Part 7 (1/2)

Steven hunched over slightly as the wave of the o.r.g.a.s.m pa.s.sed through him. It seemed like it would go on forever. If Roy wasn't here, Steven thought, I'd really be enjoying this.

”You have to have some kind of moral base, and stick to it,” Roy said, still walking round the room behind Steven, looking at objects. ”An ethical foundation is important. I want those people to get their books back without feeling as through we've pawed through them. They should feel that their family secrets are safe.”

Steven turned to leave the room. ”Bathroom break I'll be back in a minute,” he said as he walked to the door and down the hallway to the bathroom located by the kitchen.

When he returned, Roy was holding a planchette similar to the one Judith had used. ”I think I've found it,” Roy said. ”It's not exactly the same, but it's close.” He handed it to Steven.

Steven examined the planchette. This one was wider than Judith's, and heavier. The gla.s.s inside the center circle was darker. There were markings around the opening that were strange. Steven entered the River and held the gla.s.s over his hand. The double diamond marking reappeared, but this time it was more vivid. Steven felt a fear rising in his stomach, as though he was looking at something truly horrible. He wanted to keep examining himself with the gla.s.s, but the feeling overpowered him and he lowered it.

”What's wrong?” Roy asked.

”Take a look,” Steven said. ”Tell me what you see.”

Roy took the planchette back from Steven and placed it over Steven's left hand. He entered the River and looked through the gla.s.s.

”Well I'll be,” Roy said. ”No wonder you wanted to know more about it.” Roy pulled the gla.s.s back and examined more of Steven. ”Seems to be just on the hands, but you should check yourself out and see if there's more under your clothes.”

Roy turned the gla.s.s on himself, looking at the tops of his hands and the parts of his body that weren't clothed. ”Nothing,” he said. ”Only you.”

”How did you feel,” Steven asked Roy, ”when you saw the markings on my hands?”

”What do you mean?” Roy asked.

”Look at them again,” Steven said, holding up his hand. Roy held the planchette over Steven's hand and looked through the gla.s.s again.

”What am I looking for?” Roy asked.

”Not what you're looking for, how you feel,” Steven said.

”I don't feel anything,” Roy said.

”No sense of dread?” Steven asked.

”No,” Roy said. ”Why? Is that what you felt?”

”Not when I looked through Judith's gla.s.s,” Steven said. ”Only with this one.”

”Interesting,” Roy said. ”This gla.s.s might be different, able to convey a sense of the reaction evil creatures get when they see your mark.”

”But you don't feel it,” Steven said. ”Only me. Why? I'm evil?”

”Don't be stupid,” Roy said. ”Of course you're not evil.”

”They why can I feel it, and you can't?” Steven asked.

”I don't know,” Roy said. ”Maybe because you're marked, and the gla.s.s doesn't differentiate between evil and marked. We don't know for sure. But I know you're not evil.”

”How do these markings occur, exactly?” Steven asked. ”Were they inherited?”

”As far as I know, none of my ancestors had markings,” Roy said.

”Mom's side of the family maybe?” Steven asked.

”It would have to be latent!” Roy said. ”Your mother hated the gift, insisted I never use it around her.”

”Maybe she hated it in the way James Unser hated it,” Steven said. ”Because she was familiar with it.”

”Don't know,” Roy said. ”We never talked about it.”

”Do you think she knew about these markings?” Steven asked.

”I doubt it,” Roy said. ”With her, it was always Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

”Maybe that's why all the churching,” Steven said. ”She knew I was marked.”

”Pure speculation,” Roy said.

”I could try to contact her,” Steven said.

Roy dropped his head and sighed. ”Please, don't,” he said.

”Why not?” Steven asked.

”Because I'm asking you not to,” Roy said. ”You want me to respect the relations.h.i.+p with your son by not talking to him about the gift, fine. But you respect my relations.h.i.+p with your mother by leaving her at peace.”

”OK,” Steven said, a little hesitantly. He'd strayed into uncomfortable territory with Roy and wasn't sure how to back out of it.

Roy wasn't done. ”Your mother went to her grave believing that she'd spared you and Bernard from my abilities. I didn't agree with her on that, but her happiness was always important to me. So I'd like to keep things the way they are with her.”

”But surely she must know by now,” Steven said.

”I don't think so,” Roy said, getting worked up. ”Your mother believed what she wanted to believe. You digging her up to show her your markings would just crush her. Out of respect for her and me you are not to contact her. Do you understand?”

”Alright,” Steven said.

”I...I forbid it!” Roy said.

”Touche,” Steven said. ”You win. I won't.”

”Thank you,” Roy said, calming down. He began browsing the objects again. One caught his eye. It was a small wooden box, about the size of two cigarette boxes side by side. It had intricate carvings on it.

s.h.i.+t! Roy thought. That's the same box Daniel's bugs came in. Roy knew Steven didn't share his memory of the bugs, and how they killed Daniel. I need to warn him somehow, Roy thought.

”There's some dangerous things in here,” Roy said. ”Come see this one.”