I've been trying to update this since Sunday but the site wouldn't let me! Hope it was worth the wait
Mikoto: Welcome aboard and thanks for your reviews. I hope you are going to update 'To Find My Way Home' soon, I'm really enjoying that story..
Nocturnally Damned: …and do you realise, you are going to give me a swollen head? ;)
7 Sacrifice
As soon as Rahab has taken his place, a second fanfare sounds and the massive doors are slowly swung open again. There is a sigh of anticipation from the crowd. From somewhere outside the room, someone starts to beat slowly on a massive drum, the rhythm very close to a heartbeat. Then the procession begins.
Four human males are the first to enter, massive men, almost naked, their olive skin glistening with exertion. Between them, they carry an enormous golden vessel, goblet shaped, but far too big for any single being to drink from. They are followed by seven more men, all dressed in scarlet robes, and wearing white turbans, each of these men bears a golden drinking cup.
The four strongmen set the large vessel down in front of the dais. The seven goblet bearers position themselves behind it and then all of them prostrate themselves before Kain and the clan leaders. The strongmen rise and stand to the left of the dais, the goblet bearers to the right.
The drumbeats fade, and for a moment the only sound is the faint, brittle chiming of the garlands hanging between the pillars. Then the singing begins, softly at first, building as the first of the young women enter the hall. The song is unutterably beautiful; it is full of longing, the voices almost unbearably sweet, almost unbearably sad.
Fourteen young women enter the hall, they are dressed in long white robes and crowned with garlands of young leaves but even here the corruption of Nosgoth is evident, for these garlands look as though they are meant to represent the ending of the year, not spring. The withered leaves and autumnal hues make a poignant contrast to the youthful faces beneath them. As the fourteenth maiden enters, their song fades, and a new song begins, this one sung by male voices. Fourteen young men, also dressed in white and crowned with leaves, enter the hall and take their places between the women, seven on each side of the aisle.
As the men's song ends, the drumbeat begins again and a solitary female figure appears in the doorway. She is not tall, and she is not exactly beautiful, but she is incredibly striking, vibrant and undeniably alive. Her skin is golden, and her lithe body curvaceous and feminine. Dark gypsy ringlets escape her headdress, framing her face, and she is wearing a considerable weight of golden jewellery, including anklets, hung with tiny gold bells, that jingle as she walks. This woman moves with all the grace of a cat, every step emphasising the perfection of her body. There is not a living male who could look upon her and remain unmoved. Indeed the strongmen and the Adepts who bear the seven golden goblets are all looking towards her at this moment, their eyes drinking in every detail of how she looks, how she moves, the curves beneath her dress.
She looks at them as she approaches, holding the gaze of each one, just for a moment, a cruel little smile playing about her lips as she does so, fuelling their desire, delighting in their hunger.
When she gets to the dais, the Priestess prostrates herself before Kain and his lieutenants. Then she rises and turns to address the assembly.
"Alas!" She cries, raising her arms "The winter has passed, and the cruel rites of spring begin anew.
We come, in all humility, to kneel before our gods."
All the other humans present now kneel facing the dais, though Jas notes that there is not a lot of humility in the Priestess' demeanour, despite her words. The priestess turns and raises her arms in supplication to Kain.
"We beseech your protection, that we may stand against our foes."
"We pray for your protection." Intone the humans behind her.
"We pray for your blessings, that we may continue to serve you."
"Bless us we pray." The humans respond.
"Accept our offerings, that you may be sustained through the waning nights."
She flings her arms wide, raising her voice to a triumphant shout,
"Behold! We offer you the first flowering of our youth! Fourteen maidens and fourteen men, equal to none, save those who have gone before." She turns to the youths kneeling before her." Why do you come here?" She asks them.
They answer in unison.
"We come that we might serve our gods. We come to make the sacrifice of blood. May it please the gods to find us worthy."
Now the priestess kneels and Kain stands up.
The brothers are looking distinctly bored at this point, for they have seen this too many times already, although Jas notices, only Raziel has the temerity to actually shift in his seat, rolling his eyes to the ceiling as he stifles yet another yawn in an expression of exquisite boredom.
Kain places his right hand over the priestesses bowed head.
"We are pleased to accept your offering." He says.
"A curse upon those that curse you,
A blessing on those who bless you,
We will be with you and protect you for as long as we hold the land of Nosgoth."
"May you hold it forever." The priestess replies.
"Forever and ever." Respond the kneeling humans.
Kain takes his place once more and the priestess and the others rise. The four strongmen take positions on either side of the large vessel that they had carried in earlier and the Priestess takes from her belt, a small, golden knife, with a curiously curved blade. The first of the maidens steps forward, she prostrates herself before Kain and his sons.
"May the gods find me worthy," she says. She stands and then turns so that she has her back to the dais, spreading her arms wide in the form of a cross. The two strongmen pick her up, her body remains rigid. They hold her horizontally so that her head hangs over the vessel. At this point, Raziel and the others regain their interest in the proceedings, they lean forward in their seats, eyes bright with anticipation.
"You are worthy," intones the Priestess, at the same time slitting the maiden's throat with the knife. Blood spatters into the golden vessel, and a soft sigh goes up from the watching vampires. When all the blood has been drained from the corpse, one of the youths steps forward, and the ritual is repeated until all twenty-eight are dead and the vessel is nearly full.
Now it is the turn of the Adepts to come forward. Each one dips the goblet he bears into the vessel. The first is offered to Kain, the second to Raziel, and so on, until the final goblet is handed to Melchiah.
Jas has been watching the Priestess with curiosity. She has heard of this mortal woman who leads the cult of vampire worshippers, but until tonight she had never seen her. She tries to think back to where and when she heard of her first; she appears young, but the power she wields belies this impression.
Just how old is she?
Towards the end of the ritual, her attention begins to wander; the scent of the blood hangs in the air, rich and heavy, and hunger begins to consume her thoughts, for she has not fed this evening. When the offerings have been made to the clan leaders, the highest-ranking vampires from each clan come forward to receive their share of the sacrifice from their Lord's own goblet. One of the Adepts approaches Jas. He bows low and asks if it would please her to come forward also. She follows him, curious. The Adept hands her a goblet, the one with Kain's own emblem; she bows to Kain, in acknowledgement of his courtesy, and drinks deeply.
Kain leaves shortly after this, and Jas notices that many of the other vampires are also beginning to drift away. However, Dumah, Raziel and the rest of the brothers are still standing by the entrance, so she decides to wait, at least until they leave. She has had enough of Kain's offspring for one night.
Dumah still appears to be bored, he is not taking part in the conversation. Instead, he is looking up at one of the garlands swaying gently above his head. As Jas watches, a pale pink rosebud appears to detach itself from the garland. It falls slowly down until it is level with his eye and then stops, crumbling into a fine, pink dust, which sparkles as it trickles onto the floor.
Esau is also present; he is standing with a small group of Dumahim fledglings halfway down the hall. He notices Jas while she is watching Dumah, but at first, he doesn't recognise her. She can't suppress a small smile of satisfaction when she sees him regarding her more closely, and his astonishment, when he finally realises who she is. He hurries over to her.
"Will you be joining us?" He asks.
She looks at him, perplexed, "Joining you where?"
"At the arena of course! Tonight, we'll set the last of those hunters we caught, against one another. Already, there are many wagers on the outcome."
"What if they refuse to fight? She asks, more to make conversation than out of any interest.
"Oh," he tells her. "Some always refuse, at first! We present them with a choice: All may die, slowly, or the victors may live. Never, have all of them chosen death. Lord Dumah says it shows just how deeply their principles are held."
"Lord Dumah is correct," she replies. "The nobility of humans, so very often, proves to be no more than a fiction."
He looks at her eagerly. "So, you will come then, to the entertainment?"
She looks down for a moment, considering; studies those curious little marks on her right hand where they had broken her fingers, all those years ago in the Sarafan dungeon. Then she looks up at Esau and smiles, a thin ghost of a smile.
"I think not. The true nature of these beasts I have witnessed before, I need no further proof."
He looks disappointed, "You're no fun at all. Just like the elders! They think they've seen everything, too!" He turns to leave, and then turns back to her. "If you change your mind though, it's easy enough to find," he says. He runs back to the others and Jas watches them leave. The brothers have also departed, so she decides it is time to make her way back to her own quarters. The hour is growing late, and it will soon be dawn.
On the way back, she mistakes her turning, and finds herself entering the throne room. Kain is there, seated on the throne, accepting a final offering of gifts from the human priestess. For an instant, Jas gets the impression of a third presence, but there is no one else to be seen. She bows low to Kain and his guest, intending to apologize for her intrusion and then leave, but to her surprise, he behaves as if he had been expecting her arrival.
"Lady Jaslinde! Come in, come in. The priestess and her retinue are just about to depart."
The priestess bows low, looking at Jas with great curiosity.
"Lady Seer," she murmurs.
Who told her that? Jas wonders. She makes no reply.
The priestess bows once more to Kain and then makes to leave the room. She steps lightly backwards, so that she will not insult them by turning her back, head still bowed, her feet guiding her unerringly towards the door. Jas steps aside to allow her pass. As she draws level, the priestess stops and turns to her. She is warm, the scent of the blood sacrifice still lingering about her, mingled with the spicy aromas of the food she has just consumed.
"Goodnight," she says softly. "Perhaps we will meet again one day. Maybe, even as equals."
Jas looks back at her, cold and dispassionate, a perfect contrast to the earthy beauty of the woman before her. She brushes past the priestess, without bothering to answer her, and enters the room.
Kain gets up and walks towards her; he touches her elbow, guiding her back towards the door.
"Come, we will go somewhere a little more comfortable," he says. "These things," stroking one of the ravaged pillars, with an almost regretful expression, "lost their fascination for me many years ago."
As they start to walk away she frowns and turns, the presence is back again, behind her this time.
Kain raises his brows in question, "Is something wrong?" he asks.
She shakes her head, "No, no. I felt something behind me but I don't see anything."
"You are fortunate," he says dryly, and leads her from the room.
They return to the chamber where they had played chess the previous evening.
"If you are not too tired, I thought we might continue our earlier conversation," he says. "I have a favour to ask of you."
"You have but to name it, my Lord."
He raises a claw to stop her saying anything more.
"You don't yet know what it is, that I would ask of you," he says gently.
There is something disturbing about this last speech, and his gesture.
Kain, imperious, demanding, she has come to expect, but what could he possibly want, that would lead him to approach her in this manner? Uneasily, she waits for him to continue.
"I wish to consult the orb that you have in your possession. To ask it questions that you would not be capable of framing yourself." He pauses, looking at her, "The orb, however will only respond to you, which leaves us with a difficulty."
He says no more, he simply waits, while she thinks about this problem, searches for the solution. Slowly, it begins to dawn on her. She knows what he wants now, understands what he is asking. To use the orb, he needs to control her mind.
"No," backing away, shaking her head in denial. "No!"
Still he says nothing. She looks at him, wary and defensive. Finally, she asks a question,
"My consent, why does it matter to you?" She draws back even further from him as she speaks, placing one of the couches between them, though she knows this is hardly going to help in the event of a real disagreement. "I thank you for doing me the courtesy of asking, but we both know you will do as you want, regardless of my wishes."
He doesn't answer her at once, but his face tells her that she is right; he has already determined his course of action. Standing before her, he looks suddenly weary.
"I have no wish to do you permanent damage," he says simply, "but I need control of your mind. If you consent, you have at least a chance of emerging unscathed."
"A chance?" She likes this conversation less and less.
He nods.
"And of course, "she exclaims," there is no one else to suit your purpose! Bar me."
She speaks out of frustration at her situation, not really expecting him to answer her, but he does reply,
"Your supposition isn't entirely correct." he says, "I have met one other seer in Nosgoth, an ancient creature. She lived in the canyons just outside of Meridian city, many years ago, and that's where I last saw her, but as to what became of her, I do not know."
Jas looks at him in amazement. She has found no reference to another seer in any of her books. That one lived close to the city of her birth is significant, she is sure.
Kain looks at her steadily. "Reconsider your answer. If you don't, nothing I can tell you will be of any use to you."
Now it is her turn to look weary. She turns away from him, raising an arm across her face, part defensive, part dismissive.
"Enough, please! We both know there is no choice here, for either of us. I won't bargain for the information that you hold. Tell me, if you will, but tell me freely, or don't. I leave the decision to you." She bows to him. "Send word to me when you are ready. I will come."
She walks out of the room and down the long corridor to the guest quarters, without waiting to be dismissed.