“Believe it, son. It’s all true.”
The old man raked his fingers through his hair. “This is very troubling news, Mr. Hunt. Why didn’t you inform me of the depth of this conspiracy?”
“Cause they bugged my phone, that’s why,” the cowboy retorted. “Had me followed too.”
The preacher cleared his throat self-consciously. “It would appear I owe you an apology.”
“No need, boss,” the cowboy protested magnanimously. “Course now that your son Joshua jumped the gun and queered my chances of nailin’ the whole crew, they’re all in the wind again.”
“So you don’t think the thieves and their leader will return to the house you had under surveillance?”
Leroy snorted. “Not likely. I’ll have to track ‘em another way. Boss, we need to shut their operation down or else they’re bound to show up when we go lookin’ for you last doodad.”
“I believe you’re right, Mr. Hunt.” The preacher nodded solemnly. “We must take every precaution to prevent the final artifact from falling into the hands of this Mr. Big and his minions.”
“Father, may I see Hannah?”
The question came out of nowhere.
Both Hunt and Metcalf turned to Daniel in surprise.
It occurred to Leroy that Daniel had as much reason to want Hannah to keep her mouth shut as he did himself. If the little weasel had helped her escape in the first place, he’d try to persuade her to stay quiet. Leroy took some comfort from the notion that somebody inside the Nephilim was accidentally furthering his own interests.
Metcalf was speaking again. He seemed downright cordial now. “In due time you may see her, my son. But be warned. She hasn’t said a word to anybody since she returned. Poor child. It may be a long time before she finds her voice again.”
“Better and better,” Leroy thought to himself. He put on his hat and rose to go. “I guess if you got no more use for me today, I’ll be on my way, boss.”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Hunt. I’ll make sure you’re generously compensated for a job well done.”
“A pleasure doin’ business with you, sir.” Leroy tipped his hat.
The cowboy and Daniel silently exchanged glances. Each wondered what the other was thinking but, like Hannah, they seemed inclined to keep their secrets to themselves.
Chapter 40—An Enemy In Need
Cassie sat listlessly on the camelback sofa in Faye’s Vault parlor with Maddie beside her. Griffin stared unseeing through one of the faux windows against the side wall. All three of them were doing their best to avoid glancing at the empty purple armchair in the corner near the fireplace. It had been the Memory Guardian’s favorite spot.
The Pythia slumped forward and rubbed her eyes wearily. She and Griffin had just returned from China. Instead of Faye’s usual warm greeting, they had been welcomed by the sight of her comatose body in the Vault infirmary. Cassie found herself reliving Sybil’s death in an infinitely more painful way. As the Pythia stood beside the old woman’s bed and watched her breathe, she expected Faye to blink and sit up at any second but the Memory Guardian never did. Periodically, Cassie would glance at the clock on the wall and then back at the body on the bed, expecting a miraculous change for the better which never came. That hope, endlessly revived and then disappointed with every sweep of the minute hand, was far crueler than the finality of death itself.
Eventually, Cassie and her colleagues left the infirmary and tried to talk of other things. The Chatelaine filled them in on the details of the break-in. Much to Cassie’s surprise, Leroy Hunt had played no part in the abduction. Metcalf must have trained his homegrown security forces well. They had been skillful enough to strike the farmhouse and get away without being spotted. The idea of what the Nephilim might do next with those expert capabilities sent chills down Cassie’s spine. The Pythia shook herself out of her reverie when she became vaguely aware that Maddie was speaking.
“Zack is a basket case.” The Chatelaine toyed with her cigarette lighter. “And who can blame him? His great-great-grandmother is in a coma. His girlfriend has been carried off to face goddess-knows-what.”
Her comments were met by a dull silence from her listeners.
“Any thoughts on a plan?”
Neither Cassie nor Griffin answered immediately.
The Pythia made a supreme effort to focus on the question that hung unanswered in the air rather than on the tragedies of the past week. She raised her head. “For starters, we have to get Hannah back. The day I met her, I promised her a brand new life and I mean to keep that promise.”
Griffin turned from the window to regard his associates. “We can’t very well lay siege to the compound and demand the girl’s release.”
Cassie felt taken aback. “Are you saying you won’t help?”
“Not at all. I’m simply saying we have to find a less direct means of accomplishing our goal.”
“Erik came up with an idea,” the Chatelaine offered.
The other two traded surprised glances.
“Erik?” Cassie echoed. She’d forgotten that the Paladin was still engaged in spying on the Nephilim.
“He thought we should start with Daniel.”
“You mean the guy we just robbed in China?” Cassie didn’t attempt to mask her sarcasm. “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll cooperate.”
“Erik’s approach may have merit, much as I hate to admit it,” Griffin countered archly. “You’ll recall that Daniel helped Hannah escape in the first place. It would be dangerous for him if she were to remain in the clutches of the Nephilim.”
“How do you mean?” The Chatelaine squinted at him.
“If Metcalf is determined to discover the specifics of his wife’s original escape, who knows what methods the Nephilim might employ in an effort to obtain answers.”
“You think Hannah would admit Daniel helped her,” the Pythia concluded.
“Under extreme duress, she may very well give him up.”
“And he couldn’t afford that,” Maddie completed the thought. “I think we can make this situation work to our advantage. It isn’t hard for us to get to Daniel. My intel says Metcalf’s favorite son had gotten pretty chummy with one of the librarians at the Main Branch. He hangs out there every day.”
“What about Hunt?” Griffin objected. “Isn’t he Daniel’s bodyguard?”
“Leroy likes libraries about as much as vampires like garlic. When they aren’t on a field mission, the cowboy stays as far away from his charge as possible.”
“So Daniel will be unprotected if we try to talk to him,” Cassie speculated.
“Erik said he wanted to make the initial contact.” Maddie rose to leave, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. “Now that I’ve run this plan past you two, I’ll give him the green light to go ahead. The next time Daniel comes out of the library, Erik will be there to meet him. Then our Paladin will make him an offer I’m pretty sure he won’t refuse.”
Chapter 41—Silence Is Golden
Hannah’s feet dangled over the side of her bed. She swung them idly back and forth to mark the time. There was really nothing else to do. Her captors might at least have given her a book to read. The random wish struck her as oddly funny. The concept of reading for entertainment was completely foreign to the Nephilim. She’d never realized that before she left. The only books to be found at the compound were scripture or commentaries on scripture. Instruction manuals for how to get to heaven weren’t supposed to be amusing. She smiled gloomily to herself. Everybody here was trying so hard to please an invisible, ill-tempered god that they feared to take pleasure in anything else.
The girl cast a glance around her chintz-upholstered prison. These had been her quarters a lifetime ago but everything looked so much smaller now. As the wife of the Diviner, she was entitled to a room with a private bath and a small sitting area. These luxuries were a sign of Father Abraham’s favor. She eyed the barred window skeptically. Was that a sign of his favor too? But then all the windows were
barred. She wondered how many members of the congregation might choose to walk away if their path wasn’t blocked by iron bars, fences and men with guns.
She smoothed the fabric of her plain gray smock. It felt scratchy. The white starched apron covering it was no better. After the chloroform had worn off, she’d awakened to find herself dressed in the stiff garb of a Consecrated Bride. She didn’t know who had switched her clothing but that someone had also given her a bath. Her skin had been scrubbed so hard that there were raw patches on her arms and legs. Did they think they could erase the influence of the outer world as easily as that? She touched her hair which had been cut to chin length. At least the Nephilim couldn’t alter that aspect of her appearance. She still looked like one of the Fallen. The thought gave her a perverse sense of triumph.
After her initial escape, she had ceased to think of the outer world as Fallen at all. It had become the real world to her. The beliefs of the Nephilim, once the bedrock of her existence, now seemed like the fevered dreams of a lunatic. Hannah concluded that the cult’s founder, Jedediah Proctor, must have been mentally disturbed. She’d learned about other religions at school. While some of them practiced odd rituals, none of them felt compelled to protect their faith at gunpoint the way the Nephilim did. Perhaps it was because Nephilim ideals were so contrary to human nature that they couldn’t survive in the real world. They would evaporate in the light of common sense like all nightmares must. That was why it took a ten foot fence guarded by soldiers to separate the believers from the sane people outside.
She anxiously twisted the fabric of her apron, wondering what had become of Granny Faye the night of her abduction. Hannah hadn’t dared to ask in case the Diviner might want to destroy anyone she cared about. He had once slaughtered all the children’s pets because the animals inspired a love not directed at God. What might he do to Granny Faye, or Cassie, or Zach if he knew the affection Hannah felt for them?
The girl hadn’t spoken since she’d been brought back. It wasn’t because she was sulking. It was because she needed the silence to figure out how to respond if they questioned her. She had been living under the roof of a woman who was secretly engaged in the artifact quest and was committed to thwarting the Diviner’s plans. Even though Hannah didn’t know much, it would be better to pretend she knew nothing.
The girl jumped slightly at the sound of a knock on her door. What was the point of knocking, she wondered bitterly. A polite attempt not to intrude on her privacy? She’d been dragged from her place of refuge and carried off in the middle of the night. How much greater a violation of privacy could there be than that? Another knock came and then the doorknob turned. Since the door was locked from the outside, she knew her prospective visitor already had the key.
“Hannah, my dear?” The Diviner entered.
She cringed inwardly as his eyes devoured her. Obviously his lust hadn’t diminished during the time she was gone. However, his appearance had altered dramatically. His skin was now shriveled, giving his face the appearance of a mummified skull. His entire physique had shrunken to the point that his body appeared to be nothing more than a huddled bundle of bones beneath his black suit.
Hannah flashed back to the nights she’d been forced to spend in his bed. It now seemed like being trapped in the embrace of a rotting corpse.
“How are we feeling today?” His speech sounded slurred. He gave a fleeting smile and advanced tentatively into the room.
The girl regarded him with a blank expression.
He sat down on the bed beside her though, thankfully, not too near. “I know, my little one. You have suffered a great shock. It will take time.” His voice was uncharacteristically soft. “It will take time to restore you to us.”
Apparently, he was attributing her unresponsiveness to the trauma of the kidnapping. She turned her face away. The sight of him was too unnerving.
He took no offense. “My son has shown me pictures of the place you were being held. There was an old woman and a boy.”
She felt her heart skip a beat. He already knew about Granny Faye and Zach? Fighting an urge to ask about their welfare, she commanded herself to keep still.
He continued. “The Fallen can be very beguiling when they want to corrupt a pure soul. They can seem friendly and kind in order to persuade one of the blessed to succumb to their godless ways. You are a mere child.” He reached out to stroke her hair then caught himself.
She stifled a grimace of disgust.
“It’s alright. I understand. You are an innocent in all this. You couldn’t have known. Someday you will tell me who they are but not now. This is not the time.” He stopped speaking abruptly as if he had lost his train of thought. Then he nodded, seemingly listening to a voice only he could hear. “Yes, yes. I will tell her.”
The old man rose heavily to his feet. He fixed his attention on the opposite wall. “I have had such visions, Hannah. The angel of the Lord has shown me wonders. A bright future lies in store for us both. As I foresaw long ago, you shall rise to the rank of my principal wife. The angel has prophesied you will bear me a dozen sons. More sons than any of my other wives have borne—even Mother Rachel. Male issue is a sure sign of God’s favor. You shall occupy a place of honor beside my throne when we ascend to my celestial kingdom together.” He clasped his hands, swept away by his rapturous vison. “Oh how beautiful our life will be!”
As Hannah listened to his ramblings, she recalled that the Diviner used to frighten her. Before her escape, she had been intimidated because he spoke to God. Everyone said he was the voice of God on earth. Now, he frightened her for an entirely different reason. She realized he was a madman.
Once more he halted unexpectedly in his monologue and turned around to peer at Hannah through bleary eyes. Transferring his attention from his dazzling revelation to the girl who was his captive audience, he said, “But I speak of things that are yet to come. In the present moment, you must think only of regaining your strength. Once you have rested for a time, you will remember who you are. Then we shall be reunited to live again as man and wife.” He lapsed into a vague silence and drifted toward the door without bidding her goodbye.
The minute he was gone, Hannah sprang up and followed him. She twisted the doorknob on the off chance that, in his addled state, he had forgotten to lock her in. Unfortunately, he hadn’t. What was she going to do? The Diviner’s grand plan hinged on her becoming his sweet little wife again—innocent, timid, compliant. She was none of those things now. The real world had given her a dangerous taste of freedom. She meant to choose her own path in life no matter what Father Abraham wanted her future to be. She needed to escape. If only she could get word to Daniel. He had helped her once. He might be willing to try again.
The sound of the door opening once more made her jump. Whoever wanted access to her now wasn’t even pretending to be polite. She backed away toward the window. Her latest visitor was one of Daniel’s brothers. The one called Joshua. She hardly knew him at all but there were rumors that he had an uncanny knack for ferreting out secrets. Hannah found him unnerving and not simply because of his formidable reputation. It was his eyes. They were cold and dead as a shark’s. In the real world, it was said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. She sensed that this man didn’t have one.
“Hello, Sister Hannah,” he began. “I trust you’re feeling better these days.”
A bizarre thought flashed through Hannah’s brain. This man was her step-son by marriage. What should she call him? Brother Joshua? Son? She chose not to call him anything at all.
“I see you aren’t in the mood to speak. Perhaps, over time, I can do something to loosen your tongue.” The observation wasn’t menacing. It was a mere statement of fact. He didn’t wait for her to resume her seat. Instead he drew up a chair and sat down.
She pointedly turned away from him and stared out the window. Hannah had formed the disturbing impression that he might be able to read her thoughts or, at the very least, her facial expressions. Bes
t not to give him that advantage.
He directed his comments to her back. “I’m sure you’re aware that my father dotes on you. I showed him some provocative pictures of you in your new life among the Fallen. Dressing indecently. Painting your face. Courting the lustful attentions of men. Kissing that Fallen boy.”
Hannah let out an audible gasp but kept her posture rigid.
“Incredibly enough, the Diviner cannot see your corrupt nature. But I can.” He paused for emphasis. “You are a true daughter of Eve—the serpent’s first ally. A scheming adulteress who forgot your marriage vows the minute you doffed the attire of a Consecrated Bride. If your punishment were left up to me, you would suffer the same fate meted out in the Bible to women of your sort. You would be stoned to death.” He sighed regretfully. “Sadly, your destiny remains in the hands of my father and he continues to see you as a lost innocent. But you and I know better.”
Hannah was trembling. She folded her arms across her chest in an effort to control her shaking limbs. It was critical that he not see the destructive effect his words were having. Mustering all her self-command, she turned to face him aloofly.
Joshua returned her stare impassively. He stood up. “Sooner or later you will tell me how you escaped from here. You will tell me who you consorted with in the Fallen World and why. You will tell me everything I want to know so that I can make my father see the truth about you.” He gave a fleeting smile of triumph. “Like everything else, time is on my side. We’ll chat again soon. Next time, you’ll do all the talking.” He turned and let himself out.
Hannah could hear the click of the lock. She collapsed onto the bed, muffling her sobs in the coverlet as she allowed suppressed waves of terror to crash over her. Beneath the surface turmoil a rock-hard conviction was forming. With Daniel’s help or without it, she was going to find a way out of here. Once and for all.
Secrets Of The Serpent's Heart (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 6) Page 23
