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She frowned "You’re afraid of Saint John?"

Joe put his hands on her shoulders "Lilah, there’s not a living soul on this planet who shouldn’t be afraid of Saint John"

He got back on the quad, and they roared off toward the plateau

72

MOTHER ROSE STOOD IN THE SHADE OF A MASSIVE COTTONWOOD TREE Brother Alexi stood behind her, his ainst the tree trunk Other reapers--all trusted members of her inner circle, her chosen ones--stood in a loose ring around theed prisoner, a stocky man with a Hawaiian face and curly black hair He knelt directly in front of Mother Rose, and she towered over hi him with her personal power as well as the evident control she held over his life

The Hawaiian bowed his head

"--and this girl as leading you," said Mother Rose, "her name was Riot?"

"Yes,all of Carter’s people through the woods?"

There was a pause before the man said, "Carter wasn’t our leader We’re all froht our way out"

Mother Rose flicked a glance at Alexi, who o"

"What is your name?" she asked

"Mako," said the Hawaiian "Like the shark"

"It is my belief, Brother Mako," said Mother Rose, "that Carter presuroup only because he had a relationship with Riot"

"I guess Carter’s always been an arrogant" Mako let the rest go "The two of them were thick as thieves, ever since we met her"

"They are both sinners," said Mother Rose

Mako hesitated, then nodded "I guess so"

"I know so Sinners and heretics who care only for thelanced at the reapers, then risked a look up at Mother Rose, who gave hi smile

"I don’t want to die," said Mako Fear and defiance warred on his face "I don’t owe a da to Carter Idon’t want to die"

"Death waits for all sinners," said Mother Rose "But for those who serve the will of Godthere is always a chance for a new life"

Mako blinked in confusion "ButI thoughtthe reapers"

Mother Rose bent and caressed the man’s bruised cheek "The world is full of mysteries, and the Lord Thanatos moves in such unexpected ways"

"WaitI"

She bent closer still and whispered in Mako’s ear "A neorld is waiting to be born If there is so you ache to tell methen that name will buy your way into a new paradise And no,about the darkness This is no trick This neorld will be right here This world Our world"

"You promise?"

"On my life," she assured him "Nowtellfor the lie Finding none

"I knohere Riot was taking Carter andthe rest of us A place called Sanctuary"

"I already know that she was taking theh "Is that all you know?"

The big Hawaiian man shook his head "There were four of us Carter, his wife, Riot, and o, Riot drew a map in the dirt to show us the best routes in case we ran into trouble In case we got separated fro her breath

"I kno to find Sanctuary," said Mako "I can take you there"

FROM NIX’S JOURNAL

When we left town, no one came to see us off

No one

How screwed up is that?

73

THEY GATHERED UP AS MANY OF THE PAPERS AND MAPS AS THEY COULD and shoved the could make sense of the science stuff, and perhaps they’d eventually find someone who needed to have this information

Someone froo bay was heavier than the cockpit door, but there was the same kind of unbroken wax seal over the lever-style lare at Benny

"So encouraging," he said

He placed his fingers lightly on the handle and arched an inquiring eyebrow at Nix

"We have to," she said

"I guess we do"

He gripped the handle, took a breath, and turned it The wax snapped and fell away The big lock went clunk, and then the door shifted in his hand Nix rested her hand on her pistol, and Benny drew his sword It was too big a weapon for practical indoor use, but he’d rather have a cluh any doorway marked DEATH

I’ed the door open with his foot "I’ll go first," he said

In truth he’d rather go first out of the hatchway and down to the desert floor Then all the way back to Mountainside Hopefully no one would be living in his old house yet Maybe his bed would even still be there

"Okay," said Nix No arguree to bolster Benny’s confidence as he stared into the oht from the hatchway reached tentatively into the bay but failed to reveal anything He took a cautious step inside The air srease--the old stuff, made from oil, not the stuff they mostly used in town that was made fro, and some sharp chemical smells that reminded him of the kind of booze that Charlie Pink-eye and his crew drank Stuff Mr Lafferty at the general store sold as whiskey but that Morgie Mitchell’s dad used to call "rotgut" And the ever-present stink of death It wasn’t as strong as the other sle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>