A Night in the Lonesome October Part 18

"Oh?" She rose, stretched, and jumped down from the wall. "There are new developments?"

"Walk with me," I said.

"Where?"

"To the vicarage. You said we have an hour."

"All right."

We left the yard, headed south.

"Yes," I told her as we went, "we've lost the mad monk," and I recounted the morning's events.

"And you think the vicar did it?" she asked.

"Probably. He seems our most militant player. But that's not why I wanted to visit his focus. I just wanted to learn the location of the room where he keeps Lynette a prisoner."

"Of course," she said. "If he has the Count's ring and the Alhazred Icon as well as the pentacle bowl, he could do some pretty nasty things between now and next week. You said they mainly increased his technical prowess, and I thought you meant for the ceremony. But he could hurt people with them right now. I asked the mistress."

"Well, that's technical."

"But you acted as if it weren't important."

"I still don't think it is. He'd be a fool to use the actual tools that way, when he should be relying on his own abilities. The tools have a way of producing repercussive effects when they're used extracurricularly. He could wind up hurting himself badly unless he's a real master, and I don't think he is."

"How can you be sure?"

"I doubt a master would run around with a crossbow, shooting at bats, or plan a human sacrifice when it's not absolutely necessary -- just to be safe. He's insecure in his power. A master aims at economy of operations, not proliferation."

"That sounds right, Snuff. But if he's too insecure mightn't he be tempted to try an operation with the tools against the rest of us, anyway -- just to narrow the field and make things easier for himself later on?"

"If he's that foolish, the results are on his own head."

"And the person he directs the power against, don't forget that. It could be you."

"I understand you're safe if your heart is pure."

"I'll try to remember that."

When we reached the vicarage she led me around to the rear.

"Up there," she said, looking at a window directly overhead. "That's her room."

"I've never seen her about," I said.

"I gather from Tekela that she's been locked up for several weeks."

"I wonder how securely?"

"Well, she hasn't come out, to my knowledge. And I told you I saw a chain around her ankle."

"How thick?"

"That's hard to say. You want me to climb up and take another look?"

"Maybe. I wonder whether the vicar is in?"

"We could check the stable, see whether his horse is there."

"Let's do that."

So we headed to the small stable in the rear and entered there. There were two stalls, and both were empty.

"Off on a call," she said.

"What do you want?" came a voice from the rafters.

Looking up, I beheld the albino raven.

"h.e.l.lo, Tekela," Graymalk said. "We were just pa.s.sing by, and wanted to see whether you'd heard the news about Rastov."

There followed a moment's silence, then, "What about Rastov?"

"He's dead," Graymalk said. "Hanged."

"And what of the snake?"

"Gone back to the woods."

"Good. I never liked snakes. They raid nests, eat eggs."

"Have you any news?"

"Only that the big man has been about again. There was an argument at the farmhouse and he went out to the barn for a time and crouched in a corner. The Good Doctor went after him and there was more argument. He ran off into the night then. Went back later, though."

"That's interesting. I wonder what it was about."

"I don't know."

"Well, we'll be going now. Good-bye."

"Yes."

We departed and returned to the vicarage. Graymalk looked back.

"She can't see us from that rafter," she said. "Do you want me to climb up?"

"Wait," I said. "I want to try a trick I learned from Larry."

I approached the back door and I checked the stable again. I could see no flash of white.

Rising onto my hind legs, I put a paw against the door for balance, held it a moment, then dropped it to join the other in pressing on the k.n.o.b toward its center. I turned my body as I made the effort. I had to try three times, adjusting my grip. The third time it went far enough to make a clicking sound and my weight caused the door to swing inward. I dropped into a normal position and entered.

"That's quite a trick," she said, following me. "Do you feel any wards?"

"No."

I pushed the door almost shut with my shoulder. It had to be paw-openable, quickly, on our return.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Let's find the stairway. I'd like to see how the girl is secured."

We stopped in the study on the way and she showed me the bowl and its skull. The bowl was indeed the real thing. I'd seen it many times before. Neither the icon nor the ring lay in such plain sight, however, and I hadn't the time to try my skills on drawers. We returned to our search for a stair.

It was located along the west wall. We mounted it, and Graymalk led me to Lynette's room. The door was closed, but it did not seem necessary that it be locked, with her chained up.

I tried the door trick again and it worked the first time. I'd have to see whether Larry had any other good ones. . . .

As we entered, Lynette's eyes widened, and she said, "Oh."

"I'll go rub up against her and let her pet me," Graymalk said. "That makes people happy. You can be looking at the chain while I do that."

It was actually the locks in which I was most interested. But even as I advanced to do that I heard the distant clopping of a horse's hoofs, approaching at a very rapid pace.

"Uh-oh," Graymalk said amid purrings, as the girl stroked her and told her how pretty she was. "Tekela must have seen us come in, flew off and given alarm."

I went through with my inspection. The chain was heavy enough to do its job, and the lock that secured it to the bed frame was impressively heavy. The one which fastened it to Lynette's ankle was smaller, but still hardly a thing to be dealt with in a moment.

"I know enough," I said, as the hoofbeats came up beside the house, turned the corner, and I heard a horse blowing heavily.

"Race you home!" Graymalk said, leaping to the floor and running for the stair.

The rider was dismounting as we bounded to the first floor. A second or two later I heard the back door open, then slam.

"Bad," Graymalk said. Then, "I can occupy the vicar."

"The h.e.l.l with him! I'm going to take out the study window!"

I reached the corner just as the nasty little man came around the other corner, a riding crop in his hand. I had to slow to turn into the room and he brought it down across my back. Before he could strike a second time, though, Graymalk had leaped into his face, all of her claws extended.

I bounded across the room, a scream rising at my back, and leaped at the window, closing my eyes as I hit. I took the thing with me, mullions and all. Turning then, I sought Graymalk.

She was nowhere in sight but I heard her yowl from within. Two bounds and a leap brought me back into the room. He was holding her high by her hind legs and swinging the crop. When it connected she screamed and he let her fall, for he had not expected me to return, let alone be coming at him low off the floor with my ears flat and a roar in my throat straight from my recent refresher with Growler.

He swung the crop but I came in beneath it. If Graymalk were dead, I was going to kill him. But I heard her call out, "I'm leaving!" as I struck against his chest, knocking him over backward.

My jaws were open and his throat had been my target. But I heard her going out the window, and I turned my head and bit hard, hearing cartilage crunch as I drew my teeth along through his right ear. Then I was off of him, across the room, and following Graymalk outside to the sounds of his screams.

"Want to ride on my back?" I called to her.

"No! Just keep going!"

We ran all the way home.

As we lay there in the front yard, me panting and her licking herself, I said, "Sorry I got you into that, Gray."

"I knew what I was doing," she said. "What did you do to him there at the end?"

"I guess I mangled his ear."

"Why?"

"He hurt you."

"I've been hurt worse than that."

"That doesn't make it right."

"Now you have a first-cla.s.s enemy."

"Fools have no cla.s.s."

"A fool might try the tools against you. Or something else."

I interrupted my panting to sigh. Just then a bird-shaped shadow slid across us. Looking up, I was not surprised to see Tekela go by.

After lunch and a quick running of my rounds the coach came by, and we all entered and embarked for town. It had room for me to sit beside a window while Graymalk curled up on the seat across from me. Master and mistress faced each other to my right, chatting, beside a window of their own. I'd received only a few minor cuts from the gla.s.s, but Graymalk had a nasty welt along her right side. My heart did not feel pure when I thought of the vicar.

I watched the sky. Before we'd gone a mile I caught sight of Tekela again. She circled above the coach, then swooped low for a look inside. Then she was gone. I did not awaken Graymalk to remark upon it.

The sky was cloudy, and a wind occasionally buffeted the coach. When we pa.s.sed the Gipsies' camp there was small activity within and no music. I listened to the horses clop along, muttering about the ruts and the driver's propensity to lay on the lash at the end of a long day. I was glad I wasn't a horse.

After a long while we came to the bridge and crossed over. I looked out across the dirty waters and wondered where the officer had gotten to. I wondered whether he had a family.

As we moved along Fleet Street to the Strand and then down Whitehall, I caught occasional glimpses of an albino raven, variously perched, watching. We made several stops for purchases along the way, and finally, when we disembarked in Westminster, site of many a midnight stroll, Jack said to me, "Let's meet back here in about an hour and a half. We've a few esoteric purchases to make." This was fine with me, as I enjoy wandering city streets. Graymalk took me to see the mews where she'd once hung out.

We spent the better part of an hour strolling, sorting through collected smells, watching the pa.s.sersby.

Then, in an alley we'd chosen for a shortcut, I had a distinct feeling halfway down its length, that something was wrong. This came but moments before the compact figure of the vicar emerged from a recessed doorway, a bulging bandage upon his ear, lesser dressings covering his cheeks. Tekela rode upon his shoulder, her white merging with that of the bandages, giving to his head a grotesque, lopsided appearance. She must have been giving him directions as to our movements. I showed them my teeth and kept moving. Then I heard a footfall behind me. Two men with clubs had sprung from another doorway and were already upon me, swinging them. I tried to turn upon them, but it was too late. I heard the vicar laugh right before one of the bludgeons fell upon my head. My last sight was of Graymalk, streaking back up the alley.