The “Ceremony” room wasn't what he'd imagined either. He thought it would be... grander, more ornate. Instead it was more like a classroom. It smelled of old meat and rusty nails. A stone worktable dominated the centre of the otherwise plain room. There was a rack of wire cages against the wall at the back and each cage had a rat inside. Most of the rats were trying to get at the others to fight. It reminded Kinst of his past year a little. He glanced over at Master Spruk who was settling himself onto a wooden chair in the corner. He was slightly elevated above the level Kinst would be standing at, so that he could see everything that was happening. Kinst couldn't make any mistakes. He would have to do everything perfectly. Ganny would probably have finished by now and still be grinning.
'In your own time, boy.' Master Spruk's withered voice brought Kinst back from his imaginings. He'd prepared for this. He knew what to do. He took his ceremonial instruments out from his bag: a black-handled knife etched with Urtish rune-work; a blood-red flat stone, smooth and warm to the touch, and his unworn bronze chain that he would only have a right to wear when he'd passed the initiation. He laid his things reverentially on the stone table in front of him, carefully placing each one just so, as he recalled from the diagrams in his studies. His dagger went to the right of the table, the stone in the centre and his chain on the left.
'Good, you know where to put everything.' Master Spruk's dry chuckle filled the room.
'That's a start at least, boy. Now, pick an animal.' Kinst walked over to the cages trying to look confident in front of the Master. He couldn't show weakness. He had to show his resolve to pass. There were rats of all shapes and sizes in the cages, white, grey, black and brown. They were all wrong. At least he didn't have a time limit for this, if he had he would be like Nuk, sent back to his cell to be “Useful.” Kinst shuddered as his hand brushed a curiously blue eyed rat. He froze, rooted to the spot, the ants back again. He'd found the one and quickly, too quickly. Could he stall? No. He felt the Masters eyes on him. He took the cage carefully from the rack. This rat wasn't like the other ones trying to kill or maim the others. It wasn't furiously trying to escape, gnawing the iron cage futilely, it seemed alert and aware of what was going on. It was waiting for its chance at freedom. He walked slowly over to the table, placing the cage on it with care, its old surface was pitted from countless years of use. He could feel the roughness on his finger tips. Everything felt more real for Kinst; the ants were gnawing at his stomach; his heart pounded in his chest. Surely Master Spruk would hear, smell his fear and stop the test now.
'Go on boy, I'm not getting any younger.' Master Spruk said right on cue, as if he could see into Kinst's mind. Kinst reached gingerly into the cage. The rat pressed itself into the corner of the cage. The tips of his fingers brushed the bristly fur of the rat. He thought it would be smoother. His hand closed around the body of the oddly quiescent rodent. Kinst took it out of the cage, holding it gently in his hand. The rat sensing its chance, began thrashing violently, its body contorting. It's teeth found flesh quickly. Kinst bit his lip hard to stop from crying out. He tightened his grip but the rodent still squirmed furiously, teeth snapping futilely in the air, barely missing his hand. Just a bit more strength and he could crush its life entirely. It had bit him, it deserved death. For now though, he held it just tight enough to escape the teeth and claws. His other hand grasped for his ceremonial blade, worn from endless use yet still sharp enough for what he had to do next.
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'That's right boy: make the cut behind the neck and let the blood drip onto the binding stone.' Master Spruk's voice boomed in Kinst's ears. His face seemed to fill all of the room. Kinst took a slow breath to steady himself, his hand began shaking as he pressed the rat to the blood red stone. He ran the knife across its neck. It was only vermin; it didn't matter. It wasn't murder. The rat squealed as its life blood drained onto the binding stone. Its thrashing seemed endless. Even in the face of death it fought on. He'd picked the right one. Finally, after an eternity, he laid the rat to rest on the stone in the growing pool of blood.
'An'kah xant hehku unkeht An'kah' Kinst chanted the runes as he had been taught repeating them over and over; he felt the blood energy flowing through him. 'An'kah xant hehku unkeht An'kah' Calmly he took the crimson stained blade and sliced deeply into his already-scarred thumb. It wasn't murder. His blood dripped onto the binding stone ''An'kah xant hehku unkeht An'kah' his blood mixed with that of the rat. The lifeless body of the rat began to twitch and convulse, he could feel it as though a part of him. From its claws to his whiskers, the taste of blood in his mouth; he was the rat.
'Now complete the binding, young warlock.' The voice of Old Master Spruk came from far away, echoing oddly as he heard the words twice through his own ears and those of the rats. He worked his jaw and twitched his whiskers, his claws scrabbling for purchase on the slippery wet stone. Focusing hard he forced his own mouth to move, it felt foreign and unreal. He was barely able to croak the sounds out. The dual existence was pressing hard on his mind, he thought he would burst before he got the words out.
'Kant Kant X'etah Unkeht Kant.' Finally. Kinst closed both sets of eyes. The final binding held both his bodies rigid. The tension lifted, the once lifeless rat was on the table staring at him, he stared back. It was his first familiar.
He was part of the brotherhood. Sacrifices like the rat, like Nuk, had to be made if he wanted power. At the back of his mind though, Kinst knew that the true cost of these rites of blood would be much higher than than a scar on his thumb.