Four Summoners Tales Part 19

Sophia argued, of course. She often did.Addie had never seen a woman who felt herself so free to dispute her husband's word. Or a husband who allowed it. Certainly, in her own home, her mother had only to issue the smallest word of complaint, and she'd be abed for days, recovering. To actually argue? Addie had only seen that once. And when it was over, her mother would never argue again.

But Sophia did. And yet, even as she disputed her husband's word, she did not stand there and holler at him. She could see how agitated he was, and she immediately set about packing as he asked, while arguing about leaving.

Preacher wanted them to go. Her and Sophia. Immediately. He told Sophia what had happened, in the gentlest terms possible, but they still shocked her into a near trance, gaping at him as if he'd gone mad. Addie confirmed it was true, all of it. Rene and Timothy James had been murdered to bring back the children, and there was something very wrong with the children, and they had to flee.

"But . . . but the villagers," Sophia said. "They are almost all innocent in this. We cannot abandon them-"

"I'm not. I'm sending you and Addie on ahead. I need to find out precisely what has happened here and warn those who will let themselves be warned.Then I will join you."

Sophia pulled herself up to her full height-which barely reached Preacher's chin. "I am not going anywhere without you, Benjamin."

"Yes, you are.You and Addie and the baby. Dobbs has already made his threat against my family.You will leave, and I will do what I can here, which I cannot do if I'm worrying about you."

"Preacher's right," Addie said.

She walked up beside Sophia and took her hand. It felt odd, reaching for another person, voluntarily touching another person. But she took her hand and squeezed it.

"You need to go," Addie said. "For your child."

Sophia looked down at their hands, then at Addie.

"All right," she said. "I'll go. For my children."

PreAcher What had Eleazar done? Dark deeds, Preacher was sure of that. Murder. Inciting others to murder. And more. But what more? What exactly was wrong with Charlie and the others? That was what he had to discover.

Of the children who'd been raised, only Charlie was awake. The others had all been sedated. Deeply sedated. He confirmed that by paying a visit to the Meeks. They were a G.o.d-fearing couple who'd always been kind to him, and he'd seen the look on Ella Meek's face when her son started spewing such venom after the resurrection. She was frightened. So Preacher spoke to her.

Jonas had not stirred since he'd been chloroformed. Eleazar had told them that if he did, and he said anything untoward or concerning, they were to give him another dose, from a small bottle he'd left.The boy was fine, simply not himself. Not yet.

"But he's only six years old," Ella Meek said to Preacher. "He doesn't even know those words he was saying. He's a good boy. A quiet boy."

And so he was, one of the quietest in the town.All his family was, prompting the joke that they truly earned their surname. Meek and mild.

"And the others have been told the same?" he asked. She nodded. "All of them."

All except Charlie. Who was, by all accounts, resting comfortably at his home. It was time for Preacher to pay the boy a visit.

Addie Addie had lied to Preacher. She would, perhaps, eventually feel guilt about that. But not today.Today did not count by any proper reckoning. Sophia knew of the promise and had partic.i.p.ated in breaking it, which proved the world had, indeed, turned upside down.

Addie had promised to stay with Sophia.To ride through the forest, where they'd not be seen, then over to the road and hightail it to Greenville.That was not what she had done. She'd gathered the horses-they had two-and met Sophia on the wide main path. It was quite impossible to hide the taking of the horses, but no one seemed to pay her much mind. In truth, no one had even noticed. She took them and they rode them until they had to dismount and steer them along the secondary path to Timothy James's cabin. Then Addie ensconced Sophia there, shotgun in hand, and went back to town. For Preacher.To keep him safe.

PreAcher "I've come to apologize," Preacher said, standing on Mayor Browning's front porch, hat in hand. "I was wrong, and I see that now. My lack of faith blinded me. Mr. Dobbs is right. I am not fit to be a man of G.o.d. I will be withdrawing from my position immediately."

"What?" The reply came from deep within the house. Dorothy Browning pushed past her husband. "Quit? No. Our town needs you, Preacher, perhaps now more than ever-"

Browning nudged her back. "We'll talk on this later, Benjamin. It's a poor time."

"I know. I didn't come here to resign so much as I came to apologize. I was wrong. I misspoke. A miracle has occurred in Chestnut Hill. Seven miracles."

The whole time he spoke, Browning nodded absently, as if urging him along. Finish up and begone, man.

"Charlie is well, then?" Preacher asked.

"Well enough."

Dorothy made a noise, but a glare from her husband cut her short.

"May I see him?" Preacher asked. "Addie is most anxious to speak to her friend again. I've told her this is, as you've said, a poor time. However, she asked me to give him this."

He pulled a stone from his pocket. It was a pretty one, veined with fool's gold. He'd found it two doors down, by the roadside.

Preacher continued. "She says it will lighten his spirits. It's hers, and he always admired it."

"He's not-" Dorothy began.

"I'll take it and give it to him," Browning said.

"May I?" said Preacher. "It would mean so much to Addie if I could tell her his response."

"He's gone," Dorothy said. "With that-" Browning glowered at her, but she squared her thin shoulders and said, "He's gone with that man.They went a-walking a while back. He says Charlie's weak, and then he takes him a-walking.The boy has-"

"That's enough, woman," Browning cut in.

She continued. "The boy-my boy-has scarcely said two words to me. Too weak to converse, that man says. But Charlie can walk and converse with him, easily enough."

"Well, I'll leave the stone, then," Preacher said. "And I'll leave young Charlie with Eleazar. The man does not wish to see me, I'm certain, so I will stay clear."