Then she pulled out the piece of paper and began the ceremony. She placed the Red Amulet on his neck at a 45 degree angle towards the sky. Then, she took the rosemary leaves and sprinkled them over Benji’s body. The smell of the rosemary permeated the air around him and brought a sense of calm over Rachel. She knew she was doing the right thing despite her fear of dying in the process. She knew it was the right thing to do though. She knew she had to continue.
Her hands were shaking as she reached for the blood of the young fawn. She then took the blood with her right pointer finger and dabbed it onto his forehead in the shape of a cross. She then took the blood and dipped her finger back in and made a cross on her forehead. Now, she was ready to recite the ancient scripture.
“Domini Angus Lingus,” Rachel said. “Corpus, Truli, Andunis…”
Rachel repeated these two phrases over and over and watched Benji as she spoke. She placed her hand on his chest and felt his body begin to shake. The Red Amulet let off a soft glow, the same glow that she saw when she was in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was almost as if it was being ignited by a force from above.
She could feel Benji’s body waking up to the world again. She watched the wound as it slowly closed up and the skin around it healed. She saw him quiver and shake again and then his eyes began to blink quickly, opening and closing as his breaths grew faster and less shallow. She could feel him regaining the strength in his body, and at the same time she could feel her body growing weaker with each passing moment. It was all she could do to continue reciting the ancient scripture. Her body started to grow cold and shaky as she continued speaking, in a soft voice. The page fell from her limp fingers and her spine grew weak. She slunk down to the ground, feeling as if she were going to die.
She watched as Benji, who lay next to him, regained his strength and then began to sit up. She could hear him clearing his throat and she watched him as he touched his body with his hands. She could tell he was trying to figure out what had happened to him. There was no sign of injury or wound left on his body so she was sure he would never figure it out. Then, she saw him look at her. Their eyes connected as he reached out to touch her body.
“Rachel? Is that you?” Benji asked. “You don’t look well.”
“Domini Angus Lingus,” Rachel whispered, still gazing into Benji’s eyes.
“No! Rachel, stop! Please! What are you doing?” Benji said.
He then put his hands to his neck and felt that he was wearing the Red Amulet.
“You found it! You’re saving me. You can’t do that, you’re going to die!” Benji said.
He took his hands and wiped off the blood from her forehead. He then grabbed the Red Amulet and ripped it off his neck. He then looked back at Rachel and said, “I can’t believe you would do this for me. You have laid down your life to save mine. How can I ever repay you?”
“Benji, I love you!” Rachel said as she began to nod off, her body feeling weaker than ever. She felt her eyes roll back into her head and the last thing she remembered hearing, before her world went dark, was Benji’s voice.
“I’ll find you,” he said. “I won’t live without you. One day, somehow, we will meet again.”