Page 94 of The Cannibal

With the blossom clutched to my chest, my eyes became heavy. The last few days had worn me. But with one last gesture, I could end my day in peace.

27

THE CREATURE

The curtain-quarter rockaway carriage was a beautiful rig. Comfortable upholstery, a shiny coat of paint, lightweight. I wanted to surprise her, but it took entirely too long for the import.

The carriage was mine, it was the final piece that I had to bring in from far away.

“Horse!” Alina’s voice cut through the air like wind chimes. Her steps so quick, she looked to float. She wore something light, as I instructed. No purse. A lighter day dress in material, but the burgundy nearly made her glow.

She ignored me for her prized blue roan gelding.

It didn’t bother me. It didn’t . . . or else I wouldn’t have put in the effort to get the stubborn thing here.

But it was worth it.

The blue of her eyes was so striking, framed by such dark features, then her luminous stripe of white hairs in her lashes and brow. Everything about her was so marvelous, such a personality that could entertain me infinitely. How amusing it was to know such a macabre woman would have a soft spot for a steed she so cleverly named Horse.

I slid over in the front seat, patting the place next to me.

She gave the roan draft one last peck on the nose and rubbed his neck before accepting my hand to help her up.

“Wearing some new colors lately?” I commented, clicking my tongue to move the horse forward.

Her eyes raked me from head to toe. “You as well.” She raised a brow.

“Do you like it?” I smirked. “Thought it would fit the outing.”

The outfit of choice was a tan sack coat with matching vest and trousers, black tie, and black wellingtons that came just below the knee. To top it off, a gray flat cap.

Together we looked quite fashionable for a trip out east.

She didn’t answer my question, her eyes did all the talking.

She hooked her arm around mine as I steered. “Where are we off to?”

“East,” I couldn’t hide a grin, “that’s all I’ll tell you.”

“Do you have an estate out there?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “It’s more of a day trip.”

With that, we were off on our journey.

The longest part was getting out of Manhattan. Once you crossed Queens County and out onto Long Island, it was relatively easy if you kept to major roads.

Even in a new city, I still found traces of home along the way. Not only were there similar village and town names, but even the scenery was reminiscent of the countryside of England. Out east of New York, specifically the northern shore, you can find cliffs with pebble beaches among wet forests.

We didn’t go terribly far, just enough to evade tourists. A secret little spot Luka sometimes used. He said it was for making fertilizer, didn’t say what type. Now that I thought about it, that might be code for discarding bodies. I didn’t bother asking. It was better that way, since the less you know about your Fixer’s methods, the merrier. No matter; he said it was isolated and that was perfect.

We pulled up to the dirt road after a rocky last half mile and stopped the horse on a natural overlook.

The ocean glimmered in the distance, framed by the lush coastal trees waving in the summer breeze. The air was as refreshing as cold spring water. It was still before noon so the sun had yet to meet its peak in temperature or intensity, so my fair lady should do just fine under cover of trees.

“I know you are having some difficulty feeding. To which I’m sympathetic, but I think I know how to fix it.”

Her face fell, then turned to annoyance when she looked at me.