Dagger Magic by Katherine Kurtz; Deborah Turner Harris

Author:Katherine Kurtz; Deborah Turner Harris
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-12-07T06:19:16+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

HE recoiled with a startled gasp, instantly muffled in the crook of one arm as he threw the flag from his hands. White light splintered behind his eyes like a splash of hot needles, but immediately dissipated. Only belatedly did he feel the bolstering pressure of a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy," came Adam's calm voice. "Did it give you a jolt?"

Coming out from behind his arm, Peregrine nodded and drew a shaky breath as he chanced a cautious look at the heap of crimson, black, and white. His two companions were staring at him in undisguised concern.

"Whew! I won't try that again soon," he mumbled. "The flag's protected somehow. I couldn't See past it. It's linked with something that doesn't want to be Seen."

"Perhaps the submarine it came from," Adam said slowly. "And that bears further thinking. It appears we aren't talking about a mere artifact of war here."

"Bloody hell!" McLeod muttered, exchanging a black look with his chief. "Do you suppose it connects with one of Hitler's Black Lodges?"

"The prospect looms increasingly likely," Adam said grimly. "I couldn't begin to be specific at this point, but U-636 and its crew appear to have been bound up in some nefarious plan – which explains why it should have been brought to our attention."

"You mean, I was somehow directed to find Scanlan's body?" Peregrine asked.

Adam waggled one hand in a yes-and-no gesture. "I don't know that I'd go that far – and I couldn't begin to tell you where your ghost-monk fits in. But there's no getting around the fact that Scanlan was murdered – probably by a man wielding what appears to be an Oriental dagger – and that he did procure a Nazi submarine's flag from somewhere. This all suggests that whoever originally sent out the sub – or their descendants – may well still be functioning – and still deadly."

Peregrine swallowed loudly. "But – Nazi Germany collapsed half a century ago," he said plaintively.

"True enough," Adam agreed. "But the dark forces that fuelled much of its power still flare up occasionally. You surely haven't forgotten what we encountered in the Cairngorms."

"Christ!" McLeod muttered under his breath. "You don't think it's that lot again, do you?"

"I hope not. But I was warned to expect the reappearance of an old enemy." Adam sighed. "I think we'd better see about finding that sub."

"More easily said than done," McLeod retorted. "There's no way we can try that here, especially in light of the whammy Peregrine just got. And I certainly hope you aren't suggesting that we abscond with official evidence."

"Not abscond, no; we'll ask," Adam replied. "But the flag is the only direct link we've got to the sub. And if you can find out where Scanlan was patrolling, when he and his partner went missing, that should narrow down the location before we even start resorting to more drastic measures."

"It's the drastic measures that are worrying me," McLeod grumbled, as Adam carefully gathered up the flag and began folding it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.