Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,42
entire life, he’d never set foot here.
“I’m almost surprised anyone bothered to run electricity to this neighborhood,” Ves remarked, eyeing the tangle of wires overhead. Seagulls perched along the roofs and atop the poles, shrieking at one another.
“The city was determined to have access to it for every house,” Sebastian said with a shrug. “Lord knows, they’ve spent more money on worse things.”
He stepped up to the door, then glanced around. A woman was busy hanging washing on the lines flapping overhead, and a small group of children were playing sea monsters and sailors, but no one seemed to be paying them the slightest attention. Taking out the key, he slipped it into the lock.
It turned easily—someone, no doubt Kelly, had taken the time to oil it in the near past. The hinges failed to squeak as well, which surprised him given the exterior of the place.
The door opened onto a small hall. A framed staircase immediately to the left ran up to the second floor, while the open doors revealed parlor, sitting room, and dining room. The air smelled musty, and the boards creaked beneath their feet as they stepped inside.
Sebastian tried a light switch without much hope given the numerous unpaid bills. Nothing happened, but the sunlight coming through the grimy windows would be enough for the moment, without having to resort to the flashlight he’d brought from home.
“I’ll look on the second floor,” Ves offered.
“All right, but be careful on those stairs.”
The steps groaned beneath Ves’s weight, but held. Once he was safely up, Sebastian started his own search. Dust coated the bare floor, and damp spotted the walls. His eyes itched, and he sneezed twice.
The sitting room, dining room, and kitchen were bare, save for an enormous cast iron stove which had probably been deemed too heavy to bother moving. But just as Sebastian began to worry there was nothing to find, he stepped into the parlor.
The fireplace still bore the remnants of a fire, long cold. A chair with faded upholstery was drawn up near it, a thick blanket abandoned on it, as if Kelly had merely stepped out for a moment. A desk with ink, fountain pen, and an open notebook stood beneath the window with the best light, a wooden chair accompanying it. Several boxes sat scattered about: on the floor in front of the hearth, beside the comfortable chair, and on the desk.
The floorboards behind him creaked as Ves stepped inside. “There’s nothing upstairs.”
“This looks like the only room Kelly used.” Sebastian’s heart knocked against his ribs as an odd feeling of dread swept over him. There was little chance he’d like any answers he found here. Even so, he forced himself to cross to the desk and look at the open notebook. “This is his handwriting.”
Ves seemed to sense his hesitation. “Would you like me to go through it? You can inspect the boxes.”
“Thank you, but no. I’m the one who knew the man.” Sebastian sat down and pulled the open notebook close. Though the writing was recognizable, the script looked rushed, as if Kelly had dashed out the words in a passion.
I need to know more about Halley’s Comet. The Books of the Bound were created beneath its last visit in 1835. It must have sorcerous significance to them. But what? Will it quell their power? Or make them stronger? Did the Daylight Comet in January have any influence on them?
I wish Rebecca were still alive.
Should I take Sebastian into my confidence? Or Miss Endicott? Her family knows things, but they also have a history of seizing magical artifacts for their own use. Would they actually help, or would they take them for themselves?
I’ll wait. I still have time.
God, I wish I knew which of the books was unaccounted for. Could the fire have destroyed it? But if that was the case, Dromgoole and Ladysmith would have simply burned them, not gone to elaborate lengths to trap them.
Right now, I’d settle for knowing where the one in the library is. And which? Blood, breath, bone, or flesh?
Breath…words? That would make sense. Breath is words. Blood is family. Bone? Flesh?
I have to find the other plans Dromgoole created. But there are so many letters, and I’m so tired.
It doesn’t matter. This is the burden I took on when I signed the oath in my own blood. And if I fail…
Rebecca would have told Sebastian where to look in the desk. I’ll leave the spare key there for him, just in case.