The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Chapter 28/Salem is sired

The temple of the blood god. 

Mary had finished several drinks and more than a modest round of venom and I stood by in my coven girl disguise being offered non. She returned rather late to the ceremony. When we arrived they we at the back of the crowd and I could only see Sadismann talking to the coven with Salem and the high priestess next to him. Sadismann had just ended saying something. Then every one was applauding Salem as she mounted the dais that Sadismann and the high priestess stood on. They seemed to be in an odd position but I noticed there was a large stone sarcophagus also with them. Salem looked odd I thought. She acted like a bride caught between very nervous and very happy. Then after some more indistinct words and more applause Sadismann went up and began to bite her on the neck. I had seen enough feeding to know messy wasteful blood letting when I saw it. Her eyes closed in rapture. Then the high priestess also fed on Salem. This was followed by one immortal after another. I knew this wasn't good, a familiar could give up to a couple of pints and recover. More than that and you could be in trouble. The feeding continued and a vampire held her up. Soon blood ran freely down her . While coven after coven member stood up and took more the high priestess began to chant and read from the book of Ayrbus. Finally Salem looked practically white with blue veins over her bare body. She couldn't stand with out being held up and she could hardly hold her eyes open.

Dramatically Sadismann took a knife and then cut his wrist and let Salem weakly lick his blood. While she did this Sadismann handed the knife to the high priestess who then took it and then with more words, thrust it into Salem's chest. I stood there blankly while the hilt stuck out of Salem's heart. Relatively little blood emerged from her chest. The knife was pulled out still bloody. The wound leaked and Salem's body was let down into the sarcophagus dead. I felt rather numb about the whole even. I had never liked Salem that much but her slaughter just to please a visitor seemed rather extreme even for Sadismann. No wonder he didn't want me there. Still I felt irritated he through I was to soft to watch this.

More words were said by the high priestess, then I saw a man being carried in, he was suspended feet first from a rope held by one of the immortals called Focalor. The man was partly bare and struggling his hands tied behind him. This didn't bother Focalor who held the man up couldn't believe the immortals were that strong. While he did this, another Vampire climbed up the wall like a lizard walking along the floor. Near the ceiling he took a hook and let the body hang. So the man was held feet first over the sarcophagus that Salem was lying in. I could see why Sadismann didn't want me to attend I wouldn't be able to close my eyes with out seeing this for a week. The hanging man was awake, I could see him writhe.

The man swung round his face was now visible but even upside down I recognized the familiar. I realised it was Tom the one who had assaulted Cub. He was hanging over the tomb. Then he started pleading. Promising he had learnt his lesson and could change. He kept whimpering and kept desperately saying anything he thought might work. I knew I couldn't help him. I was frozen by the blood ritual before me.

The high priestess came along brandishing a large gold knife. She started speaking in the black tongue but it was a very strange accent I could only make out a few words "We are misery pigs of vendetta's looking glass...the nameless shadows... life eternal unlocked as the vile crooked caterpillar wraps its self in new flesh and lies lifeless in [its]carapace for 30 days then to crack open and emerge the sublime immortal butterfly ..." towards the end the speech became quicker. I was relived when finally she took the knife and cut at the jugular of Tom murders's throat. Cardinal red blood gushed from Tom's body in to the sarcophagus. While this happened the high priestess read from the pages of the book of Ayrbus the book of the dead. Now dead or at least unconscious Tom's body was cut down and he fell up dropping into the sarcophagus.