Page 1 of Sacrifice

1

Rose

My eyes fluttered open,and I let out a groan. My head was pounding with a dull, relentless ache.

At first, my mind was a blank slate, confusion swirling as I tried to piece together where I was and how I ended up here. The ache in my head made it hard to think, every throb clouding my thoughts further.

Sebastian…

Was I with him?

I sat up, wrapping my arms around myself in a futile attempt to stay warm as I looked around. I was in a dimly lit cell, but not the underground one Sebastian had kept me in for weeks. No, this was the cell that lay in the back of the Alderwood cathedral, where accused criminals were kept while their cases were tried with the village. The cold stone walls and iron bars felt suffocating, a harsh reminder that my situation had barely changed. I had gone from one prison to another.

But why?

The silence around me was deafening, giving me nothing to concentrate on but my own muddled thoughts. Slowly, fragments of memory began to surface, each one sharper andmore painful than the last. I recalled the accusations, my father’s betrayal, and the sense of helplessness that had enveloped me as the elders grabbed me. Dread and despair began to gnaw at me, threatening to overwhelm any sliver of hope left in my heart.

After what felt like hours, the sound of heavy footsteps approached my cell. My heart pounded as I saw my father, flanked by several elders, standing on the other side of the bars. His face was a mask of stern resolve, but his eyes held a flicker of something that could’ve been regret or anger. Perhaps both.

“Papa,” I said, voice cracking. “What’s happening? Why am I here?”

He didn’t reply immediately, instead exchanging glances with the other elders. The silence stretched, thick with tension and unspoken words. Finally, he took a step closer, one hand gripping the bars.

“Rosamund,” he said, his voice cold and measured. “This is for the good of the community. We need to ascertain the truth.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “The truth about what?” I asked. My throat was clogged with emotion, so my voice sounded half-choked.

My father reached into his pocket and retrieved a key. At first, I thought he was planning to let me out so we could talk somewhere beyond this awful cell, but then I realized he was simply letting himself in.

The other elders remained silent, their expressions impassive as they observed us from the other side of the bars.

“Papa, what’s happening?” I asked in a tremulous tone.

There was no way for them to know the truth about where I’d been over these last few weeks. No way at all. I hadn’t said a word about Sebastian upon my return, and I didn’t plan to in the future, either. I couldn’t explain why, but I felt a twisted sense of loyalty to him, and I refused to break the silent vow I’d made to protect him from the wrath of the Covenant.

I’d already broken enough vows in my life.

My father was quiet for another moment. Then he looked at me, head slightly shaking. “When you went missing, we were all beside ourselves with worry,” he said. “At first, we thought you were lost in the forest. Then we began to worry that a wild animal had taken you. But not long after that, we started to believe the Entity had taken you. One of our seers even saw it in a dream, and we greatly rejoiced, believing our prayers had been answered.”

I nodded fervently. “It’s true! The Entity took me. That’s what I told you!”

He raised a brow and went on. “However, yesterday afternoon, some young villagers came forward to confess something to us,” he said. “They informed us that there was a tunnel leading beneath the boundary fence, dug out some years ago by a couple of boys who were in the same class as you back in your school years. That means you could have known about this tunnel, and that could also mean you left us of your own accord. It could also mean you left to be with an outsider. An outsiderman.”

I swallowed hard. “No, Papa. I—”

He lifted his hand to silence me. “That would be an incalculable betrayal. It would destroy everything,” he said, nostrils flaring with fury. “You are supposed to be a celestial virgin, Rose. But if you are no longer pure, we cannot properly complete the Tetrad in five days. That will ruin hundreds of years of progress. Everything we have sacrificed and strived for.”

“Papa, I swear, I am still pure,” I said, voice barely above a whisper. Thankfully, the dimness of the cell masked the flush that was surely rising in my cheeks.

“I want to believe you, Rosamund. Really, I do. More than anything. But you see… there’s also this.” My father held upa black device. It looked like a bigger version of the phone Sebastian always had in his pocket.

“What is that?” I asked, pretending to be oblivious.

“This is the cellular phone we use to communicate with outsiders for business purposes,” he replied. “We received this message from an unfamiliar number last night.”

He clicked a few buttons on the phone before showing me the screen. My stomach lurched as I read the digital words.I have your daughter. Follow my instructions, or I’m going to kill her.

I could see that my father had replied to the message, demanding to know who the sender was and where he or she was keeping me. Moments after that, another much longer message had arrived.

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