La librairie des livres interdits

Marc Levy

Description

...'He threw on a cloak, over his shoulders the skin of a wolf and left the house. A breath of fresh air brought him to his senses. The Chevalier felt better, objects no longer blurred before his eyes, gradually acquiring clear outlines.
A plump young girl with luxurious golden wavy hair gathered in several silver combs at the back of her head, openly showed interest in Lord de Béziers. And apparently, he liked the courtship of this charming plump Scottish woman. The Chevalier watched the whole picture and wondered: "Well, who would have thought that the venerable illustrious Lord Antoine de Béziers could be carried away by a woman ?!"
Several knights, embracing their chosen ones by the waist, with a mysterious look took the girls away in the direction of the forest altar.
De Cavallon noticed the beauty from Oban, she was obviously waiting for someone. The red-haired beauty suddenly approached him and, putting her hand on her chest, said:
"I'm Fedelm…"
The Chevalier realized that this was the name of a beauty, then he took her hand and, kissing her fingertips, introduced himself:
"I'm Auguste…"
She understood the sign of attention shown and smiled, because it was not customary for the Celts to kiss the lady's hand. The Chevalier gallantly offered his hand to Fedelm, as befits a knight, and together they followed everyone to the sacrificial altar.
The Scots and knights entered the forest that covers the foot of Mount Bennachie. De Cavallon saw a stone as tall as a man. On the stone were clearly visible images of many animals. Something similar, he had already seen in the foothills of the Grampian mountains. Under a high stone stood a sacrificial altar in the form of a round flat stone, blackened either from time or from the blood shed on it over many centuries.
Two Scots led a sheep to the sacrificial altar. A Celtic druid in a white cloak stood near the altar with a sacrificial knife resembling a sickle of the moon. The poor animal was tied up and placed on the altar, the bleating of the doomed sheep unnerved Auguste. But next to Auguste was Fedelm. And he involuntarily tightened his grip on the girl's hand. From the expression on the girl's face, it was clear how important the action was for her. For the chevalier, as well as for other knights, all this was more like a theater of pagan gods.
The druid raised his hands to the sky, and then turned his gaze to the earth. He slashed the animal's neck with a knife, and blood flooded the entire altar. The Celts unanimously expressed their approval. Then the druid placed the sacrificial bowl under the gushing scarlet fountain of blood and filled it. The Celts believed that the sacrificial blood of an animal would protect them from evil spirits. They took turns approaching the bowl and dipping their hands in it. Then they went to a water source, which was not far from the sanctuary, and performed a ritual washing of hands and face.
"Are we supposed to get bloodied too?" Hissed Vicomte of Carcassonne, addressing Lord de Béziers. "We are not pagans!"
"Alas, what to do, Vicomte! We are invited to the holiday and are here as guests. Sacrifice is part of their religion and culture. If we refuse, then most likely, further communication with the Celts will be difficult. I advise you, Vicomte, to lightly dip your fingers in the sacrificial blood of the animal. We'll have to be patient!"
The knights had to do the same as the Celts. Some knights perceived what was happening more as fun, and with a mock serious look, they performed the necessary actions. The Vicomte de Carcassonne approached the bowl and slightly moistened his fingertips. Seeing such a thing, the druid, who was monitoring the observance of the rite, sharply raised the bowl up. And the Vicomte's hands completely dipped into the sacrificial bowl of blood. The eyes of the unfortunate Vicomte were filled with horror, but he said nothing and quickly went to the sacred sou...