Stealing Sacred Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

High Crag loomed above them, its tall chimneys stark against
the summer sky. As well as the Prussoes, prominent members of other
Grigori families had gathered to watch the event. Quite a crowd
were milling around on the cliff top, sampling the refreshments
being handed out by Enniel’s household staff.
    Daniel found Enniel, standing
apart from the main group, examining the sight-seers further down
the cliff through a pair of high power binoculars. Dark red hair
blew free around his head, and his clothes, for Enniel, were
casual. Somehow he didn’t look right in T-shirt and jeans. His
long, handsome face was set in a disapproving expression. Daniel
smiled privately as he approached.
    ‘Tch!’ Enniel complained. ‘Just
look at them. Sheep!’ Enniel was not known for his tolerance of
humankind.
    ‘The flotsam of humanity
gathers on your sacred ground,’ Daniel said, unable to keep a sharp
tone from his voice.
    Enniel lowered the binoculars,
cast an unreadable eye over Daniel. ‘A predictable turn of
events.’
    Daniel shrugged, hands in
pockets. He felt that Enniel still disapproved of his position as
Shemyaza’s vizier. Even though he had been granted the privilege of
an extended life-span, he was still, to most Grigori, an upstart
human aspiring above his station in life.
    One of the Prussoe aunts was
distributing smoked glass screens to the family – obviously in the
hope that the sky would clear — and swooped up with a sycophantic
smile for Enniel. Her name was Kharael, a tall, spindly woman
dressed in the faded garments of an earlier age. She seemed to
notice Daniel as an afterthought. ‘You haven’t been down here for a
while, Daniel.’ She pushed a glass into his hands.
    He smiled wanly. ‘No.’
    ‘Daniel’s kept busy up north,’
Enniel remarked dryly, a reference to Daniel’s day job in a
supermarket. ‘Aren’t you?’
    ‘Yeah, very,’ Daniel answered.
To end the embarrassing discussion, he raised the glass to his
eyes. While they’d been talking the eclipse had begun. The thick
clouds had moved apart, to provide a brief glimpse of the
phenomenon. Already the sun was being eaten away, gobbled up by a
segment of dark. The sight conjured a roar from the crowd. Strange
feelings conflicted within Daniel’s heart. Would something unusual
happen? His body and mind felt taut, uneasy. The clouds slid back,
hiding everything, but it was getting colder wasn’t it?
    A hand touched Daniel’s shoulder,
fingers curling around him. For a moment, his flesh crawled with
dread.
    ‘Daniel, hi! I didn’t know you
were here!’
    He turned round to the smile of
a tall young woman, who wore a long ethnic-print dress. Her red
hair fell in thick waves over her shoulders. Relief. He had
expected it to be Owen. ‘Hello, Lily. How are you?’ He glanced over
her shoulder to see if her brother was around and was glad to see
he was not. She was accompanied by her young daughter, Helen.
    ‘We’re fine,’ Lily said. ‘Hel,
say hello to Daniel.’
    The child murmured a greeting.
Daniel narrowed his eyes. Helen had grown up quite a lot since the
last time he’d seen her. She was very dark-skinned, a trait she had
inherited from her dead father, Israel. Her dark eyes fixed on
Daniel in a peculiarly adult expression. He did not warm to the
knowing slant of her smile. Mentally, he shook himself. This was a
Grigori child, and was bound to appear different from other
children he’d met.
    ‘So,’ Lily began in a firm yet
humorous tone, ‘why haven’t you come to the cottage?’
    Daniel smiled uneasily. ‘Didn’t
get down till late last night.’
    Lily wrinkled her nose. ‘I
suppose that will do as an excuse.’ She paused. ‘How’s Shem?’
    ‘The same.’
    Lily pantomimed an exaggerated
grin. ‘I feel like I shouldn’t ask.’ Her brow creased. ‘Are you OK,
Dan?’
    He forced a smile. ‘Sorry. I
feel a bit weird today. Not very sociable.’
    Lily nodded. They both watched
Helen for a while, who had dropped