Eye of Saturn (The Daughters of Saturn Book 1)
Page 26
“Zaybeth, my love, I told you I would come back for you,” he said, inserting the key into her cell door.
“Alejandro, it’s a trap, run!” Zaybeth yelled.
As he turned to run, Alejandro felt the sharp blade of the captain’s sword press deep into his back.
“Drop your weapon and surrender,” Captain Aguilar ordered.
Alejandro looked to his right and to his left. He was surrounded. He clenched his jaw tight, dropped his sword, and surrendered. The guards seized Alejandro taking him back to his cell.
Moments later, a burly guard brought Maria to her cell, kicking and screaming in his arms. The guard chained Maria to the wall, but not before striking her several times across the face.
Captain Aguilar entered Alejandro’s cell with a terrifying-looking instrument in his hand.
Alejandro’s eyes grew wide, he recognized the apparatus. It was the knee splitter. He closed his eyes tight and braced himself for the excruciating pain that was about to come.
“Since I wouldn’t want to deprive the executioner of burning your worthless hide, I have something better in store for you,” the captain sneered.
He opened the device wide, sliding it up Alejandro’s right leg. Once the claws lined up with Alejandro’s knee, the captain turned the handle. Slowly, the screw mechanism began to tighten around Alejandro’s knee.
“This will teach you a lesson.”
The jaws of the device clamped down on Alejandro’s knee, breaking skin and crushing bone.
Alejandro let out a horrific scream.
Captain Aguilar unscrewed the torture device and administered it to Alejandro’s left knee. The captain turned just before leaving the cell and unbuttoned his trousers, pissing on Alejandro’s face.
SOMETHING IS BREWING
Lilith hid behind a large oak tree in the distance and stared at the small cave opening.
“So he would rather love a bruja, than me.” Lilith tried to move in closer, but she felt a strange power an invisible barrier that stopped her. “Clever little bruja, aren’t you, using Saturn’s magick against me. I wonder where you learned that spell. Well, no matter, you’ll have to come out sometime, and when you do, I’ll be waiting.”
***
Diomira busied herself, collecting magickal items that would enable her to slip into the Temple of Saturn undetected. She placed the magickal items inside a leather satchel and set aside a black, hooded cloak on the bed.
Felipe gently touched her arm.
“Diomira,” Felipe said, bringing her to him. He gave her a soft smile. “Once we’re inside the temple I cannot protect you. I fear if we are discovered, the Daughters of Saturn might kill you. I cannot ask you to die for me. Turn me invisible instead and I’ll steal the scrolls.”
“I’m not sure the powder of invisibility will work on the undead. The powder can’t even turn my clothes or this bag completely invisible.”
“Give it a try.”
“All right.” She walked over to the crude-looking, makeshift cupboard, taking out the vessel. She walked back to Felipe. “Hold out your arm.”
Felipe rolled up his left sleeve and held out his arm. Diomira sprinkled the fine crystalline powder on his forearm. His arm went transparent. He smiled. Then back to being visible again.
Diomira gave a sigh. “Just as I feared. Well, now it’s settled.”
“Then we’d better plan this carefully. The Daughters of Saturn’s magick is nothing to play with.”
Diomira reached for the black cloak on the bed.
“Here, put this on. Tonight, the elders will be dressed in red robes, while the worshipers will be dressed in black robes. My hope is that you will blend in with the worshipers in procession. I’ll walk in front of you, invisible, of course. Hopefully no one will recognize you.”
“Where did you get the cloak?”
“Awhile back I turned myself invisible to snoop around the temple, but the powder I used wasn’t stable and I started turning visible. I didn’t want to risk getting caught so I placed a worshiper in a trance and took his cloak. But this time I strengthened the invisibility powder’s potency—reinforcing it with the boar’s blood. Enough questions just put on the cloak. I want to see if you can pass for a Saturn worshiper. Where are the scrolls kept?”
“I’m not sure. I remember them floating through the air. They may have come from somewhere behind the altar.” Felipe dressed in the cloak and spun around. “How do I look?”
“Like a Saturn worshiper. Now, my plan is to use you as a decoy. If the Daughters of Saturn should recognize you, distract them for as long as you can. They won’t be expecting me.”
“But what if they already know of our plans?” he said, looking around nervously.
Diomira laughed.
“Felipe, don’t be silly, the Daughters of Saturn are not omnipresent.”
“No, but Saturn might be.”
“Don’t worry. We are fully protected from prying eyes. Now, come, it’s time.” Diomira placed the invisibility powder in her satchel and a placed her hands in his. “I need you to focus.”
Diomira relaxed her mind, allowing Felipe to read her thoughts.
He could clearly see Mulhacén and honed in on its location.
“Ready?” he asked.
Diomira took a deep breath. “Ready.” They both vanished.
INVISIBLE
Diomira and Felipe reappeared in a rolling cloud of smoke at the foot of Mulhacén. Diomira placed her hands on her hips while looking up at the steep mountain. She turned to Felipe with a frown on her face.
“Can’t you get us any closer?”
“I’m afraid not,” Felipe shrugged. “I warned you my powers might not work in this place. I can feel the Daughters of Saturn’s magick all around us.” His eyes scoured the night’s sky, expecting to catch a glimpse of the sisters.
“Well, I guess there’s only one thing for us to do.”
“And what is that?”
“Climb,” she replied.
“Ladies first.” Felipe bent down and cupped his hands, giving Diomira a boost up the ledge.
Diomira took a look around. The moonlit sky illuminated a path covered by tumbleweeds. “I think I may have found an easier way.”
Felipe hoisted himself up and made his way over to Diomira.
“See, we’re in luck, there’s a path leading up the mountain to the temple,” she said, kicking aside the thorny bushes.
“That’s not very magickal,” Felipe commented in a sarcastic tone.
“No, but it is practical.”
As Felipe and Diomira made their way up the ominous trail, Felipe began to fear for Diomira’s safety. Although the witch’s magick was powerful, it was no match for the Daughters of Saturn.
Felipe’s thoughts were interrupted by a whimpering sound, coming from Diomira. He looked back at her. She was shivering from the bitterly cold winds that whisked past them. Felipe, who was unaffected by the cold winds took off his cloak and wrapped it tightly around the witch.
Diomira stopped walking. She grabbed Felipe’s the arm, drawing him in close.
“Hear that? Drumming and chanting. The temple must be above us,” she said pointing. “Now, make sure you are the last one to enter the temple. I will walk in front of you, but remember I will be invisible, so try not to walk into me. Once I have the scrolls I will tug on your robe three times. When the coast is clear, we’ll make our exit. Got it?”
“Diomira, this is too dangerous. We should turn back. I’ll find another way to get the scrolls.”
“Turn back? We can’t turn back now. We’ve come too far. With the scrolls I’ll become the most powerful witch in the world,” she said, with a twisted grin and a bat of her long eyelashes.
Although Felipe couldn’t read Diomira’s mind, he recognized that glint in her eyes. She was blinded by the promise of power, just like his father was seduced by the power of gold.
“Careful, Diomira, you only know the Daughters of Saturn fr
om legends. I know firsthand just how powerful they really are. I say we turn back now before it’s too late.”
“Do you want to break the curse or not?”
He parted his lips to speak.
“Before you answer, think about your beloved Zaybeth. Stealing the scrolls and using its power to break the curse before the Eye of Saturn reopens is the only way to avoid the curse becoming permanent. This may be our only chance.”
“You’re so willing to risk your life and you don’t even know for certain if these scrolls actually contain anything that will break the curse, let alone give you the power that you desire.”
“If the Daughters of Saturn used the incantations from the sacred scrolls to transform you, there must be a spell to undue it.”
“Diomira, wait,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“Felipe, we’re wasting time.”
“Just promise me, you’ll be careful,” he said, brushing back her curls.
“I promise,” Diomira said, kissing Felipe sweetly on the lips.
Diomira got undressed, leaving on a thin cotton breast band and a pair of braies. She opened the leather satchel and took out a small vile containing the crystalline powder and spread a thin layer of the powder all over her body, starting at the top of her head. Lastly, she sprinkled a small amount of the powder on the satchel. The magickal powder began to react with the leather and the bag started to fade, leaving only a faint outline, making it nearly impossible for the human eye to detect.
Slowly, Diomira’s body faded away until there was nothing but darkness where the witch once stood. Only faint outlines of her undergarments were visible. Felipe strained his eyes and could only tell the witch’s whereabouts from the tiny puffs of breaths emitting condensation in the frozen air and the outline of her undergarments and satchel.
Felipe slipped on the black cloak, pulling the hood down over his face. He turned around, “Diomira?” he called out in a hushed voice.
Silence.
“Diomira?” His eyes searched for her against the blackness, but he had lost track of the invisible witch. Then Felipe’s eyes caught sight of tiny puffs of breaths moving fast up the trail. He began following the puffs of air until they reached the top of Mulhacén, which was covered by a thick fog.
“Lo karahciram!” (Show thyself!) Diomira said.
The fog lifted and a magnificent spectacle unfolded, stopping Felipe dead in his tracks. His eyes trailed up to a colossal solid gold statue of Saturn.
Plumes of black smoke and ash flew filled the air. Felipe was about to discover exactly what was fueling the flames—human sacrifices. Elders dressed in red hooded robes, were shoving men, women, and children down the smiling mouth of the effigy into a belly of flames.
Felipe watched a dark-haired woman struggling to free herself from an elder who held her arm in a firm grip.
The elder’s eyes narrowed and grew cold and dark. He turned a deaf ear to the woman’s pleas and shoved her into the hellish flames. His face donned a sick, twisted, satisfied smirk. The demonic flames hungrily devoured the woman’s body. Her mouth opened wide in a soundless shriek, which gave the appearance that she was laughing as the flames engulfed her body.
Felipe’s fascination with the horrifying ritual had inadvertently drawn the attention of several worshipers on their pilgrimage to the temple. He lowered his head and continued walking up the path to the temple.
Celebrants, half-naked, danced wildly around the gold effigy to hypnotic, rhythmic drumbeats. Scores of men and women brought generous offerings of slaughtered animals, corn, and bushels of harvested crops—placing them at the foot of the statue. Caught up in all the excitement, Felipe stumbled into someone.
“Ouch!” Diomira bemoaned.
“Diomira? Sorry,” he whispered.
The music stopped. The temple elders turned and started walking down the steep, uneven, stone stairs, heading toward the entrance of the shrine. The musicians and worshipers followed the temple elders who led the procession.
Felipe looked back over his shoulder taking one final glance at the statue, when he smacked hard into Diomira a second time.
“Will you watch it?” she snapped. “Do you want us to get caught?”
“Well, it’s not like I can see you,” he retorted.
“Keep your voice down and pay attention,” Diomira scolded.
The corners of Felipe’s mouth began to curl upwards, forming a huge grin. He let out a muffled laugh.
“And just what do you find so funny?” she asked.
“I’m being scolded by an invisible woman.”
“Come on. And try not to run into me this time,” she retorted
Felipe waited just as Diomira instructed, making sure he was the last to enter into the temple. He followed a group of worshipers to the center of the shrine and knelt down. He tilted his head slightly to his left and his eyes widened. He was kneeling beside Nashiema and Abraham. Felipe pulled the hood of his cloak tight against his face.
Overhead, Isis appeared, holding a scythe in her left hand.
“Saturn, Father of the gods. Your power reigns in your sacred temple.”
A low, sinister growl followed by Saturn’s haunting voice wailing echoed throughout the walls of the temple. Obadiah stood in the middle of the temple waiting for Lilith to arrive and perform the sacrifice to begin the harvest moon ritual, but she was nowhere to be found. It was time to perform the ritual and Obadiah could not wait for Lilith any longer. He drew in a breath to begin the ceremony.
“Bring forth the virgin! Through the blood of the sacrifice, Saturn will guard your crops from drought. May Saturn grant you a bountiful harvest.”
* * *
Diomira spotted the hexagon-shaped, black onyx altar and quickly made her way past Obadiah and the elders undetected. She walked behind altar and glanced up the stone wall to the sixty gold cylinders resting inside an ornate reredos.
“What I wouldn’t do for a pair of wings,” she said to herself, looking up at the jagged stone wall.
Diomira was thankful there were enough crevices and ledges to make the climb challenging, but not impossible. Carefully, Diomira mapped out the least treacherous path to the scrolls. Now in position, she started to climb the wall. She placed her right foot on a ledge and grabbed onto the edge of a stone and pulled herself up. She gripped another stone that jetted out and lifted herself even higher.
Midway up the stone wall Diomira’s arms began to weaken. Exhausted, she stopped climbing to catch her breath. She glanced down at the altar, which now resembled a small black hexagon-shaped hole in the ground.
Diomira took a deep breath and continued her climb.
Just a little more, ought to do it.
She grabbed onto a jagged edge of stone and pulled herself up the wall. The gold cylinders were just within reach. She extended her arms as far as they would go. Her fingertips reached for the ornate spires of the reredos. Diomira stretched a little more and managed to touch one of the scrolls. The cylinder grew colder the longer she touched it. She pulled her hand back.
Below, Asira and Dusana brought forth Licia and chained her to the altar. Isis raised her hand and a gold cylinder lifted out of its resting place, startling Diomira. Her foot slipped, sending a small group of rocks falling onto the altar.
The falling rocks caused Dusana and Asira to look up.
“Oh, no!” Diomira said, as her body began sliding down the wall.
Panicking, Diomira reached for anything that would break her fall. Just as she was about to take a backward plunge off the wall, Diomira’s right hand caught hold of a ledge. With all her might, she swung her foot upward, finding a crevice. Diomira repositioned her feet on the narrow ledge, balancing on just the tip of her toes.
* * *
Isis’ eyes scanned the wall. She could see a crystalline outline of a woman’s body.
“Nal’huizah lo abiaciram!” (Witch, show yourself!) With a wave of her hand, Diomira’s body fully materialized.
Diomira fell hard to the ground, striking her head against the earthen floor, knocking her unconscious.
“Diomira!” Felipe yelled. He tried to run to her, but an elder apprehended him.
“Well, well, what do we have here, a lamsivetalak and a nal’huizah?” Isis hissed.
“Kill the nal’huizah!” Dusana demanded as she took flight and hovered mid-air over Diomira. She drew back her arm and formed a fiery energy ball in the palm of her hand.
“No, wait!” Isis said, raising her scythe.
“But Isis, we should kill the nal’huizah. She came here to steal our father’s scrolls and she’s been here before, her name is Diomira,” Asira said.
“Diomira is very powerful. Her magick nearly fooled us. Perhaps, Father Saturn may have use of her talents. For now, I will allow her to live,” Isis said.
Dusana lowered her hand and the fiery energy ball vanished.
Isis seized Diomira by her throat. “Foolish nal’huizah, only the Six Forbidden Scrolls can be used to lift the curse,” she said, whispering in the witch’s ear. Isis and Asira took flight, joining Dusana hovering above the temple.
* * *
Felipe struggled until he managed to free himself from the elder’s grip. He backhanded the man, striking him hard against the jaw.
The elder staggered backward.
Felipe stepped forward and drew back his fist, throwing a clean powerful uppercut to the other elder, hitting the man square in the chin. The man flew up in the air and landed flat on his back. Elders rushed to seize Felipe, but he shoved them aside. Felipe ran to Diomira and took off his robe. He wrapped her in his cloak and lifted her limp body over his left shoulder. Felipe looked for an escape route. Unfortunately, the entrance to the temple was the only way out. Felipe held Diomira tight and raced through the temple, dodging elders and worshipers alike.