Read Online The Parliament of the Dead by T.A. Donnelly - Free Book Online Page B

tell him that she had taken his walk, but she wanted to know what Arthur meant. “Move on?”
    “Yes, dear girl, to pastures greener.” He looked at her with a sad smile. “Or at least less grey.”
    “Where, I mean why?” Arthur was the most interesting person she had met in years, she couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving when they had only just met.
    “At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it’s no longer safe for me.”
    “Safe?  What’s going on?  Are those stolen antiques or something in your kitchen?” As Iona looked back out of the room she noticed that everything looked different from when she had first come in.  Without giving Arthur a chance to answer the last group of questions she noticed another difference in the room, so she asked quicky,“Where did all the dust go?”
    “Dust we are, Iona,”sighed Arthur,“and to dust we return.”
    “OK, this is too weird, you’re freaking me out now.  What is happening here?  Who are you, why have you got all that stuff in your kitchen and what was going on with your toilet?”
    Arthur smiled, although his eyes were still sad. “Alright, dear girl, I’ll let you into my secret.”
    He coughed before continuing, “I’m dead.”
    Iona furrowed her brow. “What, dead as in you’re in really big trouble ?”
    “No, just dead, as in no longer alive .  I’m a ghost!”
     
     
    Chapter Twenty-Three
    An interrupted Reverie
     
    The room was lit by large black candles that gave off a scent like old roses.  The curtains were of deep red velvet.
    Arcane symbols were painted onto the black walls.
    A pale hand turned the pages of a musty book.  Next to the book lay an object that looked very much like a human skull.
    The silence of the room was broken by the sound of a bell ringing.
    The pale hand clicked open a mobile phone. “Hello, Dusk here,”chirruped a friendly voice with an East London accent.
    “Erm, hello Dusk,”a woman’s voice spoke hesitantly down the line,“this is Tiggy Ward, Iona’s mother.”
    “Oh hello Mrs. Ward, how nice to hear from you!” Dusk replied enthusiastically,“Thanks for the dinner last month.”
    “Erm, don’t mention it.  Dusk, I wondered if you had any idea where Iona is at the moment?”
    “No, Mrs. Ward, I haven’t seen Iona since she was s…”Dusk stopped herself before she said‘suspended’she did not want to remind Tiggy of her daughter’s trouble at school. “I haven’t seen her for a couple of weeks.”
    “Oh.” Tiggy’s voice was so faint it almost faded to nothing. “Well thank you anyway Dusk.”
    Dusk picked up the fallen conversation. “I’m sure she’s OK Mrs. Ward.  She’s just not a great time-keeper.”
     
    *   *   *
     
    Tiggy was already lost in thought and did not respond.
    “Well, Mrs. Ward,”Dusk continued,“I’ll let you know if she gets in touch OK?”
    Tiggy hung up the phone with a sigh.
     
     
    Chapter Twenty-Four
    The Oncoming Storm
     
    Father Pious adjusted the long row of buttons on his cassock.  The militant monks of the Third Order of St Cyril were due any minute.  His companions were obviously nervous; Father Pious had told them about the violent and merciless reputation of the Third Order.
    In the Middle Ages the Inquisition had purged the Church.  When witch-hunts were no longer morally acceptable, certain branches of the Inquisition went undercover: some still dealt with witchcraft, some dealt with the spirits of the dead.
    When the twelve monks finally arrived Father Pious was taken aback by their appearance.  They wore black leather cassocks - long coats that skimmed the ground.
    Their hair was close-cropped, and shaved into the back of each of their heads was a large cross.
    Father Pious had hoped for rather less conspicuous back-up, but if they were going to exorcise the entire‘Parliament of the Dead’they would need all the muscle they could get.
    “Welcome brothers,”Father Pious’smile was devoid of