Read This Place is Death (A Curse Keepers Secret) for Free Online

had stressed the importance of bringing a vessel large enough to drink from during the ceremony. He’d insisted they must each have a container that belonged exclusively to their people. Ananias grabbed a pewter cup off the table, stuffing it into his coat pocket. It left an uncomfortable lump, but it was better than walking through the village with the cup in his hand, particularly given how suspicious everyone was of late.
    The cold air stung his nose and throat. This weather was more like what he was used to in England. Surely a land full of such violent extremes couldn’t be a place of God, only confirming that Manteo was right. The Indians’ ground was the gate to hell. When this ordeal was over, Ananias was taking his wife and child far from this place of evil.
    “Good eve, Ananias,” one of the men called when Ananias walked through the village one last time, ensuring as best he could that it was safe to leave his family.
    “Good eve, Michael.” Ananias had drawn the evening patrol, but he’d traded with Michael for a predawn turn, hoping his task with Manteo would be complete by then. He continued toward Manteo’s dwelling, then headed for the trees.
    Slipping out of the camp had been entirely too easy. If Ananias could get out without any notice, how many savages could get in? If Manteo’s plan didn’t succeed, they would all be killed.
    His plan would work. It had to.
    He saw the glow of torches before he saw Manteo. The closer he came, the harder it was to breathe. Fear froze his feet, and he stayed at the edge of the twenty-foot circle of torches Manteo had spaced around the tree. The earth was scorched in intricate patterns. A small fire burned in the center, a clay pitcher and a wooden bowl next to it. Manteo squatted within the circle, on the opposite side of the fire.
    “Did you bring your vessel?” he asked without looking up.
    “Aye.” Ananias pulled it from his pocket and took a step forward.
    “Do not enter!”
    Ananias froze, partially relieved. The air around the circle felt thick and heavy, and each breath was a struggle.
    Manteo chanted and stood, turning to face Ananias. He wore the clothing of his people, soft leather boots and a cloth around his waist. His chest was bare with a freshly inked mark on his skin over his heart, a tattoo comprised of squares, circles, and squiggly lines.
    Manteo motioned for Ananias to enter the circle. The moment he was completely inside, the outside world hushed and the temperature warmed, as though the circle existed on a different level of reality. Sulfur burned his nose and coated his tongue. Terror filled him.
    Manteo’s claims were true. The two men were standing at the edge of hell.
    What madness had he agreed to?
    Taking the cup, Manteo placed it next to the wooden bowl. He motioned for Ananias to take off his shirt. Ananias complied, slipping off his coat and two layers of upper garments. He waited for the shock of cold as he tossed his shirts to the ground, but it never came. Sweat beaded on his head. It really was warmer in the circle. Almost as hot as a summer day.
    There was witchcraft here.
    Ananias cleared his throat, trying to swallow his fear. “What are you doing, Manteo?”
    “As I already explained, the Roanoke receive power from their gods. If we bind their gods behind this gate, we will cripple them.”
    “Not that part.” Ananias’s eyes searched Manteo’s. “Why are you conducting the ceremony at all? Why would you do something so grave for my people?”
    His face hardened. “The Roanoke are not friends to the Croatan. This will help my people too.”
    Ananias nodded, his frayed nerves slightly soothed. Manteo’s motives were more understandable if his own people stood to gain.
    “If I do this correctly, I will also seal the gate to Popogusso, and the vision I had will not come to pass, which is yet another reason to conduct the ceremony.”
    Somehow, Ananias had forgotten about the graver threat in light of the more