longer my son. Do with him as you must.'
The witch and the warlock locked gazes, their thoughts exposed.
'No,' she said. 'No, I cannot allow it, Falcon.'
'There is no other way.'
'I will not permit it. You are a good man, Falcon. A bit vain, perhaps, but all good men are. I will not permit your dying for me.'
'I fear I must. For I am the only person in this house capable of besting young Sam. My plan will surely mean my death.'
She sighed. 'I seem to have played out this scenario before.' Her words were ruefully spoken.
Falcon could but shrug. 'I have instructed Jimmy and two of the other servants to go with you … see you to safety. We won't see each other again, darling … at least not on this earth.'
'Nydia?'
'One of ours is with her, on direct orders from the Master.
'Kill Balon's Christian bastard for me, Falcon. Only for me.'
'It will be my pleasure,' he said, smiling wickedly, then turned, walking from the room.
Jane Ann lay on the ground, her useless hands by her side. She had never in her life felt such intense pain as when Jake calmly broke her fingers, laughing at her screaming. She had passed out several times, only to be brought back to searing consciousness and harsh awareness by buckets of water being hurled on her nakedness.
She had screamed and she had wept.
But she had not begged.
She had been dragged to the darkness of the outer circle, forced to watch as the Beasts ate the body of the young girl.
She felt hands pulling her to her feet, and someone spraying her with cold water. The nozzle was jammed between her legs. 'Got to clean up the pussy,' Jean grinned at her. 'Get you all ready for another round.' She turned to Jake. 'Stick the nozzle up her ass, too.'
Jane Ann was positioned on the altar.
And the defilement began anew.
The Coven members laughed at her screams, the Beasts howled and danced.
Jane Ann silently prayed for forgiveness.
The voice awakened Sam.
'This will be our last communication, young warrior. For I must leave now.'
'Are you going back … ah … home?'
'By a wandering route, yes.'
At a loss for anything else to say, Sam said, 'Well … been good talking to you.'
The voice chuckled, the sky thundered. 'How like your father you are. Good luck, young warrior.'
Sam felt the force pull away, and knew that he was now truly on his own in this fight. Alone, he reminded himself, amending his thoughts, as far as physical assistance, that is. I still have … Him, he cast his eyes upward, toward the twinkling Heavens. 'I hope,' he muttered.
He ate the last of his food, then catnapped until dawn split the east with hues of awakening colors. Sam returned to his sniping war of nerves. At full dark, with only a few hours left him to complete his task, Sam would enter the house.
He didn't know how he would accomplish that, but he felt he would find a way, since he didn't really have a choice in the matter.
He also felt those in the house knew he would be coming in. And they would be waiting for him.
There was grudging respect in Jean's eyes as she prodded Jane Ann awake with the toe of her boot. It had suddenly turned cold in Fork County, the temperature dropping into the mid-thirties during the night. Satan had pulled away his presence. Jane Ann lay shivering, naked on the ground. But she had neither complained nor begged.
'You think you've won, don't you?' Jean asked, her lips pulled in a sneer.
'Yes,' Jane Ann managed a whisper, pushing the word past swollen lips. 'My God always does.'
Jean squatted down beside her, the stench of her unwashed body unbearable. She pulled a hunting knife from a sheath. 'What I think I'll do, bitch, is cut off your tits and feed them to the Beasts.'
Jane Ann said nothing.
'You wouldn't beg even then, would you?'
