The Sister(210)

She squeezed him hard before they parted, and he hesitated, then awkwardly shifted direction, leaning back in to kiss her cheek, she turned her face at the same time. Her lips brushed against his. ‘Soon,’ she murmured.

Kathy looked embarrassed as he took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly. Winking, he said, ‘Take care of each other. I’ll see you both soon.’

Sister hugged her daughter in a lingering, warm embrace, and whispered in her ear. They held onto each other’s hands, reluctant to let go. Unseen, she palmed something into Rosetta’s hand before finally parting with her.





‘Where is the tall man?’ Carlos said, as he slid into the passenger seat.

Hasan took the notepad from the dashboard, scribbled on it, and pushed it toward his companion. He is already in Scotland.

‘Always, he is one step ahead of us. He wants the stone for himself. Drive, Hasan. I will speak, and you will listen…’





The Sister had known for years the cult’s popularity would grow. Always moving behind the scenes, she’d severed many reptiles from the head of the new Medusa, but no matter how many she removed, others sprang up to take their place. The leader remained elusive, hidden behind many facades, his identity unknown to but a handful of trusted allies, and her. In a world where people were leaving the traditional church in droves, he’d built a new congregation founded on blind faith and mind control. With the power and wealth he’d accumulated, almost beyond compare, it seemed nothing could stand in his way.





Miller knew the key to stopping them was Carlos, but Kale had warned him off. With the Resurrectionists less than a few hours away, he telephoned Kale.

‘Donovan, it’s Miller. I need your help with something. Remember I told you about that business I had in Scotland? Well…’

When he’d finished explaining everything, Kale was silent for only a moment.

‘This is what I suggest: The Vatican,’ he said, ‘it’s the only place she’ll truly be safe, and from what I can gather, they’ll welcome her back with open arms, the Resurrectionists wouldn’t dare to follow her there.’

‘That’s great, Donovan, but we need to move quickly.’

‘Scotland, you say? Whereabouts?’

‘Not far from Edinburgh.’ Miller replied.

‘I can have my plane there within two hours. There’s a private airfield about twenty miles out. Can you get her there?’

Miller covered the receiver. ‘Is there another car here?’

She nodded.

‘I don’t know how this is going to work, Donovan, but yes, give me the postcode, and we’ll get there.’

‘I’ll have it sent to you by text. Two hours. See you there.’ Kale hung up.

‘Come on, Sister; let’s get you packed and ready.’ He followed her along the passageway to the lobby, where a suitcase sat waiting for her.

‘You weren’t ever planning to wait for them, were you?’ he said, studying her face. Tiny creases at the corners of her eyes gave her away. I should have known! ‘How did they find you?’

‘Oh, I knew they would, eventually. My ability to resist those who pry was somehow doubled by the stone, but the closer someone gets, the harder it is to stay concealed.’ Her fingers sought from habit to roll a missing object. ‘And he is close.’

‘Who?’

‘The tall man. The seer. I feel him.’ She donned her cape and gloves, pulling the hood up and lowering the veil over her face. ‘Miller, we must go now. He’ll kill you if he finds you here. He wants only me and the stone.’

‘Now where’s this car?’ he said.





The tall man stopped the elderly red Citroen, opened the driver’s door and then half-getting out, stood, holding it ajar. With one foot on the road and the other still in the vehicle, he turned and looked south. The stone. It’s no longer here. He’d gone ahead to try to obtain it for himself. With it, his would be the ultimate power. There would be no need for The Sister. With it, he’d be able to read the future in addition to reading the past. Miller is with her. He got back into the car, considering his next move.





Bumping up the lane in an old, battleship-grey army jeep, they rounded the first bend. The sun cast a red glow across the lane onto the wild flowers. A car is coming! No, it isn’t moving. It was stationary and empty.

‘I don’t think I can get round it,’ Miller said. ‘I’ll see if I can move it.’

‘Be careful,’ she said, laying a gloved hand on his forearm. ‘He is near.’

With no one else in sight, Miller got out and looked into the abandoned vehicle. The door was unlocked. No keys. He remembered a gap they'd passed in the bushes further up, on their way in earlier, a passing point.

‘Sister, you’re going to have to drive the jeep, push this French banger backwards. I’ll steer it.’

The hedgerow quivered and then suddenly parted as a man clambered through the foliage. ‘Move away from the car, Miller.’ He held a pistol.

‘You!’ Miller exclaimed, recognising him as one of the men who'd tried to kill him a year ago. The tall man.

He brushed along between the vegetation and the side of the car, keeping the gun levelled on him.