Page 79 of Harmless
The man’s head jerked up at that, and he once again struggled to get to his feet, but the two other women held him down by the shoulders.
Astarte, please, I begged, though I wasn’t sure what for.
I’m sorry, Aurora. But you have to know what you’re up against.
“Too much of our own blood has been spilled bymen.” The woman raised her hunting knife high, catching the glare of the sun on the blade. “Blood from our wombs when they invade us. Bruises on our faces and bodies when they hit us.”
“I never touched anyone, I swear!” the man cried out, pulling against his chains.
“And the pain they caused here,” the woman tapped the flat side of the knife against her chest, “when they broke our hearts.”
Low murmurs arose from the women gathered below, several nodding their heads.
No way,I scoffed inside my head.They can’t be buying this as a justification to kill him. There’s no fucking way.
Young, vulnerable minds are the easiest ones to manipulate,Astarte said sadly.
The gathered women did look young, no older than me. Some of them could have been teenagers.
“When we give the goddess the blood She demands, She wraps us in Her protective embrace,” the woman went on. “When we do Her work, ridding the world of these vile creatures who prey upon Her daughters,” she pointed at the captive with her knife, “she gives us peace. She gives us safety and a home to raiseourdaughters. She makes sure that no man enters our home unless he is to serve Her, either by his seed or by his blood. Because the truth you were never told is this: men are only useful for those two things.”
What. The. Fuck.
“Everything else is a lie.” The woman was becoming fanatical—waving her arms and yelling like an impassioned preacher on a pulpit. “Men are monsters, incapable of love and gentleness, though some are good at fooling us for a very long time. But all of you know, youknowthis in your hearts!” She swung her index finger over the growing crowd. “Because in one way or another, everyone here has been hurt by a man.”
“He almost killed me,” blurted out one woman before bursting into tears. Immediately, a cluster of arms came around her, the others giving her gentle pats and soothing rubs of support.
The woman in the gazebo nodded sagely. “Me too, sweet sister.” With that, she refocused her attention on her victim. “She has chosen this one for blood.” The knife teased along the man’s cheek until he jerked away from it. “From his spilled blood, Her power will grow. And as Her power increases, she will extend Her will and protection to the brave, lonely women who have not yet found their way to the Sisterhood.” The knife thrust outward toward the distant horizon, and I suddenly got a horrific idea of what that pipe in the middle of the stairs was for.
“Our sisters scattered across the world will hear the Dark Mother’s voice, feel the pull of her embrace, and find their new home.” The woman lowered her arms with a serene expression. “Where no man will ever harm them again.”
“Yes!” shouted the woman who had been crying a moment earlier.
“Where we’ll haveourturn!” The knife-wielder grew impassioned again, her voice raising as she thumped a fist against her chest. “Where we’ll show every one of these animals exactly what it’s like to be abused, enslaved, raped, and bred against their will!”
The man shook his head, blood and tears continuing to drip down his face, but he was too defeated to protest with words anymore.
“Yes!” came the chorus of shouts from below.
I can’t fucking believe what I’m hearing,I thought, dumbfounded.
Believe it,Astarte said sharply.They certainly do.
“Sister.” The armed woman stepped out from under the gazebo, descending a couple of steps before stopping and turning the knife so that the handle faced away from her. “Would you like the Dark Mother to guide your hand?”
She was speaking to the one who had been crying, who now looked up at her with such awe and reverence, it was as if an angel were speaking. “Me? I…I don’t know if I’m worthy.”
“You will never know unless you are tested. Tap into the Dark Mother’s power within you.” The woman’s jaw clenched, and she bit out the next sentence through her teeth. “And kill this man, who would just as quickly kill you.”
The woman below started ascending the steps but hesitated when the victim started to sob.
“No…” he whimpered quietly. “Please, I would never…”
“He lies, as all men do.” The armed woman thrust the knife handle out farther to the one ascending the stairs. “Make the Dark Mother proud, Sister. Show us all that you are no longer undertheircontrol.”
And that was when the younger woman’s hesitancy ended for good and she became a murderer.
She reached the top of the stairs and accepted the knife. The woman with the AR stepped aside, and all I could see of the victim was his outstretched arms while his murderer blocked my view.
