“You can’t be here,” Hudson growled.
“You knew I’d come. This started nineteen years ago and nothing any of us do can stop it now. Your grandfather would be highly disappointed to know what you’re doing,” the second man said, his voice a higher pitch and calmer than Hudson’s.
“My grandfather’s dead because of this crap so don’t pretend to know what he’d say. I don’t care what you claim happened nineteen years ago or what will happen any time soon. I want nothing to do with this, and I won’t let you drag him into this either!” Hudson voice echoed down the stairs and hit Shaney square in the face.
“He’s the reason all of this is happening. He belongs to me.”
“No!” Hudson barked. “You leave him the fuck alone, or I’ll kill you. Leave and never come back. I’m not my grandfather and I’ve no interest in the nonsense you two cooked up in here.”
“That nonsense is a living, breathing human being, and the minute he walked onto that circle, everything was set in motion. There’s no turning back.”
“You started this by breaking into my cabin and drawing that shit everywhere. I’ve had enough of these symbols and signs for a lifetime. I want nothing to do with it.”
Hudson’s cabin? Fuck, were they talking about him? What had started?
Shaney crept up the stairs, stepping lightly to minimize the creaking, barely allowing his breath to escape.
“I swear on my grandfather’s grave, I’ll break your friggin’ neck if you get within a hundred yards of him,” Hudson warned.
The other man chuckled with self-satisfaction. “Oh, my. Why hadn’t I guessed sooner? Oh, what a delightful turn of events. Your grandfather was always so practical. The Protector has emerged.”
Shaney froze, his stomach flip-flopping. Protector? Hudson had said he’d sworn to protect Shaney. To whom exactly had Hudson sworn Shaney’s protection and why?
As Shaney neared the top of the stairs, he paused, working up the nerve to crash the confusing conversation.
“So where is he, Hudson?”
“None of your fucking business.” Shaney could hear the clench of Hudson’s jaw in his voice. The stranger obviously didn’t place a high premium on his own life. Shaney imagined an angry Hudson would be lethal.
“It’ll be easier if you just give him to me now, before he falls into the hands of someone who will cause him real harm.” The sound of shoes scuffing stopped Shaney.
“And what do you plan to do? Teach him to fucking knit?”
Shaney smirked at the vision of himself rocking in a chair, knitting and pearling.
“I plan to teach him to harness the gift that created him. Guide him and help him to reach his true potential, which I guarantee will be absolutely unprecedented and nothing the world has ever seen.”
“You mean exploit him and use him to test your insane theories and further your plots. You’re as delusional as my grandfather was.”
“Hyrum was one of the most brilliant scientists and forward-thinkers of his time,” the stranger declared.
“That brilliance killed him, and it will kill the rest of us if you don’t give this up.”
The stranger snorted derisively. “It will definitely kill him, but only if you stand in the way, Hudson. How long do you think he’ll survive without being properly trained to rein in the energy?
“It’s stabilized and he’s all right now.”
What about being electrocuted? Hudson had lied. The roiling in Shaney’s stomach competed with the pounding of his heart.
The other man cackled. “And why do you think that is, Hudson? Come on, think really hard.”
The silence gave Shaney the necessary fortitude to peek around the corner. Large, lacy cobwebs hung from the ceiling, dancing eerily in the breeze of the drafty barn. The air smelled stale and musty. Lining the room, bookcases overflowed with dusty books, papers, and an assortment of vessels and odd-shaped containers. On the far wall, a raised platform sat before the faded remnants of a large, ornate, and complex symbol on the wall. Scanning the room, Shaney saw more symbols scribed onto the walls.
“No,” Shaney whispered. This meant Hudson had known something about what had happened to him all along. Just like Todd, Hudson had betrayed Shaney. Made him into a fool.
“You know I named him Shaney after my son who died at birth,” the man proclaimed.
Shaney gasped and drew the attention of the two men. Shaney scrambled back.
“Goddammit, Shaney.” Hudson was pissed however, Shaney’s attention was all over the other man.
That guy from the diner…Silas? Fuck, what was he doing here?