This Place is Death (A Curse Keepers Secret) by Denise Grover Swank Read Free Book Online

offspring.”
    Manteo hesitated. “I must save my people.”
    Was he talking about the colonists or the Croatan?
    “There are other ways.” Okeus entered the circle, continuing his slow advance toward the men. “Where did you learn of this ceremony, son of the earth? In the history of man, nothing like this has ever been attempted. Mankind never knew it was possible. Until now.”
    Manteo’s grip on Ananias tightened.
    Okeus reached out a finger, his nail an animal claw that traced the symbol in the center of Manteo’s mark. “Perhaps the answer is on your chest.”
    The god’s claw sank deep and tore into Manteo’s flesh, outlining the star in blood.
    Ananias felt Manteo’s ripped flesh through their connection, and he nearly cried out in pain and fear.
    The god turned his attention to Ananias and smiled. “Son of the sea. What part do you have in this?”
    Ananias’s eyes widened, his tongue thick and unwieldy.
    Okeus’s claw traced the zigzagged line in the center of Ananias’s tattoo, the nail digging into his flesh but not tearing. “You bear my mark. Do you know what it means?”
    Ananias shook his head, dizzy with fear. “No.”
    “It means you are under my protection.” Okeus leaned close so that his face was inches from Ananias’s, the smell of rotten flesh making Ananias gag. “You can put a stop to this, son of the sea. Your friend is not to be trusted.”
    “Enough!” Manteo shouted. “Silence.”
    Shooting a glance at Manteo, Ananias wondered if Okeus could be right. He could tell that Manteo was not behaving like the rational man he knew. Had the witchcraft made him evil? Did Manteo have a hidden purpose for this ceremony?
    Manteo sensed his confusion, whether he saw it on Ananias’s face or felt it through their connection. “Ananias, Okeus is an evil god. He sacrifices children and dines on their flesh. You can smell it on his breath. Would you believe his words over my own?”
    Manteo made a good point. The native had compared Okeus to Satan, and Satan was the lord of lies.
    But why then would Manteo have painted the evil god’s symbol on Ananias’s chest?
    “Good and evil,” Okeus whispered.
    Ananias struggled to breathe. Could the god read his mind?
    Okeus smiled, a secret smile full of knowing. “The curse needs opposites. The earth and the sea. Nuppin and tosh-shonte . Myself and my twin—the good and evil. But which of us is which?” A sly smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “And it also requires sacrifices.” The god’s eyebrows rose. “Did he mention that?”
    “Enough!” Manteo shouted, but his body shook with fear. “ Ahone ! I beseech you!”
    An older man appeared before them. His hair and beard were long and white, and he wore a long white robe made of bleached deerskin. “Okeus, my twin.” His voice shook the leaves in the trees.
    Ananias could see the resemblance now. Ahone was an older version of Okeus.
    “ Ahone ,” the other god spit his name as though it were a curse. “I knew this was your doing.”
    The older god stood on the opposite side of the fire. “You have gone too far, my brother. Your creatures leave destruction in their wake.”
    “ And yours do not ? On this very shore, death has been like a constant companion. The earth has become greedy for your children’s spilled blood.”
    Ahone’s gaze turned to the two men. “They have not yet reached their full potential.”
    “Full potential,” Okeus sneered. “How many thousands of years have they had to do just that? You call my children monsters, but look at what your own have done.”
    “They have much promise. More promise than yours.”
    “But promise isn’t enough, is it?” Okeus shook his head. “What is your real purpose, my brother? What do you hope to achieve by locking us all away?”
    “I hope to give my children a chance to live and thrive without your influence.”
    “ My influence?” Okeus laughed. “You think my influence has done this? If you follow