بخش 29

CHAPTER 56

A VERY STRANGE BUSINESS

JUST AFTER SUNSET, when the sky was neither day nor night, five men boarded a black cab and rode the cobblestone streets from St. Katherine’s dock to Kensington Palace Gardens. There was no talk in the cab, only a deep chill in the close air and an oppressive silence, as if the black-robed figure sucked the life from everyone and everything around him.

Finally, after a trip that had seemed interminable to Nerezza, Slank, Gerch, and Hampton, the cab slowed to a stop. Nerezza parted the window curtains and looked out. They were about twenty yards down the street from the Aster house, on the opposite side. Jarvis was standing out front. A tall postman walked past him and up the walk, deposited some letters, came back down the walk, and disappeared down the street.

“Jarvis is out front,” Nerezza reported.

“Is he…” said Gerch, “…is he one of the ones who…who were…” He stopped, glancing at the still, silent form of Ombra.

“Yes,” said Nerezza. “He’s one of the two. The other one is Cadigan: he’s at the back entrance tonight. When we give the word, Cadigan will call the third one, Hodge, outside, with the dog, so Lord Ombra can…can meet him. Then we’ll have all three.”

“And the staff?” said Gerch.

“The girl has taken care of them,” said Nerezza. “Are you ready, Lord Ombra?”

The dark form, which had been utterly motionless since they had left the dock, stirred, and instantly the other four occupants of the cab felt colder, much colder. The hooded head turned toward the window, but did not touch the closed shade.

“Too soon,” said the groaning voice. “Have the driver go around and return here.”

“Yes, m’lord,” Nerezza said, leaning out and passing the order along to the cab driver.

The black cab rumbled forward into the gloom. It passed the tall postman, who, uncharacteristically, broke his stride as he felt a sudden, sharp chill shudder through his body.

For ten minutes, the occupants of the cab rode without speaking. Finally, the strain of the silence became unbearable to Gerch, who said, “There was the strangest report today, from the courthouse in Lambeth.”

“I heard about that,” said Hampton, nodding. “The flying prisoners.”

Slank’s head whipped around to face Hampton. “What did you say?” he said.

“I know it sounds absurd,” said Hampton. “You know how the newspapers are always exaggerating everything. It’s probably—”

“What did you say about flying prisoners?” said Slank, his face an inch from Hampton’s.

“I…it was in the newspapers,” sputtered Hampton. “Outside the courthouse, some prisoners flew into the air, then came back down again.”

“A very strange business,” added Hampton. “Hundreds of people claimed to have seen it. Hundreds!”

“They all came back down?” said Slank. “They were all captured?”

“I believe one of them flew away.”

“A boy?” said Slank, leaning now into Hampton. “Was it a boy who flew away?”

“I don’t know,” said Hampton. “Why?”

“He’s here,” said Slank. “He’s in London.”

“Who’s here?” said Hampton.

“You don’t know that,” said Nerezza.

“He’s here, I tell you,” shouted Slank, his face contorted in fury. “He’s—”

“Silence!”

Ombra’s voice instantly quieted Slank.

“We have work to do,” said Ombra.

“I’m sorry, Lord Ombra,” said Slank, hanging his head. “It’s just that—”

“I know,” the voice groaned. “You want the boy.”

Slank nodded.

“If the boy is here,” said Ombra, lifting his hooded head slightly—as if looking through the ceiling of the cab into the night sky, “and I believe you may be right about that, then you shall have him soon enough.” CHAPTER 57

AT LAST

AS PETER RAN DOWN the path into Kensington Gardens, Tink flew alongside his right ear, silent for a change, happy to be released from the aromatic confines of Peter’s shirt.

Peter repeated the small man’s directions to himself.

Second path to the right.

He crossed one path, then—emboldened by the darkness enveloping him—jumped and swooped upward, flying now, squinting ahead to see….

And there it was: the second path.

Peter and Tink veered right, rising even higher. To their right, Peter saw a large oval pond and, looming in the distance, the massive form of Kensington Palace. Flying faster now, they crossed a broad expanse of lawn to the south of the palace. Just ahead loomed the mansions lining Kensington Palace Gardens, their windows glowing yellow in the deepening night fog.

As he drew near the end of the path, Peter slowed and settled quietly to the ground next to the wide, gently sloping street. To Tink’s dismay, Peter snatched her and once again tucked her under his shirt. He hesitated, taking in his surroundings, then decided to keep to the opposite side, away from the streetlights. He trotted past one huge home after another, looking for…

A white house with two towers.

There! He saw it. Just ahead and across the street: a grand white mansion with a square tower at each end.

Molly’s house. At last!

“Tink,” he whispered excitedly. “We found it!”

Oh, hooray, came the bells, muffled and distinctly unenthusiastic.

Peter started forward, then hesitated. Should he just knock on the front door in his bedraggled, filthy condition? If he did, wouldn’t a servant just turn him away? Perhaps it would be better to fly and try to find Molly’s window and tap on it. Peter studied the house: it had a great many windows. Too many. He would try the front door first. If that didn’t work, he’d think of something else.

He took another few steps, then stopped again as he saw the distinctive form of a man standing in shadow near the streetlight in front of the house. The man was no pedestrian: he stood rock-still, facing the street.

A guard, Peter thought.

Peter watched the man for a moment, trying to think of a plan. He decided that he would simply walk past him. If the man stopped him, Peter would say he had an important message for Molly Aster. If the man refused to let him pass, Peter would leave, then fly back into the darkness and try to find Molly’s window.

Taking a deep breath, Peter began walking toward the man, but stopped and quickly retreated as he heard the clopping of hooves coming up the street toward him.

A cab rumbled out of the darkness into the glow of the streetlamp. It stopped across from the Aster house. The cab’s door opened, and a man stepped out.

Peter gasped.

It was Slank.