"Then that will be our destination," said Lucas. "But I cannot guarantee to arrive at the same time, or on the same day. Erring on the side of caution, the margin of error could be as much as a week after he left."
Four days had pa.s.sed. Wallace Nash and Beth had repaired the damaged window shutters as best they could, while Isis and Dr Meredith had cut what meat remained from the slaughtered farm animals. On the third day the Deacon"s mule had trotted back into the yard. Beth clapped her hands when she saw it. "You son of a gun!" she said, smiling and walking forward to rub the mule"s nose. "You got away!" With ropes from the barn they hauled away the corpses of the Wolvers and the slaughtered oxen. Beth dug up vegetables from the small plot at the rear of the barn and stored them in the kitchen of the main building. She also filled several buckets of water from the well, and left them inside the house. On the fourth day, Dr Meredith helped Beth carry Jeremiah"s body out to the ground behind the ruined barn. Wallace and the doctor dug a deep grave. Isis stood beside Beth as the earth was shovelled on to the blanket-wrapped corpse.
"He was a good man," said Isis, holding on to Beth"s hand.
"Even good men die. We all die," said Beth. "Let"s hope this is an end to the terror."
"It isn"t," said Isis. "Men with horned helms and black armour will be riding here soon. The Bloodstone cannot be stopped, Beth. I felt him, and his power, his l.u.s.t for blood and his terrible determination. And now the Deacon is gone. I think we are all going to die."
Beth hefted her rifle and said nothing.
Meredith stood beside the grave and laid down his shovel. His slender face was bathed in sweat and his eyes were downcast, his sorrow evident. "I"m sorry, Jeremiah," he said. "You were kind to me - and I killed you."
"Don"t dwell on it," said Beth. "You made a mistake. We all make mistakes. You just have to learn to live with them." She turned to the red-headed youngster. "As I recall, Wallace, you have a fine voice. Why don"t you sing for us? "Rock of Ages" ought to be just fine."
"Riders coming," said Wallace. Beth c.o.c.ked the rifle as she swung.
Clem Steiner rode into the yard and dismounted; Nestor Garrity sat on his horse, hands on the saddle pommel. The boy looked older, thought Beth, his face gaunt, his eyes tired.
Behind him came two more horses, one bearing a stick-thin old woman with leathered skin and bright blue eyes, the other carrying two children.
"Didn"t find him, Beth," said Clem, "but he"s alive."
She nodded absently and walked to where the old woman was dismounting. "Welcome to my home," said Beth, introducing herself.
The old woman gave a weary smile. "Good to be here, child. I"m Zerah Wheeler and it"s been quite a journey. I see you"re burying someone. Don"t let me interfere with the words of farewell."
"There"s food and drink in the house," Beth told her. Together the two women lifted the youngsters from the horse, and Zerah led them inside. "All right, Wallace," said Beth. "Let"s hear the hymn!"
His voice was strong and surprisingly deep and the words of the old hymn rolled out over the hillsides, with Clem, Beth and Nestor joining in. Isis wept, and remembered the many kindnesses she had enjoyed from Jeremiah.
At last the song ended and Beth walked away from the grave, linking arms with Clem. He told her of their travels, and how Nestor had been forced to kill. She listened gravely. "Poor Nestor," she said. "He always was a romantically inclined boy. But he"s strong, Clem, he"ll get over it. I wish Jon was here. There"s more trouble coming."
"I know," he said, and told her of the horned riders herding prisoners towards the town. In turn she explained about the Deacon and the Bloodstone, and the spell of changing he had placed over the Wolvers.
"Maybe we should get away from here," said Clem. "Far and fast."
"I don"t think so, Clem. First, we"ve only four horses and ten people - and one of those is badly wounded. You remember Josiah Broome?"
"Sure. Inoffensive man, hated violence."
"He still does. He was shot down, Clem - by Jerusalem Riders."
Clem nodded. "Never did trust that bunch - especially with Jacob Moon in the lead. The man"s rotten through to the core. I saw him with the h.e.l.lborn." Clem grinned at her. "So we stay here then?"
"It"s my home, Clem. And you said yourself it"s built like a fortress. No one"s been able to drive me off it so far."
Clem swore. "Looks like that"s going to be put to the test, Beth darlin"," he said.
Beth looked up. On the far hillside to the north she saw a line of riders, sitting on their horses and staring down at the farmhouse. "I think we had better get inside," she said.
Arm in arm they walked slowly towards the house. The riders were some two hundred yards distant. Beth counted them as she walked; there were around fifty men, all wearing horned helms and carrying rifles.
Inside the house she sent Wallace and Nestor upstairs to watch from the bedroom windows, while Zerah took up a rifle and positioned herself at the downstairs window. Dr Meredith sat on the floor by the fire, beside Isis, and the young mother and her baby. Clem glanced at the sandy-haired man. "You need a spare weapon, Meneer?" he asked.
Meredith shook his head. "I can"t kill," he said.
Josiah Broome, his thin chest bandaged, a bloodstain showing through it, moved into the main room. "What"s happening?" His eyes were feverish, and cold sweat bathed his face. He saw Clem and smiled. "Well, well, if it isn"t young Steiner. Good to see you, my boy."
Suddenly he sagged against the door-frame. "d.a.m.n," he whispered. "Weaker than I thought."
Clem took his arm and led him back into the bedroom, laying the wounded man on the bed. "I think you should stay here, Meneer. You are in no condition to fight."
"Who are we fighting, Clem?"
"Bad men, Josiah, but don"t you worry. I"m still pretty good with a pistol."
"Too good," said Josiah sadly, his eyes closing.
Clem rejoined the others. The h.e.l.lborn had left the hillside and were riding slowly towards the building. Beth stepped outside. Clem grabbed her arm."What the h.e.l.l. . . ?"
"Let"s hear what they"ve got to say," said Beth.
"Why?" asked Clem. "You think they"ve stopped by for Baker"s and biscuits?"
Beth ignored him and waited on the porch, her rifle cradled in her arms. Clem took off his jacket and stood beside her, hand resting on the b.u.t.t of his pistol.
Beth stood quietly watching the riders. They were grim men, hard-eyed and wary, their faces sharp, their eyes stern. The look of fanatics, she thought, ungiving, unbending. They wore black breastplates engraved with swirls of silver, and black horned helms buckled under the chin. In their hands were short-barrelled rifles, and pistols were strapped to their hips. Yet the most disturbing feature for Beth was that each of them had a Bloodstone in the centre of their foreheads. Like the wolves, she thought. The h.e.l.lborn rode into the yard, fanning out before the house. A lean-faced warrior kneed his horse forward and sat before her. His eyes were the grey of a winter sky, and there was no warmth in the gaze.
His helmet was also horned, but the tips had been dipped in gold.
"I am Shorak," he said, "First Lieutenant of the Second Corps. This land is now the property of the Lord of h.e.l.l." Beth said nothing as Shorak"s gaze raked the building, noting the riflemen at the slits in the upper windows. "I am here," he said, returning his stare to Beth, "to escort you to the Lord Sarento, so that you may pay homage and learn of his greatness at first hand. You will need no possessions, nor weapons of any kind, though you may bring food for the journey."
Beth looked up at the man, then at the others who sat on their horses silently. "Never heard of the Lord Sarento," she told the leader.
He leaned forward, the sun glinting on the golden horns of his helmet. That is your loss, woman, for he is the Living G.o.d, the Lord of All. Those who serve him well gain eternal life, and joy beyond imagining."
"This is my home," Beth told him. "I have fought for it, and killed those who would take it from me. I raised children here, and I guess I"ll die here. If the Lord Sarento wants me to pay homage he can come here himself. I"ll bake him a cake. Now, if that"s all you wanted to tell me I suggest you ride off. I"ve work to do."
Shorak seemed unconcerned by her refusal. He sat quietly for a moment, then spoke again. "You do not understand me, woman. I shall make it plain. Gather food and we will escort you to the Lord. Refuse and we will kill you all. And the manner of your pa.s.sing will be painful. Now, there are others within the house and I suggest you speak to them. Not all of them will wish to die. You have until noon to make a decision. We will return then."
Wheeling his horse, Shorak led the riders back out to the hillside.
"Polite, wasn"t he?" said Clem.
Beth ignored the humour and strode inside. The first person to speak was the young mother, Ruth. "I want to go with them, Frey McAdam," she said. "I don"t want any more fear and fighting."
"It would seem the only course," agreed Dr Meredith. "We can"t outfight them."
Wallace and Nestor came downstairs to join in the discussion. Beth poured herself a mug of water and sipped it, saying nothing. "How much ammunition we got?" Wallace asked.
Beth smiled. "A hundred rounds for the rifles. Twenty for my pistol."
"I"ve got thirty," Clem said.
"We mustn"t fight them," said Ruth. "We mustn"t! I"ve got my baby to think of. What"s so hard about paying homage to someone? I mean, it"s only words."
"Speaking of which," remarked Zerah Wheeler, "we only have their word for it that paying homage is all they want. Once outside and unarmed, they can do as they d.a.m.n well please with us."
"Why would they want to harm us?" asked Dr Meredith. "It would make no sense."
"They are h.e.l.lborn," put in Isis, "and it was their master who sent the wolves against us."
"I don"t care about that!" shouted Ruth. "I just don"t want to die!"
"n.o.body wants to die," snapped Beth. "Wallace, get back upstairs and watch them. I don"t want them sneaking up on us."
"Yes, Frey," he said, and returned to his post.
Nestor spoke. "When we saw them heading towards the town they were leading a group of prisoners. They didn"t kill none of them. Maybe it"s just like the man said - just paying homage to their leader."
Beth turned to Clem. "You"re not saying much?"
Clem shrugged. "I don"t think there"s much to say. I don"t know where these h.e.l.lborn came from, but if they"re anything like the warriors of the First War they"re murdering savages: they"ll rape and torture the women and mutilate the men. And I"m not surrendering my weapons to the likes of them."
"You"re crazy!" screamed Ruth. "You"ll condemn us all to death!"
"Shut your mouth!" stormed Beth. "I won"t have it! This is no time for hysterics. What do you think, Zerah?"
Zerah put her arms around Esther"s shoulder, Oz moved in close and she ruffled his hair. "I got less to lose than the rest of you, being old and worn out. But I"ve also been trying to keep these children alive, and I"m kind of torn. You look to me, Frey McAdam, like a woman who"s been over the mountain a few times. What do you think?"
"I don"t like threats," said Beth, "and I don"t like men who make them. They want us alive. I don"t know why; I don"t much care."
"I can tell you why," said Isis softly. "When I went out to the wolf-beasts I felt the power of the Bloodstone. He is hungry, and he feeds on souls. To go to him would mean death."
"What do you mean, feeds on souls?" sneered Ruth. "That"s insane. You"re making it up!"
Isis shook her head. "He was linked to the wolves. Every time they killed, part of the life was fed back through the Stones in their heads. He is a creature of blood and death. All we are to him is food. The Deacon knew that."
"And where is he?" hissed Ruth. "Gone and left us days ago. Run away! Well, I"m not dying here. No matter what any of you say."
"I think we should vote on it," said Clem. "It"s getting close to noon."
Beth called out to Wallace and he stood at the top of the stairs, rifle in hand. "You called the vote, Clem, so what"s your view?" she asked.
"Fight,"said Clem.
"Wallace?"
"I ain"t going with them," said the red-headed youngster.
"Nestor?"
The young man hesitated. "Fight," he said.
"Isis?"
"I"m not going with them."
"Doctor?"
Meredith shrugged. "I"ll go with the majority view," he said.
"Zerah?"
The old woman kissed Esther on the cheek. "Fight," she said.
"I think that about settles it," said Beth.
Ruth stared at them all. "You are all crazy!"
"They"re coming back," shouted Wallace.
Beth moved to the dresser and pulled clear three boxes of sh.e.l.ls. "Help yourselves," she said. "You youngsters stay down low on the floor." Esther and Oz scrambled down below the table. Zerah stood and took up her rifle as Beth walked to the door.
"You"re not going out there again?" asked Clem.
Beth pulled open the door and stood leaning against the frame, her rifle c.o.c.ked and ready, and held across her body.
The h.e.l.lborn rode, fanning out as before.
Ruth ran across the room, brushing past Beth and sprinting out into the yard. "I"ll pay homage," she shouted. "Let me go with you!"
Shorak ignored her and looked at Beth. "What is your decision, woman?" he asked.
"We stay here," she said.
"It is all of you or none," said Shorak. Smoothly he drew his pistol and shot Ruth in the head. The young woman was pole-axed to the ground. Beth swung her rifle and fired, the bullet screaming past Shorak to punch into the chest of the rider beside him and pitch him from the saddle. Clem grabbed Beth, hauling her back inside as bullets smashed into the door-frame and screamed through the room. Nestor kicked shut the door and Clem dropped the bar into place.
Zerah fired three shots through the window, then a bullet took her high in the shoulder, spinning her to the floor. A h.e.l.lborn warrior ran to the window. Clem shot him through the face. The door juddered as men hurled themselves against it.
Beth scrambled to her feet. Several more h.e.l.lborn reached the window, firing into the room. Zerah, blood drenching her shirt, rolled against the wall beneath the sill. Beth fired, taking a man in the chest. He pitched forward. Another warrior hurled himself against the window, smashing the frame and rolling into the room. Nestor shot him twice. The h.e.l.lborn hit the floor face first, twitched, then was still.
Clem ran across the room, tipping the pine table to its side. Shots ripped into the walls of the house, and ricocheted around the room. The door began to splinter. Beth pumped three shots through it, and heard a man scream and fall to the porch.