Billy was huddled on the ground, hands over his mouth. The fog hadn't so much lifted from his mind as been sandblasted out, leaving little useful to replace it. He had no idea what was going on or who he should be supporting, and the loudspeakers were echoing the sounds of the people screaming around him.

"Interloper! Blasphemer! Get him!" The cultists were reacting predictably. The foolish younger ones rushed in to grab Ragdoll while the older acolyte grabbed Billy around the shoulders Not now, not when he was so close!

"Sing!" he ordered in a harsh whisper. "Begin the rite before all is lost!" The ritual was nothing, merely pomp and circumstance to appease the masses. The only real power was in the song and the one who knew how to siphon it for his own usage. Billy drew in a shuddering breath and let out the first sweet note of the first song.