Page 16 of Sinistram
“To say the least.”
Brent knew they had been lucky today. Neither of them had been badly injured, which was a rarity. They couldn’t count on that, even when going up against a similar creature. A bit of bad luck could change everything in a matter of seconds.
Travis gave him a worried once-over. “You’re hurt. We need Matthew to clean those cuts so they don’t get infected.”
“Dinner before doctor,” Brent said. “We can eat in the car while we drive. I look like I lost a fight with a rabid bobcat.”
They grabbed burgers from a drive-through and stopped at St. Dismas long enough for Matthew to treat Brent’s wounds. It was dark by the time Travis pulled up to the curb in front of Brent’s house.
“Let me follow up on those witch contacts, and I’ll let you know what I find,” Travis told him as Brent grabbed his backpack.
“Sounds good to me. I could use a couple of days in the office, but I’ll be ready to go whenever you are.” Brent tapped the roof of the car in parting and headed inside as Travis drove away.
He flicked the lights on and dropped his backpack next to the couch, then went to the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. Brent grabbed the remote and turned on a football game just for background noise.
Now that the fight had a chance to sink in, Brent braced himself for the aftereffects. The crash from a life-or-death conflict was a wicked backlash from the heightened energy and senses a surge of adrenaline provided. Despite being physically exhausted, he knew that even with a couple of beers, he would need several hours to relax enough to even try to sleep.
A flicker of movement made him look up. The ghost of his brother, Danny, sat cross-legged on the floor between Brent and the television.
Danny and Brent had always been exceptionally close as twins. Then Danny died, and while Brent often sensed his brother’s presence, he couldn’t see or hear him without a medium’s help. But after Brent’s fight with a demon and Danny’s sacrifice and return, something changed, and Brent had beenable to see Danny’s ghost more often, although he still couldn’t summon him or hear him without assistance.
“We did good tonight,” Brent told him, hoping Danny could hear him even if he couldn’t hear his ghostly brother’s response. “Got rid of a real, honest-to-goodness mine monster. You’d have loved it.”
Danny rolled his eyes, but his smile tempered the dismissal. Brent didn’t want him anywhere near their battles because he knew that ghosts could be damaged and banished even though they were dead. And while Brent hoped Danny would eventually find rest, he couldn’t deny that his occasional presence soothed some of the loss and loneliness.
“Got to admit, I’m worried.” Talking to his brother’s ghost was easier sometimes than confessing his uneasiness to Travis. “Something’s juicing up the monsters and going after hunters, and I’m afraid we don’t know the full story. I think there’s more to it, a bigger bad, and we’d better figure it out fast or I’ll be seeing you sooner rather than later.”
Danny’s easy-going grin shifted to a stern frown. Brent didn’t need words to know his brother worried about the dangers of hunting and wanted Brent to be safe.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m not in a hurry, although I do miss having you around. I just can’t shake the feeling that there’s an enemy out there we’ve underestimated or aren’t seeing, and it’s going to bite us on the ass if we don’t catch on quick.”
Danny cocked his head questioningly. Brent had gotten good at guessing his intentions.
“I don’t know if you can help. Please don’t risk being hurt or sent away.”
Danny looked annoyed, and Brent had to chuckle at the familiar expression. “Maybe just keep your ears open around the other ghosts? I don’t know how much gossip there is in theafterlife, but if you hear something, let me know. Or better yet, you can always go to Travis.”
Danny grinned and nodded. He put his hand over his heart and then waved goodbye as he faded out.
While being able to interact with Danny’s ghost was a blessing, nothing made up for his absence.
“Love you too, idiot,” Brent grumbled before he tossed off the rest of his beer and headed for bed, resigned to yet another sleepless night.
CHAPTER THREE
“Why are you here?”The old priest didn’t try to hide the disdain in his voice.
“Because someone a lot closer to the Pope than you gave me permission,” Travis replied.
“Your apostasy makes the Holy Father weep.”
“And you know that, how?” Travis shouldered past the priest and entered the Sinistram library. Travis avoided the library except when he had no choice but to find what he needed. It was true that he had been granted special dispensation to retain access to the books even after leaving the Sinistram and the priesthood. Travis knew it wasn’t a kindness. Those at the top hoped it would be an inducement to get him to return.
That meant they didn’t fathom the depths of his hatred for the organization and its methods.
“You need to be escorted,” the priest said. He was one of the Keepers, the guardians of the library and its mysteries. The Keepers served the Sinistram with magic and knowledge, fighting battles on an arcane level that were no less deadly than those waged in person.
“So, escort. I’m not stopping you.”
