The Price of Blood

Chapter 20: No Turning Back

Victoria's stomach dropped as they began to descend the steps from her tower. Every available agent in the fort seemed to be lined on either side of the hall as far as she could see. They dropped down to one knee as she passed before falling in line behind the Elitre. At a slow pace, their procession made their way to the courtyard.

Over the course of the day, the place had been cleaned up dramatically. The grass had been cut, and the tables and chairs were arranged along a central aisle. Those of the upper echelon stood and applauded as she walked between their tables, like a lamb to the slaughter. Across the courtyard, a large wooden platform had been erected, where Lucaese stood watching her approach.

Standing before the stage were about twenty men and women in rags—the fort's supply of blood, no doubt. It pained her to think how long some of them had suffered here. All of them were gaunt and sickly looking, covered in bruises, cuts, and sores. Soon, though, rescue would be on its way. Victoria looked up at the moons, praying that Giselle was close by. It had been over an hour already since Klen had left her. There wasn't much she could do to stall at this point. All she could hope for was that whatever Lucaese had planned for a ceremony was as long and drawn out as possible.

As she neared the platform, one of the prisoners closest to the stairs locked eyes with her. She stopped mid-step, shocked. He seemed just as surprised to see her. Tears welled up in his eyes as he reached up to cover his mouth. Victoria wished she could do the same without drawing attention to him. To see such a man—one who had been so great and powerful once upon a time— in such a condition broke her heart.

"Gerduwin?" Victoria whispered.

"Princess," He mouthed.

Ludus gently elbowed her in the ribs to get her moving again. Lucaese hadn't seemed to notice the exchange or simply didn't care. He was too busy letting his eyes wander all over her like the lecherous beast he was. The Elitre positioned her opposite their master and retreated back to a table close to the base of the stairs, surrounded by their cloister of young female initiates. Lucaese lifted the veil from her face, brushing her cheeks with his thumbs as he did so.

"You look radiant, my sweet," He whispered to her. Eager to begin his one-sided celebration, he took her left hand in his and turned them both to face the crowd. Victoria locked eyes with Gerduwin, who had turned to face her with the rest of the prisoners. As Lucaese began a speech about the momentous occasion they were on the cusp of, Victoria used her free hand to try and subtly sign to Gerduwin that help was on the way. Despite the chains around his wrists, he was able to vaguely gesture back his understanding.

"Tonight, we celebrate our accomplishments," Lucaese said. "For millennia, we have fought a war that seemed without end, even for the endless. But now, the end is fast approaching. We have our savior, our harbinger—our new queen. Lord Attan is with us this evening, even in his weakened state. Soon, once he and Lady Boucher have unified, we will begin our fight in earnest. Halaafin was only the beginning, a mere test of our strength. We are legion! We are united! We will spread to every corner of this continent, and eventually the lands beyond. To Attan! To Lady Azra!"

"To Attan! To Lady Azra!" The crowd echoed in thunderous applause.

Their cheering was so loud that it almost drowned out the sound of marching feet in the forest just beyond the boundary of the courtyard. The wall that would have protected them from the coming attack had long since crumbled into dust. As the cheering died down, so did the clatter of armor. Aside from Victoria, though, it seems no one had heard the clanking of armored boots. But, vaguely in the distance, hidden behind the trees, she could sense Giselle and Jean.

Lucaese was about to speak again when the cawing of a raven pierced the night. Klen came flying out of the woods and circled the crowd as he cawed. He landed on Victoria's shoulder, finally falling silent as everyone attending stared in surprise. Ludus and her sisters leaped to their feet, reaching for their blades.