Escaping Fate by Delsheree Gladden

Author:Delsheree Gladden [Gladden, Delsheree]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: urban fantasy, fate, aztec, curse, aztecs, curses, aztec mythology, mystery suspense fiction romantic suspense romantic fiction
Publisher: DelSheree Gladden
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

A withered and bent attendant waved a burning herb sprig beneath the fallen girl’s nose. Her eyes fluttered open and she coughed violently in reaction to the terrible smell. Looking up at the priest, she had to take several deep breaths to keep from fainting again. His disdain for her weakness and cowardice showed plainly on his scarred face.

She shivered under his gaze. Staring at his grotesque face, she made no move to rise. He was missing one of his eyes. Both ears had been partially cut away and now ended in clotted scar tissue. There were rings and jewels pierced through what remained of his marred ears. The gold and jewels sparkled in the morning sun and mocked the hideousness of his misshapen body. The man slowly backed away, a sick smile plastered across his face.

The chief priest was dressed in full ceremonial clothing, the tall wooden mask hiding his features from view. He approached the quivering girl slowly. His hand shot to her face, touching her cheek softly, almost in a caress. She pulled away, confused at his gentleness, fearful of what it might mean.

Anger flashed in his eyes, the only part of his face visible through the mask. Clenching his fist, a snarl sliced through his teeth. Quickly the priest grew impatient with the cowering girl and motioned sharply for her to rise. Sobbing uncontrollably, her fear told her to stay, but she rose regardless of her sobbing. She no longer tried to hide her hatred and anger. It flowed freely with her tears.

The priest stood in front of the girl and walked towards her, forcing her to back against the stone altar. The ragged stone bit into her legs and she faltered, falling to her knees sobbing even harder. Her whole body convulsed with the sobs.

The priest’s face clouded in rage. He turned to face the guards waiting several feet away. Their faces were stone like, but the eyes betrayed their disgust for their charge. The priest’s smooth arm directed the guards to a small stone table next to the altar. The guards knew what was required of them and went to the table.

The table held the instruments necessary for completing the ritual. A small grate with a fire underneath it occupied the center of the table. A knife made of sharpened obsidian was to the right of the grate and a clay bowl filled with water sat just above the knife. The guards moved to the left side of the table where two pairs of thick gloves waited.

The guards pulled the gloves onto their hands and moved back towards the crying girl. Since she was unwilling to perform the necessary steps the guards were required to assist her, but not touch her directly. The girl could not be given unclean.

Stoically, the two men lifted the girl’s body, their hands shielded from direct contact with her skin by the oiled cloth gloves. She did not fight their strong hands. She cried and muttered despairing pleas for help.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.