Halos & Horns

Heaven Can Be Hotter than Hell (Part 1)

The moon shone through the skylight of the study, illuminating the manacled boy in tattered clothes curled into a fetal position on the wood floor. The man standing over him raised his cane above his head and brought it down in a single swift motion. It made a swishing sound as it sliced through the air, the remains of what had once been the boy's shirt, and finally the boy's flesh. The boy did not think that he could feel yet another sting from the thrashing, but he did. He was surprised that, by the third day of his captivity, he could still feel pain. At least, he thought it was the third day. After spending so much time in a dark cell, the boy was unsure how long he had been on the estate. His throat was parched; he could not remember the last time water had passed through his lips. He opened his mouth to speak and found that he had to force the word to bubble up to the surface. "Why?" he asked, looking up at his captor with desperate, pleading eyes.

"Why?" the man repeated emotionlessly. He lowered the cane, knelt before the boy, and lifted his head by his hair. "Why are you still alive? Is that what you wish to ask? To repent, boy! Now that I have beaten the devil from you, you have an opportunity to repent your sins and your bargain with the devil that allowed you to practice unholy witchcraft!

"You're mad!" the boy spit out.

Nathaniel Thornhill raised his cane again.

"I repent! I repent!" the boy cried out desperately, as the cane's shadow crossed his face.

Nathaniel lowered his rattan cane and gently helped the boy to his feet. He placed his arm under the emaciated boy's shoulder and carried him out of the study. When the boy felt the grass under his bare feet, he realized that they had stepped outside of the house and onto the grounds of the estate. They stopped at a small pond a few yards from the rear of the house. Nathaniel laid the boy down in front of a small iron cage. "In you go!" he said, pushing the boy inside. He padlocked the door. The cage was attached to one end of a large beam balanced on a pivot rising from a wheeled platform. Nathaniel pushed the platform to the water's edge. The cage dangled precariously above the water as Nathaniel pushed a button on the contraption. Slowly, the beam pivoted, tilting the cage into the pond.

As the cage sank deeper into the pond, the water flowing through the grate seemed to revitalize the boy. "No! Please! I repent!" he cried vainly.

"Aye, and may the lord have mercy on your repentant soul in the afterlife, Perry Hotter," Nathaniel replied. "For there can be no mercy for a warlock in this life!" Nathaniel watched as the cage submerged completely from view. Soon the air bubbles ceased to rise to the surface. He would wait a little longer, just to be certain. He fumbled through his coat pocket and pulled out the list. He took his pen from the same pocket and crossed off the name "Perry Hotter". His eyes scrolled down to the next name. "Samantha Twitch!" he read out loud.

●

"Would you like some tea while you wait?" Miss Twitch asked the demure British schoolgirl.

"Yes, thank you ma'am," Emma replied, straightening her dress as she sat down in the waiting room chair. Emma had thought nothing of wearing her school uniform to the States; it was only after her arrival that she had noticed American schoolgirls did not dress in uniforms. "I do hope you can help me find Perry. It's been several days since he's gone missing and I can't return to London without him!"

"I'm sure that Mr. Horn and Mr. Cypher will be able to track him down for you! Las Vegas is big city; it's easy to see how a young boy from another country could get lost," Miss Twitch said reassuringly as she poured the hot water into the tea cup.

"But Perry doesn't get lost!" Emma replied. "I mean, we've been through a lot together back home and faced some — what I mean is, Perry Hotter is a rather extraordinary boy! He's quite capable of taking care of himself no matter where he is, so for him to be missing this long must mean that something awful has happened to him. That's why I looked up your private investigation firm in the phone book!"