Page 86 of Somnium

Once each acolyte had found their place, the lights dimmed. The roar of voices echoing against the stone faded, and all eyes shifted to the doors that led to the narthex. As she watched, the middle door was pulled open to reveal two lines of dedicants adorned in their cream-colored robes waiting to enter. Acid spiked in Cadi’s gut when she saw the two people standing at the very front.

An arrogant grin twisted Damon’s face, and beside him, Celine scanned the congregation with a matching look of smug satisfaction. It almost looked like they both had fully convinced themselves that everyone inside the temple had gathered just to get a glimpse of them. Zoe stood toward the back of the line, and for a brief moment Cadi caught herself wondering if her placement had been intentional if their spots were assigned, but the thought was wiped from her mind when the two lines began to file into the hall.

Cadi didn’t even realize she had started to shrink until she felt stone press into her back. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pulled in a breath and blew it out, even if they saw her, they had no power over her. Especially not in a room filled with people. And she had a job to do.

The air beside her shifted, pulling her attention to the corridor as the priests entered the hall to take up their positions on the dais and wait for the crowd to settle.

A soft, unified gasp rippled through the crowd when Oneirios took his first step into the hall. Everyone stared at him in awe as he seemed to float up the steps before taking up his place of honor in the center of the platform.

Once the rite began, it didn’t take long for one of the priests to signal for Cadi, holding up a sprig of lavender and sending her back down the hallway to the sacristy. Luckily, she knew exactly where it was, feeling a strange sense of pride at the confirmation that Polly hadn’t been entirely wrong about her skills.

She hovered at the mouth of the corridor for a moment, her eyes nervously darting over the crowd before she scurried forward to the stone steps. Gods, if they made her climb up there to deliver the sprig, she might just pass away. Fortunately, the priest met her at the stairs and bent forward to take the lavender from her outstretched hand.

She quickly slipped back into position, and had just managed to catch her breath from her last trip when another priest—or maybe it was the same one, she really couldn’t tell—waved from the dais to get her attention. He held up the blade in his hand, then two fingers indicating his need. Grumbling as she stepped from her spot, she began to wonder what moron set up the altar and just decided not to include any ritual blades.

Once every element had been gathered, the drums started, and Cadi let out a quiet breath at the audible signal that they had entered the final stage of the rite. It would be over soon and she could finally make her escape.

She watched in silence. Her eyes stayed fixed on the dais as the high priest took the ritual vessel from the altar, a faint slosh of water ringing against stone as he moved back to the circle. The priest beside him stripped off a glove, and Cadi winced as he quickly drew a blade across his palm, his blood welling fast before it fell into the waiting font. Then, each priest repeated the process, bleeding their own offerings until the cycle was complete.

Stepping back to the altar, the high priest added a handful of lavender to the mixture, then turned to the large obelisk brazier in the center of the dais. He poured the liquid over the hot coals, sending plumes of fragrant steam into the air.

The sacred vapor spread through the room, the sweet scent of lavender and the coppery tang of blood coating Cadi’s tongue. She had to force herself to swallow past the urge to gag, breathing hard through her nose to calm the roiling in her gut.

Once the steam had settled, Oneirios stepped forward, his arms outstretched in welcome as he surveyed his growing flock. His voice rang loud and clear through the hall, and the melodic sound surprised her. It was almost as beautiful as he was, betraying nothing of the cruelty that lurked beneath.

“Whose blood is shed here?” he called.

“Ours, for Oneirios,” the dedicants answered in unison.

A shiver crawled over her skin at the sound, its synchronicity like claws being raked against her mind.

“Whose will binds you?”

“Yours, Oneirios.”

The sound of blades being unsheathed rang out. Cadi held her breath.

“Then bleed, and be mine.”

His voice reverberated off the stone walls, then faded into silence—a silence that was quickly shattered by a symphony of gasps as the dedicants dragged the blades across their hands, spilling their blood onto the temple floor.

Oneirios watched his followers bleed for him, a satisfied smile adorning his face. Once the last sound of pain had ebbed, he raised his arms again. The ruby resting against his finger caught the low temple light, glinting in a way that made Cadi’s stomach seize, almost like it was winking at her as he brought his hands together with a ringing clap.

The effect was instantaneous. A pulse of energy moved through Cadi, pushing her forward like a wave as it raced toward the center of the room. Her jaw dropped as she watched the shimmering ripple flow from every wall and through every body before it converged at the place where Oneirios stood.

Adrenaline surged through her as agonized cries tore through the crowd, the raw, jagged sound slamming into her ears. Dedicants doubled over, clutching their chests as if they were being torn open, but as quickly as it had started, the chaos began to wane. The newly dedicated members caught their breath, though some still rubbed their palms against their chests as they straightened, standing proud in the visceral confirmation of their new oath.

“Congratulations,” Oneirios crooned, “and welcome, officially, to my Order.”

The crowd erupted. Applause and cheers rang out for the new members as the priests descended the steps and filed out of the hall. Oneirios followed, his gaze catching Cadi’s as he slid past. Invisible fingers seemed to walk across the back of her neck at the slow curl of his grin. It felt too focused, too personal, as if now that he had seen her, he was fascinated, and Cadi was certain she did not want the attention of this particular god.

Cadi hurried down the hall toward Elias’s apartment, scrunching her wet curls in her palm. After the rite, she had run home as fast as FG Transit would carry her. It felt like she couldn’t get into the shower fast enough, emerging thirty minutes later missing a few layers of skin but fairly confident that she had gotten rid of any residual priest blood.

But if she was being honest, that was only part of the reason for her detour. Not only was it hours past the time when she’d told Elias she’d be back, but the high priest had seen her at the rite. The rite that Sera had also been at, and given how many times Cadi had approached the dais thanks to one errand or another, she wasn’t willing to bet that the goddess hadn’t spotted her from the crowd of attendees.

All of this to say, the chance that Elias didn’t already know she’d been there was essentially zero, and his notable lack of texts and calls that evening only solidified this suspicion. This was not a conversation she was eager to have.

Standing in front of his apartment, Cadi’s fingers trembled as they gripped the doorknob. She had given him her word and managed to break it her first night out on her own. Whether she wanted to or not, that was something she had to face. Still, maybe if she had known about this whole situation for more than a week, she would have been more prepared to deal with something like this. Pulling in a deep breath, she turned the handle and stepped inside.