collapsed on his bottom beside his mate, who was still moaning from my shot to his stomach. Then, unexpectedly, Noah knocked me down and went for Mack.
“Bite my nose, will ya?” Noah growled, and he raised his boot to stomp him.
“No!”
I screamed—when out of nowhere a beefy hand clamped down hard on Noah’s collar and lifted him clean off the ground.
“Nigel!” I cried, and the big man sent Noah flying backward.
The boy landed on top of his mates, and the three of them quickly scrambled to their feet and took off, running out of sight.
“Thank you, Nigel,” I said. “But how did you find me?”
Nigel bent down and picked up Mack.
“Oh dear,” he said, closing Mack’s case. “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.”
“I’m sorry, Nigel,” I said. “I forgot he was in my pocket and—”
“Do you realize what you’ve done?”
I couldn’t see Nigel’s eyes behind his goggles, but the rest of his face was all fear.
“I know,” I said glumly. “Mr. Grim told me what would happen if—”
“No, you don’t know, Grubb,” Nigel said, slipping Mack inside his coat pocket. “We need to tell the boss his animus has escaped. We’ve got to get back
before—”
A strong breeze whipped through the courtyard, and what looked like a black cloud of smoke began billowing out from one of the darkened corners.
“Come on!” Nigel cried. “Let’s get out of here!”
The big man scooped me up and slung me over his shoulder. And as he dashed with me from the courtyard, I caught sight of a pair of bright, burning red eyes blinking open amidst the smoke.
Nigel carried me back through the passageways, up the short flight of steps, and out into street. He paused briefly, and then dashed off in the opposite direction from which I’d followed
the pickpocket.
“The Odditorium is the other way!” I cried. But then I saw another black cloud of smoke beginning to form in a shop doorway only a few yards away from us.
“There’s no time to explain!” Nigel said, picking up speed. “Just tell me when we’ve lost them!”
“Lost who?”
“Just tell me!”
There was a handful of pedestrians milling about—and I was vaguely aware of their curious looks as we raced past them—but then a pair of burning red eyes slipped out from the shop
doorway, followed by another pair from the passage we’d just left.
Both sets of eyes brightened as they caught sight of me, and I noticed for the first time that the smoke around them had taken on the shape of a pair of large black hounds. And yet at the same
time I could see right through them, as if the beasts were made from the very shadows in which they moved.
My heart froze with terror as the pair of shadow hounds dashed off after us. But every time they came upon a shaft of sunlight that had managed to find its way onto the street, they slowed and
skirted around it as if they were afraid.
“Do you see them?” Nigel asked.
Another red-eyed shadow hound joined the chase.
Then another!
And another!
“Yes!” I cried in horror. “There are five of them now!”
The other people in the street seemed not to notice them, and soon the shadow hounds were right behind us, the five of them overtaking one another as if jostling for the lead on an invisible
leash—when suddenly one of the hounds leaped straight for me.
Its paw swiped only inches from my face, the breeze ice-cold on my cheek. And then the hound landed in the street and tumbled toward a shaft of sunlight. Another hound immediately took its place
at the head of the pack and made a leap for me too.
At the same time, Nigel rounded the corner and we emerged into a crowded open-air marketplace. The lead hound was close behind, but as soon as it hit the sunlight, the beast burst apart into a
plume of smoke. Three more shadow hounds met the same fate and vanished one by one into thin air.
“Do you see them?” Nigel asked, panting.
“They’re gone,” I said, terrified.
“You’re certain,
“Bite my nose, will ya?” Noah growled, and he raised his boot to stomp him.
“No!”
I screamed—when out of nowhere a beefy hand clamped down hard on Noah’s collar and lifted him clean off the ground.
“Nigel!” I cried, and the big man sent Noah flying backward.
The boy landed on top of his mates, and the three of them quickly scrambled to their feet and took off, running out of sight.
“Thank you, Nigel,” I said. “But how did you find me?”
Nigel bent down and picked up Mack.
“Oh dear,” he said, closing Mack’s case. “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.”
“I’m sorry, Nigel,” I said. “I forgot he was in my pocket and—”
“Do you realize what you’ve done?”
I couldn’t see Nigel’s eyes behind his goggles, but the rest of his face was all fear.
“I know,” I said glumly. “Mr. Grim told me what would happen if—”
“No, you don’t know, Grubb,” Nigel said, slipping Mack inside his coat pocket. “We need to tell the boss his animus has escaped. We’ve got to get back
before—”
A strong breeze whipped through the courtyard, and what looked like a black cloud of smoke began billowing out from one of the darkened corners.
“Come on!” Nigel cried. “Let’s get out of here!”
The big man scooped me up and slung me over his shoulder. And as he dashed with me from the courtyard, I caught sight of a pair of bright, burning red eyes blinking open amidst the smoke.
Nigel carried me back through the passageways, up the short flight of steps, and out into street. He paused briefly, and then dashed off in the opposite direction from which I’d followed
the pickpocket.
“The Odditorium is the other way!” I cried. But then I saw another black cloud of smoke beginning to form in a shop doorway only a few yards away from us.
“There’s no time to explain!” Nigel said, picking up speed. “Just tell me when we’ve lost them!”
“Lost who?”
“Just tell me!”
There was a handful of pedestrians milling about—and I was vaguely aware of their curious looks as we raced past them—but then a pair of burning red eyes slipped out from the shop
doorway, followed by another pair from the passage we’d just left.
Both sets of eyes brightened as they caught sight of me, and I noticed for the first time that the smoke around them had taken on the shape of a pair of large black hounds. And yet at the same
time I could see right through them, as if the beasts were made from the very shadows in which they moved.
My heart froze with terror as the pair of shadow hounds dashed off after us. But every time they came upon a shaft of sunlight that had managed to find its way onto the street, they slowed and
skirted around it as if they were afraid.
“Do you see them?” Nigel asked.
Another red-eyed shadow hound joined the chase.
Then another!
And another!
“Yes!” I cried in horror. “There are five of them now!”
The other people in the street seemed not to notice them, and soon the shadow hounds were right behind us, the five of them overtaking one another as if jostling for the lead on an invisible
leash—when suddenly one of the hounds leaped straight for me.
Its paw swiped only inches from my face, the breeze ice-cold on my cheek. And then the hound landed in the street and tumbled toward a shaft of sunlight. Another hound immediately took its place
at the head of the pack and made a leap for me too.
At the same time, Nigel rounded the corner and we emerged into a crowded open-air marketplace. The lead hound was close behind, but as soon as it hit the sunlight, the beast burst apart into a
plume of smoke. Three more shadow hounds met the same fate and vanished one by one into thin air.
“Do you see them?” Nigel asked, panting.
“They’re gone,” I said, terrified.
“You’re certain,
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