by Neil Jackson
“It was the same both times,” Menzies whispered. “They made no defence.”
He came to a decision. He stood, groaning at aches and pains the length of his body.
“Where to James?” David asked. “Do we head for home?”
“Not yet. Come with me, or stay, it makes no mind to me. But we have our duty as Christians to perform.”
Menzies tore long strips from his tunic, and wound them tight round a piece of wood. He lit it from the fire. David of Hawick followed his example.
Together they strode back into the tower.
The Earl and his disciples still stood before the bloodied cross, heads bowed in a mockery of prayer. The Hawick man would have ran again then, but Menzies put out a hand to stop him.
“You did right by John the Swift. Now we shall do right by our liege.”
Menzies strode across the mosaic. His foot kicked his sword that still lay there, sending in skittering across the polished stone. He didn’t bend to retrieve it.
I don’t need it. I have something else that will serve me better.
The Earl looked up at his approach. The pale eyes seemed to stare into Menzies’ soul. The big man opened his arms wide, welcoming.
“You have been by my side these many years,” the big man said. His voice sounded dry and hoarse, and had withered to little more than a whisper. “Join me now. The Lord wills it.”
“Aye,” Menzies said. “The Lord wills it.”
He stepped forward and thrust the burning brand into the cloth of the Earl’s robe. The black paint on the front took first, raising a fiery circle that spread quickly. Menzies smelled the acrid tang of burning hair as the Earl’s beard blazed. The big man started to flap his arms, attempting to put out the flame.
“In the name of Jesus Christ, be still,” Menzies shouted.
Despite the flames, the Earl complied. He stood, silent even as fire ravaged his face. The last Menzies saw was one of the white eyes pop and sizzle, then the body fell away to the ground. The disciples swayed like drunkards.
The crown of thorns hissed and crackled as the flame reached it.
The robed disciples moved forward, but even as they reached with longing towards the Earl, the fire took completely and raged through the tinder-dry wood of the crown. As a man, the disciples fell, pole-axed, onto the mosaic.
They let the fire take its course. By the time it was done the Earl’s body was charred and ravaged, the crown of thorns indistinguishable from the rest of the remains.
“In the name of Jesus Christ, be at peace,” Menzies said softly. He ground his foot on the remains, scattering the crown, and most of the Earl’s head, to dust and ash.
He turned and left. He did not look back.
It was only when they were back out in the heat of the sun that David of Hawick spoke.
“What did we just do?” he asked.
Menzies set his eyes on the horizon and home. He didn’t reply, but something that the Hawick man had said earlier echoed in his mind.
It was the Christian thing to do.
More works from Ghost Writer Publications
For more authors, stories, and books, visit http://www.ghostwriterpublications.com
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If you enjoy short fiction, you might like these collections…
ASHES
By Scott Nicholson
A collection of 20 stories by award-winning author Scott Nicholson, including "Scarecrow Boy," "Dog Person" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." From the author of THE RED CHURCH, THE SKULL RING, and the story collections FLOWERS and THE FIRST, these stories visit haunted islands, zombie churches, disturbed families, and a lighthouse occupied by Edgar Allan Poe. Exclusive introduction by Jonathan Maberry, author of THE DRAGON FACTORY and GHOST ROAD BLUES. The afterword explains the ideas for the stories.
UNTCIGAHUNK: The Complete Little Brothers
By Rick Hautala
It has been five years since Kip Howard saw his mother killed horribly by a blur of “little brown things.” Five years of nightmares and a terror of dark places. Five years of struggling to overcome what must have been just his imagination...
But the “untcigahunk”—the Indian word for “little brothers”—are no one’s imagination. Hideous forest creatures who feed every five years on human flesh, the little brothers are about to emerge from underground once again. Only this time, there will be no escape for the young boy who witnessed their last feast.
By the author of more than 30 novels, originally published as the paperback “Little Brothers.”
THE CHRONICLES OF AUGUSTUS SETON
By William Meikle
Augustus Seton is a 16th century sword-for-hire... a seeker after truth, continually trying to find ways to explain the supernatural events that shaped him. This leads him down many Fortean alleys, confronting demons and witches, but also getting involved in other manifestations of the weird, from the Grey Man of Ben MacDui, to the Kilbirnie Wyrm and even encounters with the Grim Reaper himself.
The four stories in this collection are his first adventures in what will become a long and wild career of monster smiting, demon slaying and general mayhem with a bit of history and Scottish folklore, thrown in.
FLOWERS
By Scott Nicholson
Contains the Writers of the Future Award grand-prize winner "The Vampire Shortstop" and other tales of fantasy and mystery. Contains 13 stories, a bonus essay, afterword, and a previously unpublished story from Nicholson's teen-age files. An ebook version of Scott Nicholson's first story collection THANK YOU FOR THE FLOWERS from 2000, with additional material.
THE ALDWARK TALES
By Richard Tyndall
Set in the fictional town of Aldwark, Richard Tyndall brings us a collection of novelettes that conjures up the names Blackwood, James and LeFanu. Tyndall’s style hearkens back to the masters of English dark fantasy. A talented new voice from Ghostwriter Publications.
DEFINING DARKNESS
By Barry House
A collection of 13 dark fantasy stories from one of the bright new names of UK dark fiction. From creature features and supernatural suspense to historical self-exploration, these stories chart the waters of undiscovered emotions and shadowy paths of the psyche. Includes two bonus stories and an introduction from the author.
THE FIRST
By Scott Nicholson
A collection of 15 dark fantasy stories from award-winning author Scott Nicholson. From futuristic fantasy to supernatural suspense to dystopian exploration, these stories visit undiscovered countries and shadowy avenues of the heart. Includes two bonus essays and Nicholson's first-ever published story, in addition to the four-story Aeropagan cycle.
OCCASIONAL DEMONS
By Rick Hautala
This collection, from an acclaimed Master of Dark Fiction, consists of twenty-nine tales with some being straight genre entries, others psychological terror and finally a few shorts that include science fiction elements. The middle section contains eight "Untcigahunk Stories and Myths of the Little Brothers" that derive from the novel LITTLE BROTHERS and three collaborations.
http://www.ghostwriterpublications.com
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