Double Dose, page 38
(“Well, it would seem that way. He said the Rymwyr were feeding the horrors into the area. If the Tadhaks trapped them in the Void, it stands to reason that the feed would stop.”)
Another story of local interest concerned strange tentacled creatures that had invaded the Salton Sea, but the bizarre fauna seemed to be dying off, killed by the toxins stirred up from the sea bed by the quakes.
And then an all-too-familiar image appeared.
“Uh-oh.”
Daley’s face filled the screen. The newsreader gave a recap of the day’s events at the El Centro Regional Medical Center and said that La Curandera was being credited with the universal cure.
“Me? That was Jason.”
(“But he’s gone—maybe gone in every sense of the word. That leaves you. You’re officially a miracle worker. They’ll be fitting you for a halo soon.”)
The story concluded with a statement that the mystery woman had disappeared and no one knew where to find her.
(“Let’s work at keeping it that way.”)
“I’m with you. I say we sneak out of here real early tomorrow.”
(“Excellent idea.”)
SATURDAY—March 21
75
“RHYS! RHYS! RHYS! RHYS!”
Rhys watched the crowd and wanted to block out their chant.
Cadoc stood at his side, saying, “You’ve got to do it.”
“I don’t want it!”
The front end of the first floor of the Lodge had suffered only mild damage, so Rhys and Cad had spent the night on couches in their father’s office. Mom had stayed at her sister’s place.
In a single day the clan had lost all five of its Elders. Elis at the tower, and the boat carrying the other four had been found drifting empty on the Salton Sea. The verdict was they’d fallen victim to the monstrous creatures that had invaded the water.
Against all reason, the sentiment had quickly spread through the clan that twenty-eight-year-old Rhys Pendry was the man to take the reins. And now members of all five families had gathered outside the Lodge to elect him by acclaim.
Cad said, “You’re the only one who knows enough about the workings of the Pendry Fund to take it over. The clan depends on it. And that gives you a golden opportunity to lead them away from this insane religion that’s hamstrung us for generations.”
Forgetting about the Visitors…what a concept.
“And the nofio,” Cadoc added, his words picking up speed. “You can end that practice. For good. And no more clan kids put up for adoption. And-and-and we can find Aerona if she’s alive.”
Learn what happened to their long-lost sister…absolutely.
“How about you give it a year, Rhys? Just a year. You can do so much good here in a year.”
A year? Yeah, maybe he could handle a year. Why not?
“Okay, Cad. You win. A year. But no more.”
“Great! Go out there and tell them right now. Because I can’t stand listening to them anymore.”
Rhys stepped outside and shouted that he’d accept the job—without mentioning the time limit—and then sent them all home.
“I think I’ll head into town,” he said when he and Cad were finally alone. “See if I can help. It’s about time we became more involved with the locals.”
Cad grinned. “And maybe check to see if Daley’s around?”
He had to laugh. “Am I that transparent?”
“Like polished glass. Mind if I come along?”
“Not at all.”
Cad might provide a mollifying element. Rhys sensed that those two shared a certain rapport. Something she’d once shared with Rhys before he’d trashed it.
They decided to walk. Rhys had seen the ruins of the town yesterday, but the destruction was all new to Cad.
“Will they ever rebuild?” he said.
Rhys shrugged. “I hope so. That’ll be up to the Tadhaks, but they all seemed to have disappeared. Jason included.”
They found a crowd of people standing before the remains of Healerina.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen the store during the day,” Cad said. “But who’re these?”
“Her followers. They clogged the entire town Thursday night after she returned from the hospital, and followed her back to El Centro yesterday morning. Looks like some are back.” Rhys stepped into the group. “What’s going on? Have you seen Ms. Daley?”
“No, señor,” said an elderly Mexican woman with a black mantilla draped over her silver hair. Tears filled her eyes. “La Curandera is gone.”
“She’ll be back!” said a twenty-something woman all dressed in black, a patch of her dark hair bleached white. She waved her left hand—painted gold. “She’s watching over us!”
Rhys stared at her. She’d made herself up like Daley. He spotted a guy beyond her—also in black with a white patch of hair. What was this all about?
Backing away, he turned to Cad and lowered his voice. “They’re like pilgrims to a holy place and Daley’s a saint.”
“‘La Curandera,’” Cad said. “That’s a scary thing to have to live up to. Especially when you can really heal.”
Especially when you can really heal…
Each word was a red-hot knife jabbed into his skin.
…really heal…
And he’d called her a liar.
“I’d been hoping to find her poking through the wreckage,” he said. “But I’ve got this feeling she won’t be back.”
“Not with these…worshippers about.”
“I’ve got things I need to say to her.”
“You’ll get your chance…maybe.”
“Yeah? When?”
“Can’t say for sure, but she’ll be back.”
“Where? Here? In Nespodee Springs?”
“No, not here. Just…back. Out of hiding. She’ll resurface when we need her. And I have little doubt we’re going to need her again before too long.”
Rhys sure as hell hoped so.
The Secret History of the World
The preponderance of my work deals with a history of the world that remains undiscovered, unexplored, and unknown to most of humanity. Some of this secret history has been revealed in the Adversary Cycle, some in the Repairman Jack novels, and bits and pieces in other, seemingly unconnected works. Taken together, even these millions of words barely scratch the surface of what has been going on behind the scenes, hidden from the workaday world. I’ve listed them below in chronological order. (NB: “Year Zero” is the end of civilization as we know it; “Year Zero Minus One” is the year preceding it, etc.)
Scenes from the Secret History is FREE on Smashwords
The Past
“Demonsong” (prehistory)*
“The Compendium of Srem” (1498)
“Wardenclyffe” (1903-1906)
“Aryans and Absinthe”* (1923-1924)
Black Wind (1926-1945)
The Keep (1941)
Reborn (February-March 1968)
“Dat Tay Vao”* (March 1968)
Jack: Secret Histories (1983)
Jack: Secret Circles (1983)
Jack: Secret Vengeance (1983)
“Faces”* (1988)
Cold City (1990)
Dark City (1991)
Fear City (1993)
“Fix” (2004) with Joe Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson
Year Zero Minus Three
Sibs (February)
The Tomb (summer)
“The Barrens”* (ends in September)
“A Day in the Life”* (October)
“The Long Way Home”+
Legacies (December)
Year Zero Minus Two
“Interlude at Duane’s”+ (April)
Conspiracies (April) (includes “Home Repairs”+)
All the Rage (May) (includes “The Last Rakosh”+)
Hosts (June)
The Haunted Air (August)
Gateways (September)
Crisscross (November)
Infernal (December)
Year Zero Minus One
Harbingers (January)
“Infernal Night” (with Heather Graham)
Bloodline (April)
The Fifth Harmonic (April)
Panacea (April)
The God Gene (May)
By the Sword (May)
Ground Zero (July)
The Touch (ends in August)
The Void Protocol (September)
The Peabody-Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium (ends in
September)
“Tenants”*
The Last Christmas
Year Zero
“Pelts”*
Reprisal (ends in February)
Fatal Error (February) (includes “The Wringer”+)
The Dark at the End (March)
Signalz (May)
Nightworld (May)
* available in Secret Stories
+ available in Quick Fixes—Tales of Repairman Jack
F. Paul Wilson, Double Dose
