The Hounds of Devotion by Eva Chase

Author:Eva Chase [Chase, Eva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989096406
Publisher: Ink Spark Press
Published: 2019-07-03T05:00:00+00:00

“What exactly is the emergency?” Sherlock asked when the five of us were gathered around the now-familiar dining table. His eyes looked brighter than they had the last few days, his movements more animated, but I didn’t like the hint of wildness in them, as if some of his perfect control had been worn away. He took a drag from his pipe, the smoke tickling my nose, but the tobacco didn’t appear to calm him.

I put a finishing touch on the Fibonacci sequence in the middle of the table—the last of those I’d laid out around the room—and dropped into my seat. I didn’t know how well or how long those defenses might last us, but I didn’t catch any hint of shrouded folk influence in the air now, so we were at least temporarily safe from their intrusions.

There was no point in beating around the bush. I liked every one of these men because they were straight-shooting. If they couldn’t have handled the sort of declaration I was about to make, I wouldn’t have been sitting here with them in the first place.

“I think the shrouded folk have determined that the four of you are helping me in my campaign against them,” I said, “and they’re trying to affect you in malicious ways.”

Bash stirred in his chair beside me. “I haven’t seen anything.”

“Neither have I,” Garrett jumped in.

“You wouldn’t. They aren’t supposed to show themselves. Even the weird lights and figure the one I had the contract with let you see—it’s probably been punished for that. But they’re allowed to mess with your senses and your minds in ways you wouldn’t realize are supernatural.”

Sherlock was frowning, and I could already see the denial on Garrett’s face, but John was watching me steadily. “What exactly do you think they’ve done?” he said, in a quiet tone that suggested he could think of at least one example.

I could lead with that incident. I nodded to him. “You saw something yesterday that had you clambering around a construction site and nearly getting yourself stuck down a pit for the night. You could have really injured yourself—you could have even died. But you never did find whatever it was you’d gone after, did you?”

He ignored the concerned and puzzled looks the other shot his way. “No. Are you saying… it wasn’t there at all?”

“A shrouded one could easily produce a hallucination. Isn’t it odd that you just happened to see something you wanted that badly right when you were passing a spot that dangerous?”

His mouth twisted in a sheepish smile. “You may have a point there. I didn’t even think… It never occurred to me.”

“I should have warned you. I didn’t think they’d go that far.” I swept my hair back from my face and turned to Garrett. “And you said you’ve been hearing things—your colleagues talking behind your back.”

Garrett started at me for a moment before he found his voice. “It sounded real enough.”

“But you said they’ve been a lot worse recently. It started after the shrouded folk marked Sherlock, didn’t it?”

His posture went rigid.

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