Chapter 6 Part 2

Miguel caressed the curved knife blade lovingly. The wickedly serrated edge had but one function and that was to kill with as much pain and destruction of flesh as possible. It was the sacrificial dagger that had been used to send all of the infant girls of the Blackheart blood to the bosom of Set, the dark snake god who was formerly the patron of that great house. Now that title was held by the god, Ragnera.

This would be the first living sacrifice made to the former head of House Blackheart. The victim was Miguel's own daughter. Hardly more than a child, the girl was named Roan in honor of the woman who had given birth to Miguel.

The father stood before the altar and passed the knife blade through the green flame of a brazier that burned to one side. He spoke aloud in an ancient language known only to the priests of the temple. Then when the blade was hot, he drew it across his forearm leaving a red streak in its wake. The blood of House Blackheart, a high priest of Ragnera and the grandson of the Godking fell to the altar. The power of that bloodline summoned forth the god of war.

Ragnera appeared. Outlined by a nimbus of reddish brown vapor, the figure hovered in the air above the altar. "I have come, my son. What is thy need?"

"O Ragnera, god of war and spirit of combat, we offer to thee our most humble daughter. A daughter of House Blackheart awaits as a sacrifice unto thee. Flesh of thy flesh and blood of thy blood is our gift to thee."

The god gazed upon the frightened young woman who lay bound on the altar. She was clothed in a silken gown of red and black with a white orchid in her hair. To any who had known Serpent Blackheart, it might have appeared that the god was startled at the appearance of the face of the sacrificial offering.

The girl, Roan, had been born in Keron many years ago. Her mother was killed by thieves while she was still an infant, and she had been raised by the kindly old man who had discovered her and provided for her until she had grown to her adolescence. The old man had bade her farewell with one final gift. He purchased from a diviner at the temple of Thoth in Keron the name and whereabouts of her father. The answer had been a shock, and the priest himself had been stunned in disbelief. He had warned her of the traditional fate of daughters of House Blackheart, but the girl had insisted that she had a need to confront her father. Her plan of course had been to keep her identity secret. How could she have known that she resembled her grandmother so closely?

Miguel, the man presently holding a knife over her breast, had recognized her instantly as a woman of the same bloodline as his mother. He had intended to make her his own wife, but when he had divined her past himself, the truth became known. Instead of slaying her outright, he had comforted her fear with a promise that he would not kill her.

Now she lay on the altar placing her life in the trust of that promise. At least should she die, it would be at the hands of her father, and during her recent stay in the house of Asmodeus of Hell, she had commissioned a curse to fall upon the hand that slayed her.

Should she die in the next few moments, a non lethal, but permanently damaging venereal disease that affected the genes of House Blackheart only would be released. Never again would a male be born to the great house. The she-devil Darwina had conceived the plan. Roan and Darwina had shared many intimate moments together.

"Stay thy hand," the god's voice settled gently upon the room and the dozens of followers present at the sacred ceremony. "This sacrifice I accept alive. Her beauty is as it was of old and for this reminder of one who held my heart I bestow my blessing upon thee. Shed not her blood."

Miguel lowered the knife slowly as he smiled at his daughter. He was fully aware of the curse and Darwina would be disciplined for her naughty actions in a way that she liked. The she-devil liked getting punished.

Roan sat up and returned her father's smile. She felt the presence of her grandfather, the god Ragnera, and as the world faded from her view, she wondered what fate he had in mind for her.

Miguel watched his daughter disappear. He and his father had spoken long about her fate. She was destined to be wed to a god named Loki, the trickster and a rival of Woeden. A political move to ally the dark powers of two greater sects. This would turn Ragnera into the second most influential of the gods.

At Miguel's signal, a gong sounded and the assembly chanted in unison. "We thank thee O Ragnera and pray thee success."

"Go," the god's voice drifted across the void as he too vanished from sight. "Go and conquer."

A second sounding of the gong signaled the end of the ceremony. Miguel left the cleaning and menial chores to lower priests. He exited the main sanctuary into a corridor that connected various offices and rooms for research, meditation, and other rituals. He walked down the corridor pausing only long enough to greet one of the temple guards, a lowly cleric. The man was armed with mace and shield but stood at attention as the High Priest approached.

"Your eminence," the guard said. "The warlock Morteous Blackheart requests an audience. He awaits your convenience in the chapel.

Miguel nodded. The guard had taken an awful chance at asking Morteous to wait. His uncle was not a hot head, but he could be pushed too far. All was well, though, for Miguel knew what this meeting was about. The arrangement with the demon queen of the Doyr was not necessarily to his liking and Darwina had thrown a temper tantrum at the mention of the demons gaining the seed of Blackheart. It was partly out of that jealousy that had prompted her to assist Roan in the curse against him. Still he had to admit that the alliance was needed and he was not completely appalled by the price. He would, of course, insist on handling things personally.