The Rot Beneath: A Dark Gaslamp Fantasy (Days of the Watcher Book 1) by Eli Freysson

Author:Eli Freysson [Freysson, Eli]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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It had required some patience, as Sutton’s demand travelled up the asylum’s chain of command, but they were inside. Not through that infamous general ward that had taken up such a large part of Angela’s mind, but rather through a side-passage into one of the wings that protruded from the main building.

“Up here,” the nurse leading them said, and pointed up a flight of stairs.

“Right you are,” Sutton said.

Observing the exchange at the gate had been interesting. Sutton had shifted his entire demeanour, as if a fairy had replaced him while her back was turned, and had yet to shift back. Gone was the sarcasm and flouting of social rules. He looked and sounded every bit the respectable nobleman. No doubt it had helped in getting them this access.

The stairs were much like the lower floor: Impeccably clean, but also old and dreary. The handrail resembled several metal tubes joined together, and was noticeably rusty.

“We call this the Private Wing,” the nurse, a Mr. Otis, told them as he opened a set of double doors. “It is heartening, isn’t it? That friends and family can still want the best, even for one who has fallen so far into sickness?”

He led them past widely spaced-apart doors. Very faint sounds of a violin coming from one room indicated just how soundproofed this area was. They walked all the way to the end of the hallway, and Otis stopped by a particular door.

He was a tall man with a long face and very close-cropped hair. He had a wide mouth, set in such an unmoving little smile that Angela wondered if the corners of his mouth simply had that shape. Coupled with droopy eyelids his appearance was rather odd.

“Lord Fairchild is overall a relatively unbothersome resident,” Otis told them in his very calm voice. “But I will have to see if he is in the mood for visitors.”

“Of course, Nurse Otis,” Sutton said, simply radiating benevolent tolerance for being delayed.

The man went on ahead. The moment he was out of sight the nobleman turned to Angela and indicated the corners of his own mouth with a questioning look. She could only offer a shrug.

“He is calm today,” the nurse said upon his return. “Though that has been known to change swiftly. Especially lately.”

“Is there any particular reason for this, do you think?” Sutton asked.

“Oh, the poor man has been quite preoccupied with the solstice,” Otis told them. “It was the same during the winter one.”

“What can we expect?” Angela asked, and honestly didn’t like it when that overly calm face turned her way.

“Anything, miss,” Otis told her. “Please do not let him bother you. The fellow does tend to say outrageous things.”

Otis opened the door. They entered, and he closed it behind them with a solid noise. Before them was a room that looked quite decent if one ignored the bars.

Lord Fairchild had several bookshelves, a writing desk, a lovely circular rug and a floral pattern tapestry. A large window on their side of the bars also provided plenty of light.

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