Chapter 267: The Feast - I
Six pairs of footsteps echoed down the grand corridor as they were led toward the dining hall by a staff member who was far too polite for someone working for a murderous cult.
Aliana’s grip around Gavriel’s arm tightened with every step that brought them closer to their destination.
She stole a quick glance up at her husband, who looked as composed as ever. If she didn’t know they were marching straight onto a battlefield, she would have assumed he was simply on his way to a quiet evening meal.
Gavriel had assured her that the distraction they set in motion would be enough to draw the attention of Vance and the other cult members away from the dining hall.
It would give Aliana and Jade just enough time to quietly warn the innocent guests not to eat the food, but only to pretend until Vance and the others left for the ritual.
Once they did, Aliana and Jade would discreetly lead everyone to the greenhouse outside, the closest building to the docks, where they would wait for the rescue boats to arrive.
Well, that was the ideal outcome. A peaceful resolution with as little bloodshed as possible.
Unfortunately, reality had a habit of ignoring carefully crafted plans.
If things went sideways, subtlety would no longer be an option. They would have no choice but to improvise, and that would almost certainly come with body counts.
Cillian was confident that once the cult members left for the ceremony, the remaining guards would head down to the lower chambers to secure the ritual site until the ceremony concluded. Certain that the guests had already fallen under the cult’s mind control, they would have no reason to keep a close watch over the dining hall.
As much as Aliana wanted everything to go smoothly, an uneasy feeling continued to grow within her.
More than anything, she couldn’t stop wondering whether Cedric would even be present at the dinner. The last time they had seen him, he had collapsed inside that eerie temple beneath the mansion.
Yet, despite worrying about her friend, she found it strange that she no longer felt the overwhelming fear and anxiety that had consumed her back in the room.
Her eyes shifted toward the group behind them, landing first on Cillian, who gave her his usual charming smile as if he were entirely in his element. Aliana could have sworn that nothing ever rattled the man unless it directly involved Gavriel.
’Must be nice,’ she thought dryly, before shifting her gaze to Jade.
Jade looked every bit as determined as someone ready to commit arson. Even so, Aliana caught the flicker of nervousness in her eyes, a reminder that, despite everything, she was still reacting like any normal person would.
And then there was their newest recruit... Andrew.
Out of everyone, Andrew looked positively pale, wearing the expression of a man who had been forced to swallow a live slug and was fighting a losing battle to keep it down.
Aliana offered him a silent, sympathetic sigh. The poor guy had been dragged into a blood cult’s lair purely because he agreed to be Jade’s plus-one for a weekend getaway. To add insult to it, his date was visibly smitten with another man.
Deciding Andrew’s tragic love life was a crisis for another day, Aliana turned her attention back to the front just as they came to a stop before the towering double doors, behind which the repulsive feast awaited them.
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath, mentally preparing for whatever was about to unfold.
But the moment the heavy doors swung open, they all... froze.
They had expected to walk into lively chatter before the meal officially began, but the scene before them sent an icy chill down their spines.
Under the grand chandelier, with the thunder outside rumbling like ominous background music, the room was eerily silent. Every single guest they had hoped to save and persuade was already busy... eating.
An unnatural stillness filled the room, broken only by the rhythmic clatter of silverware. Again and again, the guests lifted forks laden with thick cuts of meat to their mouths, chewing slowly with serene, vacant smiles etched across their faces.
"Oh dear," Cillian muttered loud enough for only the five of them to hear. "Looks like we’ve missed the appetisers."
Jade and Andrew kept their eyes fixed on the lavish feast spread across the table.
"Don’t throw up," Jade chanted to herself. "Just don’t throw up."
Beside her, Andrew let out a choked gag before whipping his head away and slapping a hand over his mouth as he fought to keep his stomach down.
Gavriel and Aliana, however, never took their eyes off the man seated at the head of the table.
Vance Prescott.
Neither of them allowed a single emotion to cross their faces, fully aware that they stood directly within his line of sight.
An unsettling smile spread across Vance’s face as he drawled, "Ah, I was beginning to wonder which guests were taking their time to prepare for the feast. Nevertheless, welcome. Tonight’s dinner is rather... special."
Vance rose from his seat and gestured towards the empty chairs on either side of him at the long dining table.
As though responding to an unspoken command, every guest who had been eating stopped in unison and turned to look at the newcomers.
Their eyes were blank, devoid of any emotion, yet the eerie smiles plastered across their faces somehow made the sight even more disturbing. Richard and Clara Wilson were among them.
Swallowing hard, Aliana and Gavriel were the first to step forward. They made their way to Vance’s right, where Cora sat beside him, followed by Gwen, who had two empty seats next to her.
Aliana narrowed her eyes at the harlot, who was once again looking at Gavriel with undisguised expectation, clearly hoping he would take the seat beside her.
Unfortunately for Gwen, Gavriel paid her no attention whatsoever.
He simply walked next to her, pulled out the chair right beside her, and looked at Aliana. "After you."
Gwen’s smile dropped faster than a rock as Aliana sat down, followed by Gavriel.
Next came Jade, Cillian, and Andrew.
Cillian glanced sideways at Andrew and leaned into Jade. "You might want to keep an eye on that one," he whispered. "He looks dangerously close to redecorating the table."
Jade stole a look at Andrew, who was turning a strange shade of green.
Fighting off her own disgust, she looped her arm through his and muttered, "Get it together unless you want to end up as the main course."
Andrew slowly lowered the hand covering his mouth and cleared his throat, taking one reluctant step after another until they reached the three empty seats opposite Gavriel and Aliana, beside the Wilson couple.
Cillian sat down first, followed by Jade, and then Andrew.