The Royal Series 0 - A Royal Archive

Chapter 4

"I am not sure how much Cammie would approve with that plan," his friend hesitated, glancing down at the sleeping cat.

"He is a cat. He is used to humans interfering in his life and will do as he pleases, regardless. No doubt he will be asleep again before we are out the door," he reasoned, not worried in the least about Cammie. He was an independent sort, now that he was healthy, and he would enjoy some time alone, no doubt. After a year of being fawned over by Spencer, Jaycob and everyone he came into contact with, he would rejoice at some privacy, for once.

"Alright." Jaycob rose from his seat and closed the nearby window before lifting his notebook from the window seat. "I shall bring my lesson book so that I can at least pretend that I was learning something," he reasoned, laughing at his own silliness, even as Harrington grabbed their coats from the hallway and they left the house together.

***

"I am not playing chess with you again," Harrington complained, as he folded his arms over his chest and eyed the board before them. It was stacked in Jaycob's favour, as usual. "You always win and I see no point in playing you any longer. I will never have a head for strategy," he admitted reluctantly.

Jaycob simply laughed and took a drink of the hot chocolate Jerrey had delivered a few minutes ago. He released a contented sigh afterwards, then began resetting the board. "Well, after three losses I cannot argue. You really do have no talent for chess. But, you have many other talents that are far more important, so do not think too little of yourself," he remarked, offering a smile when Harrington eyed him curiously.

"Your care with animals, for example. I envy your understanding of medical knowledge. How I would love to follow in my father's footsteps," he confessed quietly, gazing across the room in such a way that Harrington understood.

His entire life, Jaycob had idolised his father and becoming a medical worker would have given them not only more in common but more time together, as his father could have trained him. Instead, Jaycob had shown no aptitude for medicine and had taken to music in a way that no one seemed to understand.

Not knowing what to say, it was Jaycob who broke the tension with a smile. "Well, I do suppose we should be getting back. It is rather late and we spent more time here than I had expected to," he said, removing his watch from the pocket of his jacket to gaze at the time. "Oh my, it is nearly two in the morning. Father will be finishing his shift."

Realising how late it was, Harrington finished his mug of spiced wine and joined Jaycob in readying to leave. "Perhaps you could head to the hospital and meet your father? You could head home together," he suggested, as he stood and pulled on his coat. "It makes more sense than you going out of your way to walk me home, Jaycob."

His friend sighed and spared another glance at his watch. "Very well. You are not far from home. Just a few streets," he said to himself, clearly trying to reason the logical decision.

And, truly, there was nothing for him to worry over. Harrington had walked from Jaycob's home to his own in the dark before, many times, and had never once come to harm or danger.

Stepping around the table, Harrington stole a quick hug from his best friend and said goodbye, before walking him to the front door of the Promise of Pleasure. They each offered a wave to Jerrey, who was busy bustling around the front room, serving his customers. Once on the doorstep, he let Jaycob turn right to the hospital and he turned left, ready to head home for the night.

He walked slowly along the street, in no hurry to reach home. He would need to sleep once he got there, as he had school at noon tomorrow, but he had never been a person who needed to sleep long hours. In fact, he would most likely lay awake for an hour or two, even after turning in for the night, just because he did not need the sleep.

Why rush back to sleeplessness?

Turning left at the end of the street, Harrington cut through an alleyway that proved a rather awkward shortcut home. It took him back to the Promise of Pleasure, but around the back of the building, to a street that cut three more out of his usual route. It was unfortunate that the Promise of Pleasure had no rear entry that he knew of, or he might have been able to shed another few minutes from his trip. He would have to remember to ask Jerrey the next time he saw the man.

Just as he passed the first fence that led to the shortcut, his step faltered to hear another echoing his own. This was not a natural echo, as it had a deeper sound, one almost with a metal clang that suggested someone else walked this path behind him. That was unusual. In all the years that Harrington had been using his shortcut, he had never once seen another person walk the same path.

Slowing his steps, he was disappointed to hear that the other steps slowed to match his own. In a second experiment, he opened the wooden gate that separated this path from the back of the Promise of Pleasure, and closed it firmly behind him.

There was no mistake, five steps later. The gate had been opened.

Harrington pulled a small pouch from his pocket and held it in front of his stomach so that no one would notice it. He pulled the small shard of mirror from the pouch and lifted it in front of his face, just a little to the right. As he suspected, there was a man following him; tall, wearing a dark coat, hunched shoulders keep his face in shadow, but with a prominent limp that seemed familiar.

Removing the mirror and placing it back into the pouch, Harrington turned the last corner that took him to the back of the Promise of Pleasure, immediately flattening himself against the wall.

Not sure what to do, he chanted Jaycob's name inside his head, well aware that his friend kept a mental check on everyone he cared about. Harrington was quite sure that he had created a secret spell that would warn him when someone needed his help, though he had no proof that such a thing existed. All he knew was that it had always worked.

Tonight, he could only hope this was not the one time it failed him.

Harrington recited Jaycob's name mentally and, just as he spotted a hint of light from the back of the building he pressed against, suggesting an opening, the limping figure emerged around the corner, a knife glinting in the moonlight.

He almost gasped, but held the sound inside so as not to alert his would-be attacker to his position. It was dark out tonight, more so than it had been in recent weeks, and he wore dark clothing. If he could only hold his breath long enough, the man might not be able to see or sense him.

But if he was a vampire, all hope was lost. The man would hear his erratically beating heart and kill him any second.

Just as the man turned in Harrington's direction, forcing him to push further into the building and turn his head away, a second sound came from his left. God help him, but if there was more than one attacker, he would be dead within seconds. He only hoped that Camryn did not blame himself for leaving town or that Jaycob did not feel responsible for letting him walk home alone. It was his own stupid idea to take a shortcut that left little room for escape.

Then, from the direction of that small shaft of light at the back of the building, a creak sounded and a door opened. "Harrington?"