Read Cult of Crime for Free Online

the way of peace, Master.”
    A cold chuckle burst from the Rajah’s lips. “Very good, boy. You have taken your second step toward peace, forgoing temptation and speaking the truth.” Frank gasped. “You knew?”
    “It was my will. All things are my will here.” The Rajah stepped past Frank and Vivasvat and into the night, gesturing for them to follow. Vivasvat let go of Frank’s arms.
    “You may serve me again tonight,” the Rajah said to Frank, who was following a step behind. Vivasvat hung back, staying away from them. “We have had an intruder, a devil who came to do evil. Tonight you must hold the torch of truth to him, to burn out his lies and release him to glory.” “I don’t understand,” Frank said.
    “He will be tested with flames. They will not burn the holy, but all evil things fear them. You shall hold the first torch, boy, and then I will give you your name.”
    Frank’s mouth and throat went dry as they turned a corner. The Rajah’s followers were gathered around the bonfire, each holding a torch. They stared savagely at a pole in front of the Rajah’s home. A boy was tied to it-the boy who was to face the flames. The boy was Joe Hardy.

Chapter 6
    THE RAJAH STOOD before his followers and raised his hands in benediction. “Bless you, my children,” he said. They had been chanting loudly, but the chanting dropped to a whisper when he spoke, and they turned their eyes to the ground. Only Frank kept his eyes on the Rajah as he desperately tried to think of a plan.
    “Brothers! Sisters!” the Rajah went on. He swung an arm down, pointing a long, bony finger at Joe. “We have a devil in our midst!” A hush like a breath of air passed through the crowd.
    “He comes to destroy our faith! A soul has come to us for salvation, and this devil comes to drag that soul back to the world of evil!” The cultists howled in outrage, flinging curses at Joe. “But his victim shall be his savior instead! Step up, Frank Hardy-you who will be called Vaisravana - and prove yourself worthy.”
    “Vaisravana, Vaisravana,” the cultists chanted over and over. The Rajah stepped among them and pulled a stick of wood from the bonfire. Flames crackled at one end of the stick as the Rajah held it out to Frank.
    “Take it, Vaisravana,” the Rajah said. “Take it, and burn the devil from your brother! My will is your will! My will is your will!”
    “His will is your will,” the Rajah’s followers intoned. Frank looked at them, and as he watched, their faces began to change.
    They know what’s coming, he thought, and the knowledge sickened him. They were all children, really, from homes like his and like Holly’s, but he could tell by the look in their eyes that they wanted to see blood. They played at being holy, but the ritual and the Rajah had released something in them that only blood would satisfy.
    He wanted to run, but there was nowhere he could run to. With trembling fingers, he took the fiery brand.
    Vivasvat clapped his hands, and a dozen men emerged from the throng. They formed a human corridor from Frank to Joe and stood there, legs spread and arms folded, staring at Frank. All around, he could hear dozens of voices blending into one, speaking a single Word in endless repetition. “Vaisravana, Vaisravana!”
    Quietly the Rajah said “Do it.”
    The brand had burned down, and flames licked at Frank’s hand as he moved toward Joe.
    He didn’t notice the heat.
    Frank studied the faces as he passed the rows of men who, though they wore the same garb as the Rajah’s followers, were older than most of them. The faces were hard and merciless, and beneath each tunic showed the telltale bulge of hidden pistols. The Rajah’s bodyguards.
    If I could just get to a gun, Frank thought.
    He had no more time to think. He was standing before Joe. Every eye was on them. The chanting had become a shriek, the only sound in the world. From the corner of his eye, he could see the bodyguards fingering their