Cursed (17 page)

Church bells tolled as Sophia led me and the other Novices though a labyrinth of passages. The Sentinel spirits hurried along beside us. I was so used to them lurking in shadows or pacing with worry, it was odd to see so many moving with purpose. I'd seen this happen hundreds of times as the Zelle. Sentinel spirits always joined our ceremonies—it was one of the few times their voices could be heard. At the Zelle, they'd float along and smile. These spirits didn't look happy.

We reached the end of yet another hallway. A pair of great silver doors stood before us. Sophia pressed them open and led us into a long space made of blue stone. Despite everything, I couldn't help but gasp in awe. I'd never been inside a real Basilica before. It was beautiful.

The Basilica was a long and soaring space and every inch was colored blue. The walls were lined with tall columns and stained-glass windows. Low pews covered the floor. Every seat was filled with Sentinel Spirits. They turned to us in unison, their all-white eyes heavy-lidded with sadness. The sight made my heart crack with sorrow.

As we stepped down the Basilica's main aisle, the ghostly Sisters began to chant. This wasn't the lighthearted harmonies that I heard at the Zelle. The songs from these sprits were discordant with grief and rage. The cacophony made my skin crawl.

The guards marched into the Basilica and stood along the back wall. There must have fifty of them, about two for each Novice that was about to be initiated.

Sophia and walked us up the central aisle. I was first in the long line of Novices with Nan behind me. We all stopped at the front of the Basilica.

The main aisle ended with the towering nave. It was a tall semicircle whose curved back wall should have held a mural of the Sire of Souls, the patron god of our order. Instead, there was the image of the Tsar in his black robes. I'd seen so many pictures of him over the years, and this was what I considered his fatherly pose. He was all elegant cheekbones and coiffed black hair as he stared benevolently over the crowd.

I couldn't wait to kill him.

Under the painting, the base of the nave was a circular platform divided in two. The back half sat against the curved wall and mural, while the front was surrounded by a semicircle of prayer benches. There were two dozen benches in total, one for each Novice. When we reached the platform, Sophia gestured for us Novices to kneel at the benches. Veronique went first, followed by her ladies and the other girls. Last to go was Nan and me. As I knelt down, my body screamed to run.

I gripped the edge of my prayer bench. The touch of solid wood centered me. A door swung open at the base of the mural. Marlene stepped out, followed by the other initiated Sisters of the Midnight Cloister. There were less than fifty of them, as it turned out. All were old and stooped in their black Necromancer robes. None wore robes above the Apprentice level. The sight left a foul taste in my mouth. How many of these were actually young girls, like Sophia? The Sisters formed neat rows behind Marlene. And there they were—all that was left of the Midnight Cloister.

Only fifty sisters remained out of the thousands.

Sophia stepped onto the platform and took her place beside Marlene. Her frail shoulders were shaking. We'd never discussed this outright, but I've no doubt that Marlene planned to kill her publicly. Much more pain to enjoy that way. I stifled the urge to grab Sophia's hand and run.

Marlene gestured toward the Basilica's back wall. “Guards, come forward.” The warriors stomped down the center aisle. Their boot falls boomed like cannons over the harsh music. Two guards stood behind every Novice. All wore their full body armor and had their faces covered by helms. The ghostly chanting took on an angrier note. Warriors had no place in a church, let alone by the altar.

Beside me, the other Novices started to fidget on their benches, casting nervous glances at the guards behind them. It took an effort not to look at the pair who lurked behind me. I'd never be able to hide my rage if I glanced their way.

Marlene's eyes brightened with a predatory light. “Greetings, Novices. Most of you are about to be awarded the honor of becoming Sisters of the Midnight Cloisters. Your life's energy will now be tied to the Tsar and me.”

The Novices exchanged confused looks. What a shame. My initiation had been one of the sweetest days of my life. And here, it was about ruin these innocent girls.

“Let us begin.” Marlene closed her eyes and began whispering a familiar incantation. It was the same one the Zelle Sisters had sung for me. The words were about the Sire of Souls and the joy of eternity. What a disgrace to use that song in this sham. As if in response, the ghostly choir only chanted more loudly. The angry note in their voices set my teeth on edge.

Marlene stepped up to the front of the platform, pausing only a few yards away from me. She folded her arms across her chest while scanning the basilica with a greedy stare. Bit by bit, she raised her arms and began the incantation for soul smoke.

Every inch of my body prickled with awareness. Soul smoke was a terrible spell, only used on your worst enemies. It killed you not only in this life, but in the next as well. It was the worst thing you could do to another living being, and Marlene was doing this to innocent girls?

More than that. A small smile rounded Marlene's lips as she spoke the incantation. This woman was enjoying it.

It took everything I had not to scream. Instead, I gripped the prayer bench so tightly, it creaked under my hold.

The spell took shape. Soon, a sphere of blue light appeared before every novice except me. The other girls stopped wriggling on their prayer benches and began watching the play of brightness with wide eyes. Some of them smiled. They didn't even know what spell they were staring at.

Grinning at soul smoke. What an outrage.

Bile crawled up my throat. This was so wrong. No doubt, that haze was there to seal their innocent souls to the tiny creatures that would soon become their mark. The spell would kill them for all eternity.

Marlene snapped her fingers. “Guards, hold them.”

There were two guards for each novice. Now, it was clear why. One guard held each Novice in place, while the other pressed the girl's hands against the prayer bench.

The smiles instantly faded from the Novice's faces. One by one, Marlene stepped up to them and whispered a spell. The manacles on their wrists fell to the floor with a clang. My guards loomed closer to me, as if warning me not to move or help. I knew there was nothing I could do. Not yet, in any case.

“Guards, expose their shoulders.” The girls exchanged worried glances. Marlene looked down on them indulgently. “It's all right, girls. This is all part of the ceremony. You must take on the mark of the Tsar and this Cloister. You'll all become mine.”

Mine.
She was planning to leech off their life force and enjoy doing it. I wanted to kill her now.

The guards tore open the fabric on the Novice's shoulders. It was shameful to touch a Necromancer anywhere, but in a Basilica? I grabbed the top of my prayer bench harder, afraid of what I'd do if my hands were free.

Marlene raised her left arm and whispered more of the incantation for soul smoke. Every word seemed to singe my ears. If only there were some way I could stop this tragedy.

The bones in Marlene's left hand glowed blue. Before her on the platform, two skeletons appeared, both of them shining with sapphires. “Fetch the vessel,” said Marlene.

The skeletons nodded and vanished. A moment later, they reappeared, holding a massive golden bowl between them.

Marlene stepped over to the vessel. “Behold the gifts of the Tsar, Viktor the Great.” She reached inside the bowl and scooped up something in her hands. I looked over and winced.

Centipedes.

Only, I'd never seen ones so large, and we had all kinds of insects back on the farm. Marlene dropped the wriggling creatures back into the bowl and approached the first Novice in line, Veronique.

“What are you doing with that?” Veronique struggled with her guards, trying to break free. “I'm a Royal!”

“Keep quiet, or I'll make this really hurt.” Marlene smiled. “Let me show you.” She pulled one of the centipedes out of the bowl, and tickled its belly. Long antennae sprung out of its legs and head. A few of the Novices shrieked. I blinked hard, not sure that what I was seeing was real.

Those couldn't be bone crawlers, could they?

I knew all about bone crawlers, they were the stuff of nightmares. If you took a centipede, gave it a crusty spine and long spindly legs, that would be a bone crawler. They burrowed inside your skin while their legs dug into your organs. These monsters carried the first plague. Necromancers across the continent had teamed up to wipe them out. I'd no idea any still existed. And these bone crawlers were glowing red. That was a sign of Caster magick. What had the Tsar done to them?

I tried to swallow past the knot of fear in my throat. Who would have thought the Tsar would use bone crawlers? I looked over to Nan. All the blood had drained from her face. This was too terrible.

Closing her eyes, Marlene whispered the final verses of the incantation for soul smoke. One by one, the bone crawlers levitated out of the golden bowl, their glowing red spines and long tendrils writhing in the air as they entered the bright blue spheres that still hovered before each Novice.

The bone crawlers soaked up the blue light until their bodies became indigo dark. My heart beat so hard, I thought it might break free from my rib cage. The creatures stopped squirming, and somehow that was more frightening than when they were wriggling away.

And this could be my fate, too.

Even if I somehow live past Sunday, this is what Viktor does to anyone with Necromancer power. I scratched at my shoulder, imagining the antennae under my skin.

“Hold them!” At Marlene's order, all the guards gripped the Novices tighter. “Now, become as one.” The creatures bolted forward, burrowing into the throats of the girls and digging under their skin. Within seconds, they'd taken the form of a V on every shoulder blade. Nan's chin quivered as tears rolled down her cheeks. My poor friend.

Marlene raised her arms. “Now, you are now tied to the Tsar, the Midnight Cloister, and most of all, to me. You will follow our rules or the penalty will be severe. Sophia, it is time.”

My gaze snapped to Sophia. I'd been so concerned with Nan, I'd forgotten that Sophia was here. Like Tristan, I feared another friend die was about to die before my eyes. I wasn't sure my heart could take it.

Sophia's shoulders shook as she tried to stay upright. I'd never seen anyone look more frail and frightened. My heart lurched as Sophia knelt down.

Marlene raised her voice to address the Basilica. “Know this. Sophia has decided to gift me the rest of her life energy through our connection via the mark. This has all been sealed in magick.” Marlene gently rested her fingertips beneath Sophia's chin. “Shall we?”

Sophia's back stiffened. The creature in her shoulder glowed blue under her dark robes. Its insect body twisted and writhed. Sophia's gentle face contorted with pain and fear as her frail skin lightened until it became almost translucent. Clumps of snowy white hair fell out of her scalp. She collapsed onto the stage. Her gentle features disappeared as her body withered away. Within seconds, there was nothing left of her but skin and bones. I couldn't stop crying.

Marlene smiled benevolently, and in that moment, I never loathed anyone more. “This ends the ceremony. You are now Sisters of the Midnight Cloisters. Know this. Any time you break a rule, you pay with your life energy… Just like Sophia. The other Sisters can instruct you.”

Nan caught my eye. Her proud face was twitching with fear. Something inside my soul cracked.

“My congratulations,” announced Marlene. “Guards, escort the new Sisters to the initiates wing.” She gestured to me. “And take that one back to the Novice's dormitory.” She stalked up to me, and evil grin stretching across her mouth. “I'll see you in my study tomorrow.” She arched her brow, waiting for my reply.

“Yes, Mother.” My voice came out choked and hoarse. I hated that she knew how deeply she'd hurt me.

“Good.” Turning on her heel, Marlene stalked out through the back door behind the altar. It swung shut behind her with a clang. The ghostly choir disappeared. A guard yanked me away from my prayer bench and hustled me out the back of the Basilica. I forced myself to focus on the one bright spot in this dark moment.

I still had a chance to claim revenge for everything that happened here today. The odds weren't great, but there weren't gone, either.

The guards shoved me into the Novice's Dormitory. Moonlight peeped through the single window-hole. My footsteps echoed across the stone floor as I lumbered toward my cot. The place felt quiet as a tomb. There were no more young girls giggling, gossiping, or mumbling in their sleep. Ada was curled up in the bed beside mine. She fluttered her eyes open. “Are they all Sisters now?” she asked through a yawn.