Free The Lost Apostles by Brian Herbert Page A

she had to know it nonetheless, in order to do her job, and in order to survive.
    In only a short period of time, since leaving Monte Konos, it was becoming a compulsion with her.
    Taking a deep breath, because the biggest question filled her with fear, Dixie Lou said, “Tell me about the twelfth she-apostle.” Why should such a question terrify her so? Nonetheless, it did, inexplicably. She had to know why.
    None of the children spoke. She found their expressions irritating, condescending.
    “I’ll keep you awake all night if necessary,” Dixie Lou snapped, “as long as it takes. No sleep, no food, no water. We’ll see how long you last out here in the desert.” Again, her words were translated, but Dixie Lou thought she heard a tone of disapproval in the woman’s voice, a thin brunette with pageboy hair.
    “Are you translating me word for word?” Dixie Lou asked her.
    “Of course, Chairwoman.”
    “Well, I hear something in your tone that I don’t like.”
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”
    “These little ones are smart. They pick up vocal inflections, facial expressions, even hand movements. If you show any objection to what I’m saying, it makes them more difficult for all of us to handle. Do you understand that?”
    “Yes, ma’am. I didn’t mean to—I’m sorry if I sounded that way.”
    Raising her voice so that all of the handlers could hear her clearly, Dixie Lou said, “Don’t think for one moment that these are only children. They’re little demons, more advanced than any of you can imagine. They deserve whatever I do to them, and more.”
    “ Demons , ma’am?” Deborah Marvel said. “But they recited holy gospels.”
    “Call them tricksters instead of demons, if you wish,” Dixie Lou said. “It was only a figure of speech.”
    Privately, though, the more Dixie Lou saw of these children, the more she was beginning to doubt their gospels, feeling that the children were lying for some reason. Her personal doubts were not anything she wanted to admit to anyone, or she would have to kill them afterward. The gospels of these children, and of the four who had gone with Lori, had taken on a life of their own. They had become the bedrock supporting the future of United Women of the World.
    “I’ll deal with this one,” Dixie Lou said. Putting her face only inches from the Candace’s, she raised her voice. “Are you going to answer me?”
    Her words were translated.
    Candace remained immobile, said nothing.
    On impulse, Dixie Lou swung an open hand, intending to slap the child very hard for disobedience.
    Though she had been able to slap two other children earlier, this time her hand seemed to go into slow motion. The child, and all the she-apostles with her, vanished. Dixie Lou’s hand struck nothing, and as she went around in slow motion it threw her off balance, causing her to tumble onto the sand.
    A moment later, the she-apostles reappeared, and time sped up again.
    “Did you see that?” Dixie Lou asked, sitting up and looking at Deborah Marvel.
    “Don’t try to hit these children again,” Deborah said, angrily.
    “Are you threatening me?”
    “Just don’t do it. I’m glad you missed. It’s wrong to strike them, no matter how uncooperative they seem to be.”
    “ Missed ? They vanished into thin air, then reappeared!”
    “What do you mean?” Deborah asked.
    “You didn’t see it?”
    “They didn’t vanish. They’ve been here all the time.”
    “Did anyone see what I saw?” Dixie Lou demanded, looking at the women, settling for a moment on each face.
    They all shook their heads, muttered in low tones. Dixie Lou could not understand why they didn’t see it, when she had, quite clearly. It was like the incident with the bullets. That time, only she and Lori seemed to have seen it, as if they had special eyes that could peer into an alternate realm.
    The Chairwoman shuddered.
    “Remember, these are unusual children,” Deborah said. “Maybe they don’t