“Why, I’m going to pierce your ear,” Morgan replied good-naturedly. He opened a small bottle of pale-greenish liquid and dampened a scrap of cotton wool. Then he took the Eye of Rom and wiped it carefully on all surfaces, being especially careful to cleanse the gold wire that would go through Kelson’s earlobe.

“Duncan, would you read me the first two stanzas of the ritual verse? I want to be sure I’m doing this right.” He took a silver needle from the kit and began wiping it as Duncan read.

When shall the Son deflect the running tide?
A Spokesman of the Infinite must guide
The Dark Protector’s hand to shed the blood
Which lights the Eye of Rom at Eventide.

Same blood must swiftly feed the Ring of Fire.
But, careful, lest ye rouse the Demon’s Ire.
If soon thy hand despoil the virgin band,
Just retribution damns what ye desire.

Morgan nodded and put the needle down on the table, wrapped in its piece of protective cotton. “Clear enough, I think. You and I are the Spokesman and the Protector. With you looking on, I pierce Kelson’s ear and let the blood touch the Eye of Rom, which activates that. Then we touch the same blood to the Ring of Fire, being careful not to touch the Ring with our bare hands. That should be simple enough.”

Duncan got up and stood beside Kelson’s chair. “All right. What do you want me to do besides watch?”

Morgan moved his chair closer to Kelson’s and picked up another piece of cotton wool, again moistening it with the greenish liquid. “Just hold his head so it doesn’t move,” he said, smiling reassuringly at Kelson. “We don’t want a lopsided hole in his ear.”

Kelson smiled weakly, but he said nothing as he took up the Ring of Fire in its nest of white silk, being careful not to let his hands come into contact with the bare metal or stones. The deep garnet-red gems glittered in the candlelight, echoing the dark glow from the Eye of Rom on the table before him.

As Duncan’s cool hands steadied his head on either side, Kelson felt a cold sensation on his right earlobe as Morgan swabbed it. There was a pause as he sensed Morgan positioning the needle; then the slight popping sound of the skin being pierced—once going in, once coming out the other side. He felt no pain.