Created by fan and Goddess Irina Herman. Following the video, read a snippet from USE, Book 2 of Songs of Perdition.
“Fiona and I have certain rules,” Deacon said, “and the rules are there for her safety. Hurting her for breaking them defeats the purpose, don’t you think?”
“So,” I asked. “Did she break some rule?”
“These rules aren’t arbitrary.”
“I understand.”
“I’m sure you do.” But in Deacon's voice, I heard that he was sure I didn't understand, not one bit. I would have been insulted but he was right.
“Fiona needs to channel her energies,” he said. “And what we developed together does just that.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Are you psychoanalyzing me, Doctor?”
“It’s hard to resist.”
He laughed.
“All right,” he said, sitting straight in his chair. “I’ll give you a gift for your honestly. South Afrikan farms are far removed from each other, and when I was younger, we had so much privilege, it never occurred to us to protect them. Until, of course, the situation in my country changed, and there were too many unemployed young men for the government to deal with. And these young men, they were angry. They were angry at families with money and land. So, they gathered in groups, and went into the farmhouses and took what they wanted. The farmers were armed, usually. My father was, but he was a peaceful man. Of the seven men who came into our house, he shot only one in the leg. He paid for his kindness with his life. My brother was locked in a basement while my mother and sister were badly abused. Our workers…the people were beaten bloody. Two died. I’d grown up with these men. They were my friends.”
“Were you there?”
“I was in Queenstown on business, and one of our foremen came in the morning to tell me. He was covered in blood. By the time I got there, it was too late.”
He took a moment to think, staring into the middle distance, I didn’t interrupt with one of the hundred questions stewing.
“What happened right after is irrelevant,” he said. “But, the result is I am very serious about protecting what’s mine.”
