The Dark Mass (Part 1)

Selena was locked in her tower, unable to go anywhere. She had no way of passing the time, so she just sat in the armchair, bored, her mind wandering around. There was nothing to do here, and she was not allowed to meet many. The only two people visiting her chamber regularly were the high priest and Elias. Sometimes, more priests or servants appeared, but they did not talk to her, nor did they dare to even look at her. They just quickly finished their tasks and went their own way.

When her three friends suddenly disappeared from her life, she felt lonely. But being locked in this tower with her head as her only companion, she felt she was slowly starting to lose her mind.

She slowly turned her head to face the window. Her body felt sore, and her muscles hurt. It was probably because of that drug. After that pact she made with Elias, she did not spike her tea anymore, although she had to pretend she was drugged so the high priest wouldn't notice anything strange.

Did they drug the previous saintess every time they knew she would refuse to give blood to them? Was this pain she was feeling now the side effect of long-term use?

Now it was clear why this poor girl was trying to disappear from this world. If she really spent her whole life locked here, like they said, her life must have been a living hell.

Selena let her gaze fly freely through the window like a bird, over the mountains, through the sky. She was physically locked here, but her mind liked to imagine what this world outside looked like. She noticed, the sun was going to set soon. This meant the high priest would arrive to feast on her blood. The mere thought of him made her skin crawl.

She had no idea how long she would need to play this game and let him drink her blood. For now, she had to do it to gather more information. Elias did know much about the holy saintess, therefore, she needed to ask the high priest. But if she were to ask too much, he might grow suspicious. And she was never good at this type of game. At least, back home, her father always caught on pretty quickly, and she was unable to do anything.

The lock clicked. Selena turned away from the window, facing the door, preparing herself for another unpleasant sensation of the old high priest touching her body. But when the door unlocked today and Elias arrived, he had no cup of tea with him, as usual.

“Where is the tea?” she asked him.

“There is no tea for this evening, My Lady,” he answered her once he shut the door behind him. “The saintess must attend the holy mass today, so she needs to be able to walk and stand.”

“The mass,” she repeated.

Oh, right. She was supposed to be a saintess, and a high priest was always around her. So the Lunaria kingdom had a proper religion with its usual rituals. If she attends the mass today, she will be able to learn more about it and maybe even about herself.

“Yes, My Lady,” he answered politely.

He came closer and dropped to his knee next to her. Raising his head to look at her from the ground, she could see a plea and hunger mirroring in his honeyed eyes.

“Please, My Lady,” he said. “It has already been several days.”

He wanted to taste her blood again.

Selena rolled up her long sleeve of the black habit and showed him her bare arm.

“Go ahead,” she said.

He pulled out a short knife. Grasping her wrist, he pressed the sharp blade to the thin, pale skin on her forearm. She hissed out of pain, once the blade dug deeper, pulling out a trickle of fresh ruby blood.

He leaned down, his lips softly kissing her wound. Then he licked the droplets of blood running down her forearm, slowly, caressing her skin with his tongue.

She shuddered. Excitement ran through her veins, coloring her cheeks hidden under the dark veil in a hot red. A soft moan escaped her mouth.

His fingers dug into her skin after hearing that. She could see him smiling, his eyes sparkling. Then he closed them and sucked harder on her wound. She bit into her second arm to prevent further moans, tilting her head back, leaning against the backrest of the armchair. She also closed her eyes, drowning in this sensation.

When the high priest drank her blood, she felt like cattle, waiting to be slaughtered. But when Elias tasted her blood, it felt different. He was so careful, so gentle. He really deemed her a saintess, and he worshipped her with each movement. It was a sacred ritual to both of them.

After he first drank her blood, he convulsed. But after the initial shock wore off, his body accepted her blood and made it his own. After that, he could feel the power rising in him each time, his tongue licked the ruby droplets glistening on her skin. The rush that filled his body while drinking her blood made him addicted. Once he thought about her taste, his body trembled. His mind was thinking only about her.

“We should stop for now,” Selena said.

“I know,” he finally pulled away from her wound and looked at her. He still did not let go of her wrist. “But… My Lady,” his voice was hoarse and deep. “I want more. Much more...”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Standing up from the ground, he put down one knee on the armchair, right next to her. Leaning closer to her, he finally let go of her hand just to raise a black veil hiding her face. He was so close now, she could see his lips clearly, still stained by the crimson of her own blood, she could feel his breath on her own lips.

“I want…”

The sharp sound of church bells interrupted them. They both jumped, surprised by the ruckus.

“What is this?” Selena yelled. “Are the bells right above us?”

He did not answer her. “The mass,” he said instead.

Jumping down from her armchair, he wiped down his mouth with the sleeve. Selena put down her veil and hid her forearm under the habit, although her skin was now clear, with no traces after the cut. She could still feel her cheeks burning, but the heat in her body was dissipating quickly, the tense atmosphere before them breaking like a spell after midnight.

Elias stopped in front of the door just in time. Once he opened them, the loud sounds of bells echoed through the whole chamber.

The high priest was right there, standing at the doorstep.

“Is the saintess ready?” he asked loudly over the ringing of bells.

“Yes, Lord High Priest,” replied Elias with his head bowed.

“Very well then!”

The crying of bells finally stopped. The silence in the tower was now deafening.

“Come, saintess, the mass awaits!”

She came closer to him, curious. She was never allowed out of the tower, and this was the only time she could see a glimpse of the outside world. The High Priest took her hand and pulled her out of the chamber.