If Nic was the prophesied warrior, and if they turned him to their side, Goddard would become more powerful than any lord ever. He had plans to take over realms, annihilate the enemy, and set himself up under The Great One himself.
Blaise knew he’d rise with Goddard, for his master needed someone to issue commands, lead soldiers into battle, and thrash when he was angry. But it was more work for Blaise. Goddard wouldn’t share the glory or power.
Goddard sat in a cave far away and didn’t pay attention to the physical world unless Blaise informed him. It was up to Blaise to take what he wanted. No one was going to give it to him.
Blaise circled over Nic’s house. What if the boy swore allegiance to me?
The thought filled him with uncontrollable anticipation. The lords would heap riches and glory on him for the use of his warrior.
His pain waned as he watched the house. Goddard wouldn’t know what Blaise had done until it was too late. Blaise just needed to get the boy alone for a few minutes.
Blaise glided over Grangeville, watching the people hustle throughout their days. In a quiet room of the church, a man sat scribbling on pieces of paper. Blaise took a closer look. He grinned and studied the work of the man.
Youth Group Treasure Hunt!
Blaise glanced over the clues. One caught his eyes.
Don’t rattle these bones!
There couldn’t be a more perfect setting for him to finally grab the boy. Blaise shot into the air to a small building, nestled at the bottom of a hill so that it was private. He settled on the roof and waited. It wouldn’t be long until Nic made his appearance.
Chapter Thirty
Mammoth Bones
Aunt Kate raises an eyebrow at my outburst of never going back to that school and pulls out of the parking lot before she starts her questions.
“What happened?”
The darkness almost took control.
I shift, determined not to say what occurred. “Nothing.”
“An announcement like that must have been caused by something,” Aunt Kate presses. “How’s your arm?”
“A bit sore.” I’m not going to lie.
“Did someone bully you?”
“What are you? A police investigator? It’s nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.” I stare out the window and wish for a Starbucks or somewhere I could go for a bit of peace. “I wish I could drive my own car and not have to put up with an inquisition like this.”
“Nic, you can’t make statements like that and not expect me to ask what’s going on.” Aunt Kate’s voice rises.
“Fine. Their school colors are red and white! Isn’t that something you and Ryan may have checked out before moving to this pit?” I can’t stop now that I’ve started. “Didn’t you think about that?”
Aunt Kate sighs. “School colors. I forgot while alerting the hospitals about your blood type, packing, quitting my job, and all the details of moving. It didn’t cross my mind. Nic, this is something you’re going to have to get over. You can’t hide from two colors all your life.”
“It’s not the colors! It’s what the colors remind me of!”
We don’t talk after that. In fact, we manage to avoid each other in the house until Ryan comes home. If he notices we aren’t talking, he doesn’t say anything.
For the rest of the week, we drive to school without saying a word. I suffer through classes, Megan ignores me, and then I leave school. When Aunt Kate asks how it went, I say fine. Then we have nothing to say.
On Saturday, Ryan and Aunt Kate go outside to prepare for the horses he wants to get. They keep busy cleaning out the barn and fixing the fences. I stay in my room to read but am too distracted to care about the words on the page.
Ryan knocks on my door and drags me outside to help him fix the fence for the rest of the afternoon. We don’t talk about anything meaningful. With my arm still hurting, I can only hand him things and do small projects. Ryan doesn’t seem to care. He chats about everything.
When he asks why I’m lost in thought, I work up a lame excuse about always being stuck without a car. Some of it is true. In Chicago, I could hop on a bus and go wherever I wanted. Now I don’t have any way to leave the house, and I hate being dependent on them to go anywhere. He doesn’t say anything, even though I can tell he’s thinking about something.
On Sunday, I find myself back in church. Megan is playing piano again. I sit through the songs and the sermon without paying much attention. Afterwards, I hang out with Ryan while he visits with Joe. Megan must want something from me because she joins us.
“Great playing today.” Ryan grins as she comes up.
“Thanks,” she says. I can tell she’s not really sincere, but she smiles. Today she’s wearing a purple shirt with bright red lipstick.
What are you trying to hide, Megan?
Mr. Harris comes up behind Megan and tries to draw us both into a conversation about school. I try to answer Mr. Harris’ questions, but Joe and Ryan start talking about the crime scene.
“I heard you were looking over the case,” Joe says.
“I never got a chance before they demanded the photos and information back.” Ryan clears his throat. “They kept asking if I had time to go over it. I’m glad I didn’t.”
Mr. Harris asks me another question, which makes it impossible to hear what Joe says next. “What did you think of your first week of school, Nic?”
“Ah, it was all right, I guess,” I say.
Megan asks Mr. Harris a question, so I focus on the conversation behind me. Joe is talking now.
“Their son and his wife came to me on Friday. They want to sue someone. I guess the police stated it was a bear attack with food all over the campsite. But according to the son, his parents had camped for years in bear country and knew what to do.” Joe was almost whispering. “Did you see any food at the scene, Ryan? Because I sure didn’t when we drove by.”
It wasn’t bears, Ryan. But don’t investigate any further.
“Are you coming tonight, Nic?” Mr. Harris shifts his attention to me. “We’d love to have you at youth group.”
“Yeah, sure,” I say to shut him up.
Megan’s face falls like she’s disappointed I’m coming. She breaks in with another question. I lean back to hear what Ryan and Joe are saying. I missed Ryan’s answer, but Joe is talking again.
“There are more problems with what the police are saying,” he says. “They’re hiding something.”
I turn to see Claude across the room staring our direction. He’s standing next to Ron, a state policeman. I find it odd that Claude, the music teacher at the high school, always seems to be with influential people, appearing like he’s giving them advice.
Joe notices Claude watching him and clears his throat. “Maybe we should talk somewhere else.”
Ryan answers, “That sounds like a good idea. Give me a call when you’re free.”
“Hey, Ryan,” Mr. Harris says.
Ryan and Joe turn so we make a complete circle.
“Nic said he wants to come tonight to youth group.” Mr. Harris smiles.
“We’re going to have to get you a car so you can have your social life again.” Ryan thumps me on the back. “Well, not that you have ever had a social life.”
I’d protest at his joke, but a car sounds good. Then I wouldn’t have to ride with Aunt Kate every day. We head home and work on the fence until Ryan tosses me the keys to Aunt Kate’s car.
“Have fun.”
I stare in confusion at the keys in my hand.
Oh, right. Youth group. Well, at least I get to drive myself.
I change my clothes and head into town. It feels weird to drive on roads that aren’t packed with cars. It feels even stranger to be alone out in the middle of nowhere.
All I have to do is put in an appearance for a while and get home before dark. I still can’t believe how I allowed myself to get tricked into this.
I arrive and make my way to the wing of the church on the ri
ght of the sanctuary. I haven’t been to this part of the church yet. A hallway splits to the left to Pastor Tom’s office. To the right, there is a doorway that leads into a large room. I hear the chatter of people and enter the room reluctantly.
I hate rooms filled with lots of people. It’s like a slaughterhouse. I’d rather be where I can see what’s coming.
Across the room, a small group of guys and girls my age are hanging over a table with cookies. A second table has a stack of papers on it.
Megan is standing behind the table beside the chocolate cupcakes. She’s laughing at something. I watch her for a minute. She looks flawless with a green t-shirt and jeans that are both flattering and modest. At first glance, she’s the perfect Christian teen.
But as I watch her, I’m shocked at what she has hidden. I rarely overlook the clues that people leave around them so carelessly, but I’ve missed all of hers.
Megan has a very low self-esteem. Her makeup is just a mask to hide who she really is.
I wish I didn’t see her like this because now I feel sorry for her, and I don’t want to feel anything for her.
I shift my feet. She glances my direction. The smile on her face disappears as a coldness takes its place. She’s still mad at me.
What did I do this time?
I don’t have time to react to her glance. Mr. Harris comes behind me and mutters a short hello to me. He darts away before I can reply like he didn’t really want to talk to me. I watch him while he gathers everyone into a circle, away from the food, and announces that we’re doing a scavenger hunt.
In a few minutes, I’m teamed up with another guy my age named Matthew. Mr. Harris hands me a list of items we need to find. We must figure out where to go from the clues and find a piece of paper hidden at each site. On his count, I jog behind Matthew to his car and take off, already behind several others. Megan is giggling as she leaps into a car with another girl from school.
“Two letters, many choices,” I read out loud. “Really? That’s the clue?”
“K and R Video.” Matthew grins. “Haven’t explored there yet?”
“Guess not. Hey, I didn’t see you at school.”
“Nope.” Matthew ignores the stop sign and beats out a car from our group. “Couldn’t read the red sign right before the intersection because I was too busy watching that bad driver. What did it say?”
I laugh. It surprises me. I haven’t laughed in a long time. “The red octagon one? I think it said pots.”
Matthew goes back to my question. “I wasn’t at school, and I won’t be there. I homeschool.”
“No way!” I can’t believe it. “But you’re so...” I stop, embarrassed about what I was going to say.
“Normal? Adjusted? Socially adjusted?” Matthew laughs. “I know. I’ve heard it all. And, quite honestly, I’m not as normal as people think. I can just hide my weirdness very well.”
Isn’t that what we all try to do every day? I could give him a run for his money on hiding weirdness, though.
I’m not much help on the scavenger hunt because I don’t know Grangeville at all, but Matthew is quick with the clues and very free with the traffic laws. We tick the clues off and gather the slips of paper to prove it. I get a thorough tour of the rodeo grounds, two parks, the video store, a small restaurant downtown, a saddle shop, and a tiny bookstore.
The sun is setting when we get to the final clue. I eye the sunset nervously, wondering how I am going to get home without seeing anything that will terrify me.
I read the next clue. “Don’t rattle these bones.”
Matthew launches the car forward as fast as the old thing can go. “So easy! It was much harder last year.”
Last year. Before that incident at school. Before we moved to Idaho. I would’ve killed myself laughing if you told me I was going to wind up in Idaho doing a church scavenger hunt.
We don’t talk as he races to the west side of town. He turns off the main highway onto a small side road. Tucked down at the base of a hill is a small building with glass walls.
“Lake Tolo is out that way.” Matthew waves across the highway. “Someone found some mammoth bones there, so they built this replica for the town.”
The empty highway stretches across the plains toward Lewiston. One lone man plods up the road on his way to Grangeville. We turn off the main road and lurch to a stop in front of the small building with glass walls.
Behind the glass, a skeleton of mammoth bones stands tall. I see it for a second before a shadow stirs on the roof of the small building. The darkness whirls in me, clawing to get out, as the shadow unfolds long, black wings behind it.
Don’t lose control! Don’t let yourself go back to what happened!
The demon I saw the first night when Aunt Kate and I drove through town is waiting on the rooftop. My heart begins to pound as I can’t resist studying him as intently as he is scrutinizing me.
He looks like a man with long, dark wings behind him. He’s dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt with pants that look similar to a military uniform. The long scar stretches over his nose, giving him a fierce and horrible look. Behind him, his black wings are raised as if he’s ready to fly.
In Chicago, all I saw were shadows. Now I see them as physical people. Are they more powerful here, or am I going even more crazy?
He sniffs once and then takes a longer whiff. He’s grows angrier and leaps to his feet.
“Come on!” Matthew leaps from the car. “We’ve got to be one of the first ones done!”
I open the car door, trying to copy our system for quickly finding the papers for the scavenger hunt. At each stop, Matthew hunts on the left side of the car for the paper, and I take the right. The problem is Matthew parked so my side is close to the demon, and I have no desire to go that way.
Don’t get close to it.
I step out and look up at the demon. The vile creature grins with anticipation and draws a long, dark sword from his side.
Chapter Thirty-One
Allegiance
“Come on!” Matthew calls. “What are you waiting for?”
I try to think of an answer that will satisfy him. I can’t think of anything to say because of the demon pointing his sword at me.
I’ve seen many demons. Most of them didn’t know I saw them. But they were shadows. I’ve never seen one so real and hostile.
“Nic! Let’s go!” Matthew wanders far to the left.
I step away from the car, keeping a wary eye on the demon. If we can find that stupid piece of paper for the scavenger hunt, then we can leave, and maybe the demon will leave me alone. Across the grass, the man walking down the road is striding faster, his pace gaining speed as he nears the town. His white shirt stands out in the twilight, and he raps a steady beat with his walking stick.
The demon glances over and sees the man. He whips back to me, like a lion waiting for the perfect time to pounce on its prey. I walk to the right, and he strides down the roofline, placing one foot in front of the other.
“My name is Blaise.”
I spin on my heel and stare at the demon. I’ve only heard one talk. That day at school. I hear the words echo in my head, repeating over and over again like an endless drum.
Kill them. Kill them all.
Blaise’s raspy voice is low and deep. The words are carefully spoken, like someone who is thinking carefully about how to form them.
“But you will call me Master.” The demon has lowered his sword. It would take just a second for him to raise it and attack me.
Inside me, the darkness churns, longing to get out. I try to clamp it down, but the feelings leap up, uncontrolled. My hands shake. I can feel the hair on my arms lifting as sweat begins to run down my face.
It’s happening again. Someone’s going to die.
“I’m not going to call you anything,” I stammer.
Blaise laughs and swings his sword through the air.
“What did you say? Did you find it?” Matthew calls.
&nbs
p; I shake my head, hoping he will go somewhere else. He continues talking as he heads my way. The man walking on the road draws closer, almost to us, but doesn’t look our way. The tapping of his walking stick changes to an odd rhythm.
“Nothing over there.” Matthew passes the car and moves closer to the mammoth bones. “Where have you...?”
He stops talking and looks around. “Weird. I feel... I feel like we shouldn’t be here.”
Blaise marches to the edge of the roof and stares down at Matthew. He positions his long sword right over Matthew’s head.
I can barely breathe. If Blaise lets go, the blade will pierce Matthew’s skull.
It’s happening again, and just like before, I can see it, but I can’t stop it. I’m so sorry, Matthew, for what’s going to happen.
“When he dies, you’ll be blamed,” Blaise snarls, hate dripping from his words. “What fun it will be to kill this little Christian. I haven’t killed one in a long time.”
I want to yell at Matthew to run, but I can’t find the words. My breath is only raspy gasps. I have to figure out a way to save us both.
It’s happening too fast.
“You can stop it, if you want.” Blaise looks at me. “Swear allegiance to me, and I will spare this little pest.”
“Something’s not right here,” Matthew says. He looks at me, and I can’t help looking away from him up to Blaise. He follows my gaze. “What are you looking at? What is that?”
The last question is almost a scream. He’s seen Blaise. I don’t know how, but I know the panic, the fear in his voice. It’s what I live with every day.
Matthew is frozen, pointing up to Blaise. But he doesn’t move. Just like some of the students in the class didn’t run. Paralyzed by fright, not knowing where to go for safety. Like a mouse as the hawk swoops down. Until it’s too late to do anything.
“Whether he lives or dies is up to you! Do you want him to live? Then swear allegiance!” Blaise yells.
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