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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

Brux was backing away from Matthew’s makeshift whip. He retreated until he stepped on the huge wig that had fallen with its wigstand to the floor; he picked up the wig and held it like a shield before him, and Matthew realized that damned pelt could stop a rapier and it could also smother a face beneath it. Brux came in again and Matthew saw his eyes were judging distances in preparation to throwing the wig at him and rushing in. Now Matthew backed away, judging his own distances. When he got where he needed to be he stopped, and that was when the baron came at him like a whirlwind.

Matthew dropped the harpsichord wire, reached up with both hands to the full extension of his arms, grasped hold of the hanging tapestry and brought it down upon Brux’s head. The baron flailed blindly, Matthew stepped aside to let the man pass and slam against the wall behind him, and then Matthew saw an implement that could be put to good use. He picked up a broken leg of the harpsichord and clubbed Brux on the head with it before the baron could get free of his entanglement with medieval hunters and wolves.

Julian and Pellegar were locked in combat with the pistol between them. They struggled in silence with deadly purpose. A hand with fingers outstretched to jab his eyes darted at Julian but he jerked his head to one side. Julian returned the compliment by twisting his body and slamming an elbow into Pellegar’s face, but the man was a tough nut. With that in mind Julian’s next move was to ram a knee upward as hard as he could into the count’s groin, and a second time when the first reward was only a grunt of pain and a muffled Prussian curse. On the second knee to the nutcase Pellegar’s knees began to sag. Julian wrenched the pistol free, swung it barrels-first into the side of the count’s head and saw the man’s inkwell eyes go blank, all the ferocity draining out. A second and third strike with the pistol to the brainpan sent Pellegar to his knees, but incredibly the man held onto consciousness and began to try to crawl for some kind of cover.

Matthew had to hit Brux again with the harpsichord leg to put him down, and at last the baron lay still under the tapestry.