Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,18

the presence of the All-Mother, the Black Goat of the Woods, had walked in the forest outside of Dunhollow, perhaps something walked here.

Or it could be a flight of fancy. He put his notebook away and rubbed his eyes. It was time to return to the bindery for the afternoon. If he was lucky, he might be able to stay a bit past closing and sketch some more. The bats would be interesting to watch as they went about their work.

Though that would mean being in the library alone. After hours.

The thought shouldn’t have made his skin crawl. He was the most frightening thing here, after all.

Even so, perhaps he’d hold off. See how much he could get done during the day. If his time grew short, of course he’d stay late, but until then it might be best to keep more regular hours. It would be less suspicious, anyway.

Not entirely satisfied with his reasoning, Ves turned and hurried back the way he’d come.

Chapter 7

That evening, Sebastian returned to the apartment house where Kelly had lived. His hopes to speak to the landlady and either collect Kelly’s mail, or discover if he’d left a forwarding address, were dashed when he discovered she was still out. In desperation, he wrote a note to contact him at the Ladysmith and slipped it beneath her door. He probably should have left one the last time he visited, but he’d hoped to be able to speak to the woman directly.

As he boarded the trolley, two men dressed in plain workman’s clothes jumped on so close behind him, one clipped Sebastian’s heels. Sebastian reflexively murmured an apology, even though it hadn’t been his fault, and found a seat near the front.

It hadn’t been easy seeing Mr. Rune in Kelly’s place, using techniques that were surely inferior to those Sebastian’s mother had taught her apprentice. Ordinarily, satisfying the whims of the American History Department was considered the lowest of priorities in the library, but the diary had given him an excuse to test Mr. Rune’s mettle. The fellow would surely botch the job somehow, and Rath could present it to Mr. Quinn. Mr. Quinn would let Rune go after his trial period was up if not before, and then…

Sebastian changed trolley lines at River Street. What outcome was he actually hoping for? If Rune left, it wouldn’t magically bring Kelly back from wherever he’d gone.

It wouldn’t bring his mother back from the dead.

Sebastian took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with his handkerchief. Mr. Quinn would just hire someone else. Maybe even another outsider.

If he could just find Kelly, at least then he’d know. He couldn’t believe the man had just up and left without notice.

Or possibly he just didn’t want to believe it.

The trolley arrived at Sebastian’s stop. He climbed off and started down the tree-shaded road that would take him to Bonnie’s house. It was only the scuff of a shoe that made him look back over his shoulder and spot the same two men who had gotten on behind him back at the stop near the apartment. Apparently, they changed trolley lines at the same time as he did without his notice.

And now they were walking down the same street.

It might be coincidence. Most likely they were perfectly ordinary fellows going about their business, and he was being paranoid to even consider they could be following him. Likely they’d be deeply offended if they knew his thoughts.

The sidewalk was deserted now, except for them. And the men began to walk faster.

Sebastian broke into a run.

“He spotted us!” one of them yelled, dashing Sebastian’s last hope of simple paranoia.

He bolted down sidewalks cracked by the roots of old trees, his heart pounding in his throat. He had to get to safety—but he couldn’t lead them to Bonnie’s house. If the men knew where he lived, it would put the rest of his family in danger.

He ran blindly, unsure where to go. Their feet pounded on the sidewalk behind him, but neither called for him to stop. That alone chilled him to the bone.

What did they meant to do with him when they caught him? And catch him they would. Already his lungs burned; Sebastian had never so much as set foot inside a gymnasium, while both of these men looked as though they worked with their muscles for a living.

Perhaps he could throw them off with a sudden turn. He darted down another street at the next crossroads, hoping to encounter someone he