Bourby swallowed as he looked at Arthur, whose body was partly hidden above the steps.
Sweat had long since soaked through the back of his clothes.
In fact, if Taber and Alice had not been frightened into dropping to their knees first, he would already have been kneeling there himself.
And now?
After seeing the sorry state Taber and Alice were in, he was afraid. He did not dare.
He knew Chief Hunter Albert's methods.
The man excelled at skinning his prey!
He did not want to be skinned!
Maybe it's just a scare tactic!
Maybe everything will be fine!
Under the weight of his fear, wishful thinking began spreading like weeds. Bourby lowered his head and joined the back of the line heading toward the basement.
Only one person could go in at a time.
Once they entered, the door would close.
Then?
There were no prayers and no confessions.
They simply had to kneel on one knee!
There's no one around. Could I bluff my way through?
Bourby pondered this, but more and more sweat beaded on his forehead-the Medium was not far from him, and the man's calm expression put him under immense pressure. It felt as though his throat were being squeezed shut and he was about to suffocate.
Fortunately, the old steward had Albert help him put up a curtain.
The curtain stretched all the way to the basement door, separating those going in from those coming out.
The old steward and Albert stood on the entrance side.
Bourby did not know why they had done this.
But he knew he no longer had to face that terrifying Medium.
Because the Medium stood on the exit side.
Wonderful!
At that thought, Bourby let out a long breath.
Then, when his turn came, he cautiously walked