Chapter 15 #2
The first initiate stepped forward with his blade. Like all the others, he was completely naked, but somehow able to stand in the snow without shivering. He lifted his dagger in one hand and sliced his pinky finger off the other.
My jaw dropped as my stomach curdled from the sight of blood dripping from the missing digit. The dark elf’s face winced in pain, but he didn’t let out a sound. He’d mutilated himself with no hesitation, and no one seemed disturbed by it.
A figure passed through the crowd of dark elves who stood as witnesses.
As that person broke free of the others, I spotted a familiar dark red cloak on them.
When the hood dropped, revealing short white hair, I gasped.
It was the same god who stood behind me now.
He stepped forward and touched the wounded hand, cauterizing it.
After that, he used his powers to lift the fallen finger from the snow.
The deity stared at it for a moment as the digit floated in the air before it disappeared to who knew where.
“Your sacrifice is accepted. For the next year, you will look upon your missing flesh and remember that I am the god who owns your soul and must hold your highest esteem. If you prove true to me, your finger will regrow after that period.”
His voice was the same as the one that came from next to me.
“That is me from back then,” he said close to my ear. “And yes, while I have your mind connected to Darrow’s, I can hear your thoughts. It was the only way I could get past that other nameless god’s safeguards on you. He is ridiculously protective of his favorites.”
Many colorful replies swam in my head, but I pushed them back.
This ancient being scared me, since he clearly had a firm hold on my husband.
He might have limits on what he could do without me being his disciple, but there was a lot he could do to Darrow instead.
His power was tremendous and crackled the air around us, so I couldn’t possibly forget his presence.
“I would never hurt you, Aella. At least, not in the way you think, nor would I punish your mate for anything you do.” His breath ran over my neck and ear.
“Curse me, challenge me, and I’ll only be glad that you’re releasing that fire you hold too close.
As my own mate can testify, I prefer fierce females to docile ones. ”
“You have a mate?” I asked, shocked. He’d returned my voice, though not my ability to move.
He chuckled as he straightened behind me. “Oh, yes. She is also my wife, and she will love you.”
I didn’t even know how to respond to that, but the scene ahead drew my attention once more.
The next few dark elves down the row made their sacrifices.
One removed his middle finger, a couple of them selected a toe, and the fifth brought out a favorite animal to sacrifice—a horse.
I was appalled, but apparently, it would come back to life in a year if the supplicant proved faithful.
It came down to Bogdan next, who appeared especially pale with his black hair shorn off.
At this age, his features were softer, and his body was not as muscular.
He lifted his dagger, and my stomach churned as I wondered what he’d sacrifice of himself.
Then he grabbed his right ear with one hand.
Bile rose in my throat when I realized what piece of himself he planned to remove.
Before he could, a woman strode forward, hauling a young teenage girl with long, black hair that reached her waist. She appeared terrified, wearing nothing more than a thin white dress. Something about her features was familiar, but I couldn’t place how. I was certain I’d never seen her before.
“Wait,” the older woman said in a stern voice. “Your sacrifice should be greater as one of the heirs to the throne. Take the ear of your sister instead.”
Sister? I’d never heard he had one.
“Mother, no. Please!” the girl begged as she struggled to get free, but the woman ignored her as she hauled her before Bogdan. His sister appeared to be a few years younger than him, by my estimation.
“Do it, son,” she commanded with such coldness that she could have been the female version of my deceased uncle. “The God of Wrath will award you greater power this way, and when it is Evrenn’s turn, she will use you the same way as her sacrifice.”
Bogdan hesitated. He’d appeared stoic up to this point, even while standing in the snow naked.
This whole ceremony was barbaric even by fae standards.
His jaw hardened, but then he reached forward and took her right ear.
In one clean slice, he removed it as she screamed and bled.
Her mother let her fall to the ground, crying and cupping the side of her head.
The nameless god flicked a hand toward her, and she suddenly stopped wailing. Then she uncovered her marred flesh. The entire area was smooth except for a small hole, leaving no trace of the ear that had been there before.
The God of Wrath from the past looked down at Evrenn with disgust. “You have three years to toughen yourself, or I will not allow you to participate in this ceremony. Only the strong deserve my gifts.”
The girl’s mother dragged her back into the crowd.
I gulped. “What happened to her?”
“She became stronger and one of my greatest worshipers, though she never forgave her brother for this. She still hates him and plots ways to make him miserable,” the nameless god said.
“Did she still take his ear?
He snorted. “The little viper took his sword hand, so he had to suffer a year without it. Evrenn used the ceremony as a tool for revenge. I hardly counted that as a sacrifice, so I only grant her limited power despite her reverence for me. Bogdan taking her ear was of far greater value since he didn’t wish to do it or harm her. ”
“So she became cold and vicious?” I asked, trying to imagine it. The thought made me sad. They’d taken a sweet girl and turned her into something else.
“Yes, though I’d say her mother had more to do with it than me. That was one worshiper’s death that I didn’t mourn. You’ll meet Evrenn before too long and can see for yourself.”
I jerked my gaze to his. “Where? When?”
“Shh. Pay attention,” he said, and forced me to look back at the field.
Another woman stepped from the crowd, whom I almost didn’t recognize with her bald head.
She only wore a thin, white dress and went straight to her twin brother without a hint of hesitation.
When Darrow turned, I gasped. He was missing one of his ears, and it was sealed in the same way as Evrenn’s.
I hadn’t been able to see that side before.
He didn’t hesitate to take hold of Faina’s ear and slice it off quickly.
She winced but didn’t let out a sound. Their gazes met, and wordless communication must have been passing between them.
I could only assume they’d agreed to do what they must so the other wouldn’t feel guilty.
It was horrible, but I was glad they didn’t let it break their twin bond.
The nameless god healed her wound right away.
With one last look at her brother, she walked back into the crowd until I lost sight of her.
Meanwhile, the present-day nameless god continued standing close behind me with his inferno of heat, keeping me fully warm.
The power from him also continued to pulse around me, yet I felt no fear anymore. Why?
“Because I don’t want you to fear me, little elf-druid,” he said aloud, answering my thoughts.
It was getting annoying. “Can you stay out of my head?”
“Not while we’re here.”
“What do you really want from me?” I asked.
His breath stirred my hair. “You’ll find out after you’ve seen what you need to see.
For all that you may assume the gods don’t care, we have reasons for everything we do.
I need you to understand your husband in ways he can’t communicate to you because the two of you are vital to Paxia and its continued existence. ”
I sighed. It always came back to that, but at least it meant the deity wouldn’t hurt me.
“Initiates, kneel!” an older dark elf commanded. His shout was so loud it snapped my attention back to the field.
Darrow and the others sank onto their knees in the deep snow, so it nearly reached their hips.
I shivered, thinking how brutal that must be while naked.
Off to the side, a large circular fire lit up with bluish-purple flames.
Those nearest to it flinched, making me wonder if the heat was exceptionally high.
The God of Wrath from Darrow’s memory moved toward it, with a branding iron appearing in his hand. The end of it had a small, slim design I couldn’t make out. He poked it into the flames and held it there for a minute before taking it toward the initiates.
“Bow your heads,” he said in his deep, timeless voice.
They did as he commanded. One by one, he pressed the brand directly into the base of their skulls.
It must have been excruciating because none of them was able to hold back a cry of pain as their skin sizzled.
I still couldn’t see the details from where I stood, but it was small with thin lines, perhaps only a few centimeters across.
I’d missed it on Faina, but I hadn’t been looking for it, either.
The situation with her ear had captured all my attention.
Darrow’s fists clenched when it was his turn, but he managed to keep his response to the brand as no more than a groan.
Despite being tortured numerous times myself, I found it difficult to see others endure pain, especially those whom I knew.
Guilt swamped me that I couldn’t stop it.
I had to suppress those feelings because I was witnessing an unalterable past.
A thought occurred to me. “When did Dare get the scars across his chest?”
“That was a year after this when their sacrifices were returned to them, such as your husband’s ear.
All except two of the initiates proved loyal to me and were allowed to live.
Before they could summon my magic for the first time, I had them make deep slices across their chests and perform vows of allegiance.
They wore cuffs of iron for a week to ensure they would have permanent scars.
” He laughed as my expression turned horrified.
“It is the way my acolytes have proven themselves for millennia.”
“The nameless god I worship doesn’t make me do those things,” I said.
He rested a hand on my shoulder, the energy coming from his palm making me gasp with a mixture of pleasure and pain as it raced through every nerve.
“If he wanted to share his power, he’d have to make you do things you wouldn’t like to create a stronger connection between you.
He chooses not to do that. You belong to him, but superficially.
It limits how much he can help you, whereas I can do far more for my most devout. ”
“I think I prefer his method of handling his followers. It’s less gruesome.”
The God of Wrath chuckled. “I’m not so terrible as you think, despite what you’ve witnessed. You may come to like me.”
“Maybe I don’t want to see you again,” I said.
“Oh, Aella. You would break my heart if my mate didn’t already own it.” He paused. “Ahh, look, the easy part is finished.”
What did he mean by that being the easiest part? Was he insane?
Six more large fires broke out across the landscape, melting the snow near them with their fierce blazes.
Each participant moved to stand before one.
I gulped as an inkling formed about what would happen next, and it would be much worse than what came before if I guessed correctly. The god had been right.
“I’m always right.” His hand moved to grip the back of my neck as Darrow and the others stepped into the flames.
Their screams tore through the air, pricking my eyes with tears.
“Not to worry. The brand they received just prior to this allows me to funnel my power through them. I was able to heal their flesh as fast as it burned, so no permanent harm came to them. Only purifying pain to help rid them of their remaining weaknesses.”
My watery gaze ran across the seven participants as they writhed on the ground within the scorching fires. If they’d had hair or clothes, all of it would be gone now. It was horrible to watch, yet the God of Wrath wouldn’t let me look away.
“The sun has just set. They will remain within the flames until it rises again, which is when I’ll release them from their torment and allow them rest,” he said, still close to my ear. “Your husband is currently feeling all of it again, thrashing as you lie next to him on the bed.”
No. Make it stop! I thought, hating to witness such cruelty, let alone find out Darrow was reliving it. No wonder we struggled to hold him still.
“I could pull his present-day self from the body in the flames and bring him over to us if you ask nicely,” the God of Wrath said.
His hold on my body loosened so that I could move and speak. “At what price?”
He moved to stand before me, giving me a full view of his hard, chiseled features. “A simple chat between the three of us. You need only promise to hear me out, and I will guarantee he won’t return to this memory—now or ever again.”
It sounded too good to be true, but I couldn’t handle listening to Darrow’s screams for much longer.
For all that my uncle and cousin tried to break me, I swore I’d never lose the empathetic part of myself.
Sometimes, I blocked it to fight my enemies, but I still experienced remorse afterward.
I never wanted to become so cold that I felt nothing when others suffered.
“Deal. Get him out of there now!”
The God of Wrath smiled, flashing perfect teeth. “Done.”