Page 77 of House of Crimson Kisses
It takes another moment. My guess is Red was waiting for me to reemerge from whatever is happening to my body back in the castle before she took her drop.
So when she slowly materialises, I’m not sure if I’m pissed with her or impressed that she took the blood from the monk, knowing something was happening to me.
She catches my eye as the same invisible force drags her to the stone bed next to me.
It’s then that a monk appears in the centre of the stone beds next to the vial of blood. A moment later, Mother materialises next to him.
She leans into his ear, and he nods, leaving the circle and standing at the edge. I suspect to protect the vial from Mother. It’s not like she’s ever shown any common decency to the monks or the church over the years. It’s very much a mutual you-stay-out-of-our-business-and-we’ll-stay-out-of-yours deal between Mother and the church. Which is why I’m surprised we’re here and this is what she chose.
Finally, the Chief appears just outside the circle, her eyes focussed on Cordelia. They flick to the glass vial stretching up into the dimness and the higher she scans, the more her top lip curls. Finally, she gives Mother a nod of assent and Mother begins.
“Children, hunters, welcome. This is where your trial of spirit will be held. You have twelve hours to reconvene here, at which point you will endure the same trial that the hopefuls experience before ordination.”
My stomach sinks. This is exactly what I feared. Xavier and Gabriel’s mouths drop. I imagine they both gasped, but it appears we’re unable to speak because despite their throats and lips bobbing and moving, no sound drifts across the atrium.
Unhindered, Mother continues. “Each of you will be given a single drop of sacred blood. What happens after that is unknown by anyone who hasn’t partaken of the blood rite and unspoken of by anyone who has. Your experiences will differ.”
Red catches my eye, and my lips press together. This isn’t good. The only one of us who looks unfazed is Sadie. In fact, she looks distinctly smug. She folds her arms and despite the lack of light, her eyes still glimmer.
But of course, she would be smug because this trial was practically made for her. She’s the most spiritual of us all, the strongest believer and the one most familiar with monks who have gone through this ancient rite.
Mother meets each of our gazes. “You will each be on your own during this trial. It is a test of mental fortitude and strength, not only a key skill for a leader, but one that will prepare you for what will come across the boundary. This will be a test of your greatest fears and darkest nightmares. You will experience everything in the confines of your own mind while your body remains here.” She gestures to the stone beds. “The trial will last several hours for some and potentially several days for the weaker among us. If you do not complete it, your mind will be lost to the spiritual plane, and your body will either desiccate or starve to death.”
Dahlia pales. She shares a look with Gabriel, and for once I don’t need to be her twin to understand the fear trickling through her system.
“For each of you that successfully completes the test, the Mother of Blood will gift you a vision. It is this vision we believe will contain information that will help us across the boundary. For now, welcome to the spirit trial.”
With that, she evaporates, and I’m yanked backwards through the white mist, landing back in my body at the entrance to Castle Beaumont. My stomach turns over on itself, and I swallow down the bitter taste of bile. My tongue burns like the aftertaste of puke.
Red appears back in her body a moment later. Stumbling forward, she trips straight out the door and hurls her guts up.
Wendell and Lennox rush to her side, helping her upright.
“Wendell, please fetch me some foods. Likewise, for Red. I’ll need the richest blood, and she will need carbs. Lots of them.”
He inclines his head and Lennox, once Red is sturdy on her feet, follows him.
Red pushes her hood down; her skin is pale and clammy.
“Well, that sounds fun,” she says, her tone flat and dry.
I can’t even muster sarcasm. “Hmm. This is a bad idea. The ordination process for the monks is severe. Who really wants to face their darkest fears?”
She wipes her face and stands a little straighter. “Then I’d say we have twelve hours to figure out how to kick our inner demons’ arses.”
Chapter23
OCTAVIA
Red is in a foul mood. She needs to dose again. We’re at the point that she needs blood almost every other hour. I’m keeping her rationed to a few drops each time and dosing little and often seems to be having an effect. For now. She’s built a tolerance, and though it’s also lowering the urge to fuck, I have to wonder if that’s because we’re already bonded or because her craving for human blood has increased and is offsetting the need for mine.
Dawn edges towards the horizon as our carriage arrives outside the Church of Blood.
She huffs again as she pulls the carriage curtain aside. “We’re here, and by the looks of it, so is everyone else. I wonder if they found anything useful in the last twelve hours.”
We tried researching the blood monk rituals and rites, but to no avail. All the useful texts were, unsurprisingly, in the church vaults.
“I highly doubt it. The only one with insider knowledge would be Sadie. I don’t think anyone other than she will have a head start on this one. But remember, she didn’t score in the first trial, and no one scored in the last, so she’s still in last place. Even if she won this round, she won’t be in the lead unless none of us makes it out.”
