All Hallow's Eve Read Online Free Page B

to each other. His father shrugged his shoulders slightly and shook his head. Lady Anne replied, “ We honestly do not know, William, but I imagine so. The Imol was an exhausting ritual to perform , and it is not nearly as complex as the Sanun . “
    “ The Imol ? Of what do you speak, Mother? ”
    “ When I was alive, I was the Priestess of Imol , William. Every year, I performed the ritual that provided pr otection for the people of the T ribes. ”
    “ And Georgiana? ”
    “ Georgiana is the Destined One, but she was too young to train when I passed . My mother said that Catherine and I, being identical twins, were both Heiress e s, but I was the stronger of the two , and so I became Priestess . When I passed into the Otherworld, Catherine was the only one alive who could perform the ritual . My sister had always been jealous of m y being chosen over her , especially since she was several minutes older than I , and she refuse d to train Georgiana. I am afraid she has not fulfill ed her responsibilities well, dear, or you would not be called upon no w to protect the High Priestess . ”
    “ Aunt Catherine has denied Georgiana of her birth-right? Is there no one else who could train Georgiana? ”
    “ The High Priestess could. She has been taught all the rituals, but she cannot perform any except her own. But William, there cannot be two Priestess es of Imol at the same time. Catherine would have to agree to the arrangement , and so far , we have not been able to convince her. ”
    William nodded and filed away this information for the future. Hi s mind felt as if it w ere caught in a whirlwind with all he was learning tonight , but he had to ask as many questions as possible for he knew he would not have this opportunity again for another year . His thoughts moved back to Elizabeth , as they usually did since he had met her . “ You say Elizabeth will probably collapse after she performs the second half of the ritual — will t here be no one there to catch her ? ”
    “ Not unless you go to her, son. Alt hough the High Priestess may be present at any of the other rituals, only an Heiress and the current High Priestess ’s Soul Mate are permitted to attend the Sanun . The Fili , the medicine woman, will come to attend her when the sun reaches a certain point in the sky, but since she must be certain she does not interfere with the ritual itself, she will not arrive until hours after the ritual is complete . If any souls are delayed in returning, The High Priestess would need to keep the portal open, or else they will be trapped here. I cannot even imagine how exhausted she would be. ”
    “ Then I shall return to the meadow. I cannot allow Elizabeth to become injured when she falls. ”
    The trio walked back toward the clearing where Elizabeth was now standing with her grandmother once again, but they stopped far enough away so that she could not hear them speak .
    “ It would probably be better if you remain out of her sight until the conclusion of the ritual, William. Now is not the time to confront her and urge her to accept your offer of assistance ; we cannot risk upset ting her. The ritual must be completed perfectly! ” h is mother advised. Smiling, she caress ed her son’s cheek . “ Next year, you will be standing at her side throughout the Sanun . ”
    “ I wish I could be as certain as you are, Mother. ”
    “It is tim e for us to leave you, William,” his father said.
    “ I will miss you both . ”
    “ You will do well in your task, of that we have no doubt . We are very proud of the man you have become, ” his father replied . Lady Anne nodded and smiled, her eyes filled with unshed tears .
    As his parents returned to the meadow , William moved back to his previous hiding place.
     

C hapter 2
    Elizabeth had been looking forward to th e Sanun for months . She anticipated her meeting with a number of diverse personalities this night and knew she would never tire of thinking of them . It was