Curse of Stigmata (The Judas Reflections) by Aiden James, Michelle Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

we’ll create a story, one he’ll believe. He will sell the goats for you, don’t worry,” advised Juan.
    “We will bury the body and come back for you when we’re ready to leave,” I said.
    She looked at me with a sadness and bewilderment. My actions had changed the course of her life, taking her away from everything she knew.
    We dragged the body as far as possible and managed to find a good spot. But just as we finished, we were alerted by voices coming from nearby. It prompted us to make our way back toward the hut quickly. Reaching it without interference, even though it took longer than we thought I was relieved. Rachel was sitting by the fire’s dying embers, wearing a lost expression. Beside her, a few pitiful belongings packed into a small bag. I felt some compassion for this abandoned girl in spite of her strange bleeding arousing my suspicions. Juan showed more than pity. He fussed like a mother hen, stoking the fire and heating water for her to wash the dried blood still on her face.
    “I think it best we wait till dawn,” he said, almost sweetly. There’s little we can do now.”
    “I believe it’s too risky to stay till dawn,” I said. “We need to make haste now and journey in darkness. Our renewed goal should be to reach the border safely, with Racco’s help. Surely, we can stay there for a while, until this unfortunate event is forgotten.”
    Juan was unimpressed. “Racco? The man is poisoned, if you want to believe his story. How do you poison an immortal? Besides, what can he do to help when he can’t even help himself?”
    “I do not know what he can or cannot do,” I replied sourly. “But I’m prepared to find out.”
    Rachel grew steadily more agitated. “Can we go? I’m afraid they’ll come for us. They won’t care I’m a woman, we’ll all be executed!”
    Not knowing a hanging for us was a mere inconvenience, I realized she lacked the full extent of her father’s sentient gifts.
    There was a little food packed for the journey, water and other supplies to keep us warm. Juan’s steady and calm presence would come in handy for Rachel’s moods and attacks.
    The three of us made our way in the opposite direction of where we left Isaac. Important to keep to another route and hopefully recall the way to Racco by memory, without Dario, we would have to depend on instinct. Rachel covered her head with a thin cloth, giving little protection against the wind. I thought it strange, a Shepherd’s daughter dressed in clothing not adequate for life in such harsh conditions. Isaac didn’t strike me as a poor man. Now he was dead, I couldn’t be sure of the truth. If he really had sold the coins, the bastard must have procured a tidy sum unknown to his daughter.
    I was doubtful he sold them, although the sense of their presence remained with me. I could come back another time.
    Trying to negotiate rocky terrain in such darkness was no easy task. It was only a matter of luck not one of us fell, somehow avoiding the chasms hidden in the dark. Rachel had brought a small lamp, but the oil was nearly gone, and we would have need of that luxury at camp.
    The weather had been holding steady, cold, but dry. But with the dawn came rain, and the wind picked up. When Rachel complained about the increasing chill, Juan gallantly gave up his cloak, wrapping it tightly around her. I would later thank him for remembering the human condition, since neither of us was susceptible to common ailments, like influenza.
    “Emmanuel, please don’t think ill of me for being a stigmatic. I can’t help it.”
    Despite my distrust of her condition, I hadn’t even thought of it since leaving her father’s house. “I think no less of you… but let’s keep going, shall we?”
    The rain came down harder with no signs of stopping, prompting Juan to suggest we take shelter in an abandoned hut we came upon. The place was devoid of furnishings, but dry and without any obvious roof leaks in sight. We laid blankets