did a good job acting scared, Blackjack. You almost had me convinced you’d lost your mind.”
“It wasn’t that hard to act,” the Manx admitted. “I’ve never run into a group of dogs like that before, but if there are more of them scattered around the countryside, I can see what Malcolm’s so paranoid about.”
They zigzagged through the streets, following no definite path but being careful not to double back. Luther scented for Heaven, but could find no whiff of it in this place.
“I can’t find Heaven, Blackjack,” Luther said. Blood ran from a dozen wounds on his body, all of them minor. “What are we going to do?”
“Get out of this town as fast as we can, is what,” Blackjack replied. “We can worry about Heaven later.”
A grey-haired man with a cane spotted them as they turned the next corner. He noticed that they were without leashes or collars, and, remembering how a stray cat-and-dog team had torn up his garden two months earlier, he went to the nearest pay phone and called the Animal Shelter.
V.
“Well, Lucrezia?”
The Bloodhound bitch sniffed the ground carefully, then the air. “North,” she said finally. “They’re heading roughly north from here.”
“Good,” said Dragon. “That’s what I think, too, but I wanted to be certain. They’ve got a good lead on us, but the way they’re going they might just blunder into the Maze, and that should delay them long enough . . . all right, then. Lucrezia, Aleister, Perdurabo, and Manson come with me. Judas, you go back to the court and tell the others to disperse and head home.No more patrols today. We’ll have another meeting tomorrow to discuss all that’s happened.”
“But . . .”
“But what?” the Wolfhound snapped impatiently.
“Well . . . it’s just that I kind of wanted to come along too, and I’m sure most of the others would—”
“No. No packs roaming the streets. It’s afternoon, there’ll be more people out, and we’re in enough trouble with the ‘catchers as it is. If you have no word from me by tomorrow, tell Therion that he’s in charge. And start looking for a replacement for Cerberus.”
“Yes, Dragon,” said Judas, still visibly disappointed. “As you wish.”
“Now,” Dragon said, as the Bulldog padded away, “let’s go take the mange. And that damned cat.”
VI.
“Damn it! This is the third time we’ve been through here.”
“The streets are all tangled, Blackjack.”
“I don’t care how tangled they are, we should be able to find our way out. Getting lost is for people.”
“I have a feeling Raaq doesn’t want us to get away. At least not me. And who knows, maybe he can hurt cats.”
“Forget Raaq and help me figure out—Wait! Look over there!”
Luther looked. A man in overalls had just come out of a nearby house. He paused at the front door, saying an affectionate and extended good-bye to a half-dressed woman within. Parked at the curb was a green flatbed truck, on the side of which were painted the words: BEATRIX, INC .
“What do you think?” Blackjack asked. “We could hop in the back and hitch a ride. If he drives back the way we came then we get out in a hurry, but if he heads out of town—”
“Yes!” Luther said, as if he’d just had a revelation. “That’s it, Blackjack! That’s how we get out!”
The overall-clad man still tarried at the front door. He and the woman were hopelessly absorbed with one another, and neither noticed the mongrel dog and the tailless cat scrambling up the back bumper of the truck. A tarpaulin had been tossed carelessly into one corner of the flatbed, and Luther and Blackjack hid themselves under it.
Blackjack felt something poking his side and turned slightly. He saw a large metal box with the word “Phillips” stamped on the top, and by the dim light seeping in under the edge of the tarpaulin was able to make out the further inscription:
With love and affection during
those lonely nights on the road.
My thoughts
“It wasn’t that hard to act,” the Manx admitted. “I’ve never run into a group of dogs like that before, but if there are more of them scattered around the countryside, I can see what Malcolm’s so paranoid about.”
They zigzagged through the streets, following no definite path but being careful not to double back. Luther scented for Heaven, but could find no whiff of it in this place.
“I can’t find Heaven, Blackjack,” Luther said. Blood ran from a dozen wounds on his body, all of them minor. “What are we going to do?”
“Get out of this town as fast as we can, is what,” Blackjack replied. “We can worry about Heaven later.”
A grey-haired man with a cane spotted them as they turned the next corner. He noticed that they were without leashes or collars, and, remembering how a stray cat-and-dog team had torn up his garden two months earlier, he went to the nearest pay phone and called the Animal Shelter.
V.
“Well, Lucrezia?”
The Bloodhound bitch sniffed the ground carefully, then the air. “North,” she said finally. “They’re heading roughly north from here.”
“Good,” said Dragon. “That’s what I think, too, but I wanted to be certain. They’ve got a good lead on us, but the way they’re going they might just blunder into the Maze, and that should delay them long enough . . . all right, then. Lucrezia, Aleister, Perdurabo, and Manson come with me. Judas, you go back to the court and tell the others to disperse and head home.No more patrols today. We’ll have another meeting tomorrow to discuss all that’s happened.”
“But . . .”
“But what?” the Wolfhound snapped impatiently.
“Well . . . it’s just that I kind of wanted to come along too, and I’m sure most of the others would—”
“No. No packs roaming the streets. It’s afternoon, there’ll be more people out, and we’re in enough trouble with the ‘catchers as it is. If you have no word from me by tomorrow, tell Therion that he’s in charge. And start looking for a replacement for Cerberus.”
“Yes, Dragon,” said Judas, still visibly disappointed. “As you wish.”
“Now,” Dragon said, as the Bulldog padded away, “let’s go take the mange. And that damned cat.”
VI.
“Damn it! This is the third time we’ve been through here.”
“The streets are all tangled, Blackjack.”
“I don’t care how tangled they are, we should be able to find our way out. Getting lost is for people.”
“I have a feeling Raaq doesn’t want us to get away. At least not me. And who knows, maybe he can hurt cats.”
“Forget Raaq and help me figure out—Wait! Look over there!”
Luther looked. A man in overalls had just come out of a nearby house. He paused at the front door, saying an affectionate and extended good-bye to a half-dressed woman within. Parked at the curb was a green flatbed truck, on the side of which were painted the words: BEATRIX, INC .
“What do you think?” Blackjack asked. “We could hop in the back and hitch a ride. If he drives back the way we came then we get out in a hurry, but if he heads out of town—”
“Yes!” Luther said, as if he’d just had a revelation. “That’s it, Blackjack! That’s how we get out!”
The overall-clad man still tarried at the front door. He and the woman were hopelessly absorbed with one another, and neither noticed the mongrel dog and the tailless cat scrambling up the back bumper of the truck. A tarpaulin had been tossed carelessly into one corner of the flatbed, and Luther and Blackjack hid themselves under it.
Blackjack felt something poking his side and turned slightly. He saw a large metal box with the word “Phillips” stamped on the top, and by the dim light seeping in under the edge of the tarpaulin was able to make out the further inscription:
With love and affection during
those lonely nights on the road.
My thoughts
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