Page 60 of Monstrous Travels as Wicked as Sin

An outlandish suggestion in any other conversation, perhaps, but Percy responded with, “In Scotland?”

“Maybe?”

“Mmm. Maybe. Maybe not. Think harder. Get me some books or something. Can you…” Percy began to revive a little with the discussion, remembering that the reason he’d put himself and Joe through the entire ordeal of the morning was to get the two of them to a city big enough to access all the information and supplies that might be necessary. He commenced a short pace, thinking aloud, watching his shoes alternate blue carpet and brown floorboards. “I want you two to go to a good library and find out everything you can about anything that possesses. Every type of ghoul or sprite or spirit or faerie. Anything. I need to know every weak spot every one ofthem has. Make me a list, then we’ll start systematic torture of the being to find out what’s inside.”

Althea, lost in a thousand visions of supernatural horror, snapped back into the room. “Sorry, what?”

“Done.” Leo had perked up twice as much as Percy in response to the latter’s business-like change of mood, and was standing a foot taller, a tentative smile replacing the frown he’d worn for the last hour.

“He’ll need something to eat,” Percy continued. “I need you to visit… a butcher. I think…” He scanned Joe. “Get me raw meat. Good cuts, though. Something nice. And get some blood, too. I don’t know how they sell it, or if they do. Just try to get some… I suppose sheep’s blood would be good to drink.”

A sick sound squelched in the back of Leo’s throat. “Just jars of sheep’s blood and good raw meat? Nothing else?”

“Pliers.”

“Of course.”

“Copper wire.”

“Obviously.”

Althea’s scared eyes drifted between the two, while Percy’s hand went to his coat pocket. “My knife. Fuck, my suitcases.”

“In the car,” Leo reported, adding a proud smile.

With no acknowledgement whatsoever of Leo’s forethought and effort remembering his belongings, Percy instructed, “Get the suitcases from the car before someone steals them. Speaking of which, you’d best put the car in lockup and use the underground. I’ll need you back here as soon as possible, so use the photocopier at the library, take notes, whatever you have to do to get every scrap of information back to me within two hours. Maximum.”

“All right.” Leo started towards the door, Althea running after him, centimetres behind. She consequently smacked intohis back when he stopped suddenly to ask Percy, “What about you? Are you hungry?”

“No. Hurry. And find me a gun. Oh, and a blowtorch.”

“A blowtorch?” Turning a distinct shade of green, Leo cast a glance towards Joe’s sleeping body. “You’re going to use it? On him?”

A spark of warning flared in Percy’s tired eyes. “It’s not as though I have much of a choice, is it?”

With a sharp nod, Leo was out and on his way, Althea following.

Alone, Percy stood still and took a few long and deep breaths. Then he pulled Cleo from her bag. He checked her skull for missing teeth, bumps or scrapes. He placed her down on the mattress. She was silent. He stroked the rough shell of her scalp and asked, “Do you know what’s going on?”

A soft hiss escaped the gap between her teeth.

Percy said, “He’s tied up. He can’t hurt you.”

From the skull came a little grunt, or something as close to a grunt as a thing with no lips and no tongue and no throat can make.

Percy glanced back at Joe’s body, mute and unmoving, and he whispered, “Are you frightened of it?”

“Heeeee,” she wheezed.

“I can’t leave him right now, but I promise, you’re next in line.” Percy placed the skull at the head of the bed, out of Joe’s sight, then slumped into the chair opposite him to await the coming interview.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

INTERVIEW WITH THE BEAST

Joe’s eyes opened slowly, hazily, and the first thing the beast saw was Percy.

Percy had remained there, quietly seated beside his beloved, for two straight hours. He watched intently, curious to see if the drugs had affected the being’s thoughts along with Joe’s body. “Do you know where you are?”

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