Der Schädelring: Thriller (German Edition)

Dr. Forrest said. "But how many times does he get such sweet revenge? Imagine the power, imagine his blessings upon us, if we give him the daughter of the one who betrayed him?"
    Under other circumstances, Julia might have laughed at the idea of someone's betraying the prince of betrayal. But, no, she wasn't a skeptic, she was a true believer, willingly offering her flesh to the master of the world. She mirrored the crazed, beatific smile that Dr. Forrest wore and was horrified to find how easily it slipped onto her face.
    "Give me to him," Julia begged Hartley. "I want Satan to have me, body and soul. Of my own free will."
    "No, Julia," Walter said.
    "Shut up," Hartley said to Walter. "If it wasn't for your meddling, this whore would already belong. But I suppose Satan owes you a small debt of thanks. After all, your whore wife and child were worthy sacrifices."
    Walter gasped and trembled with rage. Julia knew she couldn't wait much longer. She said to Dr. Forrest, "Untie me, so that I might come to him, pure and willing. We are all part of the Circle."
    The nude woman stooped behind Julia and began tugging on the knots. "Oh, Sister. I'm so glad you want to belong. We'll be together forever, in him."
    Hartley held the knife menacingly above Walter. "Watch the whore," Hartley said.
    "She trusts me," Dr. Forrest said, as if talking to the forest and rocks and river. "And Satan will smile on my work. Because I've helped make Julia who she is. I've helped her become Judas Stone. Haven't I, Master?"
    The knots loosened and the rope slipped down Julia's wrists. Dr. Forrest began pulling Julia's sweater over her head, preparing her for the completion of the pentagram. Julia kept the acolyte's smile, though her eyes were fixed on Hartley. His skull ring glowed in the rising darkness, the rubies making two red specks even though there was no light to reflect.
    Julia looked at the ring on Walter's finger. Her ring. No reflection came from it. Her breath caught. She'd thought this was all a game, that "Satan's" tricks were explained by the manipulation of Creeps. The power of Dr. Forrest's suggestions combined with false memories.
    But what if she'd really been born unto Satan? What if her father had given her away, but changed his mind and rescued her? What if the long-ago ritual had been interrupted, and Satan had delighted in Julia's long, torturous path back to the Inner Circle?
    No matter. The words were out like a rote magic spell before she could reconsider. "I want Satan to have me, body and soul. Of my own free will."
    When Julia had said those words, hadn't a sick warmth filled her chest? Hadn't she felt giddy with strength, as if the master of the world would share the world's sick spiritual wealth? Didn't Satan promise absolute freedom, freedom to kill or scar or lie or lust? All sins without a price, because the ultimate price had already been paid?
    She gazed at Hartley, half-expecting to see a goat's head sprouting from the top of his robe, expecting the master to don flesh so that he might taste his world's mortal sins. But all she saw was a depraved, aging man, his face reddened by the cold wind.
    The skull ring was just a piece of metal set with ornamental stones. A symbol for the fools who lacked hope, who saw no value in the living and so had to fabricate a monstrous illusion. And daggers, robes, pentagrams, rituals were nothing but stage props for a nonexistent deity, contrived mockeries to give meaning to meaningless lives. The ultimate worship of self and ego.
    She looked at Walter, and in his eyes saw life. The fires of the soul were never lit by fallen angels. They were lit by compassion. Power was created by a sacrifice that was selfless, not a sacrifice that was made to gain approval. Walter had made sacrifices for her, and he had sparked hope in her own heart. And love was the brightest of powers, the hottest of fires, the force that brought even gods to their knees.
    Or maybe she was simply insane.
    Either way, Julia stood, energy flowing through her limbs. She felt Dr. Forrest pulling on her blouse, trying to expose her abdomen so that Hartley could bring the knife to bear. The forest seemed like a wild beast, pulsing and throbbing beneath the skin of night. The wind rose and fell in a melody that might have been as old as the earth.
    Julia shrugged away from Dr. Forrest's clutching fingers, turned, and walked up the path toward the high rocks. "O Satan, my Master, come take me," she shouted at