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Back Cardinal Black Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Title Page
  2. One: Into the Storm
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Two: London Calling
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Three: The Malignant Seven
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Four: Squirrels and Cats
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. Twenty-Five
  31. Twenty-Six
  32. Twenty-Seven
  33. Twenty-Eight
  34. Twenty-Nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-One
  37. Thirty-Two
  38. Five: Revelation
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. About the Author

“Through tunnels that may only get me lost in a maze without an exit? I can’t risk that. Thank you, but no.”

She shook her head and let go a long breath of frustration. “They’re talking about you up there. Samson and that so-called cardinal. Black told Samson you really do work with the Herrald Agency in the New York colony. He said he learned that from the woman who calls herself Mother Deare. Called,” she corrected. “I understand she’s dead.”

“As the proverbial doornail,” Matthew said.

“No matter. I do know about the Herrald Agency. I have no idea how you’ve gotten mixed up in this, but I doubt you’re completely and willingly affiliated with Professor Fell. Don’t you want a chance to get out with your skin?”

Matthew decided he had to trust this young woman, even in spite of her deadly instincts. “I am here to retrieve the book and to take Firebaugh with it, because Fell’s previous chemist used a formula on the woman I love, to turn her into … well, into the shell of what she once was. If I don’t return the book and a new chemist to decipher the potions, she will continue to mentally decline into an infantile state. Fell agreed to let Julian and me at least try to get the book back. But I don’t think he cares much about the book itself anymore. He has bigger fish on his plate.” He paused, watching her expression as she took all this in; it was perhaps of sisterly concern, but still not enough to fully understand. He decided also to open another tin of worms. “Do you know that Cardinal Black and his gang murdered every Broodie but Rory Keen and myself? And then Mother Deare shot Rory in the head. I was there to see it happen, but I couldn’t stop it.”

“Wait … wait,” she said. “Murdered all the Broodies? When?”

“Not a month ago. I was present when Black—with Lash’s help—raided Fell’s village in Wales and took the book of potions. By that time, Berry—the woman I love and plan to marry, if I can bring her back—was already under the drug’s influence. Obviously Lash was the one who wanted the book, but Black wanted a second book that concerns his interest—obsession, I would say—with demonology. So that’s the story. I do appreciate your saving me from yourself, but I doubt Fell is going to offer any further bid to get the book of potions back. He’s not going to want Black to get his hands on the second book.”

Elizabeth appeared still shaken by the news that the Broodies had been murdered. “I … can’t … why did Black kill all of them?”

“He was after the supply of White Velvet the Broodies were keeping for Mother Deare’s gang, which was part of Fell’s organization.”