Chapter 20
Riptide
“Brother Derek, come with me. I have a special task for you,” Ethan said to me.
I looked up from my computer. He was standing in the doorway, hands pressed together, fingers steepled steadily in front of his chest. He was wearing his ceremonial robe.
I hadn’t seen him wear it since the day I was initiated.
This can’t be good. Clearly he was dressed for another special event.
An event that I was about to take part in.
“Of course, Eth…My Lord.” I stood up, dropping my laptop into a drawer and locking it before moving away from the desk.
It took all of my self-control to shove aside the anger and indignation that this fucker had just walked into my house, unannounced.
Like he owned the fucking place. That made me pause. He did own the damn place.
Ethan led me outside to the center of the compound, to the altar and bleachers where we’d just been that morning.
The sun was beginning to sink down below the horizon.
Sloane would be getting out of class soon, and instead of our usual routine of making dinner together, I was stuck here.
Instead of having that conversation with her, I was here watching Ethan warily.
Jacob and Bruce were standing to the side of the altar, and kneeling between them was Ross.
I’d spoken to Ross a few weeks ago. A name hadn’t gone on the ‘can’t save’ side of my list so fucking quickly.
The man was a slimy little rat and I knew it from the moment I’d met him.
He’d made that inner instinct inside of me hum. He was not a good man.
Ross had a panicked look on his face. I was hit with both a feeling of satisfaction and unease.
Ross creeped me out from the day I met him, but I wasn’t sure what was going on.
The only times I’d seen Ethan use this stage—other than on Sunday for their version of church—was for initiations, punishments, and the occasional wedding. It was a one-size-fits-all spot.
Ethan walked up the small steps to the altar. I stopped at the bottom and waited. A crowd was gathering, it looked like everyone, except a few perimeter guards, were slowly filling up the bleachers.
“Brother Derek, if you would,” Ethan said, reaching out his arm and indicating that I should stand next to him.
Taking my place, I looked behind him at Ross. He had a split lip and his eyes were darting around, trying to find anyone who would look at him for more than a second.
This isn’t good.
My eyes scanned the crowd. Most wore blank expressions, though a few looked like they might be awake and watched on with mild curiosity.
No one seemed to know what was happening.
I scanned around again, looking for Sloane.
My gaze was caught on the woman and child who’d come up onto the stage.
Right in front of us stood Molly and her mother, Tina.
Molly looked scared and ashamed, Tina however, was furious. Her eyes were locked onto Ross.
Something horrible entered my mind. A thought that I couldn’t shake. Suddenly I knew what was happening, why I was up here, and what would happen next. Disgust with Ross roiled inside of me. If what I suspected was true, Ross deserved what he was about to get.
“Everybody settle down, take your seats. I’ve called you from your duties for a reason.
” Ethan began pacing the stage, assuming his normal movements for when he was preaching.
His words were calm, measured. Normally when he was up here he was practically screaming for all to hear.
Not today. The crowd could sense it too.
They were so silent you could hear a mouse fart.
Ethan didn’t need to scream in his usual way.
His eyes kept flicking back to Molly. I had a feeling he was keeping this calm for her sake.
It was alarming, considering where this was going.
“We live in a place of peace. I provide you protections from this world, from the corruption and immorality of the human demons that fill the cities and streets.” He pointed back toward the direction of the city.
We were too far out to actually see much more than the glow of lights as night began to fall.
“I do this because you are chosen. I do this because your Sky God failed you, because you, the chosen, my chosen ones, have been deemed worthy of a better life. I, your Earth God, have taken you from the impurity and given you a better life.”
It took everything inside of me to silence the snort of derision that threatened to come out.
He thought this was a better life? Where husbands beat their wives and children and he and those he deemed fit punished everyone?
Ethan ruled with a heavy hand and like Butcher had warned me, the contradictions I found here were mind boggling.
“I don’t ask much in return from you, just love and devotion to me. But in order to do that it means you need to have love and devotion for each other. If you disrespect each other, you disrespect me.”
“Do I allow for violence between the devout?” he asked
“No!” was the unanimous shout from the crowd.
Other than when you beat Sloane, but I guess that doesn’t count.
“Do I allow harm to come to any of you?”
“No!”
I finally found Sloane, standing in the crowd, her face was impassive but her eyes were screaming bullshit!
I’d been here long enough now to know that everything he was spewing was fake.
He was fine with violence and harm as long as it followed his fucked up rules.
I stayed quiet, wondering what my part in all this was going to be.
I didn’t have anything to do with Ross and I hardly knew Molly and Tina.
Sloane had introduced me to them during my second week here, but that was all the interaction we’d had.
“Good, good. I needed to make sure you understood. I need to make sure that everyone here understands.” He walked over to Ross and looked down at him.
His preacher-smile vanished and he sneered down at the man, and just for a second I could swear I saw fangs in Ethan’s grin.
“Brother Ross has forgotten himself here. He has forgotten his place, rejected morality, and wishes to return to the world of demons.”
The noise that came from the crowd was unlike anything I had ever heard in my life. Somewhere between a yelling, “booo”, and a guttural growl. They were in sync, a possessed hymn.
If I were a dog my hackles would be up. There was a frisson of energy coming off the crowd in waves and it sparked over my skin and sent unnerving tingles down my spine.
This was the freakiest thing I had ever seen in my life.
I looked down at Sloane again, making sure that she was okay.
If she needed me, I’d be off this stage in a heartbeat.
She risked a glance towards me, her way of saying she wasn’t a part of this.
Seeing that she was fine and wasn’t likely to get pulled into whatever Ethan had going on had relief slithering through me.
It mixed with the unease that was pulsing inside of me.
No matter what Ethan had going on here tonight, as long as it didn’t touch Sloane, I could handle it.
Somehow she was still vibrant and full of life.
She didn’t allow the violence and corruption to touch her. I wanted to keep it that way.
“Brother Ross has forsaken his vows. He has violated our most precious of laws. Do not hurt the children! He has taken it upon himself to give in to the ways of the demons.” Ethan looked sorrowfully at Molly.
He actually looked genuine, he really was sorry that this happened to her, under his protection.
That genuineness took me by surprise. “We will not, we do not tolerate such acts in the Order. Such immorality will not stand!”
There were cheers and agreements bellowed from the crowd.
I understood it. I agreed with it. And that scared the fucking hell out of me.
More than once I’d found myself agreeing with some of the things Ethan has done.
None had struck a chord inside of me like this, though. It made the unease deepen.
Ethan walked over to me. “Brother Derek, you have taken the vows. Now it is time to prove your devotion to us.” He opened his robe and removed a pistol, placing it in my hands. “Show the children that they are safe here. Show them that no harm will be tolerated.”
My feet felt like they were stuck in cement.
I made my way over to Ross, fighting my heavy feet across the length of the stage.
The mix of emotions threatened to pull me through the floor.
Sure, I’d killed men before. Always in combat, or for the safety of others, and always a known enemy.
I had no sympathy for Ross. If I or any of my brothers had rolled up on him, doing what he had done, we would have killed him on the spot. No questions, no guilt.
But this was different. This was a public execution.
In front of civilians, in front of children.
Their watchful eyes were boring into my back as I made my way over to where Ross was kneeling.
The part that was eating away at me was in spite of how public it was, this didn’t bother me.
The thought of killing him didn't bother me. None of it bothered me. That was the problem. I agreed whole-heartedly with Ethan and his punishment. That was a slippery fucking slope for me. I didn’t want to live in a world where I agreed with Ethan, yet here I was.
Ross’s chest was shuddering as he took in huge gulping swallows of air.
Tears were streaking down his face, but he wasn’t begging.
His hands were behind his head, finality had finally chased the panic from his eyes.
He knew he had fucked up. These were his own laws he’d broken.
I was just being asked to uphold his punishment.