Mr. Sorokin had often provided Brogan with information about what was happening in the quiet corners of London, what was whispered about among the poor and struggling. No one was entirely certain how he managed to hear so much, but the DPS believed he’d built a network almost accidentally, having provided aid to so many who then remained loyal to him even years later. A network as vast as the one the Dread Master claimed. Barnabus couldn’t shake from his mind the possibility that this man might very well be their mysterious leader.

“Have you heard any word of the Kincaids?” Barnabus asked. “Gemma is in danger from them.”

Mr. Sorokin sat on the sofa. “They undertook a resurrection two nights ago, but it didn’t go well. They were caught out and had to flee, though one of them was captured by the blue-bottles. They left behind some of their tools. They’d brought in some extra hands, seeing as they’ve more work than usual, but those hands have proven unreliable.”

Which meant Gemma was likely in even more danger than she had been. Her hands knew the work. And the Kincaids knew it.

“Sometimes it seems the Mastiff has pulled so many into his web that we’ll never untangle it all.”

“That is the feeling in the dim corners of South London too,” Mr. Sorokin said. “They feel his presence everywhere. And he isn’t doing his work alone.”

Barnabus nodded. The Mastiff had the Raven and the Protector, Mrs. Smith, countless others. And even with all that, they’d received repeated warnings that something bigger was coming, something even more dangerous.

“You were pulled into his schemes with the Russian ambassador.” Barnabus kept his voice low but spoke fast, knowing there likely wasn’t going to be much opportunity for discussing this once the others came downstairs.

“Escaping his clutches is nearly impossible once he sets his sights on a person.” Mr. Sorokin sounded tired, and well he might be. Because of the Mastiff, he had been in hiding for months.

“You were asked to create forgeries regarding the Radlett murder as part of his blackmail scheme. That has come up again in connection with the Mastiff’s efforts against Lord Chelmsford.”

“That case occurred long before I came to England,” Mr. Sorokin said. “Before being forced into the Mastiff’s scheme, the only time I’d heard of that trial was not long after I arrived in London.

“A poor woman, destitute and desperate, came to me looking for letters of recommendation to help her get a respectable job. She had a little girl with her, and both appeared a breath away from starvation. She’d been forced into the kind of living you’ve dedicated your life to helping women escape.