Your Brother's Blood by David Towsey

Author:David Towsey [David Towsey]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3
Tags: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction
Goodreads: 21274446
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books
Published: 2013-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

2 : 9

Nathaniel was the last to arrive at Elder Richards’ office. He hitched Buster and went quickly into the building. Veronica Klimp was sitting at her desk. When he entered, she looked up from her copy of the Good Book. She looked tired. No doubt the Elder had woken her late last night and kept her working through the day. If he was awake, so was she. He took off his hat and smiled what he hoped was a sympathetic smile.

‘The Elder says you’re late.’

‘Not everyone lives on Main,’ Nathaniel said.

‘They’re in his chambers.’

‘Don’t get up,’ he said. ‘I know the way.’

He hurried along the corridor. He was tracking mud onto the Elder’s carpets. Served Richards right for making him rush into town. But as he stood in front of the chamber door, he realised it was Veronica who would have to clean up his mess. He knocked and went in.

‘… and it was no ordinary man! It was Satan’s spawn.’

‘Yes, Luke,’ the Elder said. He was sitting behind his large, dark wood desk. In front of him were the Pastor and Luke Morris. Law-Man Bellis stood a little way off, leaning against the wall. He clearly wasn’t happy despite appearing at ease; he was whittling away at his fingernails with a six-inch blade. The chamber was warm – a brazier holding coals sat in the corner. More carpet filled the sizeable room. Chairs were arranged in front of the desk. A basin and a standing mirror were the only furniture to suggest this was a private room. It wasn’t private today. The two holy men turned when Nathaniel came in.

‘What’s going on?’ Nathaniel said.

Luke launched into his story. The young man looked awful. His cheeks were hollow. The hands he gestured with were almost skeletal. The gist of it was someone had taken Mary McDermott in the night. Nathaniel sat down heavily in one of the Elder’s big leather chairs. Luke was making some pretty extravagant claims about who that ‘someone’ was.

‘… and the evil that rolled off this creature—’

‘Thank you, Luke,’ the Elder said. ‘Now, if you would leave us?’

Luke looked to the Pastor who nodded just a fraction. Richards didn’t like that, but managed to sit on his anger. The young acolyte left the room muttering.

‘I say again, what’s going on?’

The Pastor turned to Nathaniel. ‘My acolyte has been in self-imposed exile, a pious enterprise to cleanse the soul. He has fasted. He hasn’t slept. But someone did take Mary McDermott from her home last night. There was a gunshot. This we know as fact.’

‘But no demon took her,’ Bellis said. ‘I saw him.’

‘Luke isn’t lying. He saw the events as a holy man might.’

‘A demon with the face of Thomas McDermott?’

‘I think it’s fairly clear that Thomas returned to Barkley in the same manner as Jared Peekman. As a Walkin’,’ the Pastor said.

The men grew quiet. Nathaniel remembered that day clearly: the pyre, Jared, and his son. He was sure the rest of them were remembering too.

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