Chapter 10
The Trial of Blood the room inside was massive. And at the center of the room, suspended by chains made of fused human bones, hung a massive cocoon of human flesh.
The doors slammed shut behind me.
"Welcome to the Nursery," said the cocoon.
I stepped carefully onto the worm-carpeted floor. The creatures parted before my feet, creating a solid path toward the cocoon.
"Did you think you and Rell were his first? He's been growing Sacred for consumption for centuries."
"And who are you...?"
"I'm what remains of the last family he consumed before yours. Well, part of me, anyway. The rest is inside him."
The cocoon's surface rippled, and I could see a humanoid shape swimming in amniotic fluid.
"Each consumption makes him more complete."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're different. You were able to break the bond. You survived."
The shape inside pressed against the translucent surface, and I saw a woman's face. She was beautiful, terrified, and familiar somehow. "You can end him. If you embrace what he made you to be."
The cocoon began to crack, thin fissures spreading across its surface.
"You've been remade. Now you must feed."
The cocoon split open, spilling the fluid that was teeming with worms. They surged toward me, burrowing into me. I could feel them joining the worms inside of me, strengthening them.
Knowledge flooded my mind—information, muscle memory, instinct, power—and I suddenly understood how to control the worms, how to shape them.
I raised my hand, focusing on the sensation of worms moving beneath my skin.
They extended from my fingertips like white tendrils, reaching toward a nearby chunk of the shattered cocoon. They began to break it down, converting it to more worms that joined mine.
"Now you understand… this is your Origin… the ability to consume, convert, and control. Mikkel designed you to be his perfect vessel."
I stared at the split cocoon, as the last of the white worms slithered beneath my skin. The knowledge they brought felt ancient.