Cillian and Gavriel's thoughts were cut short when Aliana fired off another sharp question.
"How does this ritual work?"
For a moment, Gwen remained silent, her eyes darting nervously between the knife pressed against her throat and Aliana's cold, unforgiving gaze, clearly weighing whether to keep resisting.
Aliana, however, had run out of patience. The urgency to save Cedric was rapidly eroding what little restraint she had left.
"Your eye it is, then," she whispered.
She raised the blade and brought the point up, ready to drive it into Gwen's eye, when the woman finally broke.
"H-he has to marry me first... and then be s-sacrificed to our goddess." Gwen stammered while trembling uncontrollably.
A suffocating silence descended on the room.
