Legacy of Blood - By J. L. McCoy Page 0,38

and handed him a small silver dagger.

“The Test of Sin requires a blood sacrifice,” he whispered gently to me as he flipped over my hand, exposing my palm. “Do you willingly offer your blood to me?”

“Yes, sir,” I breathed as I nodded my head.

“This may sting a little.”

I watched as he positioned the small dagger above my skin, centering it on my palm, and cut into it deeply, but quickly. The burning pain from the silver was immediate but I made no sound as I watched my blood drip into his cupped hand. My wound only stayed open for a few seconds, but that seem to be sufficient for him. He repeated the process with my other hand, caught the blood in his opposite hand, and when the bleeding stopped I took my hand back.

He held the small pools of my blood in each hand and raised them slightly before him. I watched as he closed his eyes and put his two hands together, rubbing them. He lifted his hands and placed his palms on his eyelids, keeping them there momentarily. When he withdrew them, my blood painted each of his closed eyes. My own eyes widened in shock. This man had just taken my blood and smeared it on his face. Ew!

The man took a deep breath and began to speak. “Her sins are known. She has been prideful and she has lusted. She is an unmarried woman yet her purity is not intact. Her lies are many, but they are said mostly to herself and revolve around self-loathing and self-doubt. She has coveted what was not her own and has stolen once in her past. The girl carries wrath in her heart, but the addition is mostly recent. She desires to kill the unclean one that infected her and fully believes that it is the right thing to do. She has carried hate in her heart but it was very recently released. The Test of Sin is now complete.”

If I could have blushed, I would’ve been seven different shades of red. My sins had been laid out for the whole room to hear and I was completely embarrassed. Most of all, I felt violated. I’d had people read my mind before but they had always kept the dirt to themselves. I swallowed thickly as I watched Ruarc hand him a wet towel so he could wipe my blood from his eyes.

“I acknowledge her sins and judge that they are minor and not cause for concern,” Ruarc said, turning to his men. “What say you?”

The men gazed at me for a moment before giving their answer. “Agreed,” they all said in unison.

I felt Hagan’s stare and I turned to him. He gave me a very small smile; a twitch of his lips, but it spoke volumes. Hagan was proud of me. I took a deep breath and twitched my mouth in return before turning back to Ruarc.

“Brothers of the Army of The Faithful, the second test shall be the Test of Divine Power,” Ruarc said as he held his hand out to me. “Please step forward, Miss Morrison.”

I cautiously walked up to him and stopped, looking down at his hand. I didn’t want to touch him if I didn’t have to. Lord only knew what kind of Divine Power Ruarc had and I was scared it was going to be used against me.

Ruarc dropped his hand and gazed at me seriously. “At the moment of your rebirth, did you experience anything unusual?”

“Yes,” I said honestly. “The fact that I was still alive was pretty darn unusual.”

“I can see how it would be,” Ruarc nodded, “given that you were not prepared beforehand. But I’m talking about powers. Did you notice anything different in regards to psychic ability? Could you, for example, hear the thoughts of those around you? Or maybe you were able to move an object by just thinking it?”

“No, sir,” I shook my head. “I haven’t noticed anything like that.”

“If you wouldn’t mind humoring me for a moment, try clearing your mind. Focus on that deep part within you that is just for you; a place no one else can touch. When you find it, tell me what you feel.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. I concentrated on slowing my heart rate and emptying my mind of all the questions and concerns that I had. After a few calm minutes, I bit my bottom lip and sighed in defeat, opening my