Sacrifice (Ritual Sins #2)

1. Rose

1

Rose

My eyes fluttered open, and I let out a groan. My head was pounding with a dull, relentless ache.

At first, my mind was a blank slate, confusion swirling as I tried to piece together where I was and how I ended up here. The ache in my head made it hard to think, every throb clouding my thoughts further.

Sebastian…

Was I with him?

I sat up, wrapping my arms around myself in a futile attempt to stay warm as I looked around. I was in a dimly lit cell, but not the underground one Sebastian had kept me in for weeks. No, this was the cell that lay in the back of the Alderwood cathedral, where accused criminals were kept while their cases were tried with the village. The cold stone walls and iron bars felt suffocating, a harsh reminder that my situation had barely changed. I had gone from one prison to another.

But why?

The silence around me was deafening, giving me nothing to concentrate on but my own muddled thoughts. Slowly, fragments of memory began to surface, each one sharper and more painful than the last. I recalled the accusations, my father’s betrayal, and the sense of helplessness that had enveloped me as the elders grabbed me. Dread and despair began to gnaw at me, threatening to overwhelm any sliver of hope left in my heart.

After what felt like hours, the sound of heavy footsteps approached my cell. My heart pounded as I saw my father, flanked by several elders, standing on the other side of the bars. His face was a mask of stern resolve, but his eyes held a flicker of something that could’ve been regret or anger. Perhaps both.

“Papa,” I said, voice cracking. “What’s happening? Why am I here?”

He didn’t reply immediately, instead exchanging glances with the other elders. The silence stretched, thick with tension and unspoken words. Finally, he took a step closer, one hand gripping the bars.

“Rosamund,” he said, his voice cold and measured. “This is for the good of the community. We need to ascertain the truth.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “The truth about what?” I asked. My throat was clogged with emotion, so my voice sounded half-choked.

My father reached into his pocket and retrieved a key. At first, I thought he was planning to let me out so we could talk somewhere beyond this awful cell, but then I realized he was simply letting himself in.

The other elders remained silent, their expressions impassive as they observed us from the other side of the bars.

“Papa, what’s happening?” I asked in a tremulous tone.

There was no way for them to know the truth about where I’d been over these last few weeks. No way at all. I hadn’t said a word about Sebastian upon my return, and I didn’t plan to in the future, either. I couldn’t explain why, but I felt a twisted sense of loyalty to him, and I refused to break the silent vow I’d made to protect him from the wrath of the Covenant.

I’d already broken enough vows in my life.

My father was quiet for another moment. Then he looked at me, head slightly shaking. “When you went missing, we were all beside ourselves with worry,” he said. “At first, we thought you were lost in the forest. Then we began to worry that a wild animal had taken you. But not long after that, we started to believe the Entity had taken you. One of our seers even saw it in a dream, and we greatly rejoiced, believing our prayers had been answered.”

I nodded fervently. “It’s true! The Entity took me. That’s what I told you!”

He raised a brow and went on. “However, yesterday afternoon, some young villagers came forward to confess something to us,” he said. “They informed us that there was a tunnel leading beneath the boundary fence, dug out some years ago by a couple of boys who were in the same class as you back in your school years. That means you could have known about this tunnel, and that could also mean you left us of your own accord. It could also mean you left to be with an outsider. An outsider man .”

I swallowed hard. “No, Papa. I—”

He lifted his hand to silence me. “That would be an incalculable betrayal. It would destroy everything,” he said, nostrils flaring with fury. “You are supposed to be a celestial virgin, Rose. But if you are no longer pure, we cannot properly complete the Tetrad in five days. That will ruin hundreds of years of progress. Everything we have sacrificed and strived for.”

“Papa, I swear, I am still pure,” I said, voice barely above a whisper. Thankfully, the dimness of the cell masked the flush that was surely rising in my cheeks.

“I want to believe you, Rosamund. Really, I do. More than anything. But you see… there’s also this.” My father held up a black device. It looked like a bigger version of the phone Sebastian always had in his pocket.

“What is that?” I asked, pretending to be oblivious.

“This is the cellular phone we use to communicate with outsiders for business purposes,” he replied. “We received this message from an unfamiliar number last night.”

He clicked a few buttons on the phone before showing me the screen. My stomach lurched as I read the digital words. I have your daughter. Follow my instructions, or I’m going to kill her.

I could see that my father had replied to the message, demanding to know who the sender was and where he or she was keeping me. Moments after that, another much longer message had arrived.

Our names are irrelevant. All you need to know is that we are a group of people from Pinecrest Falls who have had enough of your cult and the corruption you spread in our corner of the world.

You have seventy-two hours to comply with our demands. Failure to do so will result in severe consequences.

We demand the names of your leaders, along with photographs for identification purposes. These will be handed over to the authorities.

We demand a comprehensive list of all assets owned by the Covenant. We are aware of the wealth you are concealing from your followers.

We demand your complete banking details, including account numbers, passcodes, and financial statements, along with tax records for the past ten years. Your tax evasion and illicit wealth accumulation will be exposed.

We demand answers, with irrefutable proof, regarding the missing persons cases involving the following children: Emily Harper (1984), Jacob Wang (1995), Sophia Bennett (1996), Noah Mitchell (1998), Olivia Carter (2004) and Ethan Brooks (2011). These children disappeared within a thirty-mile radius of Alderwood, and we know you must be responsible for their abduction.

We demand answers, with conclusive evidence, regarding the murder of Miranda Thorne in 2004. It is common knowledge that your cult was involved in her death, and you will be held accountable.

Failure to meet these demands within the given timeframe will result in Rosamund’s death. Tick tock, Mr. Trudeau .

I blinked rapidly, mind whirling. Sebastian must have finally moved forward with the plan he’d told me about a while ago—to convince my father that an outsider gang had taken me. He didn’t really intend to kill me… did he?

No, of course not.

Sebastian wouldn’t do that. Not after all the passionate moments we’d shared and the tender care he’d treated me with. These messages were simply part of his plan to scare my father into giving him information; that was all.

“I don’t understand what any of this means, Papa,” I said, shaking my head.

“You weren’t with the Entity, Rose.” My father stooped to meet me at my eye level. “You were with this group of outsiders, whoever they are. For the life of me, I cannot understand why you won’t admit it.”

“Papa, no! I have no idea what those messages mean!”

“You must know. You were with these men for weeks. At least I can only assume they are men.” His eyes narrowed. “Are they?”

I gritted my teeth. “I don’t know. I have no idea who sent those messages to you,” I said, boldly lifting my chin. “Also, if I was ever with them, then why am I here right now? Judging by the content of those messages, wouldn’t they want to keep me until they received the information they asked for?”

“Well, clearly, something went wrong, and you were able to escape. And that’s precisely what we don’t understand—why you’re lying to us about what happened. If you had simply told us the truth when you returned, we could have avoided all this drama.”

“I’m not lying!”

My father rose to his full height again, twin flames of fury burning in his eyes. “Whoever took you clearly did something to your mind, Rose. Something to twist it and turn you against us, forcing you to lie to us. I don’t understand how or why, but I will find out.”

“It’s not true, Papa. I wasn’t with outsiders. I was taken by the Entity. I swear to you!”

He sighed, one hand rubbing his jaw. “Well, I suppose we shall see soon,” he said, voice dangerously soft. “At your Confession.”

“You’re really going to put me through that?” I asked, my voice turning shrill. “Your own daughter?”

“If you’re telling the truth, you won’t feel an ounce of pain, my darling. You know that.”

With that, he turned and left the cell, followed by the other elders. I begged and screamed as their footsteps clunked down the hall, but none of them returned.

Once again, I was alone in the dark.