Chapter 67 - Gift Giving

• Dave POV -
• “Now that Joe has been added to our pack and ranks, I want to explain to you a bit about what is going to happen here in this initiation. I have been researching initiation ceremonies for the past few days to make sure I didn’t screw it up” A few chuckles carried to me on the breeze, “This one is going to be a little different from the usual ceremony. The ritual I found will bind us all together in a deeper, more meaningful way, all I ask of you is for you to pass the goblet around and add a single drop of your own blood into the goblet after I have done so, once the goblet is filled, we will ALL take a sip. I will then begin the ceremony to bring our new members into the fold as usual and then it will be time to celebrate with the delicious meal Gail and the others in the kitchen have prepared for us. For the duration of the ceremony I need you all to stay alert, there will be no guards on patrol or guarding the prisons for the 10 minutes it will take to complete the ritual.” The seriousness of those words sober up the crowd who had been muttering among themselves. I watched them closely as I spoke but knew that my deception would show everyone for who they were in the end.
• Author POV -