Grubb?”
“Yes, the hounds broke apart as soon as they entered the square.”
The marketplace was filled with the constant clamor of bell-ringing and shouting. From atop Nigel’s shoulders I could see carts of hay and straw everywhere, while mounds of the same rose
up amidst the endless stream of buyers and sellers like boulders in the middle of a babbling brook.
“That was a close one,” Nigel said, setting me down. He stood bent over at the waist, gasping for breath with his hands on his thighs.
“What were they?” I asked, my throat tight with fear.
Nigel raised a finger to his lips, and when his breath had leveled off some, he stood upright, dragged his sleeve across his forehead, and stared up at the sky.
“We’ll be safe here out in the open,” he said. “At least until I can figure out the best way to get us back to the Odditorium.”
Nigel felt inside his coat for Mack, then buttoned his pocket and led me to a large fountain at the center of the marketplace. Amidst the throng of peddlers who’d set up shop on the steps,
Nigel found an opening for us to sit, and splashed some water on his head. Then he just sat there for a moment. Following his gaze through a break in the buildings at the far end of the
marketplace, I spied a massive domed cathedral looming in the distance.
“A pity it’s not a Monday,” Nigel said. “Mondays and Fridays are the market days for livestock. You could rub yourself all over with their scent. That would make it
harder for the doom dogs to track you.”
“What are doom dogs?”
“Speak softly, Grubb,” Nigel said, looking around. Then he leaned back on his elbows so that his mouth was close to my ear. “Doom dogs are what’s after you
now.”
“After
me
?”
“That’s right. And once a doom dog sets out after you, he’s harder to shake than your own shadow.”
I glanced around, terrified.
“Oh, it can be done, mind you. Especially during the day, when all you have to do is get them to follow you into the sunlight. You saw what happens to them then.”
“Are those dogs spirits, Nigel?”
“A kind of spirit, yes, what can only roam about in the shadows.”
I swallowed hard. Nigel stood up on the fountain’s top step and gazed out over the crowded marketplace. After a moment, he nodded and sat back down beside me.
“Don’t see any more of them, but they’re hard to spot. And sunlight or no sunlight, once a doom dog latches on to you, you’re as good as done for.”
I shivered at the thought of how close the black hound’s paw had come to my face—and then it dawned on me.
“It’s because of Mack’s animus,” I said. “That’s what Mr. Grim meant when he told Lord Dreary it was dangerous for his animus to leave the Odditorium.
That’s why those dogs came after me.”
“You know about the animus?” Nigel asked in shock.
“I’m afraid I do.”
I told Nigel the whole story—how Mack ended up in my pocket, how I chased after him into the library and eavesdropped on Mr. Grim and Lord Dreary, and finally how I accidentally got him
lifted. And when I’d finished, Nigel glared down angrily at his pocket.
“Oh, please don’t be cross with Mack,” I said. “He was only afraid you’d come looking for him because you’d found him missing from Mr. Grim’s
shop.”
“What would I be doing in Mr. Grim’s shop?”
“Well, since that’s the place for Odditoria—”
I stopped.
“The place for
what
?” Nigel said, turning to me, and I saw my terrified face reflected in his goggles. Now I’d really gotten Mack into a pickle, I thought.
“Well?” Nigel pressed.
“Well,” I sputtered, “I know it’s not proper to repeat things, but Mack told me the shop is for Odditoria what’s giving Mr. Grim trouble. And, well…silly as it
may sound, Mack said that you were Odditoria too.”
“Oh he did, did he?” Nigel said, glaring down again at his pocket.
“Please try to forgive him, Nigel. He was only afraid Mr.
“Yes, the hounds broke apart as soon as they entered the square.”
The marketplace was filled with the constant clamor of bell-ringing and shouting. From atop Nigel’s shoulders I could see carts of hay and straw everywhere, while mounds of the same rose
up amidst the endless stream of buyers and sellers like boulders in the middle of a babbling brook.
“That was a close one,” Nigel said, setting me down. He stood bent over at the waist, gasping for breath with his hands on his thighs.
“What were they?” I asked, my throat tight with fear.
Nigel raised a finger to his lips, and when his breath had leveled off some, he stood upright, dragged his sleeve across his forehead, and stared up at the sky.
“We’ll be safe here out in the open,” he said. “At least until I can figure out the best way to get us back to the Odditorium.”
Nigel felt inside his coat for Mack, then buttoned his pocket and led me to a large fountain at the center of the marketplace. Amidst the throng of peddlers who’d set up shop on the steps,
Nigel found an opening for us to sit, and splashed some water on his head. Then he just sat there for a moment. Following his gaze through a break in the buildings at the far end of the
marketplace, I spied a massive domed cathedral looming in the distance.
“A pity it’s not a Monday,” Nigel said. “Mondays and Fridays are the market days for livestock. You could rub yourself all over with their scent. That would make it
harder for the doom dogs to track you.”
“What are doom dogs?”
“Speak softly, Grubb,” Nigel said, looking around. Then he leaned back on his elbows so that his mouth was close to my ear. “Doom dogs are what’s after you
now.”
“After
me
?”
“That’s right. And once a doom dog sets out after you, he’s harder to shake than your own shadow.”
I glanced around, terrified.
“Oh, it can be done, mind you. Especially during the day, when all you have to do is get them to follow you into the sunlight. You saw what happens to them then.”
“Are those dogs spirits, Nigel?”
“A kind of spirit, yes, what can only roam about in the shadows.”
I swallowed hard. Nigel stood up on the fountain’s top step and gazed out over the crowded marketplace. After a moment, he nodded and sat back down beside me.
“Don’t see any more of them, but they’re hard to spot. And sunlight or no sunlight, once a doom dog latches on to you, you’re as good as done for.”
I shivered at the thought of how close the black hound’s paw had come to my face—and then it dawned on me.
“It’s because of Mack’s animus,” I said. “That’s what Mr. Grim meant when he told Lord Dreary it was dangerous for his animus to leave the Odditorium.
That’s why those dogs came after me.”
“You know about the animus?” Nigel asked in shock.
“I’m afraid I do.”
I told Nigel the whole story—how Mack ended up in my pocket, how I chased after him into the library and eavesdropped on Mr. Grim and Lord Dreary, and finally how I accidentally got him
lifted. And when I’d finished, Nigel glared down angrily at his pocket.
“Oh, please don’t be cross with Mack,” I said. “He was only afraid you’d come looking for him because you’d found him missing from Mr. Grim’s
shop.”
“What would I be doing in Mr. Grim’s shop?”
“Well, since that’s the place for Odditoria—”
I stopped.
“The place for
what
?” Nigel said, turning to me, and I saw my terrified face reflected in his goggles. Now I’d really gotten Mack into a pickle, I thought.
“Well?” Nigel pressed.
“Well,” I sputtered, “I know it’s not proper to repeat things, but Mack told me the shop is for Odditoria what’s giving Mr. Grim trouble. And, well…silly as it
may sound, Mack said that you were Odditoria too.”
“Oh he did, did he?” Nigel said, glaring down again at his pocket.
“Please try to forgive him, Nigel. He was only afraid Mr.
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