Page 51 of Sacrifice

The sect’s approach to medicine is largely natural, relying mostly on herbs and plants, along with a small selection of modern medicines they purchase from ‘outsiders’ for emergency cases. Their healers use a combination of prayer, plant-based remedies, and modern medicine to treat pain/illness.

They have an extensive knowledge of the local flora. For instance, I’ve seen them brew a concoction from a combination of what they call ‘moonshade’ and ‘whisperwort’ that can be used as a truth serum. It isn’t 100% effective, but it is scopolamine-based, just like so-called ‘truth serums’ in the outside world.

Their remedies are shared from generation to generation through books, and are considered sacred knowledge.

“Hmm.”My lips tightened as I scanned the screen. “These look like the same notes as the handwritten ones she left behind. I read about the truth tea in those years ago.”

“I suppose we just have to keep reading,” Rose said, forehead wrinkling. “There must be things in there that she never wrote down by hand. Otherwise, your father would’ve had no reason to hide the laptop.”

I nodded and scrolled again.

**Field Notes – Day 48**

The Eclipse Ritual

Tonight,I was allowed to witness something I’ve only heard whispers about until now. The Covenant holds a secretive and deeply unsettling ritual during eclipses. According to their beliefs, an ancient evil, referred to simply as ‘the Darkness’ is trapped in a cave on their land known as ‘the forbidden cave’ (note to self – where is this cave? Requires more research). They claim that during an eclipse, the boundary between their world and this dark entity weakens, and a sacrifice is required to strengthen the seal and keep the Darkness trapped.

The sacrifice (referred to as a celestial virgin) must be a motherless virgin from the community, who is offered to appease the darkness and prevent it from escaping. The ritual is cloaked in layers of spiritual significance—they believe the purity of the sacrifice keeps the balance between light and dark, ensuring their safety and the fertility of the land.

The ceremony takes place at night after a service in the cathedral. The Covenant elders, wearing ceremonial robes, lead the community in a joyous procession from the church to a ritual clearing known as ‘the Red Rocks’. The chosen woman is dressed in white, symbolizing her purity, and appears to be entirely willing in the process.

The chosen woman is placed on an altar, facing the sky. Her head hangs off the edge of the smooth rock. A dagger is then used to perform the sacrifice, which involves throat-slitting. The sacrifice’s bloodspills onto the earth, and the Covenant believes this strengthens the land (and therefore also strengthens the seal that binds the Darkness within the cave). There is no mourning, no outcry. It is seen as both a joyous occasion and a necessary act for the survival of the world.

I am still grappling with what I’ve witnessed. The Covenant leader described it to me with a calm acceptance, convinced that without this sacrifice, the Darkness would consume not only his community but the entire world. There is no remorse, no rebellion—this is a deeply entrenched belief, passed down for centuries. The girl chosen for the sacrifice is considered honored and seemed almost ecstatic in her duty.

“Holy shit,” I muttered. “Your dad actually told my mom about the sacrifices and even let her watch one of the eclipse rituals. Do you remember that at all?”

Rose shook her head. “No. I suppose his judgment was clouded by his feelings for her,” she said, voice tinged with sadness. “I can’t imagine any other outsiders being allowed to know about it. He didn’t even letyouknow, and he really liked you.”

I continued scrolling through the notes. My mother had known about most of the Covenant beliefs and practices that I’d discovered myself over the last several weeks—the origin story about Dubois and Brouxard, the weekly festivities, the monthly fertility rituals, the education system, the gender divide between certain jobs and duties, the Confession ritual, and the existence of the Entity and the Darkness.

---