Free New Title 1 by Eric S Brown Page A

enough to be turned into a demon, their tainted spirit joins his. If one of them bites you or breaks your skin with its nails, their evil infects you like a plague. The sin inside you becomes alive and you become just another part of him.”
    “ Lord have mercy on us,” Louis prayed.
    “ And as you have noticed, the possessed are lesser demons than Legion, but they’re still demons. They are faster, stronger and more difficult to kill than a normal man or woman would be. Usually, it takes a lot of damage or a shot to the head to stop one of them,” Nathan added.
    “ So the last time he tried to force the end of days was in Highwater? That’s why everyone died there?”
    “ That was my fault.” Nathan sighed. “I failed to get to him before he released his taint. When I did reach him, I hurt him bad enough to make him run. Then I spent days cleaning up the mess he had made, freeing all those poor souls his pieces had taken over. That was only the first time he’d tried to carry out his plan. I caught up with him again a few days ago and almost died trying to destroy him. I barely made it into Reaper’s Valley alive and I knew he’d be after me.”
    “ So you’re like some sort of holy warrior, tasked by God to stop him?” Louis asked.
    Nathan shook his head. “No, I was one of them, but not a part of him.” The confusion plastered across Louis’ face must have been obvious because Nathan went on to explain. “I was possessed by another demon who was jealous of Legion and wanted to win the Morning Lord’s favor by showing him up. The demon that possessed me was named Baalon. He was not as strong as Legion, but he was more cunning. He only failed because God saw it fit to take him out from the game and put the fate of humanity in my hands, I suppose. That’s why I was after Legion in Highwater. Not because I was some kind of saint, but because I was caught up in the politics of the demons themselves. ”
    Louis stared at him in awe. Nathan continued, “A man of God named Father Paige spotted Baalon as soon as he entered Highwater and managed to round up enough help to capture him for an exorcism. He was able to cast the demon from me, but Legion walked free while they wasted their time with me and Baalon. ”
    He took a deep, ragged breath, then continued. “When Baalon was exorcized from my body, I discovered I was changed physically from the demon’s presence within me for such a long time as it had chased Legion across the country. I was faster and stronger, too. As soon as the demon was out of me, I hit my knees and tried to get right with God. I swore I would find Legion and stop him. I mean, knowing what I knew, what else could I do? You see, part of Baalon’s knowledge and memories stayed with me. I was the only man alive who knew what Legion was planning.”
    “ Is that why you wear black?” Louis asked, pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose again.
    Nathan nodded. “We’re all tainted by sin from the moment we’re born. That’s just the way things are. I wear black because I know and accept my faults. Legion wears white as a smack in the face of the Lord. Demons are fallen angels and they can be as beautiful and as alluring as the stars in the heavens if they choose to be.”
    “ And you really think we can stop him?” Louis held his breath, waiting for a response.
    “ Anything is possible, so long as it’s God will.” Nathan got to his feet with refreshed confidence and a new surge of energy. “Thank you, Louis,” he said, a rare smile stretching across his face. “I needed this talk.”
    Louis gave him a weak smile in return. “I don’t know. I think I might have been better off without it.”
    Nathan chuckled.
    “ Where’s O’Rouke?” Louis asked, looking around and seeing no sign of the sheriff.
     
    Twenty-Four
     
    Lee led his children from the saloon to find an unexpected surprise waiting for him. In the middle of the street stood a young woman in a tattered,