"I call you fairies here to partake in this delight. The night is our master." Devlin's voice, raspy and thick cried out. His words were carried away on the wind into the darkness. He stood at the foot of the dais, handsome and magnetic. His hair flowed like golden corn. Eyes wide and clear as the sky in summer. Face luminous, pale and stunningly angelic. He held a simple curved blade in hands, too perfect to be human. Beneath his ebony robe he was naked, and the moonlight reflected off his pearlescent skin. A terrifyingly evil aura pulsed from within him.
"Our master," murmured the beautiful voices.
"She is pure. We offer her to the night with glee in our hearts, and blood in our mouths."
Devlin took a deep drink from a silver chalice then spilled the rest of the contents over Alex's body. The metallic scent from before reached my nose. A few splashes dripped into Alex's mouth and terror gripped her so hard she screamed, arcing her back. The skin under her bindings tore.
"We offer this human child. We give thanks to the night that blesses us with sex, blood and death."
"This is not happening," I said loudly.
"Rae?" Alex choked and squinted, trying to make me out in the low light. Her eyes went wide and she started to thrash around. "Help me, oh gods, what's happening?"
Devlin slapped her across the face. Alex kept shouting for me and pulled harder on the rope that bound her. I had nothing to help her. I didn't even have any words to soothe her. I tried to reach to the Source; I could feel it all around me, calling to me. All I had to do was touch it. I panted, and grunted, and tried to extend my influence past my own body, but the iron was overwhelming.
A cloaked figure stood in the mêlée, utterly silent and composed. A deep cowl was drawn over his head, and I could see nothing but the gleam of calm and cold eyes peering at me. I got the greatest sense of danger from him, so I looked away and struggled harder. My wrists burned and chafed, but I kept writhing.
"My brothers, sisters. The Tribe protects you and pleases you with fresh meat." Panting, I continued to struggle. I just needed one arm free, just one leg. "A body to drink revel and break." Devlin's voice clotted with lust.
A new fear shot through me hot and hard.
He wouldn't dare.
His mouth trawled over Alex, and she convulsed in disgust as his clawed fingers dragged leisurely across her skin. Wasp was beside him and laughed throatily. My eyes stung, and the salt in my tears tasted bitter as it slipped into my mouth.
"The night is our master, our lover our warrior. The night is our master." Over and over and over they chanted, rising and falling in tempo.
Hair red as blood, a female threw back her head and shrieked at the moon. A bare-chested male with yellow jewels for eyes rocked on his heels and bared his teeth. Snarly razors filled my vision. He was smiling at me, and those eyes, those glowing eyes snuck into my mind and stoked the fires of my hysteria. I stared back in mute horror as he jumped onto the altar by Alex's head, and let out an undulating cry.
I looked up into the sky, through the dark shadow of trees and succumbed to fear. I stopped struggling.
"She can't die like this."
Wasp's hand slid down Alex's chest and cupped her breast, squeezed.
"Please," I begged, clamping my eyes shut as Alex's screams increased as her dress was pushed up her torso, and the wailing from the fairies got louder.
"Look at me Rae." Tomas' voice was urgent. I tore my eyes away from Alex to him. "Don't watch," he whispered.
"Do something," I sobbed.
He looked stricken and tried to free himself. Like me was held by chains that drained his strength and mental abilities, and there was nothing he could do. The clear dark that followed him around was a frazzled gray.
"Rae," Alex said quietly, so calm and collected it reached me through the chaos.
"Don't look away, I want to see your face."
My tears streamed as I turned to her. "You're going to die."
"I love you." She smiled and the blue runes on her check crinkled. "You my best friend. I don't know what you are or who you are, but that don't change the way I feel, y'know?"
I nodded frantically and braced myself. "I love you too." It was the first time and last I would ever say those words. They were hers and hers alone.
