The Soul Stealer. Alex Archer

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СКАЧАТЬ got back on the bikes and pedaled on. The dirt road gave way to a cracked type of pavement that looked as if it might be all of fifty years old. Gregor pointed at it as they rode.

      “Once this road was much sturdier. The Soviet army drove tanks all over the country.”

      “Guess it’s been a while since they had any road-repair crews out here,” Annja said.

      “Money,” Gregor said. “All comes back to money.”

      The woods fell behind them and muddy open fields dotted the countryside. Simple houses lined the roads, most with smoking chimneys. The air felt colder, and Annja could see there was a layer of fog moving in from the west.

      The single road grew wider as they entered the town itself. Annja could pick out what looked to be a main all-purpose store and a small café. Aside from that, there was a loose cluster of homes and a church standing alone at the end of the road.

      Gregor pointed at the church. “Father Jakob runs the church. He has been here since the dinosaurs.”

      Annja grinned. “Think he remembers you?”

      Gregor looked at her. “Perhaps I made an indelible impression on him when I was much younger.”

      “How so?”

      “He heard my confession. First time for me since I was only a boy. I think I may have scarred him,” Gregor said with a laugh.

      Bob pedaled past them. “Where is everyone?”

      Annja glanced around. There seemed to be no one around the store or café. The streets looked deserted. There weren’t even any dogs lounging around, which Annja found very peculiar. She’d been around the world enough to know that even in the poorest places, you could always find a mutt or two mooching about.

      She heard voices, though. “What’s that?” she asked.

      Gregor pointed to their right. “Over here.”

      They dismounted and walked between two houses, passing rusted drain pipes leaking water to the muddy ground. Annja caught a whiff of something that smelled quite disgusting and hoped they had some type of plumbing here at least.

      They passed the houses and in front of them stood an open field. Annja shivered as they walked. Annja was sure the temperature must have dipped well below freezing.

      As they approached the crowd of people milling around, Annja could see they were extremely agitated. Several women clutched at the few children present. The men all wore grim expressions.

      Gregor strode up to them, but his gruff demeanor vanished as he approached. Annja heard him speaking with them. Next to her, Bob listened intently. As he did, he also frowned.

      “What is it?” Annja asked.

      Gregor looked back at her. “What we saw last night in the woods.”

      “That thing?”

      Gregor shook his head. “It is not a thing. It is called Khosadam.”

      “Khosadam?” Annja glanced at Bob.

      Gregor gestured for them to come closer. “It hunts. It stalks this village,” he said.

      Annja shook her head. “How do they know?”

      Gregor pointed at the ground, and several of the villagers stepped back. Annja looked and there in the mud she saw the tracks of what looked to be human feet.

      “So? Someone was out here walking around barefoot.”

      Gregor shook his head. “Look closer.”

      Annja knelt and studied the tracks. The footsteps showed six toes.

      Gregor’s voice was subdued. “You know many people that have six toes, Annja Creed?”

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      “This is insane,” Annja said. “A couple of six-toed footprints and people are losing their minds? It doesn’t make any sense.”

      Gregor led them back toward the town. “Then what would you call it? You said yourself you have never seen things like this before.”

      “I’d start by looking for someone who is suffering from frostbite,” Annja said. “Walking around in subzero temperatures without shoes on might even get them gangrene.”

      Gregor stopped. “This is not a joking matter, Annja. These villagers take this very seriously. The idea that Khosadam is stalking this area has them very frightened. And rightfully so. Khosadam is not something to dismiss so easily.”

      “I’m not dismissing it per se,” Annja said. She just didn’t think that it was possible to get so upset over something so seemingly trivial. She’d seen plenty of things far worse and not been half as concerned as some of those villagers.

      “And what about what we saw last night?” Gregor asked. “You are thinking that was nothing special, as well?”

      “I don’t know what I saw last night,” Annja said. She looked at Bob. “Got anything to add to this craziness?”

      Bob shrugged. “I told you last night that Gregor has never steered me wrong. If he says something is amiss, then we’d be fools to think otherwise.”

      Annja sighed. “So, what is this Khosadam thing, anyway?”

      “She’s a Siberian goddess,” Bob said.

      “As in a deity?”

      “Yes.”

      Annja shook her head. “You realize this sounds even more ludicrous now. They actually think there’s a goddess stalking them?”

      “That would be my impression, yes,” he replied.

      “What—did she get bored with heaven or Olympus or wherever else she was hanging out?”

      “She was kicked out of heaven, actually,” Bob said. “By her husband, of all things.”

      Annja grinned. “One step forward for women’s rights.”

      “Her husband, Ec—”

      “His name was Ec?” Annja chuckled. “I would have left, too.”

      Bob shook his head. “Don’t trivialize it. Ec banished her for being unfaithful to him. She liked to cavort with a lot of the lesser deities and sometimes even mortals.”

      “Okay,” Annja said.

      “She has another name, as well,” Bob said, leading them into the nearby café.

      A wall of heat slammed into Annja as she walked through the door. She could smell burned coffee and some other scents she didn’t recognize. Despite her unease with the entire situation, her mouth watered and she realized she was ravenous.

      “What’s СКАЧАТЬ