The Altar

A Story by K. Dacey

After a war that raged through civilization, aa new religion is born, and not in the favor to some.

Light shines down through the skylight illuminating the altar, on which three people stood. Those who attended the mass were on their feet, praying along with the priest, who was holding his blade aloft, blessing it for the gruesome ceremony that was about to take place.To his left was a girl, no older than twelve, in tattered rags, shackles connecting her hands and feet. To his right stood an old man, a leathery-skin from years working on the fields, adorned the same apparel as the girl. The prisoners of the war were to be killed, a sacrifice to Hontü, to thank him for the defeat over the filthy Cotous. As in all of the ceremonies performed, the eldest participant was to go first.
The priest grabbed the chain between the man's hands and feet. He was pulled forwards, pushed to his knees in front of the blood-stained granite altar, and his head was shoved back. The cold stone sent shivers through his body, and he could see the priest's blade for the first time. It shimmered in the light, the metal slightly curved near the tip, revealing one sharp side and one dull. The priest raised the knife higher, yelled the final prayer, and thrust the blade into the neck of the old man. His face twisted in emmence pain, the splatters of blood staining the priest's snow white robe. A silence fell over the temple, the body was removed by three altar servers. The crowd began to pray again, following the priest's lead.
Unlike the first sacrifice, the second was performed differently. As tradition for children, the death was put up to fate. The shackles were removed from the girl's arms and legs, and a new pair that only bound her hands were placed on her small wrists. To testher fate, the priest would take his knife, and slit open her lower leg. If she were to yell out in pain, she would be killed. If not, she would be trained as a warrior. The priest knelt behind her, lowered his knife, and slit her calf open. The girl attempted to hold in her yell, but the pain was too much to bear. The priest had dipped his knife in salt, amplifying her pain to the point where she had to yell out. He stood, walked in front of her, and grabbed her shackles and walked her forwards to where the old man had knelt just minutes before. His blood had dried partially, leaving a glimmering crimson puddle.
“The Altar” Kyle Dacey|2
The girl looked down the aisle between the seats where the chanting patrons stood, and made a decision that would either save her life, or extend her life just by a minute or two. She turned her head to the priest , looked down, and kicked him directly in the shin. The priest bent over in pain,and swung his blade at the girl, landing his weapon in her other leg, right behind her knee. The girl dashed down the aisle, limping slightly from the pain in both of her legs.
Being a sunny day, lights of all colours from the stained glass fell on her face. All of the patrons were in shock. They watched her until she got to about halfway down the aisle. One man stepped out in front of her. The man, built like a brick wall, stood, ready to catch the Cotou filth. She ran directly into him, bounced backwards, and looked up at the her obstacle. The man grinned at her, thinking that he would save the sacrifice. Being a small girl, however, she was able to crawl beneath the man's legs, and quickly stood, running as soon as she was on her feet. By that time, more people began to chase after her. When she ran to the end of the aisle, she realize that the door opened towards her.
The glass door was her last obstacle before her freedom from the cursed temple. She approached at a speed too fast to make logical decisions, and only one thought popped into her mind. She raised her arms in an x over her face, and jumped through the glass doors. The girl could feel the glass ripping the skin on her arms and legs open. She could feel the warm liquid dripping from the cuts, but nothing would deter her now. She hit the ground running, and dashed out of the building as fast as she possibly could.The beautiful masonry building with a tall steeple was now behind her, as well as her pursuers. She continued to run at a breakneck speed, towards where she believed her home was located.