Betrayal

by A. S. Fenichel

  Just as he found his way by holding onto Elizabeth’s shoulder, Thaddeus’s large hand landed on Reece’s shoulder, and they inched forward.

  She moved along the wall. Her fingers gripped his, signaling they had reached another door.

  His heart raced, and he gripped the hilt of his pistol.

  The doorway turned out to be a heavy drape across an opening. It brushed by him. This was likely how the priests entered the apse. It was a typical cruciform church and that helped them know approximately where they were. They’d started at the east end, would have passed the sacristy, and therefore this entrance would lead to the altar and apse.

  Lit with several candles, but still dim, a number of humans sat on the pews. The all stared up at the center of the crossing with wide, empty eyes. On the altar, the master reclined, and Tally kneeled before him. Tear streamed down her face. She cringed against pain as she spoke words he did not understand.

  The creature who led the demons from hell appeared a man of perhaps thirty. Even lying down, he struck fear in the hearts of the hunter. Pale and sickly, with black hair slicked away from his angular face, he stared at the vaulted ceiling, but no emotion lived in his eyes or in his expression.

  The stained glass should have depicted the twelve stages of the cross, but was blacked out, not with boards as he’d expected, but somehow had been burned. The sulfur stench turned his stomach and mixed with smoke and demons.

  Six men and women in the pews plus Tally, that meant seven souls to save before they finished this invasion.

  Only two durgot priests flanked the altar. No other demons protected the master. Maybe he had not expected anyone would find them because he took people without means. London often ignored the plight of its poor, but not so with The Company. A bubble of pride swelled in his chest.

  The three hunters spread out behind the altar with Elizabeth in the middle. Her eyes locked on the master and glazed over.

  Reece reached out, grabbed her hand, and squeezed.

  She turned toward him, and the glassy stare vanished.

  One priest rushed toward the trio. His bullhead and flaring nostrils brought the reality of demon hunting back to Reece. Instinct took over, he lifted his pistol and shot. The discharge reverberated along the stone walls.

  Bleeding, the durgot charged forward on human legs but with his horns down in an animal attack.

  Tally stopped her prayer and collapsed to the floor.

  The master did not turn, but his mouth opened in an ear-shattering roar as if shooting the priest had caused him pain as well.

  Thaddeus roared, lifted his broadsword, and rushed at the durgot. He battled him back into the north transept and out of sight.

  The second durgot took over the prayer after Tally ceased.

  Elizabeth ran toward where the girl had collapsed and dragged her away from the altar.

  The swirl of air foretold the coming of a vortex. The women were too close to where the master would try to escape. They would be pulled in. Perhaps that was the plan all along. Had the master planned this to lure Elizabeth in and pull her into the demon realm or wherever these gateways led?

  Reece pulled his second pistol and aimed for the master. The second durgot jumped forward, taking the bullet. Black blood gushed from the mid-section of the demon.

  Drawing his sword, Reece engaged the priest. Wind whipped around the dais. It wasn’t easy to keep his footing.

  Once she had pulled Tally off the dais, Elizabeth ran toward the master with her sword raised and the point aimed at his throat.

  His arm shot up and caught her wrist.

  The durgot wielded an ax, which he lifted as Reece charged forward. He had to get past the bull-headed demon and free Elizabeth from the master’s grasp.

  Reece stabbed forward, taking the brunt of the ax blow in his steel. The vibration shot up his arms, and his shoulder screamed out in agony. He lost hold of his weapon.

  The ax whooshed through the air above him.

  Rolling across the floor, Reece avoided the blow and grabbed his sword off the floor. Pins and needles burned in his fingers.

  The wind grew stronger. “Lizzy, get out of there.”

  The priest held his gunshot wound and slumped against the altar.

  Reece pulled a dagger and aimed for the head of the master. He threw and his aim was again true, but the priest took that blow as well. The dagger lodged in its breast.

  Dying did not stop the durgot from protecting his master. With two gushing wounds, the creature could no longer give chase.

  Reece rounded the altar, grabbed Elizabeth around the waist, and yanked her free of the screaming master.

  He turned toward them with ferocious eyes as they fell to the floor away from him.

  Pushing with their legs, they scurried away from the coming vortex.

  Elizabeth pulled out of his arms, jumped up, and ran north into the crossing toward the sound of continued struggle.

  She fought out of his sight, and his stomach churned with the inability to know if she was safe. Beside him, Tally still lay inert but breathing. He lifted her away from the crossing’s center and off the raised dais.

  The altar and master flashed in and out of sight. One moment he lay there and the next he blinked away. This happened several times as wind spiraled around him.

  Tally convulsed violently. Tears poured from her eyes.

  “I’ve got you.” Reece tightened his grip.

  The gate opened and pulled the master in, altar and all. The wind stopped as suddenly as it had started.

  Tally relaxed against him, and a surge of panic assailed him. He leaned down close to her face and relaxed as warm breath on his cheek assured him she lived.

  A loud cry echoed out of the north transept, then silence.

  The main door opened, and Thor stepped into the nave, pistol raised. “Are you all right?”

  “I am well.” He felt Tally’s throat and a good steady beat pulsed under her warm skin. “The girl is also alive.”

  “Miss Elizabeth?”

  “Here. We are fine.” She stepped into view. Her cheeks rosy with exertion, she grinned.

  God, how he loved her.

  Douglass had suffered only a few cuts and bruises. He had the durgot well in hand when Elizabeth had rushed in and finished the job.

  Reece checked where the altar had been. Deeply carved symbols marked the floor. A goat’s head inside a pentagram, a fleur-de-lis wrapped by a snake, the symbol of the master, and several other symbols he remembered from Fatum Manor where the master ascended. He turned his gaze up and found dark symbols high up there as well. The demons had gone to a lot of trouble for whatever ritual the hunters interrupted.

  The people in the pews came out of their trances, remained stunned, or burst into tears. Two fainted. They all would need to be cared for, and no one wanted to remain inside the church. They herded them all out through the narthex and into the dwindling daylight.

  “I will remain with these people. We will seek shelter at the palace. It will be empty and no one should object. Send help when you get back to London.” Thaddeus wrapped his big arms around several of the victims. A woman wept on his jacket. They all had wide eyes and empty stares as he gathered them to him and eased them toward the road.

  Thor said, “I’ll go collect Dr. Barns and see about a few more carriages. Maybe we can just return some of them to the local village if they’re up to it.”

  Reece carried Tally to his carriage and placed her inside. She had not stirred yet, and she was very thin, but otherwise appeared unhurt.

  Elizabeth climbed in and cradled the girl in her arms. “Take us back to London.”

  By the time they reached the townhouse, Tally came around. She recognized Elizabeth right away and relaxed against her.

  Reece jumped down to the street and offered his help.

  She shook her head and stumbled down the steps. She would have fallen if not for hi
s quick reaction. Her wide brown eyes stared up in terror.

  “Miss Tally, please allow me.”

  She bowed her head.

  Reece lifted her in his arms, and she buried her face in his coat. She trembled, and he could not help the wave of anger that swamped his senses. The master must pay for his misuse of people.

  The door opened before he reached the top step. Garvey bowed. “A room has been prepared, sir. A maid is already up there to help your guest and put her to bed. A bath has been prepared if the young lady is up to it.”

  Tally did not take her face out of his chest. She wept so quietly only he could hear her. She was a tall woman, though she’d grown thin in the last year. Still, Reece’s legs grew weak by the time he reached the landing at the top of the stairs. Behind him, others were also climbing the steps.

  The maid standing in a doorway to the left waved him forward. He followed her into a guest room. He settled Tally in a chair near the fire and had to gentle her arms from around his neck before he stepped back. “Miss Tally, you are welcome here for as long as you wish. If my staff or I can do anything, you must not hesitate to ask.”

  She stared for a moment before covering her face with her hands, leaning over, and weeping.

  Elizabeth and Connie rushed forward and engulfed the girl in hugs and kind words.

  Reece backed out of the room.

  Chapter 7

  Elizabeth left Tally once she fell asleep. She found Reece and Shafton chatting in the study. Connie insisted on sitting with Tally for a while but promised to allow a maid to relieve her in an hour.

  The afternoon had been at once fortifying and terrifying. Seeing the master, so beautiful and horrible, had spun her mind with more thoughts than she cared to examine. She’d both longed for him and despised everything about the demon. Her hatred washed over her like a balm against the desire to serve. Where had that come from? She’d not felt it in the battle at the school. She had no fear of death, but an eternity in hell or remaining with the demons scared her beyond words.

  Even when Reece pulled her back from the altar, she longed to run forward. Rage kept her from it, but also Reece. Not his arms or his words, but her love for him. How devastated he would be if she fell to temptation. Dying under the durgot’s ax was preferable to disappointing Reece.

  “Ah, Miss Smyth, I’m glad you are here. How is your newest guest?” Shafton stood when she entered.

  “She is quite exhausted and appears to have been starved. We managed to get a bit of broth in her before she fell asleep. If she wakes, the maid will attempt to give her a few more spoonsful.”

  Shafton shook his head. “What does he want with her? Why her and Miss Connie? What is different about the women from that failed sacrifice?”

  Once seated, Elizabeth poured herself a cup of tea. “I’m not certain. We were all rather out of sorts during the events last year.”

  “Yes, you were.” Reece crossed the room to sit beside her. Without touching her, his closeness chased the memory away.

  “Well, I had better head home.”

  “You are welcome to join us for a meal, my lord.”

  Shafton shook his head. “Thank you, Foxjohn. I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure the countess is wondering what’s become of me.”

  A lump clogged her throat. “Pardon me, my lord. It’s none of my business, but I wonder what you will tell her ladyship.”

  A broad smile spread across Shafton’s face. “There was a time, not very long ago, when I would have made up some story about being held up at my club or some such nonsense.”

  “And now?”

  “I learned rather the hard way, my life and the lives of my family are better and safer if I tell them the entire truth. It goes against my nature to tell my wife things that will strike fear in her heart, but she is stronger than she looks. I remind myself of that every day. I will tell her all that has transpired.”

  “And does her ladyship appreciate your honesty?” The lump tightened and it became difficult to push the words past.

  With a loud guffaw, he stood and straightened his coat. “I believe she has mixed feelings on the subject. While she would like to believe her world is safe and sound, she sees the truth and prefers my honesty over the lies, which nearly got our daughter killed on more than one occasion.”

  Both Elizabeth and Reece stood to see him from the house.

  “Thank you, my lord. I too appreciate you honesty and your insights today. Without you we could not have recovered Miss Tally so quickly, and based on her current condition, she would not have lasted many more days.”

  He waved off the thanks. “I’m glad she is safe and the other victims are as well. We have made great strides here today. I suggest we continue with this train of thought in the next day or two. If you are agreeable?”

  Reece nodded. “Do come back tomorrow or the next day, my lord. There is much to consider and explore. But perhaps a bit later in the day so Miss Smyth and I can finish our physical training before working our mental muscles.”

  Another loud laugh rang through the room. “I will come after luncheon.”

  Once Shafton had departed, Elizabeth collapsed on the settee and closed her eyes.

  It was no surprise when the cushion dipped from Reece’s weight. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her against his side. “Is there something you want to tell me, Lizzy?”

  “No.” The lump returned.

  “Then why all the questions about what Shafton would tell her ladyship?”

  She pulled out of his embrace. “I was merely curious.”

  Even with her eyes closed, she knew he stared at her. Her flesh tingled and the knot spread to her chest. It was a mistake to look, but she couldn’t stop herself. Clear blue eyes pierced her determination to keep her own council. “Why are you staring at me?”

  “What are you not telling me?”

  “Nothing.”

  His gaze, which had looked at her with so much love, dimmed. “I’m sorry you do not trust me enough to confide in me, Lizzy, but you need not lie to me. If you do not wish to tell me, you may just say so.”

  As if of its own accord, her hand reached out and grasped his. “I do not wish to lie to you, Reece. I also do not wish to see you look at me with disgust and hatred. There are things out of my control. Things I must fight on my own.”

  “You were drawn to the master today.”

  She jerked away, pushing to the farthest end of the settee. “You cannot know that.”

  “I saw your eyes, Lizzy. I saw how you looked at him.” His voice did not raise much above a whisper.

  “I do not wish to speak of this.”

  With a nod, he rose and crossed to the door. “I’m going to ask for some supper to be served. I assume you are as hungry as I am.”

  She cringed at the idea of pushing food past the lump in her throat, but her stomach rumbled. “Yes. I’m hungry.”

  He returned to the study a moment later, acting as if nothing had happened.

  “That’s it? You will not ask me anymore questions?”

  He sat, but not next to her as he had before. Instead, he sat in an overstuffed chair across the low table. “Lizzy, I have a hundred questions, but I will not interrogate you. I trust you. I hope you will trust me enough to tell me everything you experience at some point. But if that point is not now, then there is nothing I can do other than offer my support.”

  “You have never struck me as the type of man who sits back and waits for information. I heard stories about you and Lillian fighting all the time. In fact I saw evidence of just such bickering when she was here in the house.”

  “Do you want me to badger you for information?”

  “No. I want you to give a damn or not give a damn.” Where her anger had come from, she couldn’t tell, but her face burned with it, and she had to get away. She jumped up, and crossed to the dark window.

  Before she’d had a moment to
stare into the nothingness of the dark night, his hands were on her shoulders, and he spun her around to face him. “You think I do not care? You think because I have not pummeled your senses for information that means it is not important to me? Are you trying to start a fight, Lizzy? Because if it’s a fight you want, I can give you one. I cannot know why you looked as if you wanted to rush into the arms of the demon master. I cannot know what is in your heart right at this moment. Here is what I do know. I love you. I have never said those words to another living soul in my lifetime. My heart aches with the thought you might not share those feelings, and yet I’m willing to risk my heart and possibly even my soul for a woman who is somehow linked to the creature who wants to destroy our world. If a battle with me is what you want, I will provide it for you, but it will not cure my love for you. It will not make me give you up. The only way you can rid yourself of me, Elizabeth Smyth, is to tell me you do not love me and have no desire to have me in your life.”

  Her tears betrayed her. Showing strength in the face of so much fierce adoration was not an option. She crumpled against his chest and let the fear and sorrow pour out. It had to go in order to make room for the love he offered.

  Strong arms wrapped around her. His chin rested on the top of her head. Nothing could get to her while she rested in his arms.

  A throat cleared from the doorway. Garvey announced, “Pardon me, sir. The meal you requested will be served in the dining room at your convenience.”

  “Thank you, Garvey. We will be a few moments.”

  “Yes, sir.” The door clicked closed.

  She pulled back and wiped her face on the sleeve of her long coat. “I’m sorry. You offer me everything, and I have nothing to give.”

  He brushed a damp hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “I’m afraid you are wrong again, my love. You have everything I want. But you will have to learn to trust me.”

  “I trust you, Reece. I trust you with my life.”

  “And your heart?”

  “I do not know how to answer that.”

  He smiled. “At least that is honest. It is a start.”