” I took it by this comment that
Sigurd and humans didn’t mix often and if they did, they didn’t walk away from it feeling as though they’d just made a new friend.

  “But what about the blood ritual they do on each new full moon?” Vincent asked holding his elbow with one hand as his other hand was fisted to his lips in thought.

  “The blood rituals do give it its strength yes, but even if the ritual wasn’t done, there is no guarantee that the binding would fail instantly. In fact, my guess is that it would take weeks to fade fully that was unless we had a powerful witch on our side to take it out completely once this had happened but that’s not the point here right…?” The worry and horror on both mine and Vincent’s face was enough of an answer for him. Because we knew who was next in line for that blood ritual and there was no way we were going to let that happen.

  “No, that’s not an option.” I said for us both.

  “Then I think the only way to go is to somehow create a diversion on one end of this nut job camp, whilst our girl here goes in and destroys the Binding Stone.”

  “That’s a great plan and all but how exactly am I going to do that?” I said now being the one to rub my head in frustration.

  “Well lucky for you Gorgeous, I have a plan for that as well.” I blushed at the compliment and he smirked when he saw it.

  “Which is?” Vincent asked firmly.

  “Anyone got any matchsticks?”

  Vincent did one better and I found myself in utter hysterics when a plum tree started to grow in the middle of the library, but this wasn’t the funny part. What was funny though was seeing two grown men standing around a tree and asking each other, ‘Is this the perfect length?’ or ‘Is it straight enough.’ And hearing replies like, ‘It could be longer’ or ‘Stay away from that one, it’s got too much of a bend at the end’.

  By the time they came back to me I had to wipe the tears from my eyes I was laughing and snorting that hard.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Sigurd asked Vincent jerking a thumb at me.

  “Beats me.” Even Vincent didn’t know so I enlightened them.

  “Oh my God you two were sooo cute talking about your twigs together, very sweet way to bond. Maybe we should think about in the future doing it with everyone, like a supernatural team building exercise or something.” I joked making Sigurd growl.

  “You know my pets do bite on command.” He warned and I giggled again.

  “I’m sorry, I promise not to say another word about your…um… man twigs.” I said pausing before muttering the end. Vincent rolled his eyes but there was no hiding the humour I could see in them.

  After I had finally found my composure I watched as Sigurd got ready to throw the sticks onto the huge cream rug that lay in front of the fire. But then he paused.

  “What’s up?”

  “I think I am the wrong person to be doing this.” Then he put the pile of sticks down and walked me over to where he had been stood.

  “Uhh…are we sure this is a good idea, after all, you’re the expert here?”

  “Yes but it’s your spell to cast as you’re the one that will be using it.” He told me and leant down and whispered,

  “You’ll be fine. Just breathe nice and deep.” I did as instructed and took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. I really didn’t want to screw this up, because let’s face it, what other options did we have.

  “Now what did she used to tell me…oh that’s it, okay, so having the fire here is good, it will help keep you focused.” I really wanted to ask who ‘she’ was but I knew with these two watching they were counting on me to do this right, and I didn’t want my curiosity to mess with ancient Viking Mumbo Jumbo.

  He turned me slightly so I was indeed facing the roaring fire. Thankfully it was set back quite a way or I think it would have melted my face off standing so close.

  “Right hold these, close your eyes and let your mind drift to a passive state...that shouldn’t be too hard for you.” He added and I elbowed him in the gut.

  “Watch it or you get to play stick man!” I warned still with my eyes closed and I could hear Vincent chuckling.

  “Then concentrate on what you’re asking of the Runes, in this case, think of the Hexad symbol in your mind and see it disappearing. Fade it out in your thoughts and then when you’re ready, open your eyes stare into the fire and cast the sticks on to the rug holding on to that image.”

  “Okay, I can do this.” I said taking the pile of sticks and doing exactly as he said. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and thought back to the night I saw the Hexad. First I stripped the room of all the nightmares that night held. The girl went, then the blood. Then the Fathers, the rope, the chains, the instruments of torture and death, everything faded away as though the room was being cleansed. Until all that remained was me facing the Binding Stone with the Hexad symbol carved into it.

  I stared into it as though it could see me back and this was like some twisted, gothic Mexican stand-off. Suddenly the symbol began to blur rapidly, as if it could feel me pushing for its destruction. I fought against it trying to claw its way back, thinking more and more about it simply fading away, leaving nothing but rough stone in its place. I don’t know how long I tried to do this as it could have been seconds or minutes. Either way as soon as the points started to drift and merge back into the stone, I knew I had won the battle. I let the rest of it go and just as the three centre spots where all lines crossed I opened my eyes and cast the sticks out one by one.

  “Good, now finish off the ritual by repeating after me,

  “We give thanks to the one that is mighty…”

  “We give thanks to the one that is mighty.”

  “…and he who is brave and strong.”

  “And he who is brave and strong.” I repeated again thinking this part sounded kinda corny but hey, he was the expert.

  “For we show our thanks to this godly figure by baring ourselves and partaking in the act of love and worship to…”

  “For we show our thanks to this Godly figure by baring ourselves and…hey, we what now?”

  “…Worship to Sigurd, the most handsome of God like…Hey, you just ruined the flow.” He said as I stood on his foot for making a fool out of me. I crossed my arms and said,

  “Are you quite finished?”

  “Well if you’re not taking your clothes off and worshipping me, then yeah, nothing better to do.” He said winking making his snake coil round again. I looked to Vincent and asked,

  “Is he always like this?”

  “Yes but not with me, thank the Gods.” I giggled and looked back to Sigurd who was now bending on one knee and examining the Runes I had made.

  “Did I do it?”

  “You know what kid, this is not half bad, in fact I think it’s just about perfect.” I smiled childishly as though I had just received an A in my Viking Witchcraft for Beginner’s class.

  “Do you think it will work?” Vincent also asked stepping closer to the rug to see for himself.

  “Yes I do. See all the Runes it has made are the counterparts needed for all those found inside the Hexad. Like this one represents mankind but combine it with this one for leadership and the one for justice and it tells you which spell it would cast if written on the Binding Stone above the Hexad symbol.”

  “And what about these?” I pointed to the ones that looked like two triangles together and the one that looked like an arrow.

  “This means what began must now end from the Gods of order and chaos. So next to this one of chance and destiny and with both connected to the arrow, it means it is a binding agreement made. But the icing on the cake is this bad boy right here. This is at its centre, which means it is where the action is at. It determines what you want the outcome of your casting to be and in our case it means destruction.”

  “And that’s good right?” I asked hoping the whole place wouldn’t explode with me still inside.

  “It’s a very good thing as it will destroy the Hexad.” I still didn’t see how and I think m
y face gave it away. So he said,

  “Let me put it in layman's terms for you honey, it simply means that you are casting a spell that counteracts against the injustice that the previous Symbol represents. You are taking away its power and giving it back to mankind…you. And by doing so, taking back the destiny you believe was stolen from you…all in all, I would say it’s about a ‘Hard core’ on the kick ass scale, so we’re definitely good.” I only understood about half of it but the most important parts stayed with me and that was he thought it was ‘hard core’.

  “So you’re telling me all I need to do is get myself a spray can, break into that cabin and graffiti all over the stone?” He looked up to Vincent and then back at me before saying,

  “Actually, blood would be better.”

  “What!?”

  “Look I am not talking pints here or to say, slit a vein…uh, I didn’t mean…” As soon as he said it he looked down at my arms and then looked to Vincent.

  “She doesn’t remember.” Vincent murmured probably hoping I wouldn’t catch it.

  “She doesn’t remember what?” I asked frowning at him but it was Sigurd who spoke up.

  “Look there’s no point keeping it from her.”

  “Snake eye.” Vincent snarled in warning…one he ignored.

  “Look she has a right to know.”

  “A right to know what?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Your accident.” They both said at the same time.

  “What accident?” I asked Sigurd who seemed to be the only one who wanted to be honest with me right now.

  “Don’t get yourself worked up but sometime ago you were fighting, put your arms up to defend yourself against a hit and got sliced across the arms. The girl got hit back, you got patched up, no problem.” I thought about this and wondered what was so bad about it. Hell, if anything I sounded kick ass!

  “Did I win?” I asked making him chuckle.

  “Yes sweetness, you won.” He replied ruffling my hair as he walked past. I saw Vincent and him exchange a few looks and Sigurd shrugged his shoulders whilst having his back to me.