Darkfall

moan and hiss of the storm wind.
    But she didn’t relax. She knew something was wrong, and she was sure it would start acting up again. Indeed, the silence, the anticipation, was almost worse than the strange noises.
    VIII
    Still psychically linked with the murderous creatures he had summoned from the pit, Lavelle drummed his heels on the mattress and clawed at the dark air. He was pouring sweat; the sheets were soaked, but he was not aware of that.
    He could smell the Dawson children. They were very close.
    The time had almost come. Just minutes now. A short wait. And then the slaughter.
    IX
    Jack finished his brandy, put the glass on the coffee table, and said, “There’s a big hole in your explanation.”
    “And what’s that?” Hampton asked.
    “If Lavelle can’t harm me because I’m a righteous man, then why can he hurt my kids? They’re not wicked, for God’s sake. They’re not sinful little wretches. They’re damned good kids.”
    “In the view of the gods, children can’t be considered righteous; they’re simply innocent. Righteousness isn’t something we’re born with; it’s a state of grace we achieve only through years of virtuous living. We become righteous people by consciously choosing good over evil in thousands of situations in our day-to-day lives.”
    “Are you telling me that God-or all the benevolent gods, if you’d rather put it that way-protects the righteous but not the innocent?”
    “Yes.”
    “Innocent little children are vulnerable to this monster Lavelle, but I’m not? That’s outrageous, unfair, just plain wrong.”
    “You have an overly keen sense of injustice, both real and imagined. That’s because you’re a righteous man.”
    Now it was Jack who could no longer sit still. While Hampton slumped contentedly in an armchair, Jack paced in his bare feet. “Arguing with you is goddamned frustrating!”
    “This is my field, not yours. I’m a theologist, not legitimized by a degree from any university, but not merely an amateur, either. My mother and father were devout Roman Catholics. In finding my own beliefs, I studied every religion, major and minor, before becoming convinced of the truth and efficacy of voodoo. It’s the only creed that has always accommodated itself to other faiths; in fact, voodoo absorbs and uses elements from every religion with which it comes into contact. It is a synthesis of many doctrines that usually war against one another-everything from Christianity and Judaism to sun-worship and pantheism. I am a man of religion, Lieutenant, so it’s to be expected that I’ll tie you in knots on this subject.”
    “But what about Rebecca, my partner? She was bitten by one of these creatures, but she’s not, by God, a wicked or corrupt person.”
    “There are degrees of goodness, of purity. One can be a good person and not yet truly righteous, just as one can be righteous and not yet be a saint. I’ve met Miss Chandler only once, yesterday. But from what I saw of her, I suspect she keeps her distance from people, that she has, to some degree, withdrawn from life.”
    “She had a traumatic childhood. For a long time, she’s been afraid to let herself love anyone or form any strong attachments.”
    “There you have it,” Hampton said. “One can’t earn the favor of the Rada and be granted immunity to the powers of darkness if one withdraws from life and avoids a lot of those situations that call for a choice between good and evil, right and wrong. It is the making of those choices that enables you to achieve a state of grace.”
    Jack was standing at the hearth, warming himself in the heat of the gas fire-until the leaping flames suddenly reminded him of the goblins’ eye sockets. He turned away from the blaze. “Just supposing I am a righteous man, how does that help me find Lavelle?”
    “We must recite certain prayers,” Hampton said. “And there’s a purification ritual you must undergo. When you’ve done those things, the gods of Rada will show you the way to Lavelle.”
    “Then let’s not waste any more time. Come on. Let’s get started.”
    Hampton rose from his chair, a mountain of a man. “Don’t be too eager or too fearless. It’s best to proceed with caution.”
    Jack thought of Rebecca and the kids in the car, staying on the move to avoid being trapped by the goblins, and he said, “Does it matter whether I’m cautious or reckless? I mean, Lavelle can’t harm me.”
    “It’s true that the gods have