Blood and Beasts

Chapter 54

The voices of the entire Imperial Cult rumbled the inner Sanctum, each person crying out their excitement for the arrival of the True God. This would be a great triumph for all, whether they all fully understood what Lucifer would bring about. But at the centre around the pool were the true believers, the truly loyal, those that would give their lives without hesitation. Their voices rose above all the others as they began the ritual, speaking the words to raise Lucifer from Hell.

Around the pool were the trinity, chained in place to the ground, evenly spaced around the circle. John Delaney had simple shackles around his wrists and ankles. He looked frail, especially stripped of his robes; his body now barely a layer of skin over his skeletal frame. Two Brothers stood at his side, holding him in place; the weight of the shackles seemed ready to tumble him into the pool.

Elias, the young vampire was shackled similarly, though his restraints were pure silver, which seared his flesh as he stood, and there was an additional brace around his mouth to keep him from biting. He looked small and sad, Abraham thought even scared. The boy had been begging to die for months, but now that it was upon him, perhaps he was having second thoughts.

The werewolf had the heaviest restrains, naturally, pure silver also. His entire claws and forearms were latched together behind his back and chained to the ground. His legs were also pinned down with thick silver latches. And as an extra precaution, in case all those restraints failed, Abraham had ordered the elite guards to stand behind the werewolf with silver spears at the ready. The wolf was trying to roar but its jaws were welded shut with metal braces, screws tightening them together.

Abraham marched around the circle, with a gleam in his eye and a torch in hand. As the inner circle spoke the words, it was now time to make the sacrifices. From the blood of the trinity, Lucifer would build a new body to walk this realm. First was John Delaney.

Delaney lifted his head with a painful creak as he approached. The serial killers eyes no longer saw, having turned milk white and dry. His ears had fallen off and his tongue disintegrated. Abraham hoped he could still hear though as he leaned in close.

"You almost derailed all of this," Abraham whispered. "But I understand now, you were serving a greater purpose. I imagine your suffering has been great; it will end soon, though probably not as soon as you would like." Delaney tilted his head; he could hear.

Even bent and breaking, Delaney was still tall as he straightened up. Abraham wondered how much pain he would be able to feel, he wondered if he would scream. Delaney's thin flesh lit up in seconds once Abraham touched the torch to his chest. There was not the panicked expression of one suffering that he had hoped for, but Delaney's pale eyes did widen as the fire spread over his body. The Brothers at his side stepped away and let him collapse to his knees. He curled up and fell over into fetal position, going very still as the fire become the only thing visible.

The chanting boomed around the room, the excitement growing now that the first sacrifice was made. The fire burned bright, but dissipated quickly, leaving only a smoking pile of bones and a small puddle of dark blood that began to drip its way into the pool. Abraham bent down and picked up the bones, his hands burning, but he barely felt the pain amongst the exhilaration. He dropped the bones into the pool, making a few trips to gather them all, ensuring not to miss even a small fragment. As the last plunked into the pool, the blood slowly began to move, circling around the edge. It was working.

Next Abraham turned to Elias, who was nearly trembling, chained naked. As Abraham walked closer, he drew the ceremonial silver dagger he always carried. Elias fought harder as he approached, but it was no good. Abraham saw the boy's flesh smoking as the silver manacles burned into him.

He ran the tip of the dagger along Elias' cheek, watching the steam hit his eyes as a thin cut opened. "Know that you serve a great purpose in your sacrifice." But whether he did or not, Abraham no longer cared, and he took hold of Elias' hair with his other hand and cut the dagger into his forehead to scalp him. Elias' muffled screams could be heard even through his mouth guard.

The crowd of followers raised their joyous chants as Abraham continued to carve the skin off of Elias.