Operation Barghest - Part Seven
Danger, danger, danger
Previously - Dr. Telford speaks with an old comrade of his, Agent Marie Nicoletta. She believes that something foul is afoot and doesn’t trust Sir William. She also sees romance in Rebecca’s eyes. With that information, he rejoins Rebecca and Sir William continues to take them on the facility tour.
She soon joined the two men and looked relieved to have done so. The trio made their way past the original level. Cold globes illuminated the darkness, making the passage down steep, stone treads safe. He wondered as they walked about the absence of fire. It could, under certain circumstances, interfere with the more intricate spells of the necromancer.
It wasn’t that students of the school preferred the dark; the magic worked better where no spark of life-giving energy was present. Nothing bespoke that more than flame, other than perhaps electricity. Excess of caution, indeed. He felt as though he were walking into a powder keg.
At the base of the steps, two soldiers stood at a slack attention, holding short-barreled rifles. There was a dullness about their eyes. Still, at their approach, the men brought the weapons to bear. “Password.”
“Selenography.” Sir William spoke the word firmly and touched the base of his wand.
Both men saluted stiffly.
Sir William opened the iron-shod door, pushing it inward, and walked between them. “Come along, come along.”
Rebecca looked at Douglas and then at the soldiers, raising an eyebrow. Her skin had taken on a waxy look.
He put a firm hand on her elbow and escorted her through the door. It was evident that this level once served as a dungeon. The cell doors had been removed, and the small rooms filled with what looked for all the world like simple bird cages. As they walked the length of the large central hall, he could see that the cages varied in size. They all appeared occupied, though in the weird light it was hard to tell by what. His flesh crawled at the way the things inside moved.
“Welcome to our research lab.” Sir William stepped up to a table where a young man was peering into a cage and taking notes.
A block and tackle ran from one end of the hall to the other, allowing larger cages to be moved easily. A clever mechanism on each table allowed them to be locked in place, regardless of the enclosure’s size. A number of questions arose, and he would be able to ask none of none of them without revealing how little he knew.
“Quite the setup you have here,” Rebecca spoke, sounding a trifle out of breath.
“Yes.” Sir William nodded. “This is Corporal Clive, one of my research assistants. He’s observing one of our subjects. Everything going as we hoped, Corporal?”
The narrow-faced man nodded. “Yes, sir. Subject eleven stroke bee, zed, zed, alpha is stable.” He peered at Douglas and Rebecca as though noticing them for the first time. “Visitors, sir? Highly irregular.”
“Yes, well, they’ve been sent here on Ministry business. Leave this subject, Corporal, and go take a break. Our visitors need to have a look around undisturbed.”
The Corporal left with a thoroughly dissatisfied look on his face, pinching it even further. “Highly irregular.” The heavy door closed behind him.
Sir William walked up to the cage, easily large enough to hold a small person. Something inside made a low rumbling noise, more like an airship’s engine than an animal’s growl. “So, would now be a good time for you to perform your examinations?” He unclipped something from in front of the cage, and the door creaked open slightly. “Or shall we dispense with the illusion entirely?”
Douglas took a step back and held out a protective hand to keep Rebecca behind him. “Illusion? I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.” He pointed his cane towards the door. “Shouldn’t you close that, old man?”
The cage door continued to open and a dark shape, something like a dog wed with a panther, slinked out. It was more canine in its appearance, blocky and formidable, but it moved with the grace of a cat. It sat at the feet of its master and licked its muzzle with a tongue as black as the rest of it.
“Yes, you were always so good at those. This time around, not good enoug,h I’m afraid. The ministry has been working on its detection equipment, at least for sites like this one. I’m afraid your skills have softened somewhat with age. It was obvious to me the scroll was a fraud, and I know there’s no such thing as a Code Geist. There are some who would have fallen for your ruse, but not me. Now, you will tell me why you’re here, and my subject here will eat you.”
“Don’t you mean ‘or’?” Rebecca’s voice asked, with a hint of steel.
“No. If you don’t tell me, then I will have removed a threat. If you do, you’ll still die as the traitors you are.”
Douglas heard a scraping of metal and knew the young lady held her borrowed dagger. He wanted to draw his wand, but for now, the cane might offer more protection. “Hardly traitors to a Crown that would break its treaties.”
“The Tam Lin business? Political expediency. Not really my call, however. Whether you agree with the Crown on this matter or not, it has been decided. Our research will go forward. You will disappear.”
Douglas reached out with his mind to the energies stored in the cane. “That can’t be an authorized action.”
Sir William shrugged. “Perhaps not. But I have certain latitude in my duties here.” His next word was an arcane one unrecognizable to Douglas
Its purpose became readily apparent as the demonic dog leaped forward.
