Chapter 28 The Beast's Curse
Later that evening, at the Temple of Elyon, the High Priest hurried toward the inner court, two priests following closely behind him. As he passed, every other priest bowed in reverence until he disappeared from sight. In their eyes, he was more than a High Priest—he was a king.
He entered the inner court with a heavy heart. Thick incense smoke drifted through the air, curling around the pillars. Before him, high-ranking priests and two lords knelt on the cold floor, their faces turned toward the north. They had remained there since midnight, reciting sacred hymns and pleading for the spirit of Elyon to reveal Himself.
One of the lords slowly rose, sensing the High Priest’s presence. He quenched the burning incense with water, then sprinkled some over his face and white hair. He was the oldest man on the mountain.
“Why have you ended the prayers?” the High Priest demanded in anger. “Though the spirit of Elyon has been silent and will not speak with us, does it not occur to you that it has not even been a full day? And yet you abandon your prayers so soon?”
But the old man only continued to sprinkle water over his face and hair, remaining completely silent.
The High Priest grew even more enraged and turned to leave the court, but the old man’s next words brought him to a halt.
“A messenger of Elyon has finally revealed himself to me,” the old man announced.
At once, the priests who had been bowed to the floor rose and turned toward him, their faces filled with hope. They had prayed for hours, yet received no vision or prophecy concerning the event of the previous day.
They feared that Elyon was deeply angered with them and had therefore refused to speak—unlike on other days, when all they had to do was call upon His spirit and He would appear before them.
“What did he say to you?” the High Priest asked.
"The sacrifice must be held today, at the appointed time," he said. "Those were the words he spoke before disappearing."
The priests murmured among themselves, for this was not the vision they had expected. Where were they to find another giant deer for the sacrifice? The purpose of their prayers and petitions to the spirit of Elyon had been to receive guidance regarding the chosen beast, already killed by a priestess. They had hoped that the sacrifice might be postponed, or that another, more easily hunted animal could replace the beast.
But the words of Elyon they had just heard answered none of their questions and offered no solution to the dilemma at hand.
One of the priests rose, trembling with fear. "And what is to be used for the sacrifice? Only beasts chosen by Elyon are worthy, and the chosen one has already been killed.”
Another priest stood to defend his companion’s question, and then another, until the inner court was filled with the loud murmur of many voices speaking at once. Fear underpinned every word, for whenever their God commanded something and they failed to obey, the punishments were severe. It was said that the nearer one drew to Elyon, especially by dwelling in His holy temple, the more severely sin and disobedience were judged.
“SILENCE!” the High Priest commanded, and the court fell into an absolute hush. He turned his gaze toward the old man, who stood quietly.
“Lord Caius, you are the oldest living human on this mountain and in all of Malakh, having lived for over eight hundred years. Your wisdom and knowledge surpass our understanding. Perhaps this is why the spirit of Elyon chose to speak to you, of all the priests and lords present in this court. Now, use your insight to discern the message you received, and tell us what action we must take concerning it.”
The old man laughed softly at the High Priest’s words. “I am but a man. I cannot know the heart of the Almighty,” he said. “But I will interpret this message to the best of my knowledge. First, I must ask, did the blood of the young priestess touch the head of the beast?”
The priests remained silent, uncertain of the facts regarding the incident.
The High Priest pondered for a moment before replying, "The priest, Elric reported to me last night that the beast’s antlers caused her injuries, and she may develop a blood infection if proper treatment is not given. So yes, her blood must have touched the head of the beast.”
The old man sighed deeply and continued,
“Now the vision is clear to me. Her blood upon the head of the beast has marked it, binding her life force to its own. She has taken the beast’s curse… she is now one with it.”
All the priests, including the High Priest, listened in heavy silence, waiting for his final judgment. Yet deep within their hearts, they already knew where his words were leading.
“…the young priestess must take the beast's place upon the altar and be offered as a sacrifice, to appease the Almighty and stop His wrath from destroying us.”
The inner court was filled with tension, and the silence became so unbearable that one could hear a neighbor’s every breath. What the old man had said made complete sense to them, it was as if the shattered pieces of a glass had finally been joined together. A human sacrifice had never been carried out before, but at that point they believed that it was exactly what the Almighty had in mind, and whatever He wanted must be carried out according to His words.
"Have you forgotten the kind of God we serve?" Lord Tristan demanded, rising to his feet, unable to contain his anger. "Perhaps you mistake Him for the lesser gods you worshiped in your youth."
"Why bring up such matters? Though I met the Almighty later in my life, I have always found peace in Him and never forgot Him," the old man replied defensively.
"Then how can you not see that our God, Elyon, hates human sacrifice above all else? You passed judgment based on your own thoughts, not the words of Elyon."
"Then why not ask the Almighty Himself what He meant by 'The sacrifice MUST be performed tonight,' if it doesn’t already show that the one to be used is right here with us?"
For a long moment, they stood in silence, glaring at each other with anger. Though there was a significant age gap between Lord Caius and Lord Tristan, Tristan was known for speaking out against injustice and calling out what he saw as falsehoods, no matter the age or status of those involved.
The high priest decided to issue a command to end the dispute. "The priestess will be sacrificed tonight. But if the Almighty despises the decision I have made, He will provide another beast before the hour of the sacrifice," the High Priest said, turning toward the exit of the inner court.
The two priests who had escorted him lowered themselves to the floor, waiting for their last command of the day.
"Prepare the altar!"