They were human murmurs.Chants.The fires glowed brightly and the sun had nearly set, so I had to squint just to make out the dim figures of the chanters standing just inside of the iron cemetery fence. At first, the scene made no sense. But when I looked up at the darkening sky, to the waning crescent moon that hung there, the pieces began to fit together until—“Joshua, the exorcism!” I gasped. “It’s supposed to be tonight.”In my rush to deal with Eli, I’d completely forgotten about the exorcism. But Ruth and the other Seers obviously hadn’t. They probably followed Joshua here tonight, knowing he’d lead them right to me.Now the ache at my temples pulsed in time to their voices; it must have started when they began to chant, before we noticed them.Joshua groaned and grabbed my hand to drag me through the cemetery, to the small hill near its gates. There, about ten people had gathered. Except for Ruth, each held a lit torch and had taken his or her place in a ring around what looked like a circle of gray powder—identical to the kind now bordering the Mayhew house—sprinkled onto the grass.
