The Church (The Cloister Trilogy 3)

“Our little church is no different. Here, we have made a new Eden, each of us working toward our heavenly reward. But just as Adam and Eve prospered in the garden and were set upon by the serpent, we too are under attack. I’ve told you many times of the forces of evil that live outside our walls that seek to harm us. They are still there, my friends.” He shakes his head. “They will always be there. But the true downfall of man always comes from within. And it always comes from a woman.”

Gene shifts in his seat, and the restlessness flows through the audience, each of them glancing at their neighbor or their neighbor’s wife, wondering who the culprit is.

“While we’ve been working to build, a rot has set in at the core of our church. At the very base of our tree, if you will. Sometimes, a rot is so strong, that you can’t save the tree, no matter what you do. In cases like that, it’s a mercy to cut it down, burn the stump, start anew.”

Movement around the periphery catches my eye. The Protectors are flipping the latches on the double doors that lead out of the sanctuary. Silently, they engage the locking mechanisms, then close the doors. The hackles on my neck rise, and I grip the back of the seat in front of me.

The Prophet shakes his head dramatically. “I should have known when my firstborn turned on me.”

Another gasp rocks the crowd. Gene spits out a “the fuck?” then turns to his two girls next to him. “Don’t listen to Daddy.”

The smallest one nods. “Didn’t hear nothing.”

I grab his arm. “You need to get out of here.”

“What?” His bushy brows rise as he looks me in the eye for the first time. “Hey, you’re—”

“You need to leave, understand? If you stay here, you and your girls will die.” I point to the nearest door that hasn’t yet been locked. “Go now or stay and die.”

“—redemption doesn’t apply here. I thought it might, when Adam first started going wrong. But that was a false hope. He never returned to the fold. Too far gone, mired in his love for yet another serpent, and turned his back on his Prophet. But she is not the one who caused the rot. No. She could have been dealt with. The decay goes much, much deeper. And it’s the sort that must be burned out.”

Gene sits frozen, his eyes wide.

“Listen to him.” I point at the Prophet and grip Gene by the front of his weathered t-shirt. “Listen to what he’s saying.”

“Only holy, cleansing fire can save our immortal souls. And it has to happen today. Right now.” He drones on, but I turn my focus to Gene. I can’t save them all, but I can do this.

Gene swallows hard and stands. “Girls, come on.” He takes the smallest one’s hand and the other follows as they edge past me and push out the door. Another family follows, and then another lines up to go, but a Protector blocks their way and pushes them back as he locks the door and shuts it.

Panic spreads slowly, a grass fire after a wet summer. But the alarm grows as the Prophet continues to preach fire and brimstone. Polite at first, they try the doors that won’t budge. I stand and make my way down the stairs. No one pays attention to me now, their concentration on the rising fear.

“And my son,” my father laments, “his disobedience hurt the most. But I know why. Now I know the cause.” He takes a deep breath and shoots both hands heavenward. “Why, Father, have you cursed me with a wife such as Rachel? She is the serpent. She took him from me. She turned my children, my Maidens, my wives against me. Her. But the Father of Fire came to me, warned me in a dream last night. So I can save us all right now. I will not let the snake eat us alive. Your Prophet will always protect you, and the Lord has given me the ability to do so.”

I make steady progress toward the stage as the panic grows, jumping from one person to the next like hot cinders or a disease.

“The snake will not win. I’ll never see my son again because of her. He won’t make it to my Heavenly home. He is lost. But all of you will be there with me. In glory. We will not wait for the terrors of the world to come here and rob our lives away. And we will not give in to the serpent who stalks us even now. You see, my Protectors have placed dynamite throughout this holy place. Dying as martyrs is a far better end than falling prey to the lure of the snake.”