I could smell coffee brewing downstairs. My stomach rumbled. “I would kill for a bacon, egg, and cheese,” I muttered. But I’d settle for a hot shower. I padded into the bathroom and twisted the faucet. The hot water felt like a blessing from above, and while it didn’t cure my aches and pains, at least it loosened my muscles a bit.
Miranda was waiting in my bedroom, a mug of coffee and three bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches on a tray beside her.
“I would kill for Minka Kelly to show up,” I said.
“What?” Miranda laughed.
“Nothing, just testing a theory. How are you?”
“Well, I didn’t turn into a werewolf and fight a Viking hunter god, so there’s that.”
“You did turn into a Viking death angel and stab me in the kidney, though.”
Miranda looked at her feet. “Yeah.” She forced herself to brighten. “Hey, come on, eat something. You’ve got to be starving.”
“You have no idea.” I fell onto the bed and grabbed the first sandwich, downing it in three bites and chasing it with a swig of coffee. “Thanks.”
“So, what next? An outbreak of killer garden gnomes? Rampaging were-kittens? Mermaid infestation?”
I chuckled, but only a little. “Look, Miranda. You were great. You saved lives, you got me out of Holda’s cavern, and your talent … but I can’t drag you into this.”
“Caden–”
“This is dangerous, Miranda. You were possessed. If the Moss Maiden hadn’t been there, that would have killed you. The god damned Allfather tried to hunt you down. You might be the first person in a thousand years to escape the Wild Hunt. I like you, Miranda, but the people I like tend to have short, violent lives. I can’t do that to you.”
Her face turned red. “Caden, that is my choice. If I want to–”
“If you want to pursue magic, I can’t, I won’t stop you. But I’m not going to help you.”
Miranda scowled, then shrugged. “If that’s how you want it.”
“Miranda, I don’t–”
She waved me off. Miranda started toward the door, then stopped. “I grabbed this while we were in the cave,” she said, handing me simple leather cord strung through a small, golden ring. “I thought you’d want it back.”
I took it from her and, for a long while, just stared at it. I had worn this necklace almost continuously for the past five years. It was as much a part of me as my own hand. It was a symbol, both of what I had lost and why I fought, but I had forgotten it completely.
I wasn’t sure what that meant, and really didn’t have the mental energy to figure it out, so I simply slipped the necklace over my head. The diamond was cold against my skin. “Thank you.”
“Sure,” Miranda said and left the room. I threw myself onto the couch and grabbed another sandwich. It tasted like sand.
I spent the day tying up the last few loose ends. I stopped by the sheriff’s office and told him about Ed Taber’s fate, and made sure that all of the girls had made it home safely. I visited the hospital, making sure no demons had snuck out of the cave with us. I also stopped at five different ATMs and withdrew the maximum from each of them, stuffing the money into a single, overfull envelope.
Ethel was in the kitchen when I returned to the bed and breakfast, scrubbing the dishes left over from lunch. “Mrs. DuBois,” I said.
She took a quiet moment. “Caden.”
“I’ll be leaving soon.”
Mrs. DuBois resumed washing. “Miranda said as much. Mr. Lyndsey, I am truly grateful that my granddaughter is still alive, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see you go.”
I laid the envelope on the counter next to her. “I don’t blame you,” I said, and walked away.
Miranda was waiting by my Jeep. “Running off without saying goodbye?”
“No, just tossing my stuff in the car.”
“But you are leaving?”
I nodded.
“And there’s nothing I can do to change your mind? Nothing I can do to–”
***
The blade flashed. The girl screamed. The Keres wailed. Blood filled the air, and the dying breath of an innocent child whispered into the night.
***
“–convince you to let me come with you? To teach me?”
I pinched my nose, fighting off a headache. “I’m sorry, but no.” Miranda bit her lip and nodded. “You’re a smart girl, Miranda. And you’re tough. You can do anything–”
She shook her head. “I don’t need the after school special, Caden. I know what I can do. We’re talking about what I want to do, and who I want to do it with.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to convince her to see things my way. She had seen the danger I face, the monsters I fight. She had been threatened by them, almost been turned into one of them. But she was stubborn, convinced that she could take on the world, and the Otherworld, and win. “I’m sorry,” I said.
“Me, too,” she said. She hopped off the hood of the Jeep, kissed me on the cheek, and took a handful of steps toward the house. “Maybe I’ll see you again someday.”
“I’d like that,” I said, “but for your sake, I really hope you won’t.”
I fired up the Jeep and threw it into gear, maybe a bit more aggressively than necessary. I wanted to stop the car, wanted to get out and run to her, to tell her to come with me, to tell her I’d show her the world that no one else sees.
But if I did that, she would die. Just like Erin had died. Just like so many people who crossed my path died. So I shifted into a higher gear and stomped on the gas, furious with myself and with my fate, leaving Mirrormont behind.
Miranda DuBois stood in the driveway, silhouetted by the fading sun, watching me drive away.
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About the Author
If you want to be the first to know what a new Godless Saint story comes out, or learn about the other worlds Thomas has created, be sure to sign up for the newsletter:
Thomas-Galvin.com/newsletter
And check out Thomas’ blog: Thomas-Galvin.com
Thomas is the author of several novels, as well as an award-winning, up-and-coming screenwriter. His novels are published by St. Troy Press, and his screenplays are represented by Awesome Monkey Productions.
In addition to his writing, Thomas is a banged-up powerlifter, a militant rationalist, a novice Yogi, a washed-up martial artist, a mediocre software developer, an attention whore, and a jaded cynic.
Thomas lives in the desolate rust belt of New York, along with his wife AJ, their two cats, Pixel and Mina, a Dachshund named Oliver, and two Corgis named Neville and Willow.
***
Books by Thomas Galvin:
The Godless Saint
Wish - A Godless Saint Story
The Wild Hunt - Book One
The Janus Project
The Janus Project - Book One
The Vampires of St. Troy
Sire - Book One
Scion - Book Two
Debutante - a St. Troy Novella
Jacket Copy
A controversial new story from a former believer.
Caden Lyndsey was a Man of God. He battled demons, saw visions of the future, and wielded the fire of Heaven.
He lost his faith, but not his power.
Now, his visions drive him toward rural Washington. A madman seeks to summon the Norse god Wotan and unleash the Wild Hunt on an unsuspecting populace. If he succeeds, hundreds will die. Caden must battle witches, monsters, and ancient deities in order to stop him.
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The Wild Hunt Page 31
