Artful: A Novel by Peter David

Author:Peter David
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: 47North
Published: 2014-07-01T07:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

IN WHICH THE ADVANTAGE OF IT BEING TUESDAY IS MADE CLEAR TO OUR HEROES

There were many places that the Artful Dodger might have been given to visit on any particular day, but he was quite sure that St. George’s Fields in Southwark was not remotely one of those locations and thus until today had never really registered on his consciousness or awareness of the world around him, and yet that was now precisely and exactly where Quinn was driving him.

It had not been an easy endeavor. Quinn had hied the carriage out of the immediate area of the Bazaar, but once he had put some distance between them and the place of the vampyre’s death, he pulled the carriage over to a side street and came down from his seat. He stepped over to the side of the carriage and threw the door open. His face was purpling with rage. Curiously, Dodger could see no fear in it. “What in the world have ye gotten me into?” he thundered.

“We told you already,” said Bram, the picture of calm.

“But ye didn’t tell me men would be bursting into flame! What the hell was that thing?”

“A vampyre. You were told there were vampyres involved in this. ”

“Aye, but I didn’t believe it!”

“Well,” said Bram, being utterly reasonable, “I don’t see how that’s our problem. Your problem, perhaps . . . .”

“I dinna understand how these things are possible!”

“There is far more,” said Bram, “on heaven and earth than is dreamt of in your philosophy. The question is, now that you know, what are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. I . . .” His voice tapered off and he scratched his head, letting his outright confusion show.

“You have a choice,” Dodger spoke up. “Either you can help us try t’save the Princess Alexandrina Victoria from the hands of the right bastards who have taken her. Or you can stand aside, return to Mr. Brownlow, without havin’ done what you were s’posed to do. It’s up to you.”

“Fine. Get out,” said Quinn.

That was not the response that either of the lads expected, but they obediently clambered out of the coach as Quinn jumped up to his seat and snapped the reins.

The boys remained where they were as the carriage started to roll away down the dusty road. It got about fifty feet, and then Quinn yanked the horse to a halt. The animal appeared mildly confused but otherwise was not especially put out.

“What is he doing?” asked Bram in a low voice.

“He’s figuring it out,” Dodger replied.

For about ten seconds, nothing was said. Then Quinn stepped down from his place atop the coach and landed once more in the dirt road. He strode toward the two lads and folded his arms. “I was in the army, ye know. Wasn’t much older than you. Lied about me age.”

“Very brave of you,” said Dodger.

“Weren’t nothing to do with brave. Just didn’t have any other job. And I served. And then I was mustered out.

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