Page 5 of Sacrifice

I was compelled by the sinful force of lust that evening, but they didn’t need to know that.

“I went inside, and I quickly realized I was about to undergo a test from the Entity. A test to see if my faith was true and unyielding. To see if I was willing,trulywilling, to retain my purity and devotion to Him,” I continued. “I also realized that Ineededto be tested in this way before the Tetrad in order to prove my worthiness of such a ritual. So I kept walking, and I eventually found myself all the way down in Hell with the Devil himself. That is where I spent the last few weeks—having my faith tested under torment and suffering at the hands of the Devil.”

This was also technically true, considering how many times I’d thought of that cell as Hell and Sebastian as the Devil.

“I endured many hardships and tortures down there, but I made it through with the Entity’s hand on my shoulder to guide my spirit,” I said. “I survived Hell itself, and I walked right out of there so I could return to the Covenant in time for the Tetrad.”

Again, totally true.

I reached for the buttons at the front of my ritual gown and undid the top three. When the gown was loose enough, I slipped it over my shoulders and turned, letting the fabric fall away to reveal my back, which still carried faint bruises and stripes from Sebastian’s whip.

A collective gasp went through the crowd. I gave them a minute to stare. Then I pulled my gown back up, rebuttoned it, and cleared my throat.

“These are some of the marks left by the torture,” I said. “You can see I did not imagine any of it. It was a divine test given to me by our Eternal Master; one which I am endlessly grateful for.”

The crowd was enraptured now, hanging on my every word. My father was staring at me too, but he looked troubled rather than enthralled. He had a lot to lose tonight if things didn’t go well. In the event that I failed to convince everyone that I wastelling the truth, he would be viewed as an unworthy leader whose poor control and lack of proper guidance had led to the ruin of our community.

I briefly closed my eyes and took a deep breath, casting my mind back to the confusion I’d experienced when I lost my virginity to Sebastian. I’d expected to feel completely different after such a significant moment, but that hadn’t happened at all. Instead, I felt exactly the same, and Sebastian had reassured me in his usual gruff fashion that what I felt was normal.You’re still you, Rose. You aren’t impure or dirty now. You’re just a version of you that’s had sex. That’s all.

“Regarding my purity… despite what happened to me in that place, I am still wholly myself. I am not impure,” I finally said, opening my eyes again. “I hope what I have said is sufficient to answer your questions, Mr. Leclerc, and I apologize if I have droned on for too long.”

Whispers and mutters spread through the gathered crowd like wildfire. I caught a few fragments of conversation here and there.

“She’s telling the truth!”

“I knew she was with the Entity. I never doubted her, even with all the naysayers.”

“Shehasbeen behaving strangely lately, but that’s only because she knows it’s her time to go soon. That would be hard on anyone.”

“Don’t be so hasty to believe it. Everyone knows you can get past the truth tea if you’re smart enough, and a lot of what she said was ambiguous. Not a single yes or no answer, was there?”

Those last sentences came from Anaïs, who was lingering near the front of the crowd, hazel eyes glittering with haughty malice. That smug little…bitch.That was the word Sebastian had taught me regarding her, and he was right. Shewasa bitch. A nasty, jealous harpy who would revel in my downfall.

I would not allow her to have that satisfaction. Not if I could help it.

“Thank you for your testimony, Rosamund,” Jean-Pierre said in a somber tone. “It is now time for the Firebrand Rite to ensure that the Entity has granted you his mercy in return for the truth.”

I swallowed hard, hands trembling at my sides. It wouldn’t be easy to pass this part of the Confession. The pain would be excruciating. I had to try, though, or else I would be proven a liar for failing to obtain the Entity’s grace.

At Jean-Pierre’s behest, I unbuttoned the top of my gown again, lowered it to my waist, and climbed onto the ritual altar. I kept my face still, not even wincing slightly as I rested my bare back on the freezing-cold stone. That was important during this part of the Confession—show no emotion, and certainly don’t show any pain.

I watched from the corner of my eye as another elder stepped forward to pick up the ceremonial dagger that lay on the other side of the altar. Its blade, already gleaming with sinister brilliance from the moonlight, was plunged into the bonfire. When the elder withdrew it from the flames a few minutes later, the metal glowed red-hot, casting a hellish light that struck terror into my heart.

The crowd held its collective breath around me, mouths agape. I took another deep breath too, recalling my time in the torture dungeon Sebastian had set up next to my cell. I’d coped with the sting of the whip by forcing my mind to go elsewhere. Now I had to do it again.

Without a word, the elder suddenly pressed the burning blade to my abdomen, right below my ribcage. A searing hiss filled the air, mingling with the stricken gasps of the crowd.

The smell of my burning flesh was nauseating, and the pain was the worst I’d ever experienced, making me want to writhe onthe stone and scream until my lungs were empty. Instead, I kept my mind on Sebastian, picturing the time he’d plunged inside me, filling my body with rapturous, leg-shaking pleasure.

The blissful memory was just enough to keep myself distracted from the terrible pain coursing through me, imbuing me with the fortitude to keep my body stock-still, my mouth firmly shut, and my facial expression hard as granite.

The elder finally pulled the red-hot dagger away and lifted it in the air as a symbol of the rite’s completion. Jean-Pierre pulled me to a seated position on the altar and rested a hand on my shoulder again. “Rosamund has passed the test with the blessing of the Entity,” he said, deep voice booming through the clearing. “This means she has spoken the truth!”

The Covenant erupted in cheers and supportive shouts, voices rising to a fever pitch. Only a few still appeared to be unconvinced, like Anaïs, who stood with her arms folded and her beady eyes focused on my face instead of the burn on my abdomen.

“There is one more test tonight,” Jean-Pierre said, addressing the crowd again. “The proving ritual. At this point, it is all but a formality, but still, it must be done. Healer Fontenot, if you will.”

Healer Fontenot stepped out of the crowd. I instantly stiffened, heart racing. I’d never liked this man. The other healers were cool and detached when they inspected girls and women in the proving rituals, but Healer Fontenot had always looked a little gleeful instead, as if he genuinely derived pleasure from having his hands between the legs of young women, for something other than spiritual reasons. Even worse… the younger they were, the more gleeful he looked.

---