by Marie Dry
It was eerie walking here, knowing where they would’ve kept the farm instruments, the seeds, and the animals. Even more eerie that it was so quiet and deserted. On her farm and on the mountain where Azagor’s house was, she heard the rustle of trees, the strange cry of the big birds, and a myriad other sounds every day. She shivered and rushed to the church. Nothing was alive here. No birds soaring in the sky, no trees. The doors and windows were stripped, and the floor was only hard packed dirt. She could’ve cried when she didn’t find any hint in the small, stuffy church of the brothers and cousins who’d lived here.
Even knowing the farm was deserted, she’d hoped. When would she learn that hope only brought her pain and disappointment?
“Don’t wander too far from me,” Azagor said from the doorway, “I am going to look for the office.”
“There’s nothing here,” she said dully.
While he walked through the office the elders used, she went to the living quarters, hoping to find something of Noah’s. Nothing, they’d left nothing but rubble behind. She went outside again, to the water-well, situated away from the house. Now that she’d lived with the luxury that Azagor had, she could see how primitive and destructive the brothers and cousins’ lifestyle was. The brothers never attempted to fix the pipes when they stopped working. It was the women drawing the water from the well, and the brothers simply didn’t care how far they had to carry the heavy buckets.
Killer growled, and she spun around. And faced her biggest nightmare, the man who professed to be a God-fearing brother. The monster who’d taken her child stood smirking at her. She saw that twist of his lips through shadows gathering at the edge of her vision. The same smirk he’d had when he’d punished her. The paralysis left her, and she opened her mouth to scream for Azagor.
“If you want your evil spawn to live, you won’t make a sound,” Brother Joseph said, his voice barely audible above the droning in her ears. “I have men with guns everywhere. Your demon can be killed.”
Chapter 17
Susannah bit her lip until she tasted blood to keep in the scream. Now that she had control over her body again, it wanted to burst from her with an explosion of sound that would bring Azagor running. Where was he? How many men were with Joseph? She knew Joseph wasn’t bluffing about brothers with guns trained on Azagor. He wasn’t brave enough to face Azagor alone.
“Where’s my baby? Tell me now or--”
“Or what, do not forget your place cousin.”
He lifted his hand, and she staggered back. He’d backhanded her enough times that she couldn’t control the action.
Again that smirk. He enjoyed her fear. She trembled so much she was scared she’d fall at his feet in a pathetic heap. Ever since she could remember, he’d told her that she had no worth, made her doubt herself all the time. But now she was also getting angry. The day he took her baby, he’d made a big mistake. He’d pushed her too far.
He looked her up and down, sneered. “We left you for a few months, and already you dress like a whore from the outside world. With your hair loose for everyone to see what you are.”
That anger in her belly grew, and instead, of cowering and apologizing, she glared at him. “Where is my son? You had no right to take him from me.”
His cheeks jiggled, and his double chin wobbled when he looked her up and down. “He’ll be safe as long as you do exactly what I tell you.”
She would play along until Azagor came and made him tell them where Noah was. She’d do anything he wanted, if only she could hold Noah in her arms again. Joseph had no idea how strong Azagor was. If only she could warn him, without endangering Noah. “What do you want me to do?”
“Tell your devil you found this.” He threw a crumpled paper down in front of her.
Keeping a wary eye on him, she bent down and picked it up then quickly rose and stepped back. “What is it?”
“It’s a nice fat clue to help the moron find us. He and his fellow evil doers have been sniffing around the farms.”
Shame curled around her middle. She’d been afraid that Azagor had only done a token search while he told her that the machines were hard at work. But if Joseph was aware of farms being visited by the warriors, Azagor had kept his word. She shouldn’t have doubted him.
Joseph shook his fist at her, making all the fat on his body move again. “Because of you and your ungodly ways, we have the military arm of the resistance on our case.”
“What do I have to do with the resistance?”
“You left them a nice picture, and now they want the alien you drew.”
She’d known that was going to get her into trouble. If only Azagor had left her alone that last day on the farm, she could have taken the drawing back.
“I need that alien to hand over to them so that they will leave us alone and go away.”
Why would he be so afraid of the resistance? Could it be that they saw how the sisters were treated and were willing to intervene?”
He motioned to the piece of paper in her hand. “You get him to that location, and we will do the rest.”
“I won’t let you harm him, he’s--”
“Choose, the child or the devil. If you don’t tell him what I tell you to, I will kill Noah.”
Such an evil ultimatum made by an evil man. These last months without their constant preaching, telling her what an unworthy sinner she was, would’ve been bliss if she’d had Noah with her. She had no choice. She had to choose Noah. Natalie and the other women said the Zyrgins could take on hundreds of humans by themselves. Azagor would be all right. He will be. He had to be. “Where are you keeping him?”
“Do you think I’ll tell you?” Joseph moved his considerable girth back. They must’ve settled on a good farm where he had plenty to eat. “Remember what I’ll do to Noah if you don’t do it.” Then he was gone.
“We’re watching,” the whisper came from behind the church.
Susannah clenched her hands and wanted to growl like Killer. Her dog stood with teeth bared and the hair on his back upright.
Just once she’d like to be in control and able to defend herself. She was so tired of being beaten down by Joseph and his narrow views. Brother Josephatus--no, Joseph, just plain Joseph, the ordinary bully who she was going to deal with the moment she had her son in her arms. He couldn’t be allowed to continue hurting people. And if her son had one scratch on him, she’d let Azagor torture him. And maybe she’d watch.
“Why did Killer growl?” Azagor asked behind her.
Susannah jumped and dropping the paper, clasped her hand over her chest. He could probably see the guilt on her face. “I found something.” She bent and picked up the crumpled paper and handed it to him.
His head cocked. He turned the paper in his hand, studying it from all angles. Susannah bit her lip. She’d seen the kind of equipment the aliens wrote on.
“We--they--use paper to write on. Like my sketch books.”
“Primitive and harmful to Natalie’s trees if produced in large quantities,” he said.
“It’s crumpled, but if you smooth it out, it might have clues to where they went.” She was hurt and angry over his refusal to have Noah in his house. Still, she hated lying to him. Wanted to tell him Joseph was there and the way he’d threatened Noah. With him and the other brothers hiding close by listening, she didn’t dare.
Azagor stared at Killer for a moment and then smoothed out the paper. He rumbled something that she’d learned meant he was talking aloud in his language.
Susannah sagged in relief. She’d been afraid Azagor would know the brothers were there. What were the chances of conveniently finding a piece of paper with clues to what they were looking for?
“What does it say?” Susannah bit her lip. She wasn’t good at this kind of thing. She sounded and probably looked guilty.
“It is directions to another farm, left for a Brother Samuel. Joseph is mentioned.”
She instinctively took a step back. “He must’ve been a brother here.
He’s a vicious man. Even on the farm, we heard of the things he did. Joseph always threatened to send me to his farm.” No doubt Joseph used that name as a subtle reminder to her.
The paper disappeared into Azagor’s pocket. “We will go back to the mountain and get more information before I go to this farm.”
She pulled against the hand he used to steer her in the direction of the shuttle. “No, please, we have to go right now.”
“Why right now?”
She didn’t want to betray him like this. He’d been kinder to her than her own people had ever been. But she had no choice. Joseph wouldn’t consider it a sin to kill a child born out of wedlock. “I have this terrible feeling that if we don’t go now, that they’re going to hurt Noah, they might even kill him. Please.”
Again, that penetrating stare, and she tried to look innocent, as if she wasn’t about to lead him into a trap, with people who personified evil.
He stared down at her for a long time, and she was convinced he’d insist they go back when he said, “We will go now, but your Noah may not be there.”
She couldn’t accept that. After all this time, at last, she had a chance to find Noah. It would kill her to be without hope again. “He has to be, he just has to be. I’ve got this feeling time is running out, and that I won’t ever see him if we don’t go now.” If she got Noah back, she’d never be able to forgive herself for doing this. Her only hope was that Azagor was as good a warrior as he’d told her. “Do you know where to go?”
“The directions were surprisingly clear.”
Was that sarcasm? Did he suspect something was wrong?
Killer kept barking, staring at something behind them. Susannah grabbed him and hurried in the direction of the shuttle. Azagor joined her without comment.
She stumbled when she walked up the steps to the shuttle, and he steadied her, his hand warm around her middle. Safe. Could he feel how her legs trembled? The jeans were not as concealing as her skirts. Maybe he’d think she was scared for Noah, though that would be the truth.
They flew a short distance, and then Azagor put down the shuttle. “We will have to walk the rest of the way. I do not want to alert them to our presence.” He looked at Killer. “You should leave him behind. He will be safe here.”
She tightened her arms around Killer, but he was right. Even if Joseph kept his word, she’d be walking into a very bad situation. If she dropped him or someone kicked her little dog, he could die. She stroked his head. “Stay here, Killer, guard the box--I mean, guard the shuttle. We’ll be back soon.”
He complained until the shuttle door cut off his soft barking and closed him in. “What if they find the shuttle and hurt Killer?”
Azagor rumbled something, and the shuttle disappeared.
“Magic,” she breathed out. She’d never get used to the wondrous things Azagor could do. “Will Killer be all right invisible, won’t it hurt him?”
Azagor cocked his head, and she had the horrible feeling she’d said something stupid again. He merely took her upper arm and said, “He will be safe, I will make him visible again when we return.”
They walked for half an hour before she saw the signs of a working farm. “We’re close to the house,” she whispered.
He nodded and motioned her to stay behind him. “If anyone threatens us, stay behind me.”
They walked another fifteen minutes before they came to a deserted building. She frowned and looked around. “It’s strange. I could’ve sworn this was an active farm.”
All the buildings still had their doors and windows, and, like the previous farm, this one had young trees. There were no women working, no brothers supervising.
“Do not assume there are no humans here,” Azagor said.
Again she had a feeling he knew more than he was telling her. Did he suspect that she was leading him into a trap? What would he do to her when he realized what she was doing? They walked through the buildings. It still had furniture. Still, no sign of brothers or cousins. In the office, they found a desk with papers on it.
“I’m going to explore,” she told him.
Joseph didn’t tell her where she should go or what exactly she should do once they got here, but they always did their evil deeds in the church if there was one on the farm.
Azagor stilled, and she had the strangest sensation that he wanted to grab her and run away with her. “Don’t go far,” he said at last.
“I just want to see the church. If they left anything, it will be there.”
He nodded and punched into the cement floor with his fist. Susannah hurried away. He knew where the brothers hid their credits. Cousin Maria had told her they buried valuables under cement floors. This reminder of how strong he was reassured her. Surely, he’d be able to defend himself against a few overweight brothers. It never failed to amaze her that she’d had the courage to try and capture him.
She clutched her arms around her middle, her steps slowing. What if there were resistance people here? Inside the church, she stopped a moment to allow her eyes to accustom to the darkness. The brothers always kept the churches dim and gloomy and, during services, sinners were taken out of the pews and placed in strong light. She shivered. On the farm where she was born, they used the barn for church services. Never again, did she want to stand in front of the congregation, the light they shined on her in her eyes, and having her sins read out.
“Stop.”
She froze, her obedience to that voice instinctive and self-loathing almost drove her to her knees. Until she knew Noah was safe, she had to do what they told her. Afterward? Afterward, she’d show them that she was no victim. She would keep her promise to her mother, at last.
Joseph appeared and grabbed her arm and, skirting the middle of the aisle, he dragged her to the altar. “Don’t step in the middle of the path.”
“Please don’t do this, Joseph, just give me my son, and we’ll leave you alone.”
“You will address me with respect or your punishment will be doubled once we’ve got that evil spawn of the devil.”
No matter what they did to her, this had to stop. She’d never again pretend to respect him. “You’re just plain Joseph, and Azagor isn’t evil, You’re the evil one here.” There was a strange freedom in finally speaking her mind. She was still afraid, wanted to run to Azagor and safety. But never again would anyone force her to acknowledge wrong teachings out of fear of what they might do to her.
“Azagor, is it? You’re on a first name basis with that spawn of the devil. Did you spread your legs for him as well?” He shook her like a rag doll. “You’ll be brought back to the path. You’ve lost your way.”
She lifted her chin “You’re an evil little man who’s never done a day’s honest work, and you use your position for your own perverted reasons.” She knew, she’d always known, that he’d never give her Noah. She suppressed the need to scream and scream, because she was beginning to fear that her baby was dead. That she’d led Azagor into a trap, and now they’d both die, and Azagor didn’t deserve to die.
He dragged her to stand in front of the altar. “Scream, whore, call your devil to you.”
Movement in the shadows. Some of the other brothers stood with strange-looking guns raised and pointed at the door. Too many of them. Azagor didn’t stand a chance. Unlike Joseph’s old shotgun, their guns made her think of the Zyrgin technology she’d seen so far, except it wasn’t silver. She shook her head. “I won’t betray Azagor.”
He leaned down to hiss in her face, sweat running down his round cheeks and jowls, into his double chin at the unaccustomed exercise. “Do it, or I’ll kill Noah. You’ll never even know where we buried him.”
Did that mean that Noah was alive, or was he playing some cruel game with her? How could she do this to Azagor? How could she not? Noah was a helpless baby. A baby she had to protect, but also a baby she feared was not alive anymore. Whenever she asked the cousins about Noah, they’d avoided her eyes and moved away from her. A few times, she though
t she’d seen pity in their eyes.
“Do it,” Joseph hissed.
She shook her head no. He grabbed her hair and twisted her head back. Grabbing the big knife out of his belt, he held it against her throat. She pressed her lips together. Compared to losing your child, a knife against the throat was nothing. The knife pierced her throat, and he pulled on her hair until she screamed with pain.
“Azagor,” she screamed, but almost immediately swallowed her cries.
Joseph had tortured her for years, and she’d learned to endure it in silence, because she refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
Azagor came at them in a dead run, bursting through the doors. One moment he ran up the church aisle and the next he disappeared in front of her disbelieving eyes. The wooden planks gave way beneath him and, at first, she thought it was because they were so old and rotten and Azagor was heavier than a human. A gaping hole opened beneath the gaping floor planks. They’d caught him in the same kind of trap she’d used when she captured him. She prayed he was pretending now, like he did before. He jumped, and her heart sped up. He’d jumped like that when he got out of the pit she’d captured him in. He’d get out and fight them, and they’d get away from these evil people.
One of the brothers stepped up behind him and even as he turned with dizzying speed the brother shot him with several strange looking bullets that reminded her of feathers. More shots, all aimed at his face and neck not covered by his uniform. Azagor fell facedown half in and half out of the pit, strange feathery needle bullets sticking out of his neck just above his uniform collar.
“Azagor,” Susannah screamed. She turned and hit Joseph with her fists. “You’ve killed him.”