Everyone else looked on uncomfortably, shifting their feet. Willing to participate in human sacrifice, they got cold feet at a little bickering. It almost made me laugh.

The fire had died down, red and gray ashes churning into smaller and smaller piles. I walked into the vault, skirting around the edge, avoiding the middle of the room, where the fire was still hot enough to feel through the thickness of the ceremonial robes, avoiding the charred skeleton that hung by its arms above a mound that used to be millions of dollars.

“Weren’t you listening? What did you think we were doing?” I asked. “See this?” Reaching out I brushed my bare fingers along the polished surface of the back wall.

For a second, the steel seemed to reverberate, or ripple, and then it was normal again. Everything had worked just as it was supposed to. I don’t know if any of them saw it. Right then, I didn’t care. Dreams of power and immortality teased me- and I hungered for them.

Five more successes and the world would change forever.