Chapter 46. Battlefield

Third-Person POV

[Back that same day, before the attack]

They had gone back to the realm as soon as they could. Maria was an unsuspected but welcomed ally, even though her voice and demands some days had been too much. The others had been complaining about her none stop until she told them the next one to complain would lose a tongue.

“Maria, are you ready for the ritual to start?” Sylla asks. And as the girl nods eagerly, she gives the signal for the members there to chant and add the salves to the water.

As they all start on their duties, Sylla walks to the bookstand. She takes the dagger and cup, chiming in on the chant. As she walks back to the basin, they drag a new girl in. The fear in her eyes are prominent and grows as they throw her on the floor. Before she can scream, Sylla jabs the dagger into her heart and puts the cup under the wound. The blood enters the cup and it sizzles.

In the basin, Maria quietly observes the ritual taking pla