A Whisper to the North

Chapter XXXIX ✠ The Blood Sacrifice

Alaric felt sick, mentally and physically. He had betrayed yet another good friend, an honest and true one. Now he was sitting on his knees, staring into Wilona's icy gray eyes.

"You think yourself so clever, don't you?" Wilona hissed at him as she ripped his mask off.

They were in the circle in the forest, the one Gareth warned Una not to touch, or she would forever be cursed with darkness. Alaric said nothing. He stood kneeling before queen Wilona. His heart racing.

"Answer me, or I'll cut you from pizzle to mouth!" She grabbed his neck in her hands.

Alaric could easily take her hand and break it, but he knew the spirits would hurt him in return.

"I did drug her," Alaric answered honestly.

Wilona released her grasp on his neck and folded her arms.

"Do you hear that? He has betrayed us! The harlot from the north was supposed to be here, awake. Here she is, limp as a corpse on our alter stone." She screeched out to her men and women around her.

"All that work for nothing!" Wilona said, turning and looking down at Alaric again.

"Why did you need her awake, so you could drink her fresh blood while she screamed?" Alaric hissed bitterly.

"You know why I wanted her here and awake! Also, I found out something extraordinary about her. Not only is she a queen, but she's also is pure." Wilona laughed at him.

"The woman is a virgin!" She screamed and laughed in joy.

Everyone gasped in shock and then delighted.

"You know what that means? Don't you? Her blood is sweeter, and she can be a conduit to the highest of the orders of darkness." She squatted down and peered into his eyes.

"I won't kill her so your spirits can enter her!" Alaric said.

"Aww, look at you, so brave. It's so humorous to see you get all worked up over someone who means nothing."

"She obviously means something to you, or you wouldn't have invited her," Alaric said, standing up.

"Who said you could stand in front of me, your queen!?" She shouted at him.

Alaric backed away from her.

"If you exit the circle, you know what will happen."

"I don't care." He hissed and turned around.

Before he could exit the circle, two men grabbed him and prevented him from escaping.

"Alaric, don't!" One of the men said behind an androgynous mask.

"We will have to kill her if you don't. Do you really want that?" The man said.

"If I am not mistaken, I would think that you have affections for the whore. Perhaps that is why you are so resistant. You never acted this way when you pierced the hearts of the virgins before?" Wilona laughed.

Alaric stood still. The other man patted his bareback with his cold hand. They were all nude, including Alaric. The only one who was dressed was Wilona. She wore a large black cloak, covering her from head to toe. They all wore masks as they stood and sacrificed the girls. Nothing instilled more fright than seeing the masks of monsters.

"Haha, I see that is true now. Everybody loves Una, except for us. That is why she is our sacrifice tonight so that she will feed my child with her strength, and we shall take over Wessex yet again, and then the rest of Bryttania as it once was!" She bellowed, outreaching her arms high in the air.