Equal Before the Blade by Blaze Ward

Author:Blaze Ward
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knotted Road Press

Chapter

Fourteen

Augustus had awakened rather refreshed. A tiny voice inside, often ignored, offered a bit of rebuke at his methodology, but again, he ignored it. The rest of him looked forward to the day.

He found Ottilie at her coffee when he came indoors from his morning drills, whence they had fallen into the habit of breakfasting together before he retired upstairs for a shower, then to dress for the day’s activities.

Mary had even stopped sniffing at the [presence of a third person, though he could not tell if that was resignation on her part or expectation that Wolcott would be departing once the task at hand was complete.

For now, they ate. Kippers and eggs with toast. It went quickly enough.

Augustus waited until she had set her coffee down before moving on from trivialities.

“The moon will be dark in two nights,” he began. “It is my intent to lay in wait nearby to the place where Rachel was standing when she last saw the beast.”

“In order to attack it?” Ottilie replied as she lifted her toast.

“No,” he said. “I have failed to stop him thus, because I lack sufficient information about the reach and powers of my foe. Instead, I will hope to catch him in the act, that I might better study his techniques, and thus be in a position where I can stalk him and possibly kill him the next time.”

“And the woman he takes?” she asked.

Augustus shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Having given this much thought, I would rather arrive prepared for all manner of eventualities than to have to trust on wits and instinct. Once the master knows he is being sought, a wise one would flee. For a time, perhaps, these women would be safe, but only because his predations would move elsewhere. And then he’d perhaps return after a certain period of time, once the watchers had all relaxed their vigilance.”

“No,” she said simply, then went back to her toast.

“I beg your pardon, madam,” Augustus retorted tartly.

She studied him from under hooded brows that heightened any comparison he might make to a hawk.

“I will not have it,” she said. “Rachel was an accident. I appreciate that. I will not stand idly by and allow another.”

“And how do you propose to stop me?” he asked, verging on the incredulous.

“When you depart, I shall wait a decent interval, then follow,” she said. “It’s not like your destination is secret. Once there, I shall attempt to intervene.”

“And merely make yourself the next victim, Wolcott,” he growled. “Even the training such as you have mastered to date is that of a schoolboy just learning his letters. You would stand no more chance against such a foe than you would a typhoon’s rising winds.”

“But at least I will have done something,” she snapped.

Then she went back to ignoring him and took a bite of her toast.

Mary’s attempt not to grin, seen over Ottilie’s shoulder, did not help his humor one bit.

Augustus paused long enough to retain rein on his anger. Ottilie saw an opportunity to stick him with a metaphorical straight pin when he did, damn her.

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