by Lori Darnell
"I don't think he would be willing to stray from us. He is very loyal to me and to Jill. He is very protective of her as well." James looked back at me, giving me warning to maintain my silent obedience. Obviously, the rumors were more graphic than I would have guessed.
"Well, as you can see, he is no longer a boy. He towers over me and can carry Jill as though she is a small doll, which at five foot nine, she surely is not. You would be hard pressed to force his hand in any way. Plus, as I have said, we have a bodyguard that has been told to keep them both safe - no matter what comes for them." James, while remaining respectful, spoke with assertion. He was not going to let this man touch us, that much was clear. But the Reverend would not give up so easily. I could read that bit all on my own, even without Jill's silent admonition beside me.
We continued to drive further away from London and into the country, passing very few homes with more and more uncleared land between them. It made me more nervous as we went; it did the opposite for James and Dean. They both looked calm, and... confident. The car slowed in front of a small Church. It looked hundreds of years old. It was covered in vines that reached up and embraced the moss covered roof. If the building hadn't been so terrifying due to its purpose, I probably would have found it decorative and quite lovely.
The Reverend walked us through the large wooden double doors into the main area of the building. There were long benches inside, row after row of them covered in dust and leading to a podium at the back of the building. This room hadn't been used in a very long time. It made the place feel dead, dead as the body we were supposed to see here.
"I take it service is no longer held here?" I heard James ask from a distance. He had noticed the dilapidated state of the building as well.
"No, I prefer London to this place. There were very few people living out here to attend anyway. But it is good for storing things. Shall we go down?" The Reverend took the lead, and we followed him toward the basement of the church. There would be no reprieve from the duty at hand. I looked over to my left and saw Jill start to shiver. I took her hand and kept my distance as we followed the Reverend down the stairs into the lower levels of the building.
At the bottom of the stairs we saw a large steel door. My body felt warm, visions on the edge. I had to ask. "Is this the freezer?" The Reverend spun to look at me. I realized it was the first time I had spoken since we met. His answering smile seemed optimistic, and a trifle eager.
"Yes, she has been down here for a couple of weeks. She knows the location of the heretic’s Church. We need to go there and eradicate the lies. You need to tell me where it is." He released his hand from the door, and walked slowly toward me. He raised his hand and brushed it across my jaw. "I would be most grateful for anything you can… do… for me." I could feel the multiple meanings there in his eyes. Jill gripped my hand possessively and glared at the Reverend, who backed down from the challenge without demur.
"Please open the door, I will go in first. If I am unable to get the information you need-” I hesitated, looking at Jill and fervently hoping she would comply, "-only then, will Jill be sent in as well. Is this acceptable?" He knew this was not a negotiation. James was silent. The Reverend slowly nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes of course, my boy. No need to risk two witnesses, when one will suffice. Please, let us go in."
"No, I need to be alone to concentrate. I will be right back." I looked back at my party, they were clearly concerned. But I could feel the vision come. My body radiated with heat. I didn't want the Reverend there when I let it have full reign. He nodded and stepped back, holding the door open for me. Apparently, he had never seen a witness perform their duty before, and for this, I was grateful.
The room was very cold... too cold for the clothing I had on, but I ignored it and continued on. I saw a white sheet placed over a shape on the table. I knew this was the body. I could have read her mind from where I stood but I wanted to see. I had to see. I lifted the sheet from her face. She was covered in blood, her own to be sure. There was a large gash that covered half of her face. This was clearly the blow that had killed her. She hadn't died of her own free will. This girl had been murdered. I closed my eyes and released my tight grip on the heat.
I could see the girl sitting outside this building with the Reverend. She was begging. "I will tell you anything you want to know, please... please." I heard the Reverend's reply. "Sorry, but we can do better than that. If your dead." I opened my eyes and shook myself from that memory. Too dangerous. I had to start further back.
Thinking on the request at hand. I scanned her mind looking for any triggers. I was in luck. I had seen a Church. It was golden, in the sand. It was very hot. Too hot. It burned my skin. But there was something else - another Church – unlike any Church I had seen before. It was a shadow of the other. Beautiful, but empty. It was the Church the that we were sent here to find. Locating the building would be simple. I closed my eyes again, focusing on the cold around me to slow the heat of the vision. It was time to leave. We had a destination.
I covered the girl’s face. She was not peaceful here in death. She would have told him anything he wanted. I knew that, and so did the Reverend. The fury in me was inconsolable. I walked from the freezer, hands clenched against any rash reaction, even knowing as my knuckles whitened with rage that the effort was likely to be futile.
"Ah, I was starting to get worried." James was the first to speak.
"Her first memories caught me off guard." I glowered at the Reverend. "It seems as though she had told you that she would give you the information you wanted - if you didn't kill her," I declared with obvious venom. I saw Dean from the corner of my eye, his mouth dropping open in horror. Jill was frozen, unable to move. She had read from my mind the transgressions.
"Yes... well, you see, people will often lie to save their own lives. But people can't lie to someone like you." The Reverend stepped away from me, looking towards James for confirmation. "James, you must understand, the Church is most adamant about finding the girl and the heretic's Church." He was pleading with James. I was two feet from him in a full rage, and he had the gall to turn his back to me?
James started to speak but I cut him off. "Don't you think it would have been wise to tell us this before you sent us in there? She could have killed us both. You would have been responsible. You are responsible; I could see she had no intention of deceiving you. She would have told you everything." For her sacrifice, I was not going to admit the possibility that she might have held anything back. I glanced at James, who was shaking his head no, pleading for restraint, eyes already calculating new exit strategies.
"Marcus, you have done well. Please tell the Reverend what he needs to know, so we can move forward. We do have schedules to keep to." James abruptly reminded me of my priorities. The Reverend looked up at me, fearfully, which I enjoyed greatly. I smiled as I turned to face him.
"The girl knew of the Church. She had attended there. The girl and her father were there less than three months ago. The Church is in London. Right under your nose." I looked at James, who was staring widely as I spoke. "There is nothing more the girl knew. We will need to take our leave. As James noted, we have been requested elsewhere."
“Excellent. I am most pleased. However, I think it may be prudent to have your partner here-” he walked over to Jill, wrapping his arm around her waist possessively, “read her as well. It is nice to know the location. However, I need to know exactly where we are going tonight.”
I could concentrate on little other than the way he was holding her, and the fear that was clearly radiating from her, out of every pore. I knew she could read the body… but I was more concerned that he wanted to be alone with her.
As I walked over to them, the Reverend did not shift his stance. He was too intent on moving his hand down her waist, across her hips, carefully moving within the hem of her pants. I reacted like a crazed man. I reached for his free hand and pulled it back behind his head. I heard a loud
crack and a cry of agony as the offending hand stopped, frozen.
"That is not how ‘the girl’ reads. Also, I do not believe she gave an open invitation for your advances. I would have known." I let go of his wrist and he fell to the ground on his knees, gripping his injured hand and pulling it toward his chest, moaning.
He stared up in wide eyed fear. "You have definitely gotten my attention, but I still need that location. If you can't give it to me, the girl must." The Reverend panted, composing himself and fighting to regain control of the situation.
I felt myself growl at his constant use of the words ‘the girl’ as though she didn't matter to anyone. Well, she mattered a hell of a lot to me. “’The girl’, is named Jill. You will respect her."
He nodded in silence and turned back to her "Jill, please call off your bodyguard. I merely need the location. I will not touch you again." She smiled and nodded. I heard her silent thank you, and then, her not-so-silent, ‘don't ever do that again.’ I was taking risks that I knew I should not, but it made me sick to have him touch her. She was mine.
“Reverend, if you would like me to show you where it is, I will.” Looking at the Reverend, he returned my gaze as a challenge. He clearly wasn’t willing to give up this game yet. I cleared my throat and looked at James. I knew where to take him, but I didn’t want to spend any more time than was absolutely necessary with the vile man.
“It won’t be necessary to exhaust both of my witnesses when one will do,” James put in. “And I must remind you, the Church is expecting reports tonight. We have already purchased our passage to the next location.” The Reverend was unmoved.
“I believe that the Church will be more interested in locating the heretic’s headquarters here than purchasing new tickets to leave tomorrow. I will call and make the arrangements for you. Come, we will head back to the compound here in London. You can freshen up and change into more suitable clothing for going out – in fact, we will make a night for celebration.” His tone had changed, and his eyes sharpened on James. With no further excuses to get out of this excursion, James gave his assent.
We drove back to London in silence. I secretly held Jill’s hand, running my thumb against inside of her wrist. Her pulse was running wild. There was nothing I could say, nothing I could do, to make the coming uncertainty any better or easier. I could not even hold her to comfort her as I would have done, with the Reverend right there watching our every move. My heart ached with the powerless silence between us.
When we arrived at the Reverend Michael's compound in the heart of London, it was dark outside, but the lights of the compound showered across the pavement like a beacon. The building was much like the one we had spent our entire childhood in. A strange sense of déjà vu crept up my spine as I was ushered into the large entrance. Inside, it looked exactly the same. The Reverend lead us down the hall to his office. It was very close to the center common room.
“You can change in here. No one will disturb you.” He pointed for Jill and me to enter the room. I looked at James questionably. Did he mean both of us to go in? But I brushed the thought aside - it would be quicker, and I could keep track of wandering eyes toward Jill, this way.
When the door closed behind us, Jill turned to speak. I quickly raised my finger to her lips. I told her with my mind that we were not alone; she looked around the room and shuddered. She let me know she understood. She went quickly to her case. I caught an odd edge of true excitement in her that startled me, since she was trapped by fear moments ago. I spun around to look and noticed that she had an orange dress in her hands. With our backs to each other we dressed quickly - very quickly, as we both thought that we were being watched. When we exited the room, the Reverend was waiting for us.
“Very lovely, my dear! Fit for celebration.” He reached for Jill’s hand and spun her around, with his good arm. I hadn’t really looked at her new dress until now, on display for all to see. It was just past her knees, a full skirt with a high waist that cut just under her breasts. The dress top wrapped around her neck, leaving her back completely exposed except the curtain of long blond hair that covered it.
In comparison to the dress robes we were accustomed to wearing which covered everything; Jill was nearly indecent. Jill was always beautiful, but in this dress, she was positively radiant. I considered how very much I wanted to get her back out of the dress, and gulped, hoping no one could see the heat rising up my neck. Jill caught my assessment from my mind and laughed. The Reverend smiled, assuming the laugh was for him, and then turned to review my attire.
“Marcus, how could I neglect you! Such a fine cut you are. You will make an excellent couple tonight. It will be a pleasure to escort you both.” Beaming, he placed Jill’s hand in mine.
I couldn’t help but wonder about his intentions. “Where are Dean and James? Aren’t they accompanying us tonight?”
“No, of course not. James is working on his reports. The Church requested them urgently. And Dean has been sent to the Hotel for urgent security matters. His assistance is going to be much appreciated tonight.” I couldn’t help my reaction. With a raised eyebrow, I turned to Jill. She was frowning in response.
“I see.”
“Well let’s be on our way, we have dinner reservations. James will be back tonight, and depending on the trouble Dean encounters, he may be back tonight as well. But tonight is for celebration - celebration of your success.”
We walked the boulevard to the restaurant. It was quite the grand establishment. We could not be anything but amazed. Neither of us had experienced this kind of luxury.
“We have a private room in the back so we won’t be disturbed,” the Reverend mentioned as we passed through the impressive doorway.
All our awe at the grandeur died, instantly. We followed silently to the room; it was a large room with several small tables. In the center of the room was a small dance floor.
“Will there be any others joining us tonight?” I asked, looking at the other tables.
“No, it is just us. This is the only private room they have.” He walked toward the back wall where a heavy curtain was drawn. He walked to the right side and pulled several small cords. The curtain opened. It was the main dining room area, we could see everyone. There was a large dance floor, with a band playing soft music that we could hear, even in this room. It was beautiful.
Jill moved toward the glass and looked back at me. “Can they see us in here?” I asked the Reverend for her.
“No, it is a mirror on the other side. We are completely alone.”
“I see. I don’t mean to be rude or inhospitable. But what exactly is the purpose here?”
“My, you are quite blunt for a freshly released student. James must have been quite easy on you - or quite in love with you.”
“James is like a father to me. But we both know that isn’t the kind of love you’re speaking of.” I crossed the small room and reached for Jill; she responded instantly. She came to my side and wrapped her arms around my waist tightly, very possessively. The Reverend was quite enthusiastic with her response.
“Have no fear. I spoke with the council today. They wanted me to encourage a relationship with you both. They wanted me to take you away from James, so you would be more encouraged to be with Jill.” He smiled wide as he took in the vision in front of him. He was clearly envisioning the possibilities, looking at us. We were very protective of each other. “Yes, you two will make a fine couple. Your children will be most beautiful and talented,” he stated as a matter of fact.
It couldn’t be this easy. James had hinted that it would be a while for this kind of encouragement from the Church. Could it be so simple? Could I openly show my affection for Jill? I was encouraged by the idea as the Reverend led us to one of the tables. We sat and he chatted about London society and the changes in the area. As he was explaining the finer points of London’s fashion sense to Jill, I was trying to pay attention but my eyes wandered and I saw the people on the dance floor. They seemed so h
appy. It was strange to see this; I had never really seen groups of happy people.
“Marcus, I am so sorry. I must be boring you - by the looks of it, both of you.” He laughed genuinely. “Why don’t you take Jill for a spin on the dance floor? I would love to watch.” It was an invitation I couldn’t resist. I had watched the dancing for a while and felt I could at least try to mimic it. I had seen a well dressed man approach his dance partner. I smiled at the notion.
“Would you care to dance?” I bowed low and held my hand out for hers. She giggled in response – and the Reverend took notice. I led her to the dance floor so I could still see the dancers, and I moved in circles, trying to copy their movements. We both stumbled and tripped at first. But after a few rounds, the mood of the music carried us along and we floated around the dance floor. It was glorious.
“Wonderful! I have so much to tell the Church. They will be so pleased. Please, come, sit, have some dinner.” Jill and I looked at each other; we hadn’t noticed dinner having been brought into the room.
We sat down, and the Reverend tried to explain the strange foods in front of us. We were both a little wary when he mentioned the word snail and food in the same sentence, but we tried everything. The roast duck and the crusty bread were my favorites. Jill feasted on the snails; I tried not to watch - there are some things I would never view as edible, no matter what sauce they were bathed in.
As the plates were cleared away, the Reverend ushered Jill to the dance floor. It was obvious this man was used to taking whatever he wanted. For the moment he was just happy to dance with her; that I could tolerate. But there was still a slight edge of menace in his personality; I tried to determine what it was, exactly, but couldn’t quite grasp it. I could feel the heat begging to take over, but this was not the time. It was too noticeable.