The Templar's Curse Sarwat Chadda (top books of all time TXT) 📖

me in a ‘special place’. Trouble was, it didn’t feel that special, it felt like hell. There were lots of talks and when the psychiatrists didn’t make any progress, there were a lot of treatments. They didn’t work either.”

“So what did they do?”

He winced. “They turned up the dial.”

Billi put her hand on his. Him, Erin, even going back to the ghost of Simon FitzRoy she saw the pain running through them all, pain that she could do nothing to alleviate. The pain of the past couldn’t be fought. You had to accept it had happened, and that it wasn’t your fault. |Because the damage was internal, it could rot your soul as you blamed yourself for not stopping it, not being strong enough to cope. Billi fought her monsters face to face and when they were defeated it was done, it was over. Clean the weapons, patch up the wounds, and then move on. But who was she fooling? How much of her own pain was she ignoring, pretending all her problems could be solved with the swing of her sword?

Did she really care, the way Faustus did?

Why did she fight? Because it was her job. Because she had a talent for extreme violence. Was that something to be proud of? The problem was it was all she had.

That’s why she needed someone like Faustus and Erin. They showed what it really meant to be ‘good’. She’d fought monsters so long she realized she might become one herself.

Faustus closed the scrap book. “Reggie’s behind this. Somehow he tricked Lawrence. Given his worship of the Anunnaki it’s likely he found a way to come back from the dead. But there’s something missing.”

“The Vessel of the Anunnaki. It has to be. He needs it to claim full immortality. That’s the only thing that makes sense. But there is no vessel. Erin was adamant about it. Simon only possessed a bunch of tablets.”

Faustus nodded. “Which he hid from Lawrence. He knew enough about the occult to know they meant something. And why did his wife smash them as soon as he was dead?”

Of course. “To stop them from falling into the wrong hands. I thought she did it out of rage, but she knew they were dangerous.”

“And I’ll bet she knew nothing about these,” said Faustus, tapping the scrap book. “The answer’s in here, Billi. But I need help translating it. I need to use Elaine’s library. She had all the books on Ancient Sumerian magic. I need to go see Lionel and spend a day with the books.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Stick close to Erin. If Reggie is behind this, then she’s our best connection to him. She gave you this book for a reason. She knows more than she’s letting on. You said she sat in her father’s study while he worked. Who knows what else she might have picked up, even by accident? If Reggie kidnapped Ivan then something’s coming to a head and Erin’s still got to play some part in all this. He’ll make his move, sooner rather than later.”

“I’m almost hoping he does. Then I’ll deal with Reggie once and for all.”

Faustus shot her a warning look. “Don’t get cocky. The Anunnaki are more powerful than you can imagine and since he’s been worshipping them for a hundred years Reggie’s more demon than human by now. Who knows what form he’s been corrupted into? What he’s capable of?”

“I’d better call Lionel and tell him the good news. You and he can catch on your stories about Elaine. I bet he’d love that.”

“Can you believe she was married once? I mean, Elaine?”

Billi missed the old woman. She was spiteful, miserable, rude to everyone and contemptuous of the whole order but she’d been the one holding it together in so many ways. She’d kept the other knights and squires honest with a snarl, sharp word or scowl. But she deserved her retirement. Lionel was doing a good job as her replacement. But he wasn’t answering his mobile this time of night. “Your best bet is seeing him in the morning.”

“Fine. Tell him I’ll be there bright and early.” Faustus tucked the book into his jacket. “I’ll need keys to the vault. That’s where Elaine kept the banned books.”

Hope. She had hope. They could do this. Save Ivan, and protect Erin. It felt good working with someone. “Stay here tonight. It makes more sense than you trekking back to the squat. I’ll make up the sofa.”

No clever, cocky line. No innuendo, no sidelong glances full of mischief. He just nodded. “I’d like that.”

She’d had a best friend, once. Faustus was nothing like Kay. She’d grown up with Kay, his childhood would have gone the same, painful route as Faustus’s if the Templars hadn’t got him first. For better or for worse they’d grown up tighter, Kay learning how to control his gifts under the watchful gaze of Elaine while Billi had trained in the arts of war with her dad and the other Templars. Kay had eventually been sent to Jerusalem to continue his training, but when he’d come back, things had moved on, for both of them. In another universe he’d be sitting here. In that universe he’d not needed to die for her.

Faustus isn’t Kay. He won’t share the same fate. You’ll make sure of it.

Kay was her ghost. At sometimes the memory was painful, other times it made her smile, but sometimes she would just sit in the dark and wonder where it was all heading. What did fate have in store for her? Who else would fall by the wayside before she came to her own end? Why was she always the last one standing? Others were better than her, others deserved it more than her. Like Faustus. This wasn’t his battle but he was willing to fight it beside her. Why? She didn’t want to know. It would make things complicated and she didn’t need those distractions.

What was Erin doing, right