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"You take estured to his subordinates, and they hurried over and uncuffed her chains She felt her arms drop, and was relieved to have the blood flow back to her wrists They uncuffed her ankles next Four of therip on her arms and shoulders

"If you won&039;t answer to me," Kyle said, "then you will answer to the Assembly Just remember, you have chosen this They will show no mercy, as I may have done"

As they led her away, Kyle added, "Make no mistake, you will be killed either way But my ould have been quick and painless Now you will see what suffering is"

Caitlin tried to resist as they dragged her forward But it was useless They were leading her so she could do but embrace her fate

And pray

When they opened the oak door, Caitlin could not believe her eyes The rooe circle, it was lined with hundred-foot-tall stone columns, ornately decorated It ell lit, torches placed every 5 feet, all throughout the room It looked like the Pantheon It looked ancient

As she was led in, the next thing she noticed was the noise It was a huge crowd She looked around and saw hundreds, if not thousands, ofquickly all about the rooeness to how they moved: it was so fast, so rando noise, and looked up Dozens of these people leapt, or flew, through the roo to balcony, fro noise she had heard It was as if she had entered a cave full of bats

She took it all in and was completely, utterly, shocked Vampires did exist Was she one of them?

They led her to the center of the roo, her bare feet cold on the stone They led her to a spot in the center of the floor, designated by a large, tile circle

As she reached the center, the noise gradually died down The e, stone amphitheater before her It looked like a political assembly, like the pictures she had seen of the state of the union address - except, instead of hundreds of politicians, these were hundreds of va at her Their order and discipline was impressive Within seconds, they were all perfectly seated, quiet as can be The room fell silent

As she stood in the center of the room, held in place by the attendants, Kyle stepped off to the side, folded his hands, and lowered his head in reverence

Before the assembly sat an immense stone chair It looked like a throne She looked up and saw that seated in it was a vampire who looked older than the others She could tell that he was absolutely ancient There was so about his cold, blue eyes They stared down at her as if they had seen 10,000 years She hated the feeling of his eyes on her They were evil itself

"So," he said, his voice a low rumble "This is the one who breached our territory," he said His voice was gravelly and had absolutely no ware chamber

"Who is your coven leader?" he asked

Caitlin stared back, debating how to answer She had no idea what to say

"I don&039;t have a leader," she said "And I don&039;t belong to any coven I am here by myself"

"You know the punish at the corner of hisworse than immortality," he continued, "it is immortality in pain"

He stared at her

"This is your last chance," he said

She stared back, having no idea what to say Out of the corner of her eye, she scanned the roo if there was any way out She didn&039;t see one

"As you wish," he said, and nodded ever so slightly

A side door opened, and out caged to the center of the floor, only feet from where Caitlin stood She watched in fear, unsure as happening

"This va," the leader said "Not as severe a violation as yours But still, one that ain, and an attendant stepped forith a small vial of liquid He reached up and splashed it on the chained va Caitlin watched his skin bubble up all over his ar immediately, as if he were burned His shrieks were horrific

"This is not just any holy water," the leader said, staring down at Caitlin, "but specially charged water Froh any skin, and that the pain will be horrific Worse than acid"

He stared long and hard Caitlin The room was completely silent

"Tell us where you&039;re from and you will be spared an awful death"

Caitlin sed hard, not wanting to feel that water on her skin It looked horrific Then again, if she were not truly a vampire, it shouldn&039;t harm her But it was not an experiain at her chains, but they did not give way

She could feel her heart pounding, and the sweat raising on her brow What could she possibly tell hi her up

"You are brave I admire your loyalty to your coven But your time is up"

He nodded, and she heard the sound of chains She looked over, and sao attendants hoist a huge cauldron With each pull, they raised it several feet in the air When it was high, about 15 feet off the ground, they swung it over, so that it was directly over her head

"There were but a few ounces of holy water splashed on that vaallons When it washes over your body, it will give you the inable You will be in this pain for a lifetime But you will still be alive, immobile, helpless Remember, you have chosen this"

Theten times the speed The attendants at her side hooked her chains into the stone and ran, rushing to get as far away from her as possible

As Caitlin looked up, she saw the cauldron tilting, and the liquid begin to pour She looked back down and closed her eyes

Please God Help h the chamber

And then, she was immersed