Marcy stood with her hands clasped before her, facing the crowd. A ceremonial dagger was in a sheath attached to her belt. The girl was perfectly restored. Dream had recreated her down to the finest detail, including memories and personality. It had become so easy to retrieve such things. The recreated Marcy didn't know she had died. It was the one bit of memory Dream had seen fit to erase.
A marshal drum beat resonated in the pavilion. The man beating the drum stood next to the altar. The drumming abruptly swelled and ended with a flourish.
There was a moment of perfect silence.
No one inhaled or exhaled.
Then Marcy unclasped her hands, unsheathed the ceremonial dagger, and turned toward the thrones. She bowed slightly at the waist and said, "Your Highness, we are ready and await your command."
The Queen nodded. "Begin."
Marcy bowed again and turned away from her. She issued a silent command with a head gesture and the Palace Guard moved into the crowd. They jerked a number of men and women to their feet and prodded them toward the altar. The doomed ones went to their fates with their heads bowed. Each of them knew there was only one means of deliverance from this place. They accepted this because they had no choice. Many of them even embraced it.
Dream settled into her throne again and watched happily as the evening's first blood was spilled. By the end of the ceremony, the blood ran in thick, red rivers from the altar, staining the floor around it a stark shade of dark crimson.
Blood was everywhere.
Dream saw this.
And she decided it was good.
There was no greater glory than that derived from the sacrifice of innocents. It ignited her senses and fueled the darkness that had always lurked in her heart and had now been unleashed, given freedom to reign. It was a thing she hoped to enjoy for centuries to come. With her perfect lover at her side, she would happily wade through an ocean of blood. And with any luck, the wider world would one day bow before them.
She looked at the Master and he met her gaze.
He smiled again.
And she saw the promise of eternity in his dark eyes.
She reached toward him, clasped hands with him.
The Queen shivered at her King's touch.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
As always, thanks and love to my wife, Rachael. Thanks also go out to the rest of my family, including my brothers Jeff and Eric and their families, Cherie Smith (No. 1 mom of the millenium), Oscar and Dorothy May (grandparents extraordinaire), Jay and Helene Wise (in-laws of the highest caliber). My friends Keith Ashley and Shannon Turbeville. Kent Gowran, David T. Wilbanks, Mark Hickerson, Tod Clark, Bill Lindblad, all the cool people at the Black Circle Saloon and Brian Keene's Message Board of Madness--you guys rock hardcore. Of course, I owe a large debt to all the people who bought House of Blood and demanded a sequel. And last but definitely not least, thanks to Don D'Auria for making it happen in the first place.
CRITICS PRAISE THE SPINE-TINGLING WORK OF BRYAN SMITH!.
"House of Blood is a unique and riveting excursion into modern horror. Here's an author exploding onto the genre."
--Edward Lee, author of House Infernal.
"Smith promises unimaginable brutality, bile-inducing fear, and unfathomable despair; and then delivers monumentally!"
--Horror Web.
"Bryan Smith is a force to be reckoned with!"
--Douglas Clegg, author of The Attraction.
"A feast of good old-fashioned horror. Don't pass this one up!"
--Brian Keene, author of Dark Hollow on House of Blood.
"In the vein of Bentley Little and Edward Lee...sometimes scary, sometimes amusing, House of Blood is a quick, enjoyable read suitable for all fans of horror and dark fantasy."
--Michael Laimo, author of Fires Rising.
"Bryan Smith is truly a glowing example of the type of horror author born straight from the ashes of the genre's glorious heyday of the 80s. Smith really shines with his latest example of no-hold-barred horror fiction that proves there are no limits holding him back when it comes to truly terrifying his readers. The Freakshow is a sure bet to cement Bryan Smith's position in the forefront of the bold and shocking writers producing exceptional books within the horror genre. I highly recommend The Freakshow to anyone who loves an intense ride through a truly dark and terrifying novel."
--Horror World.
"The action kicks in literally from the first page and doesn't let up for the entire book. The pacing is dead on and the horror is exceptional. Good characters, a good story and some nasty imagery combine to make The Freakshow one of the most fun reads I've had in a long time."
--Dread Central.
Other Leisure books by Bryan Smith:.
THE FREAKSHOW.
DEATHBRINGER.
HOUSE OF BLOOD.
end.