She realised what she must do.Tomorrow morning she had to go back to the cottage, find Lord Percy and murderthe poor wretch. It’s not like this strange man from the distant past shouldeven have been here, she told herself. He was an abomination from a bygone erathat must be returned to ceare. This terrible situation was all her fault andshe owed it to the girls to put things right. But the Professor was a civilisedand learned person, and this was murder.
The Professor heard a loud thud. Hereyes flicked open. Then there was another, with the sound of deep male voices.It was coming from outside! Someone was trying to break into her rooms!
She pulled the needle carefully out ofher arm and went into the study. There was a loud cracking sound and she sawthe door to her rooms move, splintered wood and plaster fell from the frame.She knew who was trying to break in and it was no use fighting. They were verystrong and could do what they liked to a feeble, arthritic woman. She sat ather writing desk, took out a piece of paper and quickly scribbled a note. Thenshe went back into her bedroom, sat on the bed and waited.
She heard the door give way. There wasthe sound of many footsteps and a few seconds later her bedroom door opened. Inmarched four uniformed policemen, truncheons held in their hands.
Inspector Ferret followed. He wascarrying a brown jug and a grey cloth. “Hold her down,” he said.
The policemen grabbed the Professor’sarms and legs and pinned her to the bed.
“I’ll tell you what I don’tunderstand,” said the Inspector as he tipped liquid from the jug onto the greycloth. “How could we have been so bleedin’ thick? I mean, you, a fully-fledgedmember of the Apostles, made the pledge and got the tattoo on your arm, thefull works. And all the time... a dirty stinking pagan! And we never realised!I’ll bet you laughed your little socks off at our stupidity.”
“What are you going to do to me?” saidthe Professor.
“I could tell you, Prof,” saidInspector Ferret with a slow smile, “but you really don’t want to know.”
He clamped the grey cloth over theProfessor’s face and waited for her to stop struggling.
Part Three
In whichfamily and friends are ripped from the hearts of their loved ones
ChapterThirteen - Percy’s Servants
Yesterday, at around 10 in the evening, a rocker gangraised hell in Market Square. Property was destroyed and people were threatenedwith flick knives. The police were sent in but failed to stop it. The youth oftoday are out of control. We must bring back National Service before thecountry goes to the dogs.
– Extract from Rocker Gang RunsWild in Market Square, The Middenmere Gazette, July 1971.
LordPercy rode Beauty past Conatus Chapel, through the gates and out onto the mainroad. He’d travelled up and down this street many times when he was last alive,but a span of a hundred years had changed it greatly. The gas lamps, with theirlamplighter and his long pole, had long since gone, replaced by taller lampswith a strange orange glow. The road had lost its dirt and dung and was nowhard and black with a white broken line down its centre. There were manyhorseless carriages parked at the kerbside and Percy wondered how many peoplestill had the good sense to keep a trusty horse like Beauty.
He heard the hum of machinery, like amilling machine, grow steadily louder. Suddenly, one of the wheeled metalmonsters sped round the bend, swerving to avoid himself and Beauty, who wasgreatly startled by the brightness of its carriage lamps.
“Whoa girl,” he said patting Beauty onthe neck and glaring at the machine as it sped off into the distance. “We shalltake Old Road through the woods, if it’s still there. I do not like the speedof these confounded contraptions.”
Lord Percy cantered up the road pastthe College and turned at a junction bounded by lights on poles than turnedred, yellow and green. Claude followed closely behind. He trotted on as theroad skirted around the back of the college. He could see Wych Elm Wood to hisright and knew that Old Road came out a little further along. Everywhere wasquiet and very still.
Then he heard the whispering insidehis head.
That bawdy young wench was keen asMister Fox a’hunting chickens. Look now and find more like her. She has afeisty nature I like.
Percy knew the voice of madness washere to stay – it was silenced only by the Good Doctor’s Vita Dantis. Heshook his head in a bid to clear his thoughts but realised he wastrapped by the grip of a will that would not let go. His eyes searcheddesperately for human life, forced to obey its orders. Drinking Lilith’s bloodhad fired a psychological hunger inside him that could not be argued with.Claude sniffed the air and detected the pungent aroma of human sweat, not faraway. Lord Percy also perceived this – knowledge somehow passing from the dog’smind into his own. Claude looked up at his master, perched high on Beauty, andwhimpered.
“Go on boy,” said Lord Percy. “Fetch.”
Claude bounded off across the road toan imposing building with rows of leaded windows on four storeys. An ironrailing ran along the front and there was a gate with steps leading down to anuncovered passage at cellar level. Six tramps were sleeping down there oncardboard, with ragged blankets and empty cans of beer.
Claude bounded over the railings andshot down into the passage, putting clawed feet onto one of the tramps, whoopened his rheumy eyes and screamed as he saw a growling ferocious beast baringsharp pointed teeth. An instant later Claude had sunk his jaws into the tramp’sthroat.
Lord Percy sat on Beauty with eyesfluttering, muttering a complex curse in a strange language. At that moment, hewas at one with the dog, inside the creature’s mind. It was almost like he himselfwas growling, barking and flashing sharp teeth. A minute later all
