AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You're no longer the leader this Brotherhood needs,” thunders a voice. “And if you're not, you don't belong here!”
A wave of protest breaks out.
Those to whom these words are addressed are clearly outraged at being sidelined in this way.
I enter the room and feel Believ's presence. She's no longer here, but she has been here.
“Brother David. Your turn.”
Though calmly pronounced, these words have the effect of a cleaver. The room falls silent. And before I know what they mean, one of the monks pulls a gun from the belt of his habit and, without the slightest hesitation, shoots the man standing in front of him.
The victim collapses without a word. There isn’t a sound to disturb the silence of the audience, only the imperceptible rustling of the fabric of his clothes and the dull thump of his body on the parquet floor of the podium.
His supporters are dumbfounded, frozen in front of the monks who adopt the triumphant posture of vile conquerors.
“You!” commands the giver of orders. “Step right up.”
A blond man in his forties takes a few halting steps. Now that he stands out from the mass of his peers, I can make out a strange tattoo on his arm that reminds me of something. Where have I seen this before?
“By the powers of the Holy Church vested in me, I appoint you as the successor. You will be the new Guide of this Brotherhood.”
“Me?” he wonders aloud. “I'm just another Sin Eater, Your Holiness.”
What a pompous title!
The other sweeps his words aside with a dismissive gesture.
“Now you know what risks you run if your order deviates from the mission we've assigned it, don't you?”
The blond nods, jaw clenched.
“So I have no doubt you'll keep it on track.” A perverse smile stretches across his face. How can a religious man be so full of deceit?
“I'll do my best,” confirms the blond man, miming a low bow.
“I know you will.”
Once again, silence spreads through the room with the speed of a pandemic. There's nothing serene about it; the things left unsaid overwhelm it, and so does the tension.
I got caught up in what's going on here, but I don't care what happens to these people. And if they're enough of a distraction to take attention away from Believ, then all the better.
I leave the room without a backward glance and go back in search of the one who haunts my mind.
If through any fault of mine something were to happen to her, I wouldn't survive it...
Despite the obstacles, I continue my quest. I travel from town to town, visiting the dead and their families.
I'm adding ever more precautions to my protocol, to make sure I don't end up like the unfortunate Sin Eaters who stain my landscape. For holy men, those of the clergy have no shortage of imagination and a keen sense of torture. With each macabre discovery, I appreciate a little more the sadism of these wolves in sheep's clothing.
Eltz's journal
21
Believ
The basement is as immense as the abbey that conceals it. Perhaps even more so. And I haven't visited a quarter of it.
Once I'm far enough away from the amphitheater, I slip on my shoes and tighten them as much as I can. In this way, I hope to reduce the echo of my footsteps on the slippery slabs without risking a fall.
