Awakening

Chapter 7

I awoke with a pounding headache to what sounded like a roaring fire, and when I forced my eyes open all I could see was blurry shapes dancing around me. The air was thick with both smoke and rain, my clothes were soaked and I had been shivering in my slumber. Blinking my eyes clear I forced myself to sit up, taking in the scene around me.

I was in some metal cage, that much was clear. Rain drizzled down from the dark sky above and Evelyn snored next to me with Tom's cloak draped over her shoulders. My brother was kneeling at the door to the cage, watching the Ragamon village around us. His hands were still bound behind his back with thick black ropes, but I had been cut free. I crawled forward and pressed my forehead to the bars, staring out into the Ragamon village we'd been brought to.

The Ragamons danced around their bonfires in ghoulish masks; the women near inseparable from the men as they also bore weapons and wore necklaces made of teeth. Aside from the bones and weapons strewn everywhere in the camp it wasn't so different from our own, except at the centre there was a large stone table instead of a bonfire. My stomach lurched as I realized it was for sacrifices, as not even the rain could wash away the years of blood that had seeped into the cracks and stained it red.

The Ragamons began to beat furiously on their drums, and while there was no steady beat everyone formed a circle and began stomping their feet. Someone started a low guttural chant, and the rest of the crowd followed in turn. Even children as young as five stomped along with their parents, thrusting miniature spears into the sky.

"What are they doing?" I whispered to Tom.

"I think they're trying to appease the rain God, but it's hard to tell. I don't exactly speak Ragamon," he sighed.

I watched in disgust as one of the women climbed on to the table, a squawking chicken trapped in her hands. She yelled out to the crowd and they yelled back, the drums quickening as they stomped harder and faster. She pulled an ornate blade out from the waist of her skirt, the large ruby in the hilt glinting in the firelight. She held the bird up in one hand and the knife in the other, putting her face to the sky and closing her eyes as her mouth moved in a silent chant. Suddenly her eyes flickered open, her dark irises replaced by milky white ones that covered her whole eye.

With a screech she plunged the blade into the birds chest, and even though I've killed plenty of birds myself, I still jumped. Carefully she carved out the heart and ripped it out with her hands, dropping the still twitching bird onto the table. Trembling she held it up to the sky, her voice gaining strength as the other Ragamon's joined in her chant. With one final yell she thrust the heart into the air, and the camp went so silent I could hear my own blood pumping through my ears.

Thunder rolled through the sky again and lightning flashed in the distance, and almost as if she really had angered the God of rain the drizzle turned into a torrent. The camp erupted into a state of frenzy; I watched as frightened adults gathered crying children and dove into tents. Some of the elders clutched little idols and prayed, while young men took off into the forest to find more creatures to sacrifice. Within moments the camp was cleared out, and no one was left in the rain but us in our little cage.

"Tom this could be our chance to escape!" I frantically looked around for something to pick the lock with, checking Evelyn's hair and pockets for a pin.

"I woke up right before they knocked you out, hopefully between the two of us we can figure out how to get out of here," said Tom.

"Here let me untie you so you can help."

"Addy no!" Tom warned, but I'd already reached for his bonds.