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“And very soon. Or our world will rip apart at its literal seams.”
“So then why hasn’t it been done?”
“Because the substance that is used to keep the instrument turning is blood.”
Jayla stared at him. She couldn’t figure out where this was tending, but she had a feeling it would be terrible. “What kind of blood?”
“From a direct descendant of Cordelan himself. No, even more specific than that. From someone born to awomanwho is a direct descendant. The religious scholars believe this was a condition that Dar imposed, to acknowledge the importance of the female line. But the blood itself could come from either a man or a woman.”
Cody leaned forward. “You said he fathered ten children. I suppose someone kept track of them?”
“Yes—very close track! The priesthood was formed in part to watch over these very precious descendants. And for years—decades—many centuries—all was well. As soon as the priests detected a tremor, they would draw a few ounces of blood and pour them into the basin, and the mechanism was placated and everything went on as normal. But over time, it took more blood to pull the lever and settle the walls back in place. And then a little more blood. Maybe the mechanism began to degrade—to rust, perhaps. Or maybe whatever compound made Cordelan’s blood so special was diluted with every new generation. But eventually the lever would only move if what amounted to the blood of an entire person could be poured into the basin.”
Jayla knew her own face was horrified. When she glanced at Cody, she saw his expression mirrored hers. “People werekilled?To do this?” she said.
“Well, not at first. Generally, the older members of the family—the ones who were sick, or exhausted, ready to go—when their time came, they volunteered. Except, something else had happened.”
“This keeps getting worse,” Cody muttered.
“It does,” Pietro agreed. “Cordelan’s descendants were fewer and fewer with every generation. Some women had only a single child. Some had none at all.”
He paused, lifted his cup as if to take another swallow, and set it down untouched. “Up until this point, the children of Cordelan had always known their role. Their fate. And they felt—privileged—to partake in this sacred ritual. But as their numbers dwindled, and the quakes kept coming, and there were not enough older people on the verge of death, the priests became desperate. They convinced a man in his fifties to sacrifice himself years before the natural end of his life. But a few years later, they needed another volunteer, and no one would agree. And so—one was taken. And a few years later, another one. Each one younger than the last. And each one unwilling.”
Cody murmured some phrase that sounded like a ritual prayer, but Jayla didn’t recognize it. Pietro nodded in his direction. “Exactly. Now Cordelan’s few remaining descendants were keenly aware of their dire fates. They knew that when they married and had children, their daughters would be forced to give birth to thenextgeneration of sacrifices. And their sons, once they were old enough and big enough to produce the required quantity of blood, would be taken away and killed.”
“How old?” Cody asked, seemingly unable to help himself. “How big?”
“It would vary with the individual, of course, but roughly one hundred pounds.”
Jayla had to fight to keep her voice even. “So the boys were murdered and the girls were bred like farm animals,” she managed to say. “And they knew this was what would happen to them.”
“And they did not like it. As you can imagine. So they rebelled, and several of them tried to run away, but none of them were successful. Ultimately, all of them became prisoners of the priesthood. Very valuable, very well-kept prisoners.”
Pietro paused, but when neither Jayla or Cody spoke, he sighed and went on. “At this point, it seemed to the man who served as high divine that it would be a good idea tonottell the next generation what fate lay in store for them. At the time, Cordelan’s only surviving heirs were two sisters—one a grown woman, who already knew what her life held in store. And one a girl too young to have heard the story. The younger one was separated from her sister and raised by another family. Never told who or what she really was. And her daughter was raised by another family. Andherdaughter. The various high divines wanted to be very certain that none of them could piece the tale together and figure out what might lie in store for them.”
That first woman must have been Madeleine’s grandmother,Jayla thought. Or great-grandmother, perhaps. Pietro had not been specific about the timeline. But Jayla was absolutely certain this story was going to end with Madeleine being a descendent of Cordelan—and destined to die on his barbaric altar. She asked, “Did the foster families know who the women were and what was intended for them?”
“Oh yes. The heads of all the Council families know the truth. They have always worked with the high divine to keep the city functioning.”
Alastair Alayne. He had married one of these doomed women, knowing perfectly well that his heirs would be given over to the god. Then he had plotted his daughter’s wedding so that the children she produced with her husband—
Jayla’s mind skidded to a stop. Tivol. Didheknow? DidReeseknow? Jayla felt her body fill with rage and fear and something very like panic. She could not take it all in. She could not bring herself to entirely believe it. She had to work very hard to keep her breathing deep and even.
“And now?” Cody asked. “Are any of Cordelan’s descendants still living in the city—with no idea of who they are?”
Pietro nodded in Jayla’s direction. “The young woman Jayla just met. Madeleine Alayne. As far as the Council families know, she is the last surviving child of Cordelan and the goddess Dar.”
“That sounds like there might be more,” said Cody.
“The high divines have always been very crafty. Let’s face it, they’ve been peddling a lie for centuries. Some generations back, they claimed that their last prisoner had died without giving birth, leaving only the girls who had no idea about their fate.” He spread his hands. “But I wonder if that’s the truth. Somewhere in the city, might there be a young woman living under heavy guard, awaiting her fate with horror? It would be a deception entirely in keeping with the highest circles of the priesthood.”
Cody said, “And you know this because—” He waited.
Pietro managed a faint smile. “I was a priest, yes. Not in the very highest circles, but high enough to learn this story.”
Jayla thought she had her voice under control now. “So this woman. This Madeleine. She will marry someday and have children, and then—what happens to them? What happens toher?”
“If she has sons, they will be taken from her when they are old enough—or when the high divine is desperate enough. If she has daughters, they will be married to Council family men who understand where their duty lies. When she is past her child-bearing years, and if there is an emergency, it is very likely she will find herself sacrificed on the altar of common good.”
