The Relic Keeper Read Online Free Page B

Nasreen looked at it, for a second slightly unsure what to do. She reached across to take it, touching his hand for a moment and holding the moment too long. Then her mind was made up for her. The prayer bell sounded and she hastened back to the dorms. Deon followed more sluggishly, slipping the pipe back into its hiding place. Shit, shit, shit, he thought as he paced back to the complex. He had liked Nasreen but felt that his last chance of any kind of forbidden pleasure had been well and truly fucked by the smoking incident. Tomorrow I shall walk in Paradise, he repeated to himself. But sometimes he had to admit that he didn't seem quite the same as the rest of the Disciples. It preyed on his mind, like a name that you can’t quite recall. He quickened his pace and fell into the line of people marching to prayer. All you have to do, he thought to himself, echoing one of Caroline’s phrases, is accept and confirm.

5
    The room that Mathew woke up in was white and stark. Some apparatus that he didn’t recognise stood to his left, with a small screen on it, sub-divided into several smaller areas, each of which flickered with lights and indicators. The machine seemed to produce a small humming noise that reminded Mathew of a sound he’d heard, but could not place. There was one small window high in the corner, covered by a vertical blind, otherwise there were no windows to either the outside world or any adjoining rooms, and, apart from his bed and a black chair in the corner, no furniture. The light in the room seemed subdued, although Mathew couldn’t see a source for the light that was present. He squinted around the room, the soft luminescence hurting his eyes. He was confused and worried. But his overwhelming feeling was one of pain.
    Every part of his body throbbed. Moving his head, or even his eyes, hurt and sent a shiver of agony down his body. He tried to lift his head slightly and the pain seared down his left side. He slumped his head back into the pillow and groaned without making a noise. Something bad’s happened, he thought, I don't know what, but this is really, really bad. He slipped out of consciousness.

6
    Rei shuffled anxiously outside Dr Warwick’s office. George’s downturn had been more rapid than she had expected. The boy had been in her care, although not, obviously, exclusively, and she could not help but feel in part responsible. There had always been the slight chance of recovery and now that this seemed to have been removed the sense that she had failed everyone was overwhelming. And if she had failed personally, then she would need to take whatever consequences this had caused. Warwick was not renowned for requesting that staff meet him personally, and the only reason Rei could think was that he was going to dismiss her. And that would result in her having to return home. There didn't seem any other choice. This time tomorrow she would be on her way back to Honshu and then making the land journey to Tsukuba. Three years in Britain was, it seemed, about to come to an abrupt end. The light on the door turned green and the word Enter appeared. She swallowed, closed her eyes, counted to ten, and walked into the grand office.
    The office was large, without being palatial. The décor could have belonged to any time after 1900, except for the series of state-of-the-art monitoring and security systems. Behind Warwick’s mahogany desk was a large portrait, in oils Rei noticed, of Warwick, and in front of this sat the man himself. He was reading as Rei walked in and didn't turn his gaze to her, but remained engrossed in the document displayed in the ethervision. The door slid shut, but the noise didn't provoke a response. Rei coughed quietly, unsure if she'd been acknowledged in any way. “Please be seated Miss Ishinomori,” Warwick said without looking up. Rei moved nervously to the chair positioned on her side of the desk and sat in what she considered a neat and appropriate style. Warwick