This Place is Death (A Curse Keepers Secret) Read Online Free Page B

Ghost.”
    “That’s not the same, Manteo. The Holy Ghost is part of the Holy Trinity.”
    “Call our spirits whatever you like. To ignore them is foolish. They are coming.”
    To believe Manteo meant Ananias was spitting into the face of the One True God. Blasphemy. Yet he couldn’t dismiss the heavy blanket of evil soaking through his skin and stealing his breath. A feeling that had become stronger and stronger since he’d stepped onto this spot.
    God help him, blasphemy or not, Ananias believed it.

C HAPTER T HREE
    Two months had passed since John White’s departure, yet Ananias’s unease remained. The heat had disappeared, bringing cool air in its wake. There had only been minor skirmishes with the Roanoke tribe and no further contact with the Dasamongueponke. All was well in the colony, yet Ananias knew what was coming.
    Hell was about to break loose.
    He might have dismissed the threat as his father-in-law had done—writing it away as a dream, a vision—if Manteo hadn’t still been on edge. While the native had never been a jovial man, he brooded constantly now. To make matters worse, he had left two weeks ago to visit the Croatan and hadn’t returned. Ananias couldn’t help wondering if he would abandon them after all, regardless of his vow.
    The men of the colony had hunted enough meat to carry them through the winter, and they were rationing the flour. Baby Virginia was not only growing but thriving. Ananias loved the evenings when his family of three retired to their small home. Elinor would sew while he played with his daughter. Whenever he walked into a room, she immediately smiled and had even begun to laugh. Despite the cloud that hung over him, Ananias’s heart was full.
    Life was almost too perfect. Ananias couldn’t help thinking that this period of peace and contentment was the calm before the storm.
    So Ananias wasn’t surprised when Manteo returned from his expedition on a cold, gray November afternoon, claiming he had disturbing news. When pressed for more information, he refused to say anything until the assistants were called for a meeting. They wasted no time in gathering in the center of the village, each man wearing a grave expression. The remaining townsfolk weren’t allowed to participate in the meeting, but they stood outside the circle, eager for the savage’s news.
    Manteo’s gaze spun around the group. “The Roanoke have gathered a raiding party of over five hundred. They plan to attack.”
    “How do you know?” one of the men asked. “You were supposed to be with your people.”
    Manteo’s gaze darkened. “I encountered a scouting group on my return trip. I heard them discussing their plans.”
    The group was silent for several seconds as they took in the news. One of the men finally asked, “Will your people fight with us?”
    Manteo hesitated, glancing at Ananias before leveling his gaze at the speaker. “No. When I visited them, they told me they refuse to stand with you in any future encounters. They see you as the wrongdoers after your attack on Dasamongueponke… particularly after the massacre of the Roanoke a summer ago.”
    “That makes no sense,” one of the men shouted. “There’s no love between your people and the Roanoke. Why would they side with them?”
    Manteo’s eyes darkened. “The Croatan do not side with the Roanoke, but they do not find your people trustworthy. They feel you deceived the Roanoke and will do the same to them.”
    An angry murmur spread through the group. “You call us your people now? One trip back to the Croatan and you’re no longer one of us?”
    Manteo’s chest heaved and Ananias could tell he was restraining himself. “Two years ago, I swore to stand by your people. Nothing can release me from this bond.”
    His answer seemed to appease the men, but their anxiety grew.
    “So what do we do? Are we to be slaughtered?”
    Manteo didn’t answer directly. “You are outnumbered.”
    “We have guns!” one of the