Chapter 2 Allegiance

Allegiance

"I will not have you interfering in my business again, Selene!" Nicholas said. He was angry that she had stepped in his way. She was the only one who stayed by his side so he couldn't harm her.

If it were a different situation, then Nicholas might not have recognized her as his sister.

"Why did you have to do that? You knew exactly why we needed him," Nicholas went on.

"For the Blood Moon ritual?" she asked, and when Nicholas said nothing, she understood that it was true. "I didn't realize that you'd just take the first person who walked into town today, Father."

The man whom Bill Johnson hadn't snapped his neck was already on his feet. His body was stained with his own blood. Nicholas Filden ignored him.

"Stay away from him if you know what is best for you," Nicholas warned her and turned to leave.

She watched her brother then went back to where she had been standing. It was under the awning of a library.

The man who stood beside her was Michael Smith but everyone called him Old Mickey because of his age.

Old Mickey was busy reading a book and smoking his pipe.

"Are you all right?" he asked her as she sat on the other side of the table.

"I am fine," she said.

"People who always say they are fine, aren't really," he told her.

"Naturally," Selene said. "But you don't have to worry about me, sir."

"Oh, we all worry about you. As long as Nicholas is your brother, there is that cause to."

Selene said nothing. She knew a lot of people feared her brother. And that was a very different thing from the respect they accorded him.

They all talked about him in whispers. And it was the same way they talked about the Blood Moon. It was as if they thought he was some kind of god who listened in on their conversations, and if they ever said the wrong word, that could be the end of their lives.

Well, there wasn't much to live for in Crystal Fall. Not since the Blood Rituals started some centuries ago. It was true that the town did it in exchange for protection and that was granted, but it was also sucking the goodwill from the place. Any sensible person could feel it.

"We don't have to continue with it, do we?" Selene asked, bringing back the conversation.

Old Mickey looked at her from his book and asked, "With what?"

"The ritual."

"The town needs protection."

"From what?" she wanted to know.

"From the beasts out there, girl. The wolves. I've been hunting them for years now. They do exist you know."

"And my brother is in charge of it all," he said.

"Yeah, his time is going to pass someday. I don't think I can handle it alone."

She said nothing.

"Hey, I think you should really keep yourself out of it. There is no need to go against your brother. You both are family."

"Well, if there is anyone who's going to stand up to Nicholas Filden, then that person would be me seeing as no one else wants to do it."

"You expect them to bite the hand that feeds them?" he asked skeptically. "Look, you can't change things that easily in Crystal Fall. I'm not happy about the rituals, but one life in a hundred years against numerous in just days? I think I'll take the former."

But Selene could not risk telling him the truth because it was just too bitter a pill to swallow. What the hell was really happening in Crystal Falls was pretty much deeper than what the townspeople thought.

And more dark. But it was her job to keep quiet about it because she had pledged her loyalty to her brother. She knew how the people looked at her every damn time she walked past. She knew they said things about her and about her family.

It was not a rumor that her brother had ended up killing the rest of her family because they didn't seem to agree with what he called his personal beliefs.

She was the only one he left behind because she was still too young to understand what the hell was going on.

So Selene pledged her allegiance to Nicholas when she came of age. And so it had been for a very long time already.

"That man," she said. "There is something about him."

"Yeah, there is," Old Mikey said absentmindedly.

Selene stared at him, her eyes curious to know what Michael had found out. "What's that?"

"I met him while he was entering the town. Dropped off my horses and came right here to pick a book. That was when I saw you intervene in the fight."

"He fought well. I didn't think he'd stand a chance."

"And is that the reason you decided to help him?" Old Mikey demanded to know.

"I wonder where he'll be now," Selene replied, ignoring his question.

"That shouldn't be any of your concern," Old Mikey said, caution in his tone.

"He isn't safe in Crystal Fall," Selene said, as a matter of fact.

Old Mikey looked at her. She was a beautiful lass and he would not want to see her get hurt. But that was between her and Nicholas Filden, her brother.

"So you want to hide him?" he asked her.

Selene smiled at him and Old Mikey knew he would like what she was going to say next. "Yes, and I want you to help me. You know you can't say no to me, right?"

He shook his head from side to side. Then he turned out his pipe and slammed his book shut. "I'll get my things. Don't go anywhere till I come out."

A while later, they were done. And both proceeded to look for Bill Johnson.

Selene knew she was going against her brother's orders and breaking her allegiance to him in the process, but the need to find the visitor kept tugging hard, and she had to respond.

If Bill Johnson wasn't the man she thought him to be, then she'd let Nicholas Filden kill him.