Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
In the altar area at the front of the room, a group of robed figures gather. I shouldn’t be staring—I shouldn’t be here—but I can’t look away.
Among the group, one stands out. Blonde hair, pale skin. It’s Sarah in her new silver collar. In the darkness, her white dress shines like a beacon, and she’s being led by a silver leash that’s held by the man with dragon tattoos. Asmodeus.
A shorter man steps forward in a black mask stylized into a skull and wearing a crown. He raises his arms and chants something in a language I don’t recognize.
“That’s Damien.” The ghost of Jaeger’s whisper reaches my ears. “And St. James.” He points to a robed figure blending into the shadows behind the pool. “You know Asmodeus. He’s one of the Seven the Devil appointed as his generals.”
Oh gods. I don’t want to know all this. There’s another robed person beside Damien, sitting in a wheelchair. They have a slighter frame, and when they offer up a ceremonial dagger, the sleeves of their robes fall away to show colorful tattoos. Green vines with thorns, weeping roses the color of blood. I recognize the tattoos. I’ve seen them before on the woman who runs Inferno.
“Lucy,” Jaeger confirms my suspicions. I flex my forearms in their bondage, wishing I could run.
Another woman is standing nearby, a hood keeping her face in shadow.
“That’s the Devil’s woman,” Jaeger’s murmur stirs my hair. “His elita. I’d tell you her name, but he’d kill me. He’s extremely protective of her identity.”
The ceremony continues with the Devil and Lucy leading. Asmodeus leads Sarah to the head of the pool. Lucy hands him a goblet, and he orders Sarah to drink, holding the cup to her mouth. She’s shaking, but she drinks and then holds the cup for him to drink.
Then he uses the dagger to slice her palm and his, and they exchange some sort of vows. Another robed figure steps forward to lead them in this, his voice deep and level as he recites the Latin phrases. The words bounce off the walls but are meaningless to me. It’s clear the ceremony is as formal as a marriage, but in this upside-down world, who knows what sort of vows are being spoken?
But I know I’ve heard that voice before. The man speaking is hidden under a deep hood, but I can imagine him in my head: bearded and in a simple cassock, wearing a wooden cross.
Father Francis. Why is the priest here?
A door slams open, echoing in the space. I jump, and Jaeger hugs me tight. “Watch,” he says.
Two men in executioner hoods drag someone forward. Their captive is a man in a suit. He’s gagged and struggling, his hair standing on end as he thrashes in their arms. They muscle him forward and force him to his knees near the pool in front of the priest and the Devil. Both officiants step back, leaving only Sarah and Asmodeus.
Sarah steps in front of the man, who fights harder when he sees her. Asmodeus moves to help hold him down and bend him back over the pool.
My insides turn to lead. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I have the feeling it’s not going to be good.
Lucy rolls her wheelchair forward and hands Sarah a dagger. Silver glints as she turns it over in her hands. She looks so frail in her simple white dress.
But her face is calm when she steps forward, gripping the knife. A tremor runs through me, and Jaeger holds me fast.
She leans in and says something to the man. He shakes his head but can’t move much more than that. Asmodeus rips the man’s shirt open, baring an expanse of pale flesh, and nods to Sarah.
With both hands, she raises the knife high and slams it into the victim’s chest.
14
Elodie
Blood sprays, spattering Sarah’s solemn face.
I grit my teeth so hard they ache, fighting a scream. I cringe against Jaeger, my stomach full of acid.
Death doesn’t come quickly. Sarah’s strength wasn’t enough to push the knife deep enough. The man’s throat strains as he screams into his gag. He tries to move, but the Fraternitas members holding him are strong enough to make sure he doesn’t budge.
It’s Asmodeus who ends it. He moves behind Sarah, reaching around her to take hold of the blade, his large hands covering Sarah’s smaller ones. His muscles strain as he uses his strength to shove the knife all the way in.
The victim’s head lolls on his shoulders. He convulses, and the men holding him release him, letting him fall into the pool. Dark blood wells up around the dagger and pours from the wound, blending with the water.
Sarah steps back with clenched hands that are red to the wrist. Her white dress is bright with blood.