The Heretic: Templar Chronicles Book 1 (26 page)
Read The Heretic: Templar Chronicles Book 1 Online
Authors: Joseph Nassise
Tags: #Templar Knights, #contemporary fantasy, #Horror, #urban fantasy series, #dark fantasy series, #supernatural thrillers
Securing a two-handed grip on the other man’s already extended arm, Cade stepped forward and heaved him bodily over his shoulder, throwing him to the floor on the edge of the altar steps.
Cade quickly recovered his sword and stalked back to where the Necromancer lay cowering on the steps of the altar.
Staring down at his foe, weapon in hand, he felt his rage spiral out of control.
This is the man who masterminded the attacks against the Order.
This is the man who was responsible for the death of over 100 of his brethren.
This is the man who had cooperated with the Adversary.
That last thought was enough to shatter what little control Cade had left. The man deserved to die.
With a cry of rage, Cade raised his sword over his head and brought it whistling down toward the Necromancer’s quivering form.
As the sword fell, a shout rang out from elsewhere in the room.
“Stop!”
The voice, and its tone, was instantly recognizable to Cade.
He twisted slightly and managed to turn the blade aside in time to prevent skewering the defeated man before him. Instead of slashing through the Necromancer, the blade struck harmlessly off the carpet next to him. The defeated man buried his face in his hands and mewled in fear.
Cade barely noticed.
He had eyes only for his dead wife, who was standing a few feet behind the altar.
“You need him, Cade.”
He snorted. “Like hell I do. The world will be a better place without him.” His thoughts turned for a brief moment to the death toll that could be laid at this man’s feet. “Justice demands his death.”
“Then justice will have to take a backseat. You will need him at some point in the future. I can see it. Without him, your vengeance will go unclaimed.”
Cade considered her remarks, knowing as he did so that if it hadn’t been for her previous warning, they might never have known about the traitor within their ranks. But still he wanted to know more.
“What will I need him for? And when?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know, or you can’t say?”
She didn’t respond.
Motion at the door caught his attention. Several Knights entered the chapel, their weapons at the ready.
“Sir?” Riley called, the question in his voice obvious.
“Here,” Cade replied, looking toward them with the briefest of glances. “The room’s secure.”
He turned back to face his wife, only to find she had gone as suddenly and as mysteriously as she had come.
But she had accomplished her end.
The Necromancer would live, at least for the time being. Others in the Order would turn their skills upon him and eventually he would tell them all he knew. At that point his fate would be up to those in charge.
But for the moment, he would live.
Cade turned his defeated prisoner over to his second-in-command and watched as the man was searched and secured by the other soldiers. Riley himself filled him in on what was happening.
“The complex is under control. The last of the Council members have been rounded up. A few of them are even talking, and with their help we hope to have the rest of the missing artifacts rounded up before long.”
“Casualties?”
“Eighteen dead, twelve wounded.” Riley hesitated, obviously searching for words.
“Just say it,” Cade said gruffly, a sudden dread filling his heart.
“The chopper Olsen and Duncan were in went down. Smashed straight into the conservatory. Olsen took a piece of shrapnel deep in the chest.”
“Is he dead?”
“No, boss. And that’s the problem. By all rights he should be, yet it looks like he’s going to be all right. Whatever Duncan did when he pulled him out of the wreckage saved his life. Some of the men are calling it a miracle.”
Cade covered his surprise. “Let them call it what they want,” Cade said gruffly. “Just make sure Olsen gets what he needs.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Riley turned away, Cade reached out and grabbed his arm. “Keep Duncan close, just in case.”
Riley grinned. “You can count on it, sir.”
As Riley escorted the prisoner out of the chapel, Cade remained behind. He walked down the center aisle and took a seat in the first row of pews, facing the altar.
“Gabbi? Are you still here?”
Only the silence answered him.
Using his Sight, he tried to find some trace of her lingering on the other side.
Where in the living world the chapel had lost its glory and had become just a small dark corner in a larger, darker world, in the Beyond, a startling transformation was taking place. Even as he watched, a golden light blossomed in the center of the room, slowly driving away the darkness and the shadows until it shone with the faith that had once infused its walls, a faith that was slowly forcing its way back in. The room was empty, but it was not without power.
And in that moment, his heart echoed that brilliance.
He found himself hoping that one day the burden of vengeance would be lifted from him as well, and that he, too, could feel such a cleansing.
But for the time being, he had a vow that still needed to be fulfilled.
Turning off his Sight and returning to the real world, he took one last look around.
The chapel seemed empty, but deep inside he knew the truth.
After all these years, he’d been so close.
Raising his head, he stared into the shadows at the back of the room.
“Run,” he said softly. “Run while you can. One day I will find you, and on that day there will be a reckoning.”
He hefted his sword and stared at the word etched into its blade. “A reckoning, indeed.”
With that he turned away and walked back up the aisle and into the rising dawn outside.
The story continues in
A SCREAM OF ANGELS…
BEFORE LEAVING THE COMMANDERY
Interested in more TEMPLAR books?
The Templar Chronicles Series
A Tear in the Sky (Book Three)
Books one, two, and three are also available in a
discount-priced bundle.
Templar Missions Novella Series
Shades of Blood and Darkness(Novella #1)
If you want to stay up-to-date on the very latest news, you can follow Joe on Twitter
@jnassise
, hang out at the
Facebook page
, or visit his website at
josephnassise.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joseph Nassise is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than twenty-five novels, including the TEMPLAR CHRONICLES series, the JEREMIAH HUNT trilogy, and the GREAT UNDEAD WAR series. He has also written several books in the popular Rogue Angel action-adventure series. He is a multiple Bram Stoker Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee and his work has been translated into half a dozen languages to date. He has written for both the comic and role-playing game industries and also served two terms as president of the Horror Writers Association, the world's largest organization of professional horror and dark fantasy writers.
The Heretic
Copyright 2010 by Joseph Nassise
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
Table of Contents