Page 150 of The Cannibal

“What do you want from me, then?” He didn’t look up from the glass.

“Talk to Amelia.” I tucked a piece of folded scrap paper into his pocket. “Secret recipe.”

44

THE POISONER

For the first time, things were falling together.

I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Instead of dreadful sleeplessness, I was blessed with a rather delightful mania.

There was so much energy pent up in my body from lack of action that I might have been able to scale the bricks of the exterior. Instead of a sweltering heat tonight, it was rather cool, a damp smell to the air, a tempestuous premonition.

A card slipped under my door with a light sweep across the floor.

The little white piece came like some mystical invitation. The shadow of someone behind the door disappeared quickly.

I tiptoed quickly as I pulled on my robe, fastening it before picking up the card.

As I crouched, the right uppermost corner of the calling card folded, indicating a personal delivery.

Luka Novikov

Specialist

On the other side was a handwritten message:

3:00 AM—front entrance. New evidence

If the clock beside my bed was correct, that was three minutes from now.

I shoved my feet into some house shoes, but there wasn’t much time to change. With the card tucked into the pocket of my robe, I used the ribbon that had been tied on my arm to secure the plait of my hair.

Sidney stood outside as usual, nodding as I passed. Much of the security had been localized to the stairwell entrance during my wandering hours.

Tonight, there was only one, and he was asleep against the wall.

You would think a lot more care would go into keeping a criminal confined, but I suppose whether or not I was considered one was subjective depending on who you asked. It was my home, after all. And so far I was as cooperative as I could be.

The home was undisturbed in the early hours of the morning. Everyone was enjoying the new apartments next door during their stay and the main household on curfew. I could hear the soft steps of my house shoes as I swiftly crossed the grand foyer.

The rig was set outside waiting for me, my beautiful draft tacked up and ready. Mary sat in the driver’s seat dressed in men’s clothing, complete with hair tucked into a hat.

“What is the news?” I whispered, climbing into the seat beside her. “Where’s Luka?”

“We can’t talk here.” She held her finger to her lip, urging the horse to walk the minute I stepped up.

The Nest towered over us, not a single light coming from within as we turned the corner, disappearing as it was replaced with the view of other homes facing the green space.

Once you frequent the city, especially on foot, you start to remember your way around. A map burns into your brain for when you, eventually, misplace yourself. Being this was my third time visiting the North Star Guild, I suspected it had been our destination the minute we cut through the scenic path of the park.

Mary’s breathing was shallow, a wet smell to her as her little heart pounded. She hurried me, pointing to the door as she tethered the horse.

There wasn’t much activity when I stepped inside. As I approached the stairs to the guild, I turned back.

“Are others meeting us?” I whispered, the lights dim in the empty entrance. Mary wasn’t far behind, checking the outside before securing the lock.

I stepped up the short flight of stairs to the upper floor. Shadows cast over the taxidermy trophies, their eyes a small glitch as they looked down upon us. It was much more ominous without company.