*Flashback to the Cursed Night*
The young counsellor strode with determination towards the two hooded figures. He smirked to himself at the ingenious lie he had told, yet another that had fooled the mayor into an early departure. When he reached his two companions, they all shook hands vigorously, and then in turn revealed the jagged scars that trailed up their forearms.
The eldest man spoke first. "Is everything in place Brother Andreas?"
Andreas, the young counsellor, lifted the hood of his brown cloak, the dull colour ideal for swift disappearances and moving around relatively unnoticed.
"It is indeed Brother Benedictus. Most of the villagers will be in their homes by now, if not all of them. Is the girl ready for the ritual?"
Brother Benedictus tilted his head to the right, alerting Andreas to the presence of the young woman who lay among seemingly unconscious the trees.
"Indeed she is - a traveller girl, a daughter of the gypsies. She won't be missed."
A malevolent grin spread across the face of Brother Lucias, who remained silent. Benedictus unsheathed the dagger that lay at his waist, hidden beneath his cloak.
"Then we shall begin. Assume your positions brothers."
The three men formed a circle around the battered form of the gypsy girl. They kneeled simultaneously, and then began to chant slowly in Latin.
"Laudate Lupus, Servite Lupus, Cibos Lupus." (Praise the wolf, serve the wolf, feed the wolf.)
Groaning, the girl came to, and instinctively reached up to her throbbing head. Her hand was wet with blood when she withdrew it, and a flurry of vomit erupted from her mouth. On hearing the strange incantation, she immediately stood upright to confront her captors.
"I demand you to release me! I am Rosalyn Costello, and my people will find me!"
"Yes, I suppose they will eventually," Benedictus chuckled sadistically, "but whether you will be alive when they find you is a completely different matter."
Rosalyn spat at his feet. "You coward! What do you want with me?"
"The creature must be appeased, his hunger sated. You, my dear, are the sacrifice."
Rosalyn's pretence of bravery abandoned her, and she bolted to escape the circle. She feigned left, narrowly avoiding Andreas, but Lucias was much faster and brought her crashing down to ground with a well aimed kick.
"Enough! This wench will not evade her destiny any longer. Tie her up!"
Obeying their master's commands, Andreas and Lucias dragged Rosalyn further into the forest, revealing the location of a ceremonial alter of sorts. On any other occasion Rosalyn would have questioned the presence of such a shrine, but she was preoccupied with savagely biting and clawing her assailants. Lucias struck the girl across the face, the sound reverberating clearly.
Benedictus grabbed Lucias' wrist tightly. "Control your anger Lucias! The creature's wrath is all that is required, not yours. Fetch the rope!"
Lucias stormed off in anger, knowing that to strike Benedictus would mean instantaneous death. He returned moments later, with a coil of hemp rope - he and Andreas proceeded to secure Rosalyn, by tying her arms to the altar. Tears flooded from her eyes, as she interrogated the men.
"Why are you doing this? Do you men not have souls?"
"We live to serve the creature, and he must feed. Animals are not enough to sustain him - only human flesh will suffice." Benedictus' casual attitude made his speech even more sinister.
"What is this creature of which you speak? And who are you?"
"Nobody knows - all we do know is that it is great and powerful, and it must be worshipped. We happily cut our mortal flesh, to prove that we are loyal and willing. We are the Brotherhood of the Wolf. The creature is our God."
The full moon emerged ominously from the behind clouds. Andreas, remembering horrific sights from previous sacrifices turned anxiously to Benedictus. "It is almost time."
"Please do not leave me here to die. If you wish me dead, then kill me now!" Rosalyn was now emotionally distraught - whatever happened, she was going to die.
Benedictus approached her, with his dagger outstretched - Rosalyn clenched her eyes shut, awaiting the fatal strike. But it did not come. Benedictus slid the blade along her forearm, allowing a thin trail of blood to trickle along her skin.
"Are we not merciful? Once he catches the scent of your blood, your death will be swift. Here," Benedictus thrust the dagger to the ground, "for your use should you escape."
A blood curdling howl was omitted from deep in the forest. Rosalyn began to tug hopelessly at the ropes, as the brothers turned to leave. Lucias ran a hand tenderly through Rosalyn's hair - he spoke for the first time that evening, before surrendering Rosalyn to her fate.
"The wolf is coming."
YOU ARE READING
Blood Curse
Kinh dị"By day the lycanthrope retains his human form, but in the light of the full moon he is cursed to walk the earth in the skin of a wolf. His hunger for flesh is insatiable, his speed is incomparable, his cunning is uncontrollable. The curse is passed...
