Dark Faïz (Book 2) [Completed]

Chapters 11-3

"He congratulates each of you," David continued, speeding up his words. "The Queen Mother can be proud of each member gathered here this evening. Remember that she accompanies you and gives you the necessary strength to carry out all the projects you undertake in this life, as long as you are ready to sacrifice yours for her. You must comply with the strict discipline imposed by our fatal Goddess. My brothers, my sisters, by following this path, you will be all powerful, devoid of all fears, of all chains. Give her the necessary strength so that she can continue to reign over Eros. Travel the remote lands, the oceans, in search of these precious souls so that she can continue to feed on celestial power and dance in front of your bloody trophies. She will then weaken the all-powerful to bring to light her valiant warriors, YOU, my brothers!"

Male growling broke out in the assembly to endorse the chief's words.

"YOU, my sisters!"

The female voices of the Brotherhood were also heard. The chief continued his speech. Asarys leaned towards Lexy and me.

"We have all the necessary information now. The authorities can dissolve this group of crazy people, right?"

"Wait," I replied. "They haven't finished"

"Shit!" David interrupted me, alarmed. "The chief is talking about divine sacrifice tonight."

"What do you mean?" whispered Lexy.

A thud, which progressed on the ground, caught our attention. Immediately, a few gray tunics shifted to form an alley to the pontoon. A deep hymn sung by all the faithful rose gradually, accompanying the continuation of this somber ceremony. We started around the lake, which stopped short after a few moments, as did the song itself. The thumping noise came closer, with the sound of metal chains slamming. Suddenly, in the aisle, a woman with long blonde hair appeared, dragged to the ground by two members of the Brotherhood. This young woman with ebony skin and closed eyes seemed to be sleeping deeply. My gaze fell on the two rings that hindered her bruised body, reminding me of the links that had held Faïz prisoner in the cave. Her lifeless body was brought to the chief's feet. A feeling of dread seized me in front of this unbearable scene. The girls next to me were no less horrified. That was when the songs started again.

"What can we do?" exclaimed Asarys, panicked. "We can't leave this woman to her fate!"

"She's probably already dead. We can't do anything!" choked Lexy.

The memory of the violent attack in the cave made my heart ache. Staggered, I lacked air and almost collapsed to my knees.

"Zoe, Zoe!"

The voices of my two friends forced me to pull myself together.

"A Sylphid. They captured a Sylphid," I said with difficulty.

Lying down, the woman trapped in the brilliant rings was now exposed to everyone's eyes on the floating structure. The ripples of her hair, with golden reflections, fell on her dark skin with such a magnificent complexion. A small streak of blood flowed under her body to mix with the waters of the lake.

"I want to leave. I want to go right now!" gasped Asarys.

Lexy discreetly held her by the arm to prevent her from collapsing and replied,

"We have to finish this ceremony first. After that, I swear, we will all leave together."

Lexy stared at me, desperately waiting for my help to convince our friend not to run away at full speed.

"Lexy is right," I added, "we're almost there. Listen to me, Asarys, soon we will all be back in L.A. We will go back to our lives and all this will be behind us."

My words had the desired effect. Asarys straightened up gently and sighed deeply to regain her calm. Lexy communicated the details to David in a low voice so that he could understand what was going on. At the end of the hymns, the guru resumed his speech with his strong and hoarse voice. As for David, he hastened to translate it for us.

"Through this rite in this full pink moon, we give to darkness this divine offering. May the blood of this creature please the soul of our Queen Mother so that she will continue to guide us in our quest for power."

The chief leaned over the woman lying at his feet and continued.

"The fate of your soul is now in the hands of the Goddess Kushisake. You are hers. Be mercy, be Banshee, and deliver the message of death all around you."

The man knelt down to grab the young woman. Once standing, he carried her at arm's length above him, like a trophy. The cries of the faithful and the cheers resounded on both sides. The songs resumed even louder as well as around the lake. The guru displayed a demonic smile accentuated by his ceremonial makeup. Taking its momentum, he threw the blood-covered body of the Sylphid effortlessly into the depths of the lake. I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to stifle a cry of dread. Lexy and I managed to hold back Asarys in time, who wanted to jump into the water to help the young woman.

"She's dead. It's over!" Lexy growled.

"Put your hoods back up properly!" I ordered my two friends. "We'll end up being discovered."

Fortunately, at that moment, the crowd was agitated. The euphoria of the members around us after this sacrifice was at its peak. Suddenly, the lake changed color before our eyes. The crystal-clear waters were tinged with red and seemed to stifle a blinding light that came from the depths of the earth. The chief then began to yell at the top of his lungs and David hurried to interpret.

"We, keepers of the soul of Kushisake, we swear to protect the red stone at the risk of our lives."

Amazed, my friends and I observed the waters of the lake, then our eyes met.

"David?" I hastened to ask. "We found it! We know where the ruby is."

The waves sparkled for a few seconds in scarlet, then the lake gradually recovered its original color.