The Third Circle

by Amanda Quick

  “No, that can’t be true.” Annie sank back into despair. “The Monster’s one of the demons. Not even The Ghost can kill a demon.”

  “I saw the body myself, Annie. What’s more, The Ghost will soon come here to rescue us.”

  “Nobody can rescue us,” Annie explained sadly. “Not even The Ghost. It’s too late. We’re already in hell.”

  “Look at me, Annie.”

  Annie cringed, but she met Leona’s eyes. “Too late.”

  “No, it’s not too late,” Leona insisted fiercely. “The Ghost will come straight down here into hell itself, and take us out.”

  Annie looked doubtful.

  A door opened somewhere outside the cell. Annie buried her face in her hands and started to sob quietly.

  A familiar figure appeared on the other side of the iron bars. Lamplight gleamed on the shoemaker’s bald head and sparkled on the frames of his spectacles.

  “I see you’re awake, Miss Hewitt.” He beamed. “Excellent. Your audience is gathering even as we speak. They’re counting on you to give a thrilling performance. Indeed you may consider it the performance of your life.”

  Leona did not move from her position on the cot. “Who are you?”

  “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Basil Hulsey. Like you, Miss Hewitt, I am an expert in the energy of dreams. Unlike you, however, I specialize in creating nightmares.”

  46

  SHUTTLE HAD GROWN UP hard on the streets, and he’d seen a lot of things in his time, things that could make a grown man shiver in his shoes. But few were as frightening as the shadowy figure standing in front of him now. He’d heard rumors of The Ghost, but he’d always laughed at the tales. Tonight he was not laughing.

  “It was just another bit of employment for me and Paddon,” he said urgently, desperate to be believed. “We didn’t hurt the ladies, I swear. Just put ’em out for a bit with one of the doctor’s potions.”

  “You kidnapped one of the women,” The Ghost said.

  Shuttle trembled. There was something strange about the voice. It turned everything in the vicinity, including The Ghost himself, to shadows. The phantom stood no more than a couple of steps away, but Shuttle could not make out his face. Part of the trouble was that it was almost midnight. Nevertheless, there was a street-lamp nearby. He should have been able to see The Ghost more clearly.

  “It wasn’t a kidnapping,” he said, eager to explain. “We just tucked her into the box and loaded her into the carriage. A kidnapping is when you hold a person until someone pays ransom, ye see. This weren’t like that. Not at all. Just a job of work, see. Paddon and me got paid for a day’s labor, and that was the end of it.”

  “Where did you take the woman you kidnapped?”

  The voice rolled over him like a great wave. He was helpless in its grip.

  He told The Ghost where he and Paddon had taken the woman.

  47

  IT’S A PITY you and I did not meet under other circumstances,

  Miss Hewitt,” Hulsey said through the iron bars. "We would have made an excellent team in the laboratory.”

  “Do you think so?” Leona could not think of anything else to do except keep Hulsey talking.

  “Yes, indeed,” Hulsey said, waxing enthusiastic. “Your knowledge of the power of crystals to influence the dream state would have been most welcome. I am hoping that after you have satisfied the members of the Third Circle, they will give you to me. It would be so interesting to see if you could use the aurora stone to free yourself from one of my chemically induced nightmares.”

  Annie whimpered quietly in the corner.

  Leona got to her feet and went to the door of the cell. She studied Hulsey. The man looked like an oversized insect.

  “I’m amazed that a researcher who prides himself on being a scientist would give any credence to the powers of a woman who claims to make her living working crystals,” she said. “Never say that you actually believe in the paranormal, Doctor.”

  Hulsey chuckled and clasped his hands very tightly in front of his thin chest. “Ah, but I do, Miss Hewitt. You see, I also possess psychical abilities. In fact, I have been a member of the Arcane Society for many years.”

  An icy chill went down her spine. “What is the nature of your talent?”

  Hulsey preened. “I am no ordinary chemist, Miss Hewitt. I possess a genius for the science that is positively preternatural. I have devoted my talent to the study of the dream state.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it fascinates me. You see, the dream state is the one condition in which the barriers that separate the normal and the paranormal are blurred. Everyone dreams, Miss Hewitt. It is proof that everyone possesses a paranormal side to his or her nature, whether or not the individual is aware of it.”

  She forced a careless little shrug. “I happen to agree with you. What of it?”

  “I congratulate you on your insight. But evidently you have not taken your understanding of the nature of dreams to the logical conclusion.”

  “Which is?”

  Behind the lenses of his spectacles, Hulsey’s eyes glittered. “Don’t you see? If one can manipulate a man’s dreams, one can control that man utterly.”

  THE ANCIENT ABBEY ruins loomed in the moonlight. Thaddeus stood in the shadows at the edge of the woods, Caleb on one side, Fog on the other. They studied the pile of stone.

  “She is in there,” Thaddeus said.

  “Unless the bastards moved her to another location after Shuttle and his associate delivered her here,” Caleb said.

  “She’s in there,” Thaddeus repeated. “Look at Fog. He can sense her, too.”

  They studied Fog, who stood tense and alert, nose pointed at the abbey.

  “Hard to believe his canine senses have caught her scent at this distance and through all that stone,” Caleb said, sounding very thoughtful.

  “I think he shares some sort of link with her. So do I.”

  Caleb did not argue. “Can you keep him under control when we go in after her? If he gets loose and starts howling, the bastards will realize what we are about.”

  Thaddeus tugged gently on the leash attached to Fog’s collar. The dog did not react in any way. All of his attention remained fixed on the abbey.

  “To tell you the truth, I don’t know if I’ll be able to restrain him once he gets closer to Leona,” Thaddeus said. “All I know is that we need him. He’s our best hope of finding her quickly in that pile of stone.”

  48

  WHY DID YOU bring Annie here?” Leona asked. "Annie?” Hulsey looked baffled. "Is that her name?”

  In her corner, Annie cried out as though she had been struck.

  "You don’t even know her name?” Leona asked.

  “She isn’t important. Just a research subject. The last two died in the course of the experiments. I told Delbridge that I needed another. He sent the Monster out to collect one for me.”

  “You’re the one responsible for those girls disappearing from the streets. You conducted experiments on them.”

  Hulsey chuckled. “I could hardly conduct experiments on myself now, could I?”

  “How dare you,” Leona said fiercely.

  “Really, Miss Hewitt, there’s no need for such strong emotions. I’m a scientist, and I require test subjects. Annie is not important. Neither were the other two. They were merely common prostitutes.”

  “What have you done to her?”

  “I have been trying to create an antidote for my nightmare vapor. It would be useful to have in the event of accidents. As it stands now, the nightmares are irreversible. Annie inhaled the vapor yesterday. I gave her the antidote last night.”

  Leona tightened her hands into small fists. “It does not appear to have been effective.”

  “Actually, Annie has survived longer than the other two girls, but I must admit, this experiment has not been a success.” Hulsey exhaled a little sigh of regret. “Annie is quite insane now. She will not recover. I shall have to ge
t rid of her and find another girl for the next phase of my experiments.”

  Leona wanted to wrap her fingers around his scrawny throat and squeeze the life out of him. She forced herself to find another topic instead.

  “Lancing is dead,” she announced.

  “Yes, I heard.” Hulsey’s sharp face twisted in disgust. “Fell trying to jump from one rooftop to another, they said. Good riddance. The man had some extremely primeval talents that I admit were of limited use, but he was mentally unstable. I told Delbridge he was dangerous, but his lordship was quite taken with the notion of having his own parahunter for a hired killer.”

  “Delbridge died only a few hours after Lancing. He was stabbed with one of his own artifacts, an ancient dagger. Was that your work?”

  “Of course not.” Hulsey was affronted. “I’m a scientist. I have no interest in physical violence. If I’d wanted his lordship dead, I would have used my nightmare-inducing vapor.”

  “Who killed Delbridge?”

  “The leader of the Third Circle.”

  “Why didn’t he kill you as well?”

  Hulsey chuckled, genuinely amused. “Now, why would he want to kill me? I am the only one who knows enough about the science of chemistry to be able to comprehend the founder’s formula when it is recovered. I am the only one who is brilliant enough to prepare it and conduct the tests necessary to ensure that it is safe to use. No, no, my dear, I assure you the members of the Third Circle need me.”

  “This is about the founder’s formula, then? In that case, why is everyone after the aurora stone?”

  “The aurora stone is necessary to unlock the formula, as you will soon discover. The members of the Third Circle need you to work the crystal for them to open a certain strongbox. They expect to find the formula inside the box.”

  A conspiracy, Leona thought, just as Caleb Jones had deduced but perhaps far more complex than he assumed. It sounded as if the conspirators were organized in ascending circles of power. If there was a third circle, it stood to reason that there was probably also a first and second, perhaps more.

  “Speaking of the stone,” Hulsey continued, “I wish to inquire what, precisely, happened that night in Delbridge’s gallery? Someone triggered the trap, but we never found a body. It was Ware, wasn’t it?”

  She shivered. “You know about Mr. Ware?”

  “Yes, of course. Delbridge made inquiries and determined that Ware is a member of the Arcane Society.” Hulsey frowned. “He is a psychical hypnotist, is he not?”

  There was no reason to give him any more information than necessary, Leona thought. She said nothing.

  Hulsey nodded to himself. “That is what I thought. He must have been in a very bad state after he inhaled the vapor. I am very curious to know how you used the crystal to save him.”

  “What makes you think I saved him?”

  “It is the only explanation. No one has ever come out of one of my nightmares.” Hulsey’s head bobbed again. “Yes, indeed, I really must be allowed to have you after the members have finished with you tonight. I will make it clear that if they want my expertise with the formula they must give you to me.” Hulsey took out his pocket watch and flipped open the cover. “Won’t be long now. The last member of the group arrived a short time ago. They’ll be sending someone along shortly to escort you to the chamber.”

  Hulsey turned and hastened away. Leona heard a door open and close. Silence descended on the outer room.

  Annie whimpered again. “We’re both in hell. Don’t ye understand?”

  Leona turned around. “We’re in hell, Annie, but we’re going to get out.”

  “No.” Annie shook her head in despair. “We’re trapped here until the end of time.”

  Leona walked across the small space. She undid the top three buttons of her bodice and pulled out the red crystal pendant.

  “Look at my necklace, Annie. Concentrate on it as hard as you can and tell me about your dreams.”

  Annie was bewildered, but she was too exhausted to disobey. She looked at the crystal.

  “I’m in hell,” she whispered. “There are demons all around, but the most dreadful one of all is the scientist . . .”

  Leona felt the familiar stirring of troubled dream energy. She focused on the small storm brewing inside the stone, channeling her own psychical currents.

  The crystal started to glow.

  THE DOOR IN the outer chamber opened again. Leona watched through the bars of her cell as two men wearing black cowled robes tromped into the room. The light glinted on the silver half-masks that covered their faces. She swallowed the sick dread that threatened to choke her and summoned up all of the acting skills that Uncle Edward had taught her.

  “Nobody mentioned that the invitation was to a costume ball,” she said.

  “Watch your tongue if you want to stay alive for the rest of the night,” one of the men said. “The Order does not tolerate insolence.”

  She thought about what Hulsey had said earlier. Evidently the members of the organization required her crystal-working skills. As long as the villains needed her services, there was hope. Uncle Edward’s words rang in her ears. “Always think positive, Leona. It is not as if there is anything to be gained by dwelling on the negative.”

  “Evidently the Order doesn’t tolerate a sense of humor, either,” she said, surveying the two men through the bars. “Tell me, does one go to a tailor to acquire robes and a mask like those or does one buy them ready-made in Oxford Street?”

  “Shut your mouth, you foolish woman,” one of the men hissed. “You have no conception of the kind of power you are playing with tonight.”

  “But you will learn soon enough,” the other vowed.

  Rough words but spoken with upper-class accents. These two were not from the streets; their kind inhabited exclusive gentlemen’s clubs.

  One of the pair reached inside his robe. Keys jangled. A moment later the cell door swung open, hinges grinding. The first man reached inside, grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the tiny chamber. The one with the keys hurriedly closed and locked the door.

  Neither of them paid any attention to Annie, who was huddled in her corner, conversing softly with herself.

  “Brought us down here to hell, y’see,” she whispered. “Demons everywhere.”

  The two robed figures forced Leona through the door in the outer room and along a shadowy stone hall. Candles smoked and flickered in wall sconces.

  “You know, you really should think about installing gas,” Leona said. “Candles are so old-fashioned. They give the impression that the Order is not terribly modern in its thinking.”

  One of the men tightened his grip on her arm so violently she knew she would have bruises in the morning. Always assuming she survived until morning. No, don’t think like that. She forced herself to concentrate, the way she did when she channeled dream energy. Where are you, Thaddeus? I know you’re looking for me. Can you sense me? I am here. I do wish you would hurry. The situation appears to be getting somewhat dire.

  The two men brought her to a halt in front of an iron-and-wood door. The cowled figure on the left opened it. The other man pushed Leona into a candlelit chamber.

  “The crystal worker,” one of the men announced.

  Three men in robes and masks occupied a horseshoe-shaped table. There was no sign of Hulsey.

  “Bring the woman to me,” commanded the man at the head of the table.

  One of the men who had brought her into the room reached for her arm again. She sidestepped him neatly and walked to stand in front of the figure who had spoken. When she got closer she saw that his mask was gold.

  “My name is Miss Hewitt,” she said coldly. “And I really must tell you that mature adults consider dressing up in long robes and wearing silly masks a game that is best reserved for children. Such activities do not imply any degree of maturity.”

  There was a murmur of anger from around the table, but the leader seemed unperturbed.

  �
��I applaud your spirit, Miss Hewitt,” he said, amused. “As it happens, you’re going to need it. Do you know why you are here?”

  No need to mention that Hulsey had said they needed her quite urgently, she decided. As cards went, it was not the highest one in the deck, but neither was it the lowest.

  “I assume you want me to work some crystal,” she said. “Really, you needn’t have gone to such overly dramatic lengths to obtain my services. I take appointments. I’m sure I could have fit you in early next week.”

  “Tonight works much better for us,” Gold Mask said. “We have been informed that you can control a certain crystal known as the aurora stone. I hope, for your sake, that is true.”

  Her pulse, already racing, began to pound more heavily.

  “I have never encountered a crystal that I could not work.”

  “This one is quite unique. It is the key to an old strongbox. If you are successful in opening the box, we of the Third Circle will be very pleased. Indeed, in future we might have more employment for you.”

  “I’m always in the market for new clients.”

  “If you fail, however, you will be quite useless to us,” Gold Mask concluded softly. “Indeed, you will become a liability.”

  She chose to ignore that. Think positive.

  “I will be happy to see what I can do for you,” she said briskly. “I assume you are acquainted with my usual fees?”

  There was a short, startled silence. No one had planned to pay her a fee for this night’s work. That probably did not bode well.

  “Never mind, I’ll send you my bill later,” she continued smoothly. “Now, then, why don’t you show me this aurora stone and let me see what I can do with it?”

  Gold Mask rose. “This way, Miss Hewitt.”

  He walked toward a door. The others got up, formed a tight knot around Leona and filed after him.

  Gold Mask opened the heavy door, revealing another, smaller candlelit chamber. Leona felt the familiar tingle of energy from the aurora stone. She was careful to keep her expression impassive. The less the members of the Third Circle knew about her ability to work the crystal, the better.