Prologue

The creature had been subdued by heavy rusted chains and tied up for weeks by the time the doctor found him. The villagers had said it had killed several of their own, while it had taken a dozen of them to finally restrain him.

The doctor wanted to reward them for their bravery but there wasn"t a soul in sight at this point, just deep grooves in the dried mud where the villager"s heels must have dug in, savage marks around the trunk of the nearby oak, the bark having been shaved clean off by the chains, and the splashes of blood here and there, adding color to the scene.

There was only the doctor and the creature in the middle of this yellow flower speckled field, on this warm summer morning, the dew already evaporated.

Of course, the creature was indeed a man. The doctor took a tentative step toward him, peering down at the tormented-looking figure. He was curled up in the fetal position, eyes closed, matted hair around his face, his naked body caked in mud, but despite his fragile state, he was tall and broad-shouldered, built like an ox. He had the sleek muscles that so many other creatures had, but there was a roughness to him, as if the muscles had been earned doing hard labor and not given to him naturally.

There"s nothing natural about this, the doctor thought, pushing his long red hair behind his ears and adjusting his hat against the sun that was slowly becoming stronger with the day. There"s nothing natural about these monsters.

It made him sad to learn about instances like this, these monsters who were created to be mad men, but this was the nature of his work lately. He had grown fascinated by these abominations, that were so like him in many ways, and yet so different. He wanted to study them up close and personal. He wanted to prove that their humanity could be uncovered.

But it was a long road ahead for both of them. The doctor could barely be described as a man sometimes, and the beast even less so.

The doctor sighed and crouched down beside the creature, noting how little it breathed. The poor monster could not die, but it no doubt wished it could. Even if it had been chained to this tree for centuries, without a single drop of food, it still would not die.

And barring his head being torn off, the doctor wouldn"t die either. So he didn"t have much fear when he reached over and gently brushed back the creature"s hair off its face.

It was a strong face, and a handsome one. If the creature wasn"t so large and brawny, if that chin wasn"t so strong, he could be called beautiful, a delicate kind of grace in long black lashes, a straight nose, full lips. Most of the doctor"s kind had their own kind of magnetism that was supernatural, but he could tell the creature, back when it was a man and before it had transformed, had been blessed by God.

Blessed before he became cursed.

But if the brotherhood at the monastery couldn"t help the creature find God—or something that resembles one—and become a man, then at the very least the doctor would do all he could to help.

After all, the more these monsters roamed the earth, the more that the doctor and his ilk would be at risk, and their secrets discovered by a world that was never ready to understand them.

"Can you hear me?" the doctor asked in a low voice. "My name is Abraham, but you may call me Abe."

The creature stirred but didn"t open its eyes. Its mouth parted just a little.

The few creatures that Abe had come into contact with didn"t speak English, or Spanish, or any language. Many of them were in an even earlier state of depravity, their bodies covered in matted fur or leathery wings. Some even had tails.

But this creature was past that stage, though it didn't make him any less dangerous. It was still a monster, and yet it had potential to become a man again.

The creature suddenly snapped his jaws at Abe, trying to get a bite of him, but only got air before it fell back down to the ground, all strength gone.

"Now, now," Abe said to him. "Anger is necessary for survival sometimes, but I will teach you to control your anger. I will teach you how to put that monster aside for now. I will get your soul back, as long as you're willing to work for it. Are you willing to work for it, Man from Aragon?"

This was always the test. Give the man a choice, and the man might come forward. If the man made the choice, and not the beast, if the light broke through the shadows, then the creature had a chance to be saved.

The soul could be redeemed.

And this time the creature made a low hissing noise at Abe's request.

He took it as a yes.