11

The atmosphere was solemn as the coven of witches gathered around the shrine in their traditional ceremonial garb. The priestesses of each clan, along with Astena, the leader of the coven, were at its center. They held aloft arcane symbols and chanted incantations in an ancient language that only they understood.

Outside the shrine, devotees huddled together to observe and partake in the ritual from afar. As they watched, a soft blue light flickered between each priestess's hands like a web connecting them all together. This energy seemed to grow stronger as more voices joined in on their chants and invocations until it had filled every corner of the space surrounding them with mysterious power.

Astena, began to recite an ancient incantation in a deep and melodic voice. "Om ma ni pad me hum!" she intoned as her hands stretched towards the heavens. The priestesses echoed her words in unison, their voices blending together like one single entity.

"Tayata om bekandze bekandze maha bekandze radza samudgate soha!" Astena continued as she spread her arms wide and closed her eyes in concentration.

Again, the priestesses repeated after her with a sense of reverence that seemed to fill every corner of the shrine with its power.

"Om ah hum!" the priestesses chorused as one, their voices growing louder with each phrase.

Astena then raised her arms even higher and began to spin around in circles, calling forth the spirits of nature and invoking them into the ritual space.

Suddenly, a soft blue light emanated from each priestess's palms and grew brighter as they chanted louder. It pulsed and grew to a blinding intensity, filling the shrine with its mysterious power. The devotees outside could feel it too – a sensation of awe and reverence that filled them with an inexplicable peace.

The air thickened with energy as she spun faster and faster, her words becoming more intense until finally reaching a crescendo of power that filled the shrine completely. "Hum gaté gaté paragaté parasamgaté bodhi svaha!"

The priestesses echoed this final invocation before all falling silent once again. The light emanating from their palms slowly faded away as they lowered their hands and bowed their heads in reverence.

"Mother! Mother!" A young girl in a white robe who looked to be nowhere younger than fifteen years ran into the shrine, interrupting the meeting.

"Mother!"

Astena scowled as she saw Dina run into the shrine with an orb in her hands.

"Dina! What do you think you're doing? You know better than to interrupt a ceremony like this!"

Dina's face panicked as she held up the orb.

"Mother, I'm sorry- but look at it! The red glow is gone!"

The other witches gasped and Astena stepped forward for a closer examination of the item. She frowned and muttered a few words under her breath before looking back up at Dina.

"Where did you find this?"

"It was Miranda's," said Dina quietly. "She left it with me before she went to visit her friend in a werewolf pack, but she didn't mention which one."

Astena's eyes widened and she quickly closed them, speaking more words of enchantment.

Astenia stood before the shrine, her eyes closed as she spoke words of enchantment. Her voice dropped to a low murmur and she held up the orb in her hands. "Show me where Miranda has gone," She said softly.

The room filled with an eerie blue light and Astenia watched as it swirled around the orb, forming images that showed Miranda's recent journey. As Astenia concentrated harder on the vision, she could hear voices coming from within it - snippets of conversations between Miranda and someone else in another place.

"What do you see?" asked Dina quietly from behind her.

Astenia opened her eyes and shook her head slowly before turning to face Dina. "I see that Miranda has gone to a werewolf pack indeed," she said gravely.

"But why?" asked Dina, her eyes wide with shock.

Astenia shook her head again and closed her eyes once more, continuing with her enchantment as she spoke more words of power. The blue light swirled around them again and Astenia saw flashes of a large building surrounded by trees - the location of the Blood Zeal Pack. She opened her eyes slowly and nodded grimly before turning back to Dina.

"It appears that Miranda went after seeing a vision," said Astenia solemnly.

"It is as you feared, Dina. Miranda is in a little danger."

The other witches gasped once more and began chattering amongst themselves about what could have happened to their friend. Astena held up her hand for silence, though the murmurs didn't cease until Dina stepped forward again.

"What do we do now?" She asked quietly.

Astena nodded slowly as if deep in thought before answering. "I will go and see to it, while you all take care of events here. I won't be long."

The coven murmured their agreement and set off on their respective tasks, leaving Astena alone with her thoughts. She sighed heavily before turning back towards the shrine, determined to find out what had happened to her niece.

Astena hurriedly climbed onto her herbhorse, notifying the rest of the Witches that she was going to find Miranda. She didn't tell them exactly where she was going as she knew they would worry and try to follow her, so instead Astena only mentioned that it was somewhere far away. As soon as Astena's herbhorse galloped out of sight, she made a sharp turn towards Ragnar Palace.

*****

The evening sun was setting in the background, casting an orange-golden hue on the castle walls. Inside, Ragnar was getting ready for his evening bath. A team of maids were bustling around him, preparing everything he needed before he stepped into the tub.

The first maid placed a thick linen sheet onto the ground to protect it from water damage while another brought out a large wooden tub that had been filled with steaming hot water and fragrant herbs earlier in anticipation of this moment.

Ragnar sat down on a stool as two other maids approached him carrying buckets full of warm rose petals which they sprinkled over his body and head like snowflakes. As soon as the last petal hit his skin, a fourth maid started to pour jugs of warm water over him.

The other maids took turns massaging his back with scented oils while the seventh maid brushed out his hair with a wooden comb. The eighth and ninth maids prepared various soaps and creams which they applied onto Ragnar's body in gentle circular motions, creating rich lather on his skin.

Once he was fully covered in soap, the they helped him into the tub where he laid down for a few minutes and washed away all traces of dirt from his body using a soft cloth. After that they scrubbed off all traces of soap before helping him up again.

Ragnar stepped out of the tub and the twelfth maid dried him off with a large towel before dressing him in his night clothes. Finally presenting Ragnar with a goblet full of wine as he settled into an armchair for some rest.

Ragnar was wearing a luxurious, white linen tunic that clung to his muscular frame. The fabric was finely embroidered with gold thread around the neckline and wrists, giving it an elegant look. He had paired this with dark brown trousers made from soft wool and loose stockings that reached up to his knees. His hair hung in damp curls around his face, adding a touch of wildness to the otherwise regal ensemble.

With all their tasks complete, the maids bowed down to their king before leaving him alone in peace and quiet. As they left, Ragnar could still smell the lingering scent of roses from his evening bath.

Just as he was about to bring the brim of the wine cup to his lips, there was an urgent knock on his door. Ragnar sighed heavily before calling out

"Come in."

The guard opened the door and bowed slightly before speaking up,

"Your highness, Prince Derek has requested your audience right away."

Ragnar frowned at this interruption,"Tell Derek I said no and that he can come back later".

The guard shook his head apologetically,"He specified it was urgent, your highness"

Ragnar sighed again before giving a curt nod,"Very well. Let him in". The guard bowed and stepped aside to let Derek in.

Derek entered the room with a serious look on his face, Ragnar could tell something was wrong. He put down his wine glass and motioned for Derek to speak up.

"Father," he began nervously, "I'm keeping a member of the Shadows Coven hostage here at the palace."

Ragnar's eyes widened at this revelation. He knew having a wotch hostage within his walls was going to be a cause for alarm.

"What? How did you manage that?" he asked incredulously.

"She knows what we're planning to do," Derek explained solemnly, "I had no choice but to take her into custody."