Page 55 (1/1)

"What have you done to my sister?" Keller demanded, in a far ," Michael said ave her my blood, and it killed her When she rises in two days, she will be safe"

"You mean, she’ll be a valanced back at the church "And the Te against their own Brethren?"

"The men you saw in the church were hed if it were not for the horror in the young priest’s eyes "Except for three traitors, the Brethren were never Te his head "No No, not you"

Michael looked at his seneschal "Long ago, ere huht the infidel and protect the Holy Land We brought soht A curse or a disease, whatever you wish to call it, but it made us into e are now It is why they outlawed us, Father Keller Why they tortured us, and burned us Why they still hunt us"

John was backing away, still shaking his head "You can’t be You can’t" He stumbled back into the church

Phillipe crouched down beside them "Alexandra will live, won’t she?"

The blood tie made it possible for only a Darkyn kenis’s body as it ns in Alexandra’s were sathered her up and held her safely in his ar had been a lie Everything

John Keller stood before the altar in the church, looking around through dull eyes The Teht and saved them had vanished Blood spatters covered the floor, the curtains, and the pews, but the bodies of the Brethren had been reone, too

"Thy kingdom come," he muttered "Thy will be done"

He looked up at the pained face of the Son of God, hanging from the nails the Romans had pounded into him For the first time in his entire life, he understood how that pain felt

"I always believed," he said to the figure of Jesus "Always"

John walked out of the church He stood by the street, unsure of his direction There was the rental car to take back The hotel to check out of The plane to catch back to Chicago

The calling he had abandoned, to officially abandon

He reached up and ripped the collar froround "No more of this No ht

Thierry Durand watched John Keller walk down the street He waited until Cyprien and Phillipe left with Alex, and then jumped down from the roof

He had intended to kill John Keller when he ca him tear away the priest’s collar stayed Thierry’s hand

He bent and picked up the stiff, discarded white band Perhaps he would follow the fallen priest and see where he led hi file of information he had stolen from Cyprien’s house All about fourmother Thierry would very dom come, thy will be done

The collar crackled as it slowly crumpled in his fist

THE END