AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They felt heavy, and my shoulders and head slumped with the weight.
I was still shivering, my whole body rebelling against what I’d just done.
Fallon gave me a pained but sympathetic look. I would imagine that some people would be elated to have joined this secret world of power and corruption, but he knew I was not one of those people. He held out his hand, “Come. They will seal the baptism now.”
I followed him out of the water, with Hawke close behind me in that creepy mask.
I felt sick inside, like I was filled with darkness and evil. And now, I was a part of this…this society…forever.
I wanted to vomit. To spew out everything vile now inside me.
I hated myself for falling for their sick, twisted games.
I now saw how they played me like a fool, slowly reeling me in under their control.
And yet, I’d chosen this, and I had to live with that consequence. I shook myself of my pity party, and walked towards them. Carried myself with my head held high, not allowing them to see my inner turmoil.
We were approaching a large crowd of men and women, at least a hundred, or maybe even more. They stood in a half circle facing me. Behind them, a burning pyre of wood.
I met Olivia’s gaze; she was standing in the reeds with a black robe, draping it over me as I rose from the marsh, my feet muddy and the palm of my hand aching.
Clutching me by my shoulders, she turned me towards the crowd. “Behold, the newest handshade of the Obscura Veritas.”
A roar went up, a dark intonation of a foreign chant I couldn’t understand.
All eyes were on me, and as my gaze caught on the crowd, a chill moved up my spine.
This was the true face of the society.
Their formal attire, adorned with intricate embroidery and shimmering jewels, stood out against their bare feet and the wildness of their appearance. Horns and antlers sprouted from their heads like a crown. The fur and animal hides covered the top of their faces, with the eyes cut out.
My eyes scanned them—looking for the familiar wolf mask—and my heart sank. I didn’t see Rook anywhere.
* * *
Their voices grew louder, their feet stomping in the squelching mud of the marsh.
Beneath the facade, there is only primal chaos. Scratch at the surface and you see the animal—words Rook had said over and over.
My stomach revolted, my blood freezing in my veins but I met each and every one of their gazes. Because fuck all of them. Fuck the Veritas, fuck Saul, and fuck every single person who supported this sick side to society.
Still clutching my shoulders, Olivia bowed her head and mumbled, “Ora pro nobis peccatoribus. Be it done, according to Thy word.”
Suddenly the crowd calmed, parting and kneeling, and I realized that Olivia was pushing me forward, my feet moving without thinking, following the path they’d made way for me.
We were walking towards the burning pyre, the flickering flames lighting up a misshapen tree with a skull, staring at me with dark eye sockets.
A large shadow blocked the light—a woman, standing next to an altar formed from bones and rocks. Long brown hair, black skin, eyes focused on me. She was topless, with an orange snake draped across her shoulders and chest. Gold necklaces hung around her neck.
A man stood behind her, bare chested. With his back to the fire, his headdress of a snarling beast, he was half-way hidden in shadows, only the outline of his body was visible.
The woman smiled, and the red and gold paint slashed across her face made her look even more malicious, but it was the cold, lifelessness in her eyes that made fear spike my blood.
“Ssssummer Duvallll,” the woman’s voice was just as snakelike as her pet. “Welcome.” She too wore a headdress, curved ox horns encased in a golden crown. The bones tied around her waist made a tinkling noise as she moved. Walking towards me, her black, billowing skirt flowed around her ankles.
Olivia stopped before her, bowing in respect. “Priestess Vashti.”
The priestess didn’t look at Olivia but her gaze stayed fixed on me. “It is an honor and a privilege to meet you, Summer Duvall. I’ve waited long for this moment.”
