Free The Djinn by J. Kent Holloway Page B

back to look for his cousin, but there was no
sign of him.
    Oh no , thought the knight. Not again. Please not tonight. Not ever
again, Lord .
    Horatio
retraced his steps, scouring the darkened doorways and deserted alleys they had
passed since the knight had last heard the footsteps of his cousin.
    “This can’t be
happening,” the knight muttered as his heart drummed against his chest.
“Samuel!”
    Nothing. Not a sound. He was alone.
    Horatio
struggled with indecision. Should he keep searching for Samuel or continue to
the meeting with Gregory and his foul mercenary Gerard? He couldn’t believe his
misfortune. He prayed silently to God for a simple reason for all of this. He
prayed he would not have to face the Demon tonight and that his squire was safe from harm.
    Samuel had not quite
recovered from his encounter with the Djinn. He had refused to speak freely of
his ordeal, but he had been a different person since that night. He was no
longer as quick to laughter as he once had been and his stride appeared to be
much heavier now as if burdened by a great weight. Horatio winced at that
thought. Despite his overwhelming flaws, his cousin had always been the purest
of sorts. He was not meant for such dark things.
    He remembered
the boy, a mere twelve years old at the time, running around their farm back
home—chasing that crazy pig of his and oinking uncontrollably, convinced he
could communicate with the dumb beast. Samuel had eventually fallen headfirst
into the slop trough after an ill-formed strategy to lure the swine into his
arms. The pig trotted around him like a victorious conqueror, but the boy’s
laughter could not be stifled despite his failure. It had been positively
infectious. His entire clan, including Horatio, had joined in the merriment.
    That was how he
remembered Samuel. But the lad was a different person now.
    Several days
ago, Horatio’s cousin had confessed that he had not been entirely truthful in
his account of the Djinn’s attack. He told the knight
that the creature had spoken to him about grave matters—things that were dark
and sinister. Samuel had refused to reveal any more than that. He had given his
word to the demon that he would keep silent. And while Horatio doubted such an
oath should be kept to a creature so vile, he didn’t press his cousin for any
further details. He just hoped the lad would tell him when the time was right.
    Now he truly
feared he might never get the chance. There was nothing for it. Horatio knew he
could not go onto the meeting without his loyal friend. He turned around and
continued his search.

 
    ****

 
    “Samuel!”
    Samuel’s head
jerked up to look around the darkened alley. His cousin was nearby and
searching for him. His pulse quickened.
    “Don’t worry,
lad,” said the living shadow standing in front of the squire. “We’ll be through
with our business before he finds us.”
    “He’d
understand, you know. He’s brave and strong—and above all, good.”
    “I know he is,
Samuel,” said the Djinn. “There’s no finer man in all Jerusalem than your
master. But he wouldn’t give us the chance. He’s too blinded by duty .”
    The squire’s
eyes dropped once more. The creature was right. Horatio meant well, but until
he opened his eyes to evil the baron and his ilk were committing, he’d continue
blindly serving the wrong side.
    “What would you
have me do?” asked Samuel, who had given up the silly notion that the creature
before him was an evil spirit. In fact, despite the Djinn’s own protests, he had become convinced that he was, in fact, an avenging angel
of the Lord.
    It had been in
the way the creature had spoken to him—just days ago now, but seemingly like
ages—when he had spirited Samuel away and tied him up. The Djinn’s words had been so comforting. He had told the boy that he would not so much as
hurt a single hair on his, or Horatio’s head. Not a thing easily believed
except for the kind eyes hidden in the dark