Read Online Wulfyddia (The Tattersall Trilogy Book 1) by Steele Alexandra - Free Book Online
Authors: Steele Alexandra
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dogs before,
but this animal was positively vicious, and every flash of its teeth brought
him back to his eternity in that cell, to his brush with a creature so evil, so
unholy…
“Very
well.” His new landlady’s voice filtered through the visions of chaos and
violence that clouded his mind, reminding him that he was in her living room,
not back in that cell.
“You
won’t regret it,” Rathbone assured her, attempting to replicate what had once
been one of his warmest smiles. Now it only made the dog’s hackles rise.
As the
landlady took the dog into her arms and pulled herself to her feet, Rathbone
spared a grimace in the mongrel’s direction.
Watch
yourself, my friend.
Despite
the little hellhound, Rathbone was quite satisfied with his new apartments. The
house was attractive, and he had a garret room to himself, which suited him.
The boarding house was on the outskirts of town, and he could see both the walls
of the keep and the ancient oaks of the forest from the windows of his room. It
was an ideal location. He wasn’t too close to the castle, no, not too close,
but close enough. He was close enough to settle the matter, close enough to
strike. Far enough that perhaps he might be able to sleep at night without that
hot, rank breath at his neck.
Rathbone
lit a lantern, and then shuttered both of his windows, closing out the daylight
and the clamor of the street below. He would require peace and quiet for his
work. All he needed was a little peace and quiet and the beast would be his.
***
Light
visited the dungeon like an unwelcome stranger as the door creaked open,
admitting Daphne with her torch and sending the rats squeaking and shaking into
the shadows. The subterranean chamber was carved of roughly cut black stone,
and there was a stench in the air, as though something had been rotting quietly
down there for centuries. A mix of boot prints and scuffmarks disturbed the
thick coating of dust on the floor.
Spencer
shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. “Why do we have to hide it here?” He
asked again. The royal sisters were a mystery to him. Why they had come back
for the book in the first place was puzzling enough, but their insistence that
he join them in their search for a suitable hiding place for it was
particularly mystifying.
“Because,
this is the last place anyone will look for it.” Daphne answered.
“And
because Daphne actually believes that insane doctor and wants to see the beast
for herself.” Lorna put in confrontationally. She looked as uncomfortable as
Spencer felt. Her arms were crossed tightly in front of her chest and she
lingered near the doorway as though she might make a run for it at any minute.
“It
doesn’t seem the best idea. To hide a stolen book in a prison, I mean,” Spencer
qualified, because Daphne seemed to take offense. “I still think you should
give it back to your grandmother.”
“Are you
mad?” Daphne rounded on him. “That’s the last thing we should do. I don’t know
about the provinces where you were raised, but in the castle we don’t treat
theft lightly.”
“But you
said you found it. You said you had no idea it was stolen.”
“We
didn’t.”
“So you
shouldn’t be punished, then, should you?”
“You
don’t know our grandmother.”
“Is it
because of where you found it?” Spencer guessed. “Maybe you went somewhere you
weren’t supposed to?”
“We’re
not telling you where we found it.” Lorna cut in immediately. She seemed even
more nervous than before.
“Why
not?” Spencer persisted.
“It’s somewhere
secret.” Daphne said, “one of our favorite hiding places. We can’t tell you,
otherwise it won’t be a secret anymore and then we won’t be able to use it.”
“Well,
it sounds like someone else has already found your hiding spot. Whoever stole
the book must have left it there for a reason.”
“Can’t
we put it somewhere and leave?” Lorna snapped. “Someone could come down here at
any
but this animal was positively vicious, and every flash of its teeth brought
him back to his eternity in that cell, to his brush with a creature so evil, so
unholy…
“Very
well.” His new landlady’s voice filtered through the visions of chaos and
violence that clouded his mind, reminding him that he was in her living room,
not back in that cell.
“You
won’t regret it,” Rathbone assured her, attempting to replicate what had once
been one of his warmest smiles. Now it only made the dog’s hackles rise.
As the
landlady took the dog into her arms and pulled herself to her feet, Rathbone
spared a grimace in the mongrel’s direction.
Watch
yourself, my friend.
Despite
the little hellhound, Rathbone was quite satisfied with his new apartments. The
house was attractive, and he had a garret room to himself, which suited him.
The boarding house was on the outskirts of town, and he could see both the walls
of the keep and the ancient oaks of the forest from the windows of his room. It
was an ideal location. He wasn’t too close to the castle, no, not too close,
but close enough. He was close enough to settle the matter, close enough to
strike. Far enough that perhaps he might be able to sleep at night without that
hot, rank breath at his neck.
Rathbone
lit a lantern, and then shuttered both of his windows, closing out the daylight
and the clamor of the street below. He would require peace and quiet for his
work. All he needed was a little peace and quiet and the beast would be his.
***
Light
visited the dungeon like an unwelcome stranger as the door creaked open,
admitting Daphne with her torch and sending the rats squeaking and shaking into
the shadows. The subterranean chamber was carved of roughly cut black stone,
and there was a stench in the air, as though something had been rotting quietly
down there for centuries. A mix of boot prints and scuffmarks disturbed the
thick coating of dust on the floor.
Spencer
shifted uncomfortably in the doorway. “Why do we have to hide it here?” He
asked again. The royal sisters were a mystery to him. Why they had come back
for the book in the first place was puzzling enough, but their insistence that
he join them in their search for a suitable hiding place for it was
particularly mystifying.
“Because,
this is the last place anyone will look for it.” Daphne answered.
“And
because Daphne actually believes that insane doctor and wants to see the beast
for herself.” Lorna put in confrontationally. She looked as uncomfortable as
Spencer felt. Her arms were crossed tightly in front of her chest and she
lingered near the doorway as though she might make a run for it at any minute.
“It
doesn’t seem the best idea. To hide a stolen book in a prison, I mean,” Spencer
qualified, because Daphne seemed to take offense. “I still think you should
give it back to your grandmother.”
“Are you
mad?” Daphne rounded on him. “That’s the last thing we should do. I don’t know
about the provinces where you were raised, but in the castle we don’t treat
theft lightly.”
“But you
said you found it. You said you had no idea it was stolen.”
“We
didn’t.”
“So you
shouldn’t be punished, then, should you?”
“You
don’t know our grandmother.”
“Is it
because of where you found it?” Spencer guessed. “Maybe you went somewhere you
weren’t supposed to?”
“We’re
not telling you where we found it.” Lorna cut in immediately. She seemed even
more nervous than before.
“Why
not?” Spencer persisted.
“It’s somewhere
secret.” Daphne said, “one of our favorite hiding places. We can’t tell you,
otherwise it won’t be a secret anymore and then we won’t be able to use it.”
“Well,
it sounds like someone else has already found your hiding spot. Whoever stole
the book must have left it there for a reason.”
“Can’t
we put it somewhere and leave?” Lorna snapped. “Someone could come down here at
any
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