Paul stood in front of the statue of Amun-Ra before the ceremony. Closing his eyes, he knelt in front of the statue and kissed the feet. "You place a great deal of importance upon kissing feet." Said a voice behind him. Slightly angered at the interruption to his private thoughts and prayer, Paul stood and turned towards the voice. "You must leave this temple, Francois. It is not wise for you to stay and watch this ceremony. We seek Amun-Ra's forgiveness, and having the leader of the invading country's troops present would not help us in our cause." He said. Francois was slightly shocked at the tone of Paul's voice. "I only wish to see that Kieran is killed with minmal suffering." He replied. "If you stay, what you see will repulse you. But, if you insist, then you will be party to something that will mean you are once more bound to defend this temple." Paul said, turning away from him and kneeling in front of Amun-Ra’s statue once more. Francois watched him finish his prayer, kiss the feet of the statue, stand and walk away, back to the Priest’s quarters. A sudden sense of dread filled him. Had Ademus not said that Paul prayed before every sacrifice he made? Surely, this was Amun-Ra’s temple and as Ademus was High Priest, he would be the one to carry out the sacrifice, not Paul. A few minutes later, Michael walked out with 2 cups, and a large plate upon which lay a covered ceremonial dagger. He placed the plate and dagger to one side on a small table next to the altar, and the cups at one end of the altar, next to each other. Having done this he returned to the back of the temple. After a few more minutes, Paul came back out, dressed in ceremonial robes. Francois was suddenly fearful. Ademus had said that Paul would want revenge on the person responsible for Saska’s death. Surely, Paul would not kill Ademus on the altar of his temple. He watched Paul pick the dagger up and inspect it, running his thumb along it to make quite sure that it was sharp enough. Satisfied, he placed the dagger back on the plate. The staff of the temple walked out next and, kneeling, formed a semi circle round the altar. Finally Michael and Ademus walked out, clad in white robes with Kieran who was bare-chested and seemed somewhat different in appearance, as did Ademus. Michael walked in front of Kieran carrying a book and Ademus behind him. Francois moved towards the temple staff and stood to one side so that he could still see all that happened. He noted that, unlike all he had been taught in school, Kieran was not bound, or dragged to the altar. He did not seem frightened at what would happen. Francois realised that Kieran was willingly walking to his death, knowing what would happen to him. Francois watched Kieran walk up to Paul, kneel in front of him and kiss his feet. Paul placed his hand upon Kieran’s head in blessing and spoke a few words to him that no one else heard. Then Ademus helped Kieran onto the altar and tilted his head back, while Michael held the book he had been carrying up to Paul. He watched Paul take the dagger and place the point of it against the top of Kieran’s neck, pressing against the skin. Paul started to read from the book, his voice echoing round the temple as he recited the words in the language of the ancients. He watched the temple staff echo some of the words and speak back to him, bowing to the ground as they did so. Francois could not understand all the words that were spoken, but suddenly he heard Paul speak the last few words in a language he understood, German. “Können Sie Ihr Blut hat gesetzt den Ärger von Amun-Ra und Ihr Fleisch befriedigt seinen Hunger. (May your blood sate the anger of Amun-Ra and your flesh satisfy his hunger.)” At the same time, he drew the dagger swiftly across Kieran’s neck. Francois was shocked at the speed Paul had moved. Kieran lay dead upon the altar, his throat slit, the blood pouring from the open wound into the 2 cups either side of his body. Paul did not waste any time, he again drew the dagger quickly down the middle of Kieran’s neck to his navel. He worked quickly, slicing the flesh from Kieran’s body and placing it on the plate. All the time, blood continued to flow into the 2 cups. Finally, the flow of blood stopped, as Paul placed the dagger besides the plate, now piled with Kieran’s flesh, and on the top of the pile, his heart. Paul picked up the cup nearest to him; his hands covered with blood, lifted it to his lips and drank from it. Francois was starting to feel physically sick at what he was seeing, but he could not turn away, no matter how hard he tried. Paul offered the cup to Ademus who took it with shaking hands, drank from it, and then passed it to Michael, who drank from it and placed the cup back on the altar. Paul then took a piece of Kieran’s flesh from the plate and ate it before passing a piece first to Ademus, who was still shaking and then Michael. Of the two, Michael seemed to be less bothered by what had happened. After Michael had eaten the flesh Paul had given him, some of the priests came up to the altar, lifted Kieran’s body from it and carried it to their quarters, the others followed them, one carrying the second cup. Ademus and Michael bowed to Paul and left him, following the temple staff. Soon Paul was left alone behind the altar. “I warned you to stay away from the ceremony, Francois. Now you must pay the consequences of your actions.” Paul said, lifting the cup to his lips again.