My stomach twisted into a painful knot the closer we got to the main room. Black candles had been lit, giving an even eerier glow to the satanic interior. Upon entering the front of the church, my eyes darted from the pews full of robed men and women to where Dennis, Troy, and Jessica had been forced to kneel in front of the stone altar.
All three were stripped naked, heads bowed in a show of submission, shoulders trembling.
Isa was nowhere to be seen, neither was Kyle. Draven, Corbin, and Isaac stood before them like three dark devils waiting to cause irreversible carnage.
“This is so exciting!” Gwyneth whispered to me, a wide smile on her face.
I was taken straight to the alter, stepping between where Dennis and Jessica were kneeling, able to see that Troy had blood dripping down his face and large bruises on his body. Dennis was more alert, but his face was swollen too. Jessica seemed like a statue.
I looked to Draven questioningly, He simply smiled. He’d changed clothes, wearing only an open black robe, completely naked underneath. An amulet of an inverted pentacle hung around his neck. His tanned body was lined with defined abs, a tattoo in foreign scripture covered his left pec. A dark patch of hair surrounded the base of a thick, long cock.
I tore my gaze from him, swallowing around the lump lodged in my throat, but not before catching his knowing grin.
“Have a seat,” Gwyneth commanded, low enough for only me to hear.
It took me a minute to hop up onto the solid stone dais with my hands bound, but I eventually managed. I switched on my autopilot, reacting out of preservation. I knew fighting back could get my friends more hurt than they already were and without knowing where Isa or Kyle had been taken, I couldn’t risk angering anyone.
“Good luck,” Gwyneth whispered, making quick work of my restraints.
The chains fell from my wrists, disappearing with her as she stepped off into the shadows.
Draven began speaking to his congregation, the sea of robed men and women watching him with rapt attention.
I didn’t give a damn about what he was saying. I discreetly searched the room, trying to find some sign of my sister.
“Tonight, we rid Adelita Asmo of all negativity energy, and transition her into for a life of servitude, bestowing upon her the Alistair name.”
That was enough to get my undivided attention. Isaac lifted his arm and rang a small bell three times. On cue, two robed men stepped from the shadows and approached Dennis, lifting him by his arms. Another two approached me but made no attempt to touch, their faces expressionless.
“Please,” Dennis begged.
“The chalice,” Draven demanded, moving to the center of the sigil embellished on the marble floor, a curved silver blade now in his hand. Corbin wordlessly followed, carrying a matching goblet.
I tensed an overwhelming jolt of dread shooting through my system.
Sensing my change in demeanor, the men beside me moved closer. Dennis was forced to kneel in front of Draven, his face practically touching his flaccid cock. He began to speak in a mixture of English and what I assumed was Latin. It was close to Spanish, which allowed me to understand some of his speech.
“I denounce those who have come here to disrespect our daemonic temple and taint our faith. I deny their pleas for life. With the light of everything sceleratis, I shall first take eyes which have seen what was sacred.”
With little preamble, Corbin moved forward and grabbed a handful of Dennis’ hair, pulling his head back so that Draven could bring his blade down directly into the center of the right eye.
Dennis’ screams filled the room, his body jerking in the hold of the robed men and Corbin.
Troy suddenly lurched to his feet as if he could do something, promptly being sent back to the ground by Isaac, and then forcibly restrained.
Jessica leaned forward and vomited; the sound of her retching drowned out by Dennis’ agony. My stomach revolted but there was nothing inside to spew; my gaze froze on the surreal scene playing out in front of me.
The more Dennis struggled the worse he made it. Blood squirted from his eye socket onto Draven’s robe and bare skin as the blade worked back and forth, digging deeper and deeper.
“Stay calm,” a soothing voice spoke from directly behind me. One I recognized immediately.
I began to twist to confirm who it was, freezing once more when Draven lifted a tiny ball with a thin bloodied cord dangling beneath it.
Corbin held the chalice just beneath the mutilated socket, catching some of the blood as it ran down Dennis’ cheek.
His other eye got nearly the same treatment, this time being completely removed and untethered. The mass of followers filling the Rothwell began to cheer before speaking in unison, words in the language I didn’t fully understand.