nervously entered the corridor, flashlight beams probing the darkness in both directions. ‘Has it definitely already got out of here?’
‘I don’t know! It was through the second guardroom. The library exit might slow it more. It’s basically a revolving reinforced concrete-and-steel slab, like a vault door. Supposed to be bombproof—’
‘Is there another way up?’
‘No,’ said Ripton.
‘Yes,’ said Lackridge. He stopped and turned, the bronze key gleaming in his hand. Ripton stepped back, and his finger whipped from resting outside the trigger guard to curl directly around the trigger. ‘The dumbwaiter!’ Lackridge blurted out. ‘Dorrance has a dumbwaiter from the wine cellar below us here, which goes up through his office to the pantry above.’
‘What time is it?’ asked Nick.
‘Half eight,’ said Ripton. ‘Or near enough.’
‘The guests will be at dinner,’ said Nick. ‘They won’t have heard what’s going on down here. If we can take the dumbwaiter to the pantry, we might be able to get everyone out of the house before the creature breaks through to the library.’
‘And then what?’ asked Ripton. ‘Talk as we go. Head for the office, Prof.’
‘It’s not a Dead thing, so running water won’t do much,’ said Nick as they broke into a jog. ‘Fire might, though … If we made a barrier of hay and set it alight, that could work. It would attract attention at least. Bring help.’
‘I don’t think the sort of help we need exists around here,’ said Ripton. ‘I’ve never been up north, but I know people in the NPRU, and this is right up their alley. Things like this just don’t happen down here.’
‘No, they don’t,’ said Nick. ‘They wouldn’t have happened this time, either, only Dorrance fed his creature the wrong blood.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Lackridge said, puffing after them. Now that they were heading for a possible exit, he had gotten more of a grip on himself. ‘I didn’t believe him … but … Dorrance thought the blood of one of you people with the Charter brand would rouse the creature a little, without danger. Then when we got you to come in for the Forwin Mill investigation, he saw you had a Charter Mark. The opportunity was too good to resist—’
‘Shut up!’ ordered Ripton. As Lackridge calmed down, the policeman got more tense.
‘Dorrance worships the creature, but I don’t think even he wanted it this active,’ snapped Nick. ‘I can’t explain the whole thing to you, but my blood is infused with Free Magic as well as the Charter. I guess the combination is what got the creature going so strongly … but it was too rich or something; that’s why it’s trying to dilute it with normal blood … I wonder if that means that the power it got from my blood will run out. Maybe it’ll just drop at some point …’
Lackridge shook his head, as if he still couldn’t believe what he was hearing, despite the evidence.
‘It might come back for a refill from you as well,’ said Ripton. ‘Here’s the office. You first, Professor.’
‘But what if the creature’s in there?’
‘That’s why you’re going first,’ said Ripton. He gestured with his revolver, and when Lackridge still didn’t move, he pushed him hard with his left hand. The bulky ex-boxer rebounded from the door and stood there, his eyes glazed and jowls shivering.
‘Oh, I’ll go first!’ said Nick. He pushed Lack-ridge aside a little more gently, turned the door handle, and went into Dorrance’s office. It was the room he’d been in before, with the big leather club chairs, the desk, and the liquor cabinet.
‘It’s empty—come on!’
Ripton locked the door after them as they entered the room, and then he slid the top and bottom bolts home.
‘Thought I heard something,’ he whispered. ‘Maybe it’s coming back. Keep your voices down.’
‘Where’s the dumbwaiter?’ asked Nick.
Lackridge crossed to a bookshelf and pressed a corner. The whole
‘I don’t know! It was through the second guardroom. The library exit might slow it more. It’s basically a revolving reinforced concrete-and-steel slab, like a vault door. Supposed to be bombproof—’
‘Is there another way up?’
‘No,’ said Ripton.
‘Yes,’ said Lackridge. He stopped and turned, the bronze key gleaming in his hand. Ripton stepped back, and his finger whipped from resting outside the trigger guard to curl directly around the trigger. ‘The dumbwaiter!’ Lackridge blurted out. ‘Dorrance has a dumbwaiter from the wine cellar below us here, which goes up through his office to the pantry above.’
‘What time is it?’ asked Nick.
‘Half eight,’ said Ripton. ‘Or near enough.’
‘The guests will be at dinner,’ said Nick. ‘They won’t have heard what’s going on down here. If we can take the dumbwaiter to the pantry, we might be able to get everyone out of the house before the creature breaks through to the library.’
‘And then what?’ asked Ripton. ‘Talk as we go. Head for the office, Prof.’
‘It’s not a Dead thing, so running water won’t do much,’ said Nick as they broke into a jog. ‘Fire might, though … If we made a barrier of hay and set it alight, that could work. It would attract attention at least. Bring help.’
‘I don’t think the sort of help we need exists around here,’ said Ripton. ‘I’ve never been up north, but I know people in the NPRU, and this is right up their alley. Things like this just don’t happen down here.’
‘No, they don’t,’ said Nick. ‘They wouldn’t have happened this time, either, only Dorrance fed his creature the wrong blood.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Lackridge said, puffing after them. Now that they were heading for a possible exit, he had gotten more of a grip on himself. ‘I didn’t believe him … but … Dorrance thought the blood of one of you people with the Charter brand would rouse the creature a little, without danger. Then when we got you to come in for the Forwin Mill investigation, he saw you had a Charter Mark. The opportunity was too good to resist—’
‘Shut up!’ ordered Ripton. As Lackridge calmed down, the policeman got more tense.
‘Dorrance worships the creature, but I don’t think even he wanted it this active,’ snapped Nick. ‘I can’t explain the whole thing to you, but my blood is infused with Free Magic as well as the Charter. I guess the combination is what got the creature going so strongly … but it was too rich or something; that’s why it’s trying to dilute it with normal blood … I wonder if that means that the power it got from my blood will run out. Maybe it’ll just drop at some point …’
Lackridge shook his head, as if he still couldn’t believe what he was hearing, despite the evidence.
‘It might come back for a refill from you as well,’ said Ripton. ‘Here’s the office. You first, Professor.’
‘But what if the creature’s in there?’
‘That’s why you’re going first,’ said Ripton. He gestured with his revolver, and when Lackridge still didn’t move, he pushed him hard with his left hand. The bulky ex-boxer rebounded from the door and stood there, his eyes glazed and jowls shivering.
‘Oh, I’ll go first!’ said Nick. He pushed Lack-ridge aside a little more gently, turned the door handle, and went into Dorrance’s office. It was the room he’d been in before, with the big leather club chairs, the desk, and the liquor cabinet.
‘It’s empty—come on!’
Ripton locked the door after them as they entered the room, and then he slid the top and bottom bolts home.
‘Thought I heard something,’ he whispered. ‘Maybe it’s coming back. Keep your voices down.’
‘Where’s the dumbwaiter?’ asked Nick.
Lackridge crossed to a bookshelf and pressed a corner. The whole
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