The Left-Hand Path_Disciple by T. S. Barnett

Author:T. S. Barnett [Barnett, T. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780997861556
Google: nBm0wwEACAAJ
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp Print Us
Published: 2019-03-25T16:49:32+00:00

15

Thomas knelt on the floor of his bedroom, his hands resting lightly on his knees and his eyes closed as he lowered his head to murmur the same prayer he’d recited thousands of times. The hard press of the wood on his knees hadn’t bothered him for years.

“O Lord God, Who are seated upon the Heavens, and Who regardest the Abysses beneath, grant unto me Thy Grace I beseech Thee, so that what I conceive in my mind I may accomplish in my work, through Thee, O God, the Sovereign Ruler of all, Who livest and reignest unto the Ages of the Ages. Amen.”

He took another slow breath before standing. Letting Cora join in on the ritual last night had been a mistake. He should have warned her about the kiss—he’d meant to warn her. But every time he’d opened his mouth to try, it had seemed too painfully uncomfortable. Somehow it had been better to just do it, then keep his back to her until she either left or the heat in his face had faded away. It didn’t mean anything, regardless—it was just awkward. Cora was young and excitable, and likely to read far too much into a simple ritual tradition. And now that she had seen the sort of magic he really did, she was just as likely to catch the first flight she could to wherever Elton and Moore had gone.

Thomas hesitated just inside his bedroom door. It would be better if she left. Then things could go back to normal.

Downstairs, he found Cora just as he did every morning—sitting at the kitchen table, chewing on a simple breakfast. The only thing missing was her usual impatient glare as he passed; today, she slammed her phone face down on the surface of the table and stared at him with her eyebrows raised as though he’d already accused her of something she was prepared to deny. The cat lay sprawled on the wood surface nearby, the tip of its tail twitching idly as it snoozed, apparently undisturbed by the sudden noise.

“Good morning,” she said around a mouthful of bread that she hastily swallowed.

“Good morning. Are you feeling all right? I got a fever the first few times I performed those rituals.”

“I...didn’t sleep very well. But I’m fine. Thanks.”

Thomas poured himself a cup of coffee from the steel kettle that sat near the fire, grateful for the gap in his fasting between rituals. He would have to start up again as soon as they had anyone else he needed to send away, but for now, he could at least enjoy a cup of coffee in the mornings.

“Thomas,” Cora started in a soft voice, and he paused. Here it came. Now she’d be leaving. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” he answered, lingering near the fireplace with his mug rather than moving to sit beside her.

“So you...all this stuff that you do, the preparation, the not eating...it helps you do your magic, right? Part of your deal with the demon?”

“It’s necessary.

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