Slawter Read Online Free Page B

can’t perform the dirty deed themselves. So they call in the Lambs, who take the transformed child away and do what must be done.
    “How did you find out about Billy?” Dervish asks.
    “We keep tabs on all the family children,” Prae says.
    “But Billy didn’t leave a trail. There was no evidence that he was turning.”
    Prae smiles. “You covered up admirably. Gathered the bodies of the animals he slaughtered, disposed of them quietly. But you couldn’t be expected to find
every
corpse. And you couldn’t do anything about the operative who saw him sneaking out of his house during a full moon.”
    “You had him under direct surveillance?” Dervish snaps.
    “Sometimes, yes.”
    Dervish’s hand goes rigid on the mouse. “You had no right to do that.”
    “We had every right,” Prae disagrees. “If a guardian chooses to deal personally with an infected child, it’s not our business. But you didn’t. You gave him free rein.”
    “I was in control,” Dervish growls. “He wasn’t a danger to anyone. I was waiting for the right moment to act.”
    “I understand,” Prae says. “But we couldn’t take any chances. We guessed you would handle the matter this way if he turned, so for some years we’d been keeping an eye on the boy. On your brother’s children too.”
    Dervish starts to retort. Stops and scowls. “Tell me why you’ve come.”
    “A few reasons,” Prae says. “One — to make sure Billy is normal.”
    “He is,” Dervish says. “We cured him.”
    “But how certain is your ‘cure’?” Prae asks. “We know about the demon you deal with, but there’s much about the process that’s a mystery. You and the others who have faced him keep it a secret. You don’t let the rest of us benefit.”
    “We can’t include you,” Dervish says stiffly. “He deals with one case at a time, and only with those who have some experience of magic. That’s how it works. It’s not our choice — it’s
his.
”
    “The demon,” Prae nods. “Lord —”
    “Don’t say his name here,” Dervish stops her. “It’s dangerous.”
    Prae looks around nervously. I feel the hairs rise on the back of my neck. Then Dervish catches my eye and tilts his head ever so slightly. It’s a gesture I know well — he does that sometimes instead of winking. I realize he’s winding Prae up, giving her a scare. I hide a smile behind my hand and wait for her to settle down.
    “It’s not fair,” Prae resumes, less composed than before.
    “We’ve never had any contact with the demon. Maybe we could strike our own deal if you put us in touch with him.”
    “You couldn’t.”
    “But you should let us try. We —”
    “We’ve had this conversation before,” Dervish interrupts. “We’re not having it again. The Lambs follow the path of science. Demons are creatures of magic. The two don’t mix. End of story.”
    “Very well,” Prae says, showing open anger for a second, her pale face flushing. “You choose to lock us out — there’s nothing we can do about that. But it means we don’t know all that we should about the cure. We have no proof that it works in the long term, or why. So it’s natural for us to be suspicious, to run our own checks, to be safe.”
    “Totally natural,” Dervish says sarcastically. “But I don’t think you’d have waited until now to make sure Billy wasn’t killing. If you were checking on him prior to his change, I’m sure you’ve monitored him in the year-plus since. So your first reason for being here is a crock — you know Billy’s fine. Let’s move on to reason two, and try to make it a bit more believable this time.”
    Prae glares at Dervish, then glances at me. “
Two,
” she growls. “We wanted to check on Grubbs. He’s at a dangerous age. Both his brother” — my stomach tightened another notch. She knows about Bill-E!— “and sister turned. We thought it advisable to have a look at him. We kept out of the way while you were... indisposed, but now