{Little Rock, Arkansas | Cult of Night}

“Stand right there. That’ll be fine.” Justice Lee directed Lucy to the spot in front of his desk. Then he took his seat behind it. He rested his elbows on the black leather blotter and steepled his fingers to his mouth.

A virgin, too busy studying to make time for dating, Lucy wanted anyone else at that moment as her first. Meanwhile, she kept her chin high and her shoulders back. There was no reason to lose dignity over this.

Justice Lee continued, “A Pleaser is an integral unit in our community. You, my dear, provide an honorable service to us. Please remove your clothes.” The ‘please’ wasn’t a ‘please’ at all. Just the guise of one.

“Yes, your honor.” Lucy reached for the bottom of her dingy shirt and slipped it over her head without pause. Justice Lee let his breath out on a hiss at the sight of her black bra and the tan flesh within. She unzipped the khaki shorts without hesitation and removed them one long leg after the other. The man practically salivated at the whole matching get-up.

Justice Lee said, “Exquisite.” Then he pushed away from his desk and stood, not bothering to hide his reaction to her.

Before he rounded the desk, Lucy blurted out, “‘And when the heavens dawn, we will know our race was saved.’”

The Justice froze.

Lucy continued, “‘The Pretiosum Cruor provides, eternal, our salvation. The Traitor Prince’s treacherous abominations become the fulcrum of Cinder’s revival. A new planet. A new army. We will see the stars again.’”

Justice Lee’s hand shook as he wiped his mouth before he said, “I haven’t heard that sermon in years. Where did you hear it? The last person to say those words—”

“Rebecca Mendax,” Lucy finished.

Justice Lee’s eyes widened in astonishment. A grin stretched over his lips. “That’s right. Were you one of her pupils?”

Lucy nodded.

“Such an honor.” The Justice reached out to take her hand and only then responded to her partial nudity. He waved his hands at her clothes. “Please, get dressed.” He gave Lucy his back as she slipped into her battered garments.

“How did you meet her?” Justice Lee asked over his shoulder.

“I was a student at J. A. Fair High School.”

Justice Lee rounded on her. His gray ceremonial robes spun with the momentum. “Were you there on…” He didn’t finish.

Lucy tucked her hands together behind her back and continued, “Yes. I saw the angels soar.”

The grin transformed into a beatific beam. Justice Lee’s light brown eyes carried a sheen as he said, “What a glorious occasion. You are blessed to have witnessed greatness. And a student of Mendax? To think I almost relegated you to the peasant class. Please,” he held out a hand indicating the room behind his desk, “Follow me.”

Lucy walked into a small library decorated in dark wainscoting and lined with handmade books. As he brushed the tomes with his fingertips, she assumed her stance from earlier. He said, “These are the works of our leaders. Have you read Renee? Or Philip?”

“I’ve read Prescott, Dane, Erin, and quite a few others, but not Renee or Philip.” The low light from the flickering electricity kept Justice Lee half in the dark. Not ideal for reading.

“Here.” He passed a journal to her. “Justice Mendax loved Renee. She’d want a disciple of hers to have it.”

Lucy’s breath caught. She let a smile shine on her face and oozed gratitude. “I can’t possibly—”

“Yes, you can. We take excellent care of our students. She would hate to see that you went through the grunt training. I can’t believe—Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I wanted to experience all the levels. How can I promote our gospel without knowing firsthand what future followers endure?” Lucy hugged the journal to her chest and allowed her eyes to shimmer.

“Of course you’ll be a Promoter. You’re educated, well-versed, and eloquent in speech. If I might add, you’re also the youngest and most attractive candidate I’ve ever recommended. It will encourage strong young men to join our ranks as soldiers.” The Justice took her shoulders in his hands as he said, “Come. Let’s take you to your first Propagation Cycle.”

Lucy gave him a kind smile. “I only wish Mendax were here to see it.”

“We all do, dear.” He led her out of the library and back outside.

The young men had gathered near the entrance. Matt’s eyes locked onto Lucy and refused to find another target like a heat-seeking missile. She gave him a slight wave with the book and plastered a bright smile on her face. His body relaxed in centimeters per hour.

The Justice said, “Congratulations! All of you, welcome to the Cult of Night. We are so pleased for you to join our ranks and contribute to our community and the cause. Tonight, I present you with our newest Promoter, Lucy.”

She nodded to each face. Relief washed over her as Matt finally connected the dots and relaxed.

Justice Lee continued, “As customary for fresh recruits, we’ll introduce you to the Propagation Cycle. We’ll lead you now to the sanctum proper.”

Justice Lee led the group with a team of six seasoned Enforcers toward the rice paddies. She followed close behind as the next closest in rank to the Justice, himself. He said, “My dear, no.”

Lucy backed away, but he gestured her forward, saying, “Up here with me.”

She beamed at him and headed to the front. He offered her his arm, and she looped hers through it.

The parade crashed through the high grass of the dry lawns unattended by mowers. The rice paddies sopped and splashed around them. They plopped through the mud, one person complaining that they’d lost their shoe.

“It won’t matter at the sanctum,” the Justice called over his shoulder.

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Lucy hated mushy socks so much. Taking a glance back, Matt met her eyes, immediately. He didn’t seem bothered by the mud so much as by the man next to her. The plopping stopped, and she returned her gaze ahead where she noticed that several acres from their farm stood a gigantic wall. Composed of tin and wood, it worked as a deterrent for trespassers. Skeletons covered the structure. Lucy swallowed hard next to the Justice, who patted her hand.

“Enforcer. This is Justice Lee. We have fresh recruits,” he called to the man standing on guard.

“Saved in blood. What say you?” the man answered.

“Pretiosum Cruor.”

A gate slid aside.

Expectations escaped Lucy. But even if she could guess at what they were hiding beyond those walls, what she found was not it. “Welcome to paradise,” Justice Lee muttered to her.

They entered the compound to someone approaching them with finger food on a tray. “Something to eat?”

Another server dropped by with drinks. “Thirsty? We can get you anything you want.”

Until this point, CoN had kept Matt and Lucy on the brink of starvation and exhaustion. She feared the five-star chef prepared fare. What would they do to them next?

Beside her, Justice Lee announced, “Eat and enjoy yourselves. This is what the winning side looks like. Try all the festivities.” To Lucy, he whispered, “Would you like a tour?”

She smiled maybe ten centimeters from his face. “Absolutely. But first, I want to eat everything in sight.”

Justice Lee brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “A tad bit of weight gain won’t be too bad, but remember, we expect all of our members to keep fit.” He peered down at her clothes. “I think before everyone eats we should get you into something fresh to wear. Mills!”

One server stopped just short of hearing range. “Your honor?”

“They need escorts to their new living quarters. Please.” The Justice falsified the ‘please,’ again. Before the server reached her side, he said, “I’ll take Lucy myself. This way, my dear.”

Justice Lee kept his arm locked around hers and approached one of the many entrances to a one-story building. A nursing home? Well, except everything inside was painted black: floor, walls, ceilings, and furniture. Even the windows were spray-painted solid black. The icy lights provided harsh illumination to their surroundings. Incense burned somewhere. He said, “It’s very dramatic, I know. Did Mendax ever tell you about this?”

Lucy shook her head.

“It’s such an odd choice. It’s the Cult of Night, not the Cult of Death Metal.”

A fit of laughter bubbled out of her.

“I bet you haven’t heard that sound in three months.” Justice Lee patted her hand again and took her down some winding hallways. “You will get lost. Don’t worry. Just remember your room number and don’t hesitate to ask for directions. Ah, two-thirty-two. Here we are.”

Lucy walked into her new home. A sizable room with black everything, including a private bath. She groaned at the sight of the shower.

The Justice said, “Go on. I’ll wait out here. And I’ll find you something to wear.”

“Justice Lee?” Lucy called before he left the room. He paused and glanced at her from the doorway. She said, “Thank you very much.”

He beamed. “We aim for pleasure.”

With that, he left, and she descended upon the water-heated, fully functioning shower like a ravenous beast. Lucy wanted to stand under the spray for the rest of the month. All her aching muscles and scars were assaulted by the pelting H2O. Her moaning echoed back to her. After scraping and scrubbing a thick layer of dirt from her body, she stepped out to hair products on the counter. Volumizer, heat protectant, leave-in conditioner.

From beyond the door, Lucy heard Justice Lee call, “I hope you don’t mind. I thought you could use them.”

Despite how gross he had acted toward her earlier in the night, his considerate actions since reminded her of a certain Icarus Lucy had met, briefly. “Thank you!”

Ten minutes later, she looked presentable in another pair of fucking khaki shorts and… a lacy white bra.

Justice Lee explained, “It’s tradition during the Propagation Cycle for all members to dress this way. Don’t worry. I think you’ll like your Promoter robes better.”

“I am grateful for all of it,” she said.

Justice Lee’s radiant smile affected Lucy a certain way. She couldn’t decide exactly how.

He said, “I love your optimism. Let’s go eat. During recruitment season, I get stuck out in the sticks with you guys eating oatmeal, too.”

The Justice took Lucy’s arm again and escorted her outside. The festivities carried on loud and wild. Some women forwent the bra altogether. Men groped at them.

Before she realized it, Justice Lee said, “They’re Pleasers.” He cringed. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about those earlier circumstances. I’m required to test all female recruits for the role. I can’t stand it.”

Not a bone in Lucy’s body believed him. She would never forget the look on his face as he got a peek at her breasts. He enjoyed it. She changed the subject, asking, “So, what’s good to eat around here?”

Justice Lee laughed, a rich, happy sound. “Everything. We have gourmet chefs and an endless supply of ingredients. You will never do without. You get room service, too. It helps when you’ve spent the entire day out promoting, and you just want to sit in your room and eat. Watch some TV.”

“The TVs work around here?”

“You can watch Icarean News 24/7.” He appeared genuinely happy over it. “But you know, I mostly just like to read the journals.”

“I can’t wait to start reading Renee.”

The Justice popped an hors d’oeuvre in his mouth and talked with it full. “She’s great. She really gets deep into the Elden mythology and how it all ultimately led to King Nox. Like divinity had intervened.” He stopped smacking and finally asked, “Want some?”

Lucy ate and drank. Unnerved the whole time by Justice Lee’s lack of table manners. Meanwhile, she avoided the stares at her cleavage. New girl and all. At one point, she spotted Matt in the crowd talking to an Enforcer. He glanced at her, and she knew he chose that exact angle to keep an eye on her. She turned back to her escort, asking, “What else is there to do at the festival?”

Justice Lee blushed, and Lucy tried not to blanch. “Well, the entire point of it: propagate.”

The instinct to recoil made her nauseous. “Can you elaborate, please?”

“We have to reproduce to keep new generations of our community up. Raising our children to follow the Doctrine of Nox. It’s terribly important. You’re required to participate. In fact, you’ll have to spend all your spare time with the other female members to sync up your cycle with them. Almost every woman you see here should be fertile. And then you… Well…” He pointed to some distance away in the vast space surrounded by tin walls. There, far off, she noticed an unusual sight.

Bodies. Writhing bodies. An orgy.

“I’ll serve in my eternal gratitude to the Icari,” she muttered.

“That go-to attitude is so rare.” Justice Lee squeezed her hand with ketchup on his fingers. “We’ve needed Promoters like you for a while. I’m happy to have recruited you.”

Just then lightning—no—something like lightning cracked through the sky. A blue electricity fizzled right above them. The entire crowd cheered and stared into the vista of stars.

A man’s face cast across the sky. The biggest man Lucy had ever seen with black hair and black eyes and a cruel grin on his full lips. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

Everyone fell on their knees, Matt and Lucy complied last and stilted. A few voices called, “King Nox!” Some sighed his name. She stared into the face of the man who destroyed their world and wondered how Rayne had ever survived.

“For months, Rayne has invaded your compounds and taken your children. Leaving behind nothing but destruction in her wake. Now, she’s coming for your future generations. Don’t let her take your children. Or they’ll suffer indoctrination of the worst caliber.”

An image appeared in the sky. A video of familiar faces all scuttled around a cage with a one-armed girl trapped inside. She lifted the cage. The video slowed down. The girl slit the throat of the surrounding men and pinned a woman to the ground. Rayne had grown insanely strong and fast.

Justice Lee gasped beside Lucy.

Matt’s eyes met Lucy’s across the grounds. A smile shone in his eyes.

She shook her head.

Then a woman’s voice carried over the visual, “If you’d left us alone, our children would still be alive.”

Rayne’s voice came next. “In pieces. I want everyone in pieces. You and all the Icari eat your fill and rip them apart. Don’t waste bullets on them.”

Nox returned to the screen. “Study the footage. As soldiers in this army, you need to understand what you’re up against. My protection only extends so far. If she succeeds, she’ll kill you and your children.”

The sky flickered and went dark again.

Jeers and sneers came from the crowd. Many shouts of ‘bitch,’ or ‘cunt.’ Even Justice Lee growled, “Self righteous harlot. What kind of monster orders people ripped apart and sets the place on fire?”

Lucy hopped off her knees and popped another profiterole into her mouth.

Chocolate made everything better.