Listen to Gold Dust Woman
FillerTess moved along the path leading to Mirror Lake, curious if it's waters would have what she needed. She was in pain, the stupid High Priestess cursing her with some pathetic loa or some other such nonsense. She served patrons, same as Tess did, and at least Tess served the best of the best. Black Philip strolled beside her, dulling the worst of her pain as he led his minion to the healing waters. The witch knew this escort was not a courtesy but a necessity. She'd been taken out of commission, and had more work to do. The goat was invisible to mortals and even most supernaturals, the skill level required to see him higher than all but Saint Sabrina.
Yet it hadn't been that witch who'd knocked her on her ass. It had been sweet little Shiobhan. She wanted to drain her wretched soul right out of her body, absorbing her power and becoming stronger than even Sabrina. However, Black Philip had plans that didn't include her killing the little witch, and so Tess focused her efforts on solving the weak curse plaguing her. The trouble was that she valued her looks, and that stupid curse had aged her like a prune. She was now an old woman, wearing a heavy gold shawl, supported by her pet goat devil. As she hopped along towards the lake, she planned how she'd pay little miss girl scout back, and debated just gutting her like a fish. Black Philip said the high priestess was meant for other struggles, and to focus her efforts on Sabrina, Shiobhan and of course Wren.
He'd been the one she wanted the most. There was the delicious combination of power and a potential for darkness that made his soul look oh so appetizing and she used the image of his eventual corruption to peddle her closer and closer to the lake. Rumor had it that the north now had a leader, and that he'd bullied the wolves into submission. She'd heard he was a dark angel and wondered if this golden haired bird would make a deal with Lucifer. These were all future plans, as first she needed to reclaim her youth. To make matters more complicated, she was dragging a large sack, as well as her bag of tricks. The combined weight would've been too much for her if not for Old Scratch, and she pet the goat as they walked. The sack was moving, quivering and shaking. It was silent and unseen to prying eyes, a glamour still being within her capability.
Then she saw it. Mirror Lake was beautiful to behold, it's shinning surface reflecting the moonlight of the night sky. The sun had only just gone beyond the horizon, so a red-gold color glowed and slowly transformed into stars and violet emptiness. The few travelers on this path would be forced home, a quick Enchantment-Concilum being enough to send them packing. Finally, she found a spot on the Lake's north-west edge, near the border of Zoheret. She was Black Philip's true audience. He wanted to get her attention, and was using his servant to do so. Tess was more than happy to assist her master, especially if it returned her youth to her.
The sack still moved, and she smacked it hard. "Shhhhhhh," she said playfully, like this was hide and seek. Her white hair, wrinkly face, and jowls replaced her beautiful features, and the lake's inner mirror showed her how ugly the curse had made her. Well, now she was really going to punish the bitch who did this to her. She'd suck her dry, just like she'd done to the cat. The witch sat on the edge, and placed her feet in the cool water, opening her bag of tricks and pulling out Book and a large dagger. She'd been lucky that this spell only required three ingredients and had a chilling after effect that would accomplish Black Philip's true goal.
Her weathered hands flipped through the pages, a few crumbling to dust as she did. Book had aged too, and was falling apart as a result.
Nobody fucks with Book.
The dark goat with her licked her face, and she felt enough power within her to cast the needed spell. After a while she found it, and then used her movement of the mind to free the package from the sack. A human woman, probably in her early thirties looked with horror at Tess. She was bound, but was still squirming like from when she was in the bag. She'd been picked up outside the Sticks and Stakes pool hall. She wouldn't be missed. As she struggled, Tess grew annoyed and smacked her.
"Shhhhhhhhhh," she scolded, sounding annoyed she needed to repeat herself. The human cried, but it didn't matter. Her time had come to an end. It was a worthy thing to be sacrificed to Satan, and she hoped the woman appreciated something that epic. Once the victim was head over the water, and unable to move, the witch began to chant, reading along from her spell book.
"Quia sanguis sanguinem, animam pro anima. In finem, hanc hostiam meae suscitat rixas. Flava comas, ut in cute stricta, ostende mihi hac nocte inimicos ego nasceris, et ecce pulchra, et illud scriptum sit, ut ad illud esse."
Once the full spell was read, she began to repeat it, and held the dagger high to the moon. The goat screamed in joy at the sacrifice coming towards it, and reflected a playful manifestation of Lucifer. She pricked her own finger, and dropped three thimbles of it into the shimmering pool. The witch cut the woman's throat and as blood hit the water, Tess dropped the blade and plunged her black hand deep within the sacrifice's chest. She began to drain, just like she'd done with the cat, only this time something different happened. Instead of rotting the victim got older. She grew so old that she simply died of shock instead of her slit throat. Tess dropped the corpse into the water, an old woman murdered in cold blood.
However, she looked ravishing and young again. The black goat danced with her and she spun in her pretty shawl and leaped up and down in celebration. The black goat looked at her and she heard a familiar phrase. "FINISH IT." She read the spell once more, and from the floating corpse shot up a flash of red. Almost like a firework it lit up the night sky and two horns grew out into the darkness. The horns whispered a word into the night, one that only supernaturals would hear. "Zoheret," it whispered, seeking it's intended audience. The spell had worked, and Black Philip had restored her youth. All was well. The dead woman probably disagreed, but Tess thought
pain is beauty after all.
The goat was gone now, staying longer in that form than Tess was used to. The High Priestess's curse had ended, and a message had been sent into the night. It wasn't as flashy as raising a horde of zombies, but sometimes going to work is just doing what your boss said. Tonight was such a night. She skipped away from the lake, happy the full moon meant no big, bad wolves around to snatch her up. Besides she'd be glamoured soon, and would make her way towards the south district. She needed to pay Wren a visit, and check on Sabrina of course. Now that she was healed, it was time to move on to phase two of the plan.
Translation: Blood for blood, life for life. With this sacrifice end my strife. Locks of blonde, skin so tight, show my enemies on this night, I am reborn, beautiful to behold, so let it be written, so let it be told.
