Vermilion

Chapter 28

When Katherine witnessed the man being deliberately thrown into the water, she squeaked then withdrew herself from the crowd as she jostled her way. The wreath she crowned herself fell on the ground and she heard her mother angrily hissed for her. The suppressed wrath of her mother to her was dulled by her fear of men being publicly executed. Katherine ran far from the throng.

Elizabeth heard a child's squeal but she supposed that the mother has castigated the disrespectful child. The little ones should learn to accept that what they were doing was for the greater good of today and the next generation. This was just a simple step.

With her hands pressed on her breasts as she solemnly led the chant, her eyes weaved the throng of followers. The land demarcated the water from her people. They were very compliant and such compliance deserved reward and that would come any time soon for she could see tiny bubbles rose to the surface.

She smiled smugly as the bubbles of breath stopped arising. Surely by this time, the medium was transfiguring from a mortal to formless essence of power.

When she had touched the medium's mere skin, she saw a number of phases in his life he was born without a father, no union of two living mortals brought him to this world. Ever since the day of his birth, he had the insignia in his eyes. Those red eyes saw sorrows passing by him like the air he breathed. Every piece of him was already dead with grudges etched on them and his soul was sealed with a powerful scorn.

These visions inflated her expectations and with it she chanted fervently as she anticipated the powerful baptism that would set upon them all. It is such a pain to know that her granddaughter was locked in the oubliette.

And it was more frustrating that Maria would have the medium's son. Not a daughter. It could have been so much better if it was a girl. Elizabeth thrust the thoughts out of her mind in order not to spoil the historical event.

As the chant continued, the lake itself began to suffuse with glimmering light. The chant trailed off as they stood in awe as the lake shone with white light from its depths. Some ducked their heads down in hope to see something underneath the waters.

"Continue!" Elizabeth growled as she stood on the canoe. With that angry prompting, the women resumed their chanting. Elizabeth noticed that the glimmer dimmed when their chant weakened. It should mean that it depends on their devout prayers.

As their chant resumed, the light grew brighter until to its shores. The lake which has been their rendezvous since her grandmother's time of leading was now the same place of a new beginning. All those sacrifices and bitter choices worth this overwhelming event.

Inexplicably, the lake gave off thick vapors. It curled over the air and some crept passed on the chanters' feet until behind of the very last woman standing in the farthest from the waters. The vapors enclosed the cloaked women and the wreathed children separating them from the darkness of the night. It caged them in a dome and began to thicken until it became dense clouds of fog that let no one see even the silhouette of the other from its sheets.

Elizabeth could not see anything from the fog that came from the lake. But what was important to her was there is progress in their ritual. The chant was pleasantly continuing. She inhaled and thought this was the beginning. Anne, who sat on the canoe as she chanted, began to feel an unfathomable fear.

Power. Freedom. These were the two words dancing in Elizabeth's head.

A scream broke through the chant. Then it was followed by another frightful shriek. Soon, their chant turned into a chorus of horrified gasps and consternated wailings. Feet scurried here and there. Thuds sounded hollowly dreadful.