The pilgrims tumbled out of their chairs, fell to the floor, bowed their heads to avert their eyes in humility, all of them shouting words and phrases, most of them indecipherable. But Alexandra heard various renditions of, “Praise the Maze,” and “Glory to the Gladers,” and “Damn the Grievers to hell,” and “Touch me, God, please touch me.” But mostly she heard wailing and moaning mixed with hysterical cries of joy. Mannus had remained in his seat, but he stared at her in disbelief.

The others crawled toward her—not on hands and knees like a toddler, but flat on their stomachs, in deference to their God, pulling themselves forward with their arms, looking like nothing so much as worms or lizards or some other slithering creature.

Soon they surrounded her, prostrate, but having shown enough humility to now look at her with pleading eyes. They’d stopped making their noises, now only hoping to be shown some grace by one of the Three to whom they’d devoted their lives.

It sickened her.

It did. But she’d committed to a path from which she could not turn. When all of this was over, when she alone stood as their God, Goddess, whatever, then things would change. With the Coffin in her possession, things could finally begin to change. But first, she had to be rid of Nicholas. Mikhail, too, perhaps. But Nicholas first because he was the toughest.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked quietly.

This set off another burst of excitement and she had to let that go on for a minute or so. Then she raised her hands to silence them.

“I am your Goddess, and you see me for who I am. You have been in my presence and as you search your hearts, you know what you have felt. I am the Evolution. You are my children and one day soon you will Evolve as I have Evolved. Do you believe my words?”

Yes, yes, they did. They made that perfectly clear before she had to silence them again.

“Your Goddess is pleased. What Mannus has directed is what I have directed. The God named Nicholas has broken the seal before its time, a blasphemy. It has been revealed that he must be punished and that I must rise in his place. Behold your new God.”

Back in her apartments, she’d spent hours writing this stuff up. Now she found it hard to believe they’d yet to laugh in her face, roll on the floor, holding their bellies while they shook with uncontrollable mirth. But this was the way of the Godhead, wasn’t it? Still, faith and devotion could only be relied on to a point. Now, a step up.