Powerless (Boundless Book 2) by Damien Boyes

Author:Damien Boyes [Boyes, Damien]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

20

Brother Brennus

The prior shows me down three flights of stairs to a small damp cell carved from the rock of the cliff, gestures to the open door, and retreats into the Cloister’s halls without another word.

The room is a stone rectangle with no window. Brother Brennus sits on the meager blanket of his narrow cot, his back pressed against one rock wall and his knobby knees grazing the other. He’s skinny, with a round head, heavily freckled skin, and a dark orange bowl of a haircut. A threadbare robe is draped over his shoulders and he’s clutching a red book to his chest like he’s been cast into the ocean and it’s the only thing keeping him afloat. Kind of like me when I was standing on Mom’s porch.

He can’t be more than fourteen, and looks like he should be in AV Club and puffing on an inhaler, not staring at the stone wall of a tiny cell. As a matter of fact, he looks like he’s in shock. He doesn’t budge as I squeeze into the room.

“Brother Brennus?” I say, and he doesn’t even blink. No indication he sees me at all. “Brother Brennus,” I repeat, louder this time. Still, nothing.

I reach out and give him a gentle tap on his bony shoulder, and that sparks him to life. His head rotates toward me, then he looks me up and down with drawn eyes.

“You’ve come to take me,” he says. His voice is thin, and the blank expression on his face tightens to resignation. “To Hell. For my sins. Where I will serve the dark master for all eternity.”

How do you convince someone, no, you’re not possessed by a demon, you’re a cosmic superhero created by the universe itself? It’s not possible. There’s no bridge between those two things. He’ll have to figure all that out on his own, but in the meantime, I need him to tell me what Einarr wanted.

“I’m not a demon,” I say, keeping my voice light, like I’m trying to hypnotize a frightened rabbit, “and I’m not here to take you anywhere.” Then I remember what the prior said. “Except that’s not true. I’m sorry, but they’re kicking you out of the Cloister, so you do need to leave—but you can go wherever you want when you do. I promise.”

He stares at me, dazed, trying to believe in the impossible now that it’s happened to him. I know how he feels.

“I know you’re confused,” I say, trying to reach him, “and scared, and that’s okay, because this is scary and confusing, but I’m here with you. This happened to me too. You’re not possessed and you’re not cursed, you’re just”—How do I explain?—“different now.” Different? That’s not helpful. “You can do things you couldn’t before, incredible things. But this isn’t a punishment. It’s more like a gift, with strings attached. Long, painful strings.” I can see he’s not following, but I’m not explaining it that great either.

“Where will I go?” he asks. He hasn’t heard anything I said.

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