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I snorted. “The first or second time?”
“I destroyed it, sir,” Ben told him as he stooped and pulled the knife from the ground. The blade had a silver sheen to it that reminded me of rippling mercury. “With this.”
The soldier studied the weapon for a moment before his eyes widened. “A silver blade, sir?”
“Of the purest kind,” Ben told him as he tucked the dagger into his vest. “A mere conversation starter among my friends, but I am glad I carried it with me this day.”
The frantic woman’s demeanor was subdued somewhat by the announcement of the creature’s demise, but now her terror turned to fury. She shoved her face into that of the soldier’s and stabbed a finger at the corpse. “What are you going to do about that. . .that. . .that thing!”
“I’ll have it removed immediately, ma’am,” he promised as he set his hands on her shoulders. “In the meantime, might I suggest you not venture into abandoned houses?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I was only going in there because I heard a noise, that’s all.”
He had a look of doubt on his face but nodded. “And we thank you for alerting everyone in the area to the danger, now if you would kindly leave the area-”
“Why?” she snapped as she tilted her head to one side and gave him a sharp eye. “What are you planning to do?”
“I plan to remove the creature and search the area.” He scanned the abandoned buildings that surrounded us. “There’s no telling how many more of them are about.”
The color drained from her face and she leapt back. “They won’t be finding me again!” And with that proclamation, she hightailed it out of the neighborhood.
The soldier looked slightly bemused as he watched her flee, but his good humor dropped away when he returned his attention to the creature. He nudged the thing with the tip of one boot. “I can’t really blame her. Just looking at this thing gives me the creeps.”
Ben nodded. “It does indeed.”
The soldier lifted his attention to Ben. “Any idea what it is?”
Ben shook his head. “I’m afraid not, but I suggest you find someone proficient in healing magic before removing the corpse. There may be black magic at work here.”
The soldier rummaged in one of his pockets and drew out a vial full of shifting shadows. I recognized it as a bottle of crow calls. He popped the cork and a tiny shadow in the form of a hawk flew out and landed on his arm. “A good idea.” He lifted his attention to the shadowy creature. “Do you hear that, bird? Fetch me a guard magician at once, and inform the commander.” The bird nodded before it flitted away into the sky.
Ben knelt and inspected the head. “There appears to be some sort of wound on the back of the skull.”
The soldier, too, knelt and turned the head over. “So there does. Something heavy must have crushed the skull. Perhaps that’s what killed him in the first place.”
Ben stood and so did the soldier. “Will you be needing us for anything further?”
He took out a pad of paper and a pencil. “Just your names in case we need to speak with you again.”
“Count Benjamin Castle and Millie Lucas.”
The soldier jotted them down and nodded. “You’re free to go.” We moved away from him, but his voice called us back. “Oh, and try not to go spreading this news about town. Letting everyone know that something dead got up and walked around might cause a panic.”
Ben turned his head and smiled at the soldier. “Of course. We’ll be as quiet as the grave on the matter.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Ferox pulledus back to the house, and Tully met us in the hall. The servant cast a knowing look at Ben before he patted his thigh and made a motion as though tossing something.
Ben frowned. “When?” Tully pointed at the clock to his right, and more specifically the noon hour. His master nodded. “Very good. We’ll see him right away.”
“See who?” I wondered as I followed Ben down the hall.
“Tim is here,” he explained as we neared the ajar door to his study. “And anything that takes Tim away from his most lucrative selling hour is bound to be of importance.”
Tim shot out of one of the high-backed chairs at our entrance, and he turned to us with a slightly unhealthy pallor on his face. He held his hands before him and his fingers fidgeted with his cap. “Sorry to be a bother, My Lord, but I just had to tell somebody about this, and you’d be the bloke to believe it.”
Ben strode across the room and gestured to the seat the lad had just vacated. “Have a seat and tell us about it.”
