Into Chaos Hurled (Book 2)

Thirty-One - And Home Again

Grace

The Earl urged Lottie, Henry and I to go on ahead while he brought up the rear. I could tell Henry's knee was paining him; spending a night out in such a damp cold was not good for him. A fine sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and he was pale, and once on the way up I saw him lean on Lottie for support.

     'Henry,' I said when we reached the top, Lottie venturing forth first to push at the door. It swung open. 'Are you all right? You're limping.'

     'Yes, Lady Grace,' he said, giving me a bracing smile. 'I am just a bit stiff is all.'

     The Embassy was deathly silent and still when we entered. The weak grey light from outside filtered weakly through the windows, their heavy drapes drawn nearly all the way over them. It was so dark, in fact, we had to go slowly to make sure we didn't trip on anything.

     'Where on earth is everyone?' Lottie asked, probably more to hear the sound of a voice than anything else.

     'All chased away by the war, I should think,' I said, although there was a prickling on the back of my neck that I didn't particularly like. I had the sneaking feeling that we were being watched.

     We made it to the top of the stairs, met with a junction of two hallways branching off in opposite directions. One was lit, dimly, by a wall sconce about halfway down. The other disappeared into a gloom that seemed especially uninviting. I hoped the Earl and his rear guard were coming soon.

     Henry began to drift towards the lit corridor, and Lottie and I followed him. He had to stop and lean on the rail for a moment, but continued without a word soon after.

     'Henry, where are you going?' Lottie asked, making no effort to disguise the worry in her voice.

     'The Anathema's close, Lady Charlotte,' he answered, stopping again and leaning against the wall. 'I can feel it. A pull in my stomach.'

     'Does that mean Wittenberg is with it?' I closed my sweating palms into fists. Too many times I'd been too afraid to do something, but not now. I had to have courage.

     'I cannot tell for sure,' he said, straightening and pushing on. 'But there is only one way to know, and that is to keep searching.'

     We began searching the rooms, working our way forward. Most were large studies, walls covered with books. One overlooked the park and had an impressive expanse of street along with it. For a moment I glimpsed the Elementals milling about under the trees, but I couldn't see the Earl. Maybe he'd already come inside.

     As we entered the room with the lighted sconce outside, however, Henry groaned and doubled over, leaning heavily on the doorjamb. I spun around, just in time to see Lottie hurry over and cup his face, inspecting it worriedly. He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead against hers.

     'Are you all right?' she asked quietly. 'What is it?'

     'The Anathema,' he said, making a valiant effort to straighten up. 'It's close. Very close.'

     'But where?' I turned slowly on my heel, making sure I had seen every corner of the room. 'Why would he have hidden it and fled?'

     'He didn't,' Henry said. 'It's likely he's got it.'

     'Where the bloody hell is he, then?' Lottie said, her irritation apparent.

     'Try the shelves.' Henry nodded at the wall behind the massive carved desk. 'Maybe there's a hidden compartment somewhere...'