Chapter 34: The Feast
The cell door swung open.
Andre tossed the keys into the air and caught them again.
A grin stretched across his face.
"Knew I'd find you."
Kai stepped out immediately.
He had spent enough time in prison for one lifetime.
Maybe several.
"How did you even get here?"
Andre snorted.
"You jumped into a carriage."
"Yeah?"
"I followed the carriage."
Kai stared.
"That's your explanation?"
Andre looked offended.
"What more do you want?"
"The details."
The thief sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
He leaned against the wall.
"When we got separated, the guards finally got the demon attack under control."
Kai nodded.
"Then I started looking for you."
"Reasonable."
"I found the place where you fought that red thing."
Kai frowned.
"You saw that?"
"Saw the aftermath."
Andre pointed at him.
"Looked like you got your ass kicked."
"..."
"Pretty badly too."
Kai decided not to respond.
Andre continued.
"Anyway, somebody said they saw a guy jump into a carriage."
"So I tracked it."
"Tracked a carriage?"
"The road."
Andre pointed at the floor.
"Wheel marks."
"That's actually smart."
"I know."
Andre looked pleased with himself.
"Then I lost the trail."
Kai immediately felt better.
"But I found it again."
"How?"
Andre shrugged.
"I smelled the horses."
Kai blinked.
"What?"
"The horses."
"You tracked a carriage by smell?"
"Yes."
"That's ridiculous."
"It worked."
Kai hated that argument.
Because it was true.
Udit quietly walked past them.
The two finally remembered he existed.
"Wait."
Kai called.
The young man stopped.
"Yeah?"
"You coming with us?"
Udit looked toward the stairs leading upward.
Then toward the tunnel leading deeper underground.
"No."
Kai blinked.
"No?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I have my own problems."
That wasn't exactly an explanation.
Udit simply shrugged.
"Thanks for the help."
Then he started walking away.
"That's it?"
Andre asked.
"That's it."
Several seconds passed.
Then Udit disappeared into the darkness.
Kai and Andre stared after him.
"What a weird guy."
"Agreed."
The two continued through the underground corridors.
Trying to find a way out.
Or at least a way to avoid becoming dinner.
Unfortunately—
They found something else instead.
Voices.
A lot of voices.
The sound echoed from a large chamber ahead.
Kai carefully approached a wooden door.
A narrow gap between the boards allowed him to peek inside.
His stomach immediately dropped.
Hundreds of villagers filled the room.
No hoods.
No disguises.
Rabbit ears.
Everywhere.
Men.
Women.
Children.
All gathered around a large altar.
Candles illuminated strange symbols carved into the stone floor.
And tied to the altar—
Was Harun.
His mouth had been covered.
His hands bound behind his back.
His eyes desperately searched the crowd.
The Rabbit Priest stood before him.
Arms raised dramatically.
"Brothers and sisters!"
The crowd cheered.
"The Rabbit God smiles upon us!"
More cheering.
"Our harvest grows!"
Cheers.
"Our village prospers!"
Louder cheers.
"And tonight—"
The priest turned toward Harun.
"We feast!"
The crowd erupted.
Kai felt sick.
Harun struggled against the ropes.
It didn't matter.
Several cultists held him down.
The priest raised a ceremonial dagger.
"The blood of sacrifice shall nourish us!"
The crowd began chanting.
"Rabbit God."
"Rabbit God."
"Rabbit God."
Kai looked at Andre.
"We have to do something."
Andre nodded.
For once, completely serious.
Then the dagger came down.
Harun's muffled scream vanished beneath the crowd's chanting.
The blade pierced his chest.
Blood spilled across the altar.
The room exploded into celebration.
Kai stumbled backward from the door.
For several seconds he couldn't speak.
The man who had saved him.
The man who had pulled him away from the Red Imp.
Dead.
Just like that.
Andre's jaw tightened.
"Those bastards."
The crowd inside continued celebrating.
Some laughed.
Some prayed.
Some eagerly approached the altar.
Kai didn't want to know why.
Unfortunately—
Andre accidentally kicked a loose bucket.
CLANG.
The noise echoed through the hallway.
Silence.
The chanting stopped.
Inside the chamber—
Every head slowly turned toward the door.
Kai and Andre froze.
The Rabbit Priest smiled.
A very unpleasant smile.
"Intruders."
The crowd erupted into angry shouting.
Kai grabbed Andre.
"RUN!"