The Blood Thief of Whitten Hall (A Magic & Machinery Novel Book 2) Read online

  THIS book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Blood Thief of Whitten Hall

  Copyright ©2015 Jon Messenger

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN:978-1-63422-103-0

  Cover Design by: Marya Heiman

  Typography by: Courtney Nuckels

  Editing by: Cynthia Shepp

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Simon Whitlock walked through the narrow bedroom to the armoire perched in the corner of the room. He pulled the doors aside, revealing a long row of similarly cut suits and blazers. For a moment, he stood idly by, perusing his options before settling on a tweed blazer. The air was still brisk despite it warming toward spring, and the blazer would ward off the morning chill.

  Before buttoning the jacket, he pulled on the chain that disappeared into one of the front vest pockets. A silver pocket watch emerged. It spun lazily on its chain, reflecting the sunlight filtering through the townhouse window. Simon grasped the watch and opened its front, revealing the watch face on the right and a grainy picture of Veronica Dawn on the other. He paused, examining the picture of the dark-haired beauty before frowning as the time caught his eye. He quickly closed the watch and buttoned his jacket. Before closing the armoire, he pulled down a top hat from the high shelf.

  The Royal Inquisitor walked briskly toward the townhouse’s front door, pausing at its berth and running a hand through his coifed hair. A copious amount of grease held his mane in place. Finally, he ran his fingers across his thin moustache, ensuring he looked presentable before opening the front door.

  Simon stepped onto the small landing at the top of the half-dozen stairs leading to the street below. He placed his top hat on his head, canting it slightly and allowing its brim to block the glare of the morning sun.

  He waved his hand before his face as he descended the steps in an attempt to brush aside the palpable air of smoke. As he reached the street, an automobile rumbled slowly past, its exhaust belching a cloud of black smoke. Frowning, Simon paused momentarily, knowing his pace was only slightly slower than that of the automobile. He had no desire to follow too closely.

  “Good morning, Inquisitor,” a gentleman said politely as he walked past, tipping his hat in reverence to Simon.

  “Morning,” Simon replied, his spirits suddenly lifted. It was good to be recognized.

  Simon turned with a renewed enthusiasm and glanced down the long row of similarly fronted townhouses. The endless row of red brick edifices was broken only by perfectly measured sets of identical stairwells leading to identical doorways. Only the bronzed numbers nailed over each doorway marked them as unique homes.

  Beyond the townhouses, the angle of the street rose sharply as it built toward the hilltop that dominated the capital city of Callifax. Perched atop it, in plain view from anywhere within the city, was a sprawling castle. Its walls and towering parapets matched the majesty of the giant, red and gold banners flickering in the morning breeze.

  Simon’s eyes left the splendor of the castle only after he had walked a dozen feet. He paused before the stairwell to a neighboring townhouse before climbing the stairs. The Inquisitor paused only momentarily at the doorway, rapping politely with his knuckles before casually opening the door without awaiting a reply.

  The interior of the home was well illuminated, with electric lights burning in a chandelier overhead.

  “Luthor?” Simon said as he closed the door behind him.

  “You’re late,” came the reply from the sitting room to his right.

  Simon peered around the corner and found his dear friend and companion hidden beneath the morning’s newspaper. Luthor Strong was sitting at a small, rounded table, the center of which was covered with a silver tray and a pot of steeping tea. The aroma was magnificent, and Simon quickly took his seat across from the apothecary.

  Luthor didn’t bother looking up as Simon sat across from him at the narrow table. The Inquisitor set his hat on the windowsill to his right as he placed a napkin in his lap.

  “Good morning, Simon. I see my assassins have failed to kill you once more.”

  “Come off it, Luthor. You can’t still be mad about that Haversham business. That was weeks ago.”

  Luthor folded the paper and dropped it unceremoniously onto the table. The diminutive man stared at his mentor with evident irritation, the muttonchops covering each cheek rising and falling as he ground his teeth in frustration.

  “You abandoned me to my own devices with a demon. Yes, I’m still mad about Haversham.”

  “I came back,” Simon retorted.

  A creak of the wooden staircase interrupted the start of a familiar debate. Both men turned as Mattie walked down the staircase, still dressed in her pajamas with a bathrobe cinched across her waist. Her red hair was still damp from her bath and hung in ringlets over her shoulders.

  “Morning, you two,” she said as she walked into the sitting room. “Still arguing about Haversham, are you?”

  “He used me as bait,” Luthor complained. “Even you have to admit that’s absurd behavior for a Royal Inquisitor.”

  “I have to admit no such thing,” Mattie said matter-of-factly as she leaned forward and kissed Simon on the cheek. “Morning, Simon.”

  “Morning, Matilda. A pleasure as always.”

  She walked around the table and leaned forward, kissing Luthor passionately on the lips. The apothecary flushed scarlet and gently pulled away from the redhead.

  “Mattie, that’s not really appropriate etiquette in front of a guest.”

  She grasped his chin, turning his face toward her. “Then you’re lucky I’m not a right and proper lady. Need I remind you that I’m an uncouth and uncivilized tundra werewolf? Nothing in that says I can’t kiss the man courting me in front of an Inquisitor who, by the way, has seen far more disturbing things than two people being affectionate toward one another.”

  Luthor sighed as he leaned back into his chair. “It’s not the public display of affection that concerns me, love. It’s that Simon currently has a series of belittling thoughts flittering about in his mind.”

  Simon smirked softly, and Luthor gest
ured toward the Inquisitor. “Now it appears he’s settled upon one. Go ahead, Simon, let me hear it.”

  “I was just wondering if she worries about you straying from her affections or if her canine instincts have taken hold and she merely marked her territory.”

  Luthor frowned and shook his head. “See, this is precisely what I mean.”

  He turned sharply as Mattie stifled a laugh. “Actually, I thought it was rather clever.”

  “Don’t encourage him!”

  Mattie smiled and turned toward the kitchen. “Need anything from the kitchen while I’m up?” she asked.

  “I don’t believe so. Do you need me to fix you something to eat?”

  Mattie shook her head as she walked toward the doorway. “No, but thank you. I know my way around a kitchen.”

  The two men waited until she left the room before turning their attention back to one another.

  “You two have become quite cozy since our return,” Simon remarked. “You surprise me, Luthor. I didn’t think you would be scandalous enough to have a woman living with you.”

  The apothecary retrieved his newspaper and returned to his reading. “We have our separate bedrooms, if that’s what concerns you. Of course, you’re an Inquisitor who cavorts with werewolves, so I think you’re hardly one to judge.”

  Without looking up, Luthor pointed toward the kettle in the middle of the table. “Tea?”

  “Please,” Simon replied as he turned over his cup and extended it. Luthor picked up the kettle and poured a perfectly steeped cup.

  “Sugar?”

  “Two lumps, if you please.”

  Simon raised his cup to his lips and sipped noisily. He closed his eyes and sighed blissfully. “I’m thrilled that even when you abhor me, you still don’t lose your good manners.”

  Luthor set the kettle back down on the tray and returned to his paper. “My hatred for you and my civility are mutually exclusive.”

  The two men enjoyed their tea in silence while Mattie busied herself in the kitchen. Only the clinking of dishware being set upon a tray broke the quiet. The redhead returned shortly with toast and a bowl of porridge. A slab of butter melted merrily in the depths of the bowl as she sat in the third seat around the table.

  “What brings you to our breakfast table this morning, Simon?” Mattie asked as she spread marmalade onto her toast.

  Simon arched an eyebrow as he set his teacup gently onto its saucer. “I’m here every morning.”

  “I simply meant—”

  “He knows what you meant,” Luthor interrupted. “He’s acting coy merely because today is of such importance.”

  Mattie smiled broadly. “Today’s your recognition ceremony with the Inquisitors, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” Simon replied, his smile equally as broad. “Apparently, they felt my work slaying a demon and two…”

  The words froze on his lips, his mouth still pursed from the last word he spoke. The smile faded quickly from Mattie’s face, replaced by a saddened expression.

  “Forgive me, Mattie,” Simon said, recovering as quickly as his embarrassed mind would allow. “I meant absolutely no disrespect.”

  Mattie shook her head and forced a smile. “No, it’s I who should apologize. I agreed to let you bring the two werewolf remains to Callifax. It was the only way to convince the other Inquisitors that this particular magical threat had been eliminated. If you hadn’t, the rest of my pack couldn’t live in peace. Therefore, you owe me no apology. I shouldn’t have dampened the mood.”

  Luthor coughed, breaking the palpable tension. “Will you see Ms. Dawn tonight as well?”

  Simon nodded as he broke his gaze from the morose redhead. “Yes, I believe I shall, though there’s no telling how late the Inquisitors’ celebration may go.”

  “Will you… see her at work, perhaps?” the apothecary remarked, his disapproval evident.

  Simon merely laughed at Luthor’s discomfort. “More likely than not, since the hour will be late before I have time to visit with her.”

  Before Luthor could respond, Simon fetched his pocket watch. He leapt hastily to his feet before bowing apologetically to his hosts. “Speaking of the time, I will most certainly be late to my own sordid affair if I don’t leave at once.”

  He bent over and took a final sip of his tea, sighing with satisfaction as he replaced the teacup. Simon leaned over and placed a kiss on Mattie’s cheek.

  “Do take care of Luthor today, Ms. Hawke. I would hate to see him cooped up once more in this dreadful townhouse.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” she replied.

  Simon nodded toward his friend. “Luthor.”

  Luthor buried his face in the newspaper, though he read hardly a word from the page.

  “I see you’ve returned to being a malcontent,” Simon remarked.

  Mattie sighed. “Luthor, please at least feign happiness for Simon’s exciting day.”

  Luthor lowered the newspaper with a sickly smile on his face. “I hope you’re painfully run over by an autobus on the way to the Grand Hall.”

  Simon laughed heartily and retrieved his top hat. “I could ask for no better sendoff. Shall we do this again tomorrow?”

  “Of course,” Luthor replied. “Do be a bit more punctual next time.”

  Simon nodded as he hurried toward the front door.

  Though their zeppelin had landed in Callifax nearly two weeks earlier, Simon still appreciated the nuances that made the capital city unique. The sun warming his face was his personal favorite, having suffered through the bitter cold in Haversham for far longer than his liking. Whereas the frozen tundra city had been a virtual ghost town, with few pedestrians braving the elements, Callifax teemed with life. The sidewalks were busy with pedestrians moving to and fro. The streets were crowded with automobiles and the much larger double-decker autobuses of the public transportation system. They left clouds of acrid black smoke in their wake, but Simon overlooked their smog in light of their technological marvel.

  He raised his hand as a taxi passed. The black, open-sided automobile pulled to the curb beside where he stood, and he climbed aboard.

  “Where shall I take you, sir?” the cab driver asked.

  “The Grand Hall, if you please,” Simon replied as he tried to get comfortable on the firm backseat.

  The driver glanced over his shoulder, giving Simon a once over. “You’re an Inquisitor, then?”

  Simon nodded, though he merely wished the driver would continue onward. “I am.”

  “Here for the conference, are you?”

  “I’m actually from Callifax, though I am attending the conference. Speaking of which, I’m in a spot of a hurry, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course, sir,” the cab driver replied as he moved the tall gearshift into drive and pulled away from the curb. He raised his arm out of the side of the car, announcing to the vehicles behind him that he was merging.

  Though Simon loved the intricacies of the technological age, being aboard a car made him uneasy. It jostled along the cobblestone streets, its firm wheels bouncing roughly on the uneven stonework. The open sides of the taxi let in the pungent fumes of petrol and exhaust, a scent that seemed to permeate his skin and clothing. He would smell foul by the time he arrived at the Grand Hall, but it was unavoidable. He would have been similarly tarnished had he walked, what with the fumes and smoke belching across the sidewalks as well.

  Simon stared out the window, admiring the towering structures as they passed. The terrace of townhouses gave way to rows of storefronts, above which men and women glanced from the upstairs apartments.

  As they reached the end of his road, the brick edifices of the buildings vanished and the paved sidewalks gave way to the lush greenery of a well-manicured lawn. A stone behemoth of a building rose from the center of the garden. An ornately carved wooden door was affixed in the middle of the gray stone building, flanked by rounded, stained-glass windows. At each of the four corners of the cathedral, pointed towers rose skyw
ard, where crouched gargoyles topped them.

  Simon drummed his fingers absently on the windowsill of the taxi as they passed the Callifax Abbey. He had been within the building a number of times, in the company of Veronica who, despite her predilections, clung firmly to her faith.

  The interior of the building was every bit as opulent as its exterior appeared. Towering marble pillars held aloft vaulted ceilings. The golden altar near the front of the church was bathed in a myriad of colors, as sunlight filtered through an ornate pane of stained glass that dominated the far wall.

  The taxi turned at an intersection, and the Abbey disappeared from Simon’s view. The incline of the road rose slightly as they approached the bottom of the aptly, yet unimaginatively named Castle Hill. The taxi came to rest at the next intersection, yet their road didn’t continue on. Instead, a large, marble building rose before them.

  The Grand Hall was built in the style of civilizations long since passed, a remembrance of a more enlightened era of thinkers and philosophers. The front of the building was pillared, with the tall, marble spires framing the large, wooden doors.

  The taxi driver waited politely for a break in the ceaseless traffic before driving across the street and pulling to the curb. Simon fetched some silver coins from his jacket pocket and handed them to the man, knowing that his payment far exceeded the actual cost of the short trip.

  “Thank you kindly, sir,” the taxi driver said excitedly.

  Simon climbed from the cab and watched as it pulled away before turning toward the Grand Hall. The marble building was recessed from the street, leaving a wide, stonework courtyard between the edge of the curb and the front of the building. A small row of trees flanked the sidewalk leading to the entrance. Young men and women sat in the shade, reading or talking amongst themselves.

  Eyes fell upon Simon as he walked toward the front of the building, the young men and women looking up appreciatively at the dapper gentleman walking past. The morning had been filled with Inquisitors coming and going from the Grand Hall. The Inquisitors rarely had such meetings, in which members arrived from throughout the kingdom, but Simon’s revelation of demons in their land had prompted the necessity for this particular gathering. As he neared the front doors, a shadow fell over him. He craned his neck upward as a zeppelin eclipsed the sun, passing high overhead on its way to the tall airship docks on the far side of the castle. Even the zeppelins came with increasing regularity, another necessity of the returning Inquisitors.