A withered and bent attendant waves a burning herb sprig beneath the fallen girl’s nose. Her eyes fluttered open and she coughs violently in reaction to the terrible smell. Looking up at the priest, she has to take several deep breaths to keep from fainting again. His disdain for her weakness and cowardice shows plainly on his scarred face.
She shivers under his gaze. Staring at his grotesque face, she makes no move to rise. He is missing one of his eyes. Both ears have been partially cut away and now end in clotted scar tissue. There are rings and jewels pierced through what remain of his marred ears. The gold and jewels sparkle in the morning sun and mock the hideousness of his misshapen body. The man slowly backs away, a sick smile plastered across his face.
The chief priest is dressed in full ceremonial clothing, the tall wooden mask hiding his features from view. He approaches the quivering girl slowly. His hand shoots to her face, touching her cheek softly, almost in a caress. She pulls away, confused at his gentleness, fearful of what it might mean.
Anger flashes in his eyes, the only part of his face visible through the mask. Clenching his fist, a snarl slices through his teeth. Quickly, the priest grows impatient with the cowering girl and motions sharply for her to rise. Sobbing uncontrollably, her fear tells her to stay, but she rises regardless of her sobbing. She no longer tries to hide her hatred and anger. It flows freely with her tears.
The priest stands in front of the girl and walks toward her, forcing her to back against the stone altar. The ragged stone bites into her legs and she falters, falling to her knees and sobbing even harder. Her whole body convulses with the sobs.
The priest’s face clouds in rage. He turns to face the guards waiting several feet away. Their faces are stone-like, but the eyes betray their disgust for their charge. The priest’s smooth arm directs the guards to a small stone table next to the altar. The guards know what was required of them and walk to the table.
The table holds the instruments necessary for completing the ritual. A small grate with a fire underneath it occupies the center of the table. A knife made of sharpened obsidian is to the right of the grate and a clay bowl filled with water sits just above the knife. The guards move to the left side of the table where two pairs of thick gloves wait.
The guards pull the gloves onto their hands and move back toward the crying girl. Since she is unwilling to perform the necessary steps, the guards are required to assist her, but not touch her directly. The girl cannot be given unclean.
Stoically, the two men lift the girl’s body, their hands shielded from direct contact with her skin by the oiled cloth gloves. She does not fight their strong hands. She cries and mutters despairing pleas for help. Depositing her on the stone altar, they back away slowly. The men surrounding her ignore her words and begin to tie her body down to the altar with thick leather bands.