Scourge: A Grim Doyle Adventure

Chapter 17

Back within the decrepit walls of Madam Malkim’s they found Quinn and Rudy waiting for them in Grim’s room. The boy looked flustered.

“What happened to you?” Grim asked.

Quinn swallowed a lump in his throat. “Festrel asked me to return with him to Harland Manor. I refused, and he told me that I will pay for my stubbornness. He said my mother will pay as well.”

Grim hung his head. Things worsened by the moment and he knew he would have to see Aunt Patrice about this. Alas, the one time he actually wanted his Aunt around, the crotchety old woman wasn’t there. She was still absent with Madam Phoebe. Grim dreaded the lecture that was coming, but he needed his Aunt.

Quinn lifted his head and tugged on the frills of his cuffs. “So what happened between you and Festrel? After his talk with Master Galan, he was furious.”

Grim explained his conversation with Festrel and sat down with the book. He flipped through the pages, but was unsure of what to search for. Then he came across a section about myths.

“Listen to this: Among the stranger myths that abound throughout the Dominions is a tale of an ancient Mystic who came through a portal and could travel to distant lands. The man was known to carry with him a set of colored stones.” Grim flipped through the pages, but found nothing further. “That’s it. There’s nothing in here to indicate how to use the stones.”

Rudy shrugged. “So what would Festrel be doing with those stones? Is he trying to use them?”

Grim shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Quinn rose from the bed. “If I were in his shoes, I would want to know as much about you as I could. Maybe he’s here because of you. He arrived shortly after your arrival as well.”

Rudy was tugging on her hair. “But how would he know we were here at Madam Malkim’s? And that doesn’t explain how he got the stones, or what he’s trying to do with them.”

Grim pulled the red one out of his pocket. “He won’t get them working when one stone is missing from the set.” He then placed it at the back of his wardrobe.

“Well someone got them to work once,” Rudy said, “because someone sent those hooded monsters to our house. So who did it, and how?”

The others had blank looks on their faces.

Grim felt just as stumped. “Maybe we can ask Master Galan. He might know something.”

Unfortunately for Grim, the opportunity to ask Master Galan did not present itself for another few weeks. Madam Malkim assigned more and more chores as the Anniversary approached. The grounds needed to be in pristine condition and she left no corner unswept, nor any stone or wooden surface with a trace of mold or dust. Between unloading carts of food in the early morning hours; running errands all over the City of Harkness; washing pots with the ever-so-charming Orlanda Kennelworth; unloading heavy baskets of food; and cleaning the crappers and sewers, there was little time for anything else.

It was like the woman waited for Grim to round the corner so she could pounce on him with more work. And every time he ran into Madam Adelaide, he received dirty looks — he’d missed a few chores with her because of Madam Malkim’s constant demands. He also kept finding metallic cobwebs in remote corners that were sharp and difficult to remove. Fortunately, Scarlet had taken the hint and stayed out of his sight.

And during that time it was as if someone had flipped a weather switch turning it suddenly to autumn. A coolness settled in and the drafts in the orphanage were enough to leave a bit of a constant chill on the place. Grim dreaded getting out of bed every morning. The floors were freezing.