the drone of the engine and paused, wondering if that was Lord Iron on his way.
As he waited, Max saw an image of his old Chapter House through the gargoyle’s eyes as it approached the building hesitantly. He’d decided to send the gargoyle on a fact-finding mission whilst he headed for Mr Amesbury’s shack, for efficiency’s sake. Max didn’t want the sculpture housing his soul to linger too long, no matter how unlikely it was that the Sorceress was still watching that building. It wasn’t just the risk, it was also the fact that the sooner Max got the information he was hoping the gargoyle would find there, the sooner he could move toward a prosecution and potentially find the people abducted. Perhaps even his father.
Max knew that the Chapter would have a record of his statement when he was first brought in. He couldn’t remember giving it, nor what exactly had happened the night the Arbiter took him, but he knew the procedure and had to assume the same was done for his case. Hoping it would contain some details about what happened to his father, he decided to take the risk of sending the gargoyle into the Chapter whilst he progressed with the investigation in Mundanus. It was more efficient than leaving it to pine for Kay in the empty office.
The engine he’d heard was getting louder, so he decided to stay near the gate as the helicopter crested the hill. It circled a couple of times, shining a large light on the ramshackle building, before heading off. It was too steep for it to land; Max decided to carry on and let Lord Iron catch up.
Lord Iron had been true to his word; he’d looked into the land and the building on it, confirming that it was an old forge owned by his predecessors and passed on to him. Max had taken the opportunity to ask about the foundry on Walcot Street where his father used to work. Lord Iron had come across it in the search for information on the old forge and when Max explained that it was all connected to innocents disappearing from Mundanus, Lord Iron had offered to come down to Bath to pass the information on. Max suspected he also wanted to see the old forge.
Robert Amesbury was opening the door as he arrived, looking up at the sky nervously. “Oh, you again,” he said to Max. “Was that a helicopter?”
Max nodded. “Can I come in?”
There was only a brief pause before Robert nodded. “It’s too cold to talk on the doorstep.”
Max went straight to the hearth when he entered, warming his hands as Robert dropped the beam to hold the door shut.
“Didn’t expect to see you so soon,” he said. “Got the answers faster than you thought?”
Max nodded. “I’m here to offer you a job,” he said. “One that I think you’ll find very rewarding.”
Robert shook his head. “I can’t leave this place for too long. I wouldn’t be any use.”
“Someone is on the way who can help you with that.”
Robert frowned. “I think you might be overstepping the mark.”
Max glanced at the blanket, still draped on the back wall. “I can understand why it would appear that way,” he said. “But you’re an excellent investigator, and you’re already involved.”
“Involved in what, exactly?”
Max paused, distracted briefly by an image of a door in the Chapter building being opened by the gargoyle, revealing rows and rows of file storage boxes.
“In uncovering the kidnapping of people from the city of Bath. As I said before, I’ve been conducting my own investigation, and we cover a lot of common ground. I think you would be a very valuable member of the team, but first there’s someone you need to meet. Someone who will be able to help you.”
Robert had folded his arms, scowling. “Not some bloody psychiatrist? They were useless.”
“That’s because they didn’t know what had been done to you.”
“Who, then?”
“Mr Ferran.”
Robert paled. “The man who owns this land? He’ll evict me! Why did you—”
There was a loud knock on the door, and Robert jolted away from it. “You bloody idiot!” he hissed at Max.
Max went to the door. “There’s nothing to worry about, Mr Amesbury.” He lifted the beam and opened it, finding a huge man in a suit there, instead of Sam. “Are you Max?” he said in an incredibly deep voice. He looked past him, into the room, taking in Robert and the fire and the general state of the place.
When