Page 38 of Across Space and Time

“Are you tired?” Jack asked, tipping his head slightly to look at him.

“What? No,” Hugh said with a frown. “But would the shop even be open?”

“Oh, yes,” Jack replied. “No fear of that.”

What sort of magic shop would be open at four in the morning? Hugh wondered. He also suspected too that when Jack said ‘magic shop,’ he was not referring to simply card tricks and making doves appear from a hat. He had seen too much in the last few days to discount the reality of actual magic in the world. Jack himself was proof of that. Hugh nodded. “All right. Where is it?”

“Not far,” Jack said, inclining his head down the street.

Hugh followed after him, making sure Jack’s top hat stayed on in case they ran into anyone. In his police uniform, he could easily look like he was escorting a gentleman home through the rough London streets. “What about this shop is so important that we have to visit it in the middle of the night?”

“I would like to introduce you to someone,” Jack said. “If these crystals are any indicator, I think we may not be looking for a simple explanation. The viscount’s transformation would also lead me to assume a sort of mystical connection, wouldn’t you agree?”

The viscount’s appearance, as well as his cannibalization of his victim, had certainly been disturbing, as was his transformation back into his human form after death. Hugh had no explanation for it himself, and he was also one of the only people who had seen the viscount as his mutated aberration. If Jack, who himself was not of this world, believed that there was a supernatural element to this mystery, he was inclined to believe it.

Jack motioned for Hugh to follow him down a narrow alleyway. If he had been walking down this alley alone, he might have been afraid. But with Jack there, he realized he wasn’t. Not even that Jack was strong and could defend him, but the man was a reassuring presence by his side, confident and level-headed. For as much as he was a fan of the dramatic, he was also nice to talk to and bounce ideas off of. And, Hugh had to admit, he was certainly not unpleasant to look at. Despite the billow of Jack’s cape hiding the exact lines of his broad shoulders that tapered down his narrow waist, he still was graceful and strong. He found his eyes sliding further down to catch glimpses of Jack’s backside and legs when his cape swished. With the great effort that must come from being able to leap across rooftops, Jack’s legs and rump were taut and shapely. Hugh cleared his throat, his eyes quickly darting away as Jack glanced back at him. “Everything all right back there?” he asked in a tone as sweet as honey.

“Just fine,” Hugh replied, suddenly finding the fire escapes of the buildings they passed incredibly interesting.

They turned down another alley that spat them out onto a quiet street, lit by the glow of a single gas streetlamp. Jack stopped in front of one of the shops there. A red sign with fanciful writing read ‘The Magic Shop.’ No lights appeared to be on. Hugh frowned. “It looks like they’re closed.”

“Oh, never fear,” Jack said, stepping up to the door and opening it. Hugh immediately could see a warm light that spilled out of the open door that for some reason did not penetrate the windows. “Come.” He bowed his head and waved Hugh in like a servant waving in a grand prince. Hugh smiled at that and stepped inside the inviting glow.

The interior of the shop was larger than it had appeared from the outside, though the dim lighting made it a more intimate space. Hugh slowly turned a few paces inside of the entryway to get a look around. The shelves were stacked full of books. Dusty, heavy things, with worn covers, others slim and printed with cheap paper for quick consumption.

“May I help you?” came a pleasant voice from the back area. Hugh looked up but could not see to whom the voice belonged. He took a few steps further into the shop, squinting, until he found a counter at the back and the figure the voice had presumably come from. He was a tall man, several inches taller than Hugh even without the black top hat on his head. Dressed head to toe in black except for the crisp, white shirt under his waistcoat and jacket, he might not have been any different from other book sellers in London. But the way his eyes caught Hugh immediately made him feel like this man was unlike any he had met before. “Constable,” the man greeted, and then, without changing his expression, he said, “Jack.”

“Good day, sir, or rather, good nightly morning,” Jack said, sweeping his top hat from his head to execute a deep bow. Hugh glanced around worriedly, but there did not seem to be any other customers in the shop to see this sudden display of horns. “I trust you are well?”

“Never better, never better,” the man said, waving his hand lightly.

“This is Constable Hugh Danbury,” Jack said, gesturing magnificently to Hugh. “Hugh, this is The Owner.”

“The owner of the shop?” Hugh asked.

“The Owner,” Jack repeated.

Hugh decided he was not going to try to play the game he had first had with trying to learn Spring-Heeled Jack’s name. ‘The Owner’ would have to work. “Pleased to meet you, sir,” he said, nodding his head at the tall, handsome man.

“A pleasure to meet you, Constable,” The Owner said. “What brings you fine gentlemen into my shop at this hour?”

Jack held up the crystals on chains that he had salvaged from the fire. “I believe I have seen these in your shop before.”

“Oh, yes,” The Owner said, barely giving them a glance. “Very basic crystals, nothing too in depth. Where did you find those?”

“At the Elysium Bakery that burned down last night,” Hugh said, wondering if he should berate Jack for taking evidence from the scene of a crime but deciding not to worry about that at this particular moment.

“Ah, yes, I heard about that. Such a shame,” The Owner said.

“So, you did business with the Wilcoxes?” Hugh asked.

The Owner nodded. “The mother or the daughter were in here every few weeks. Nothing too fancy. A few healing tonics, a love potion or two.”

Hugh had a strange feeling that The Owner meant that literally. But instead, he said, “Jack said that you often have knowledge of the mystical.”

“That is very vague, but I suppose I do,” The Owner said thoughtfully. “What is it you are looking for?”

“I… don’t know,” Hugh admitted, with a glance over at Jack. “I am just hoping to find some answers.”

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