FREAKY FLASH FRIDAY: Interwoven by Blood by Austin Wyckes

‘Blood binds all’. Stephen recites, for he is not unfamiliar with the binding elementary of blood. 

During his forty years as a priest, he had long grown accustomed to the concept of wine turning to blood and unifying the congregation. During mass it was called ‘transubstantiation’, and in those few moments it granted him divine power. In an odd way, he felt like a witch. 

That was a lifetime ago, and now he si

ts on the floor with a sharpened knife resting in his lap. Some feet away from him is another man with soft gray eyes. That man’s sleeve is rolled up, revealing the pale inner skin of his arm. 

“Are you sure you want to do this, Tom?” Asks Stephen. 

“I want to, and we must. We must never be apart, not again!” Replies Tom. 

Nodding, Stephen grabs the knife. 

Before he performs the ritual however, he recalls the important stages of his life. He remembers being forced into the priesthood as a young boy due to being illegitimate. He remembers the first day he met and fell in love with Tom, who was a young Baron of the county, though the two could not be together in their youth. He remembers leaving the priest hood and the trauma that life had caused him, and turning his back on civilization.

He found solace in the forest, and that is when the magic really began. 

He knew somewhere down his family line there had been witches, though he never suspected their blood festered in his veins. When he escaped to the woodlands, it was as if his ancestors worked through him. In mundane ways, he learned to cast spells. Sometimes magic was as simple as thanking the wind, or growing a fresh harvest in the middle of winter. 

And when finally, Tom found him again, after years of searching, things only grew more ethereal. 

Living in Stephen’s cottage, Tom began to notice some things about his lover. Stephen had a way of speaking to birds, and commanding the nature around him. So unable to hide his curiosity any longer, Tom had one day asked, “Are you a witch?”

To that, Stephen responded,  “I believe so, but I swear I didn’t enchant you to love me!”

Tom knew Stephen didn’t enchant him, but he had heard in a tavern one day that love spells could enhance a relationship. In their youth, Tom and Stephen were not able to be together for many reasons, and it was a miracle they found one another again. So seeing as neither wanted to lose the other, Tom suggested a love spell to bind them, keeping them forever interwoven. Clearly, Stephen agreed.

That brought them here; sitting on the floor, performing the ritual. 

“Let our blood bind us.” Stephen whispers, holding the knife against his palm and slicing his skin. He does the same to Tom’s hand and blood pours from open wounds. The lovers then join hands, binding their blood for eternity.

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Austin Wyckes is a poet and writer with a love for Medieval European history and queer themes. Austin melds their identity with their research and writing, and hopes to show diversity and unique narratives in their work. Austin is currently working on two novels and a series of short stories. 

Find him on X: @AustinWyckes

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