Chapter 24
One of the captives bound on the altar was still mooing desperately through the gag and wriggling, trying to get rid of the restraints. The other lay quietly. He didn't struggle, but stared intently into Robin's eyes. Robin was suddenly uncomfortable.
"That's where I'll start with you," Loxley decided coldly to himself, and slowly drew his knife.
A flash of lightning illuminated the altar with a dead-white light, followed by a deafening roll of thunder. The monotonous muttering of the monks intensified, drowning out the sounds coming from the other end of the hall. There Marion burst out and tried to scream, looking on in horror at what was happening.
Robin froze, deciding where to strike. Throat or carotid artery? The blood will gush and there will be enough to fill the bowl halfway. The remainder will be filled with the blood of the second traitor.
"A life-giving elixir?" - Robin said to himself.
He'll drink it all up. We have to go all the way. For Marion. For their son. For their friends.
- Glory to Asriel," Lilith said with a blissful smile, her eyes gleaming with demonic fire.
- Glory to Asriel! - exhaled a chorus of monks.
They repeated this mantra over and over again, louder and louder.
- Glory to Asriel!
The words of the incantation wafted beneath the vaults, echoing repeatedly. Lightning struck again, thunder so strong that the castle walls shuddered. The torches flared brightly.
The blade of the knife in Loxley's hand glinted brightly and went down sharply. The crowd of the sorcerer's servants let out a jubilant shriek. Marion screamed in terror through the gag. The captive on the altar clamped his eyes shut, waiting for the death blow.
Suddenly a loud, piercing wolf howl broke through the wild orb of the witch's coven. A long, low wolf howl, full of boundless longing and grief, came from somewhere deep within the castle and filled the space around them. The invisible beast howled in a manner that made the blood of those present run cold in their veins. The baron's soldiers clasped their hands over their ears in panic, the monks looked around fearfully. The howl echoed through the air, growing stronger and quieter. Reaching its peak, it froze on a single shrill note and gradually began to fade away, dissolving into space. There was complete silence, so eerie it was as if all life had suddenly died out.
The captive on the altar slowly opened his eyes. The sharp blade stopped an inch from his neck. Loxley's hand still clutched the knife tightly. Surprised to still be alive, the captive on the altar shifted his gaze to Loxley. Robin seemed petrified. His eyes were wide open and expressionless, his face pale, drops of sweat trickling down his temple. Something had clearly happened, and it wasn't part of the ritual. The silence was broken by the second prisoner, who mumbled something through the gag in amazement. That sound made Robin wake up.
Blinking confusedly, he raised his head and looked around.
What was that? A wolf? Where did it come from in the castle? What's going on?
Loxley looked at the knife in his hand, then turned his gaze to the prisoners on the altar... What the hell is he doing?!
- Kill them! - came a fierce shout from behind the Baron.
Robin flinched and turned round. The Baron's face was twisted with anger. This was not the way the sorcerer had planned.
- Why do you hesitate? Kill them now! Finish what you started! Your fate and the fate of your loved ones depend on it! Have you forgotten what the oracle showed you?
Oracle. A black mirror. What Robin saw in it made his heart bleed. Once again he was overcome with doubt.