Heretics book 3 - The Apocryphile Press

326 :: JOHN R. MABRY
“You okay?” asked Dylan. She didn’t look at him, but
nodded, her eyes fixed to the dark house, looking lonely
now, even abandoned. It’s my house, now, she thought, but
it didn’t feel like hers.
“Don’t look like much is goin’ on, here,” Dylan said,
opening the car door. “But let’s have a look-about, just to
make sure.”
She opened her own door and together they walked up the
drive to the front door. She unlocked it and it swung open
into a house filled with shadows. She felt for the light switch
and narrowed her eyes against the glare.
“Looks clear,” Dylan said. “Ah’ll just check the bedrooms,”
and he pushed past her. “All clear,” he said, and
then strode into the living room.
There he stopped. She noticed and caught up to him.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Waal, it’s not how Ah left it.” His brow furrowed. He
pointed to the credence table. “See that, it’s been cleaned up.
In fact...it looks like another ritual has been done here since
Dicky and I checked it out.”
Kat knelt in a small circle near the far side of the circle of
invocation. “Dylan, there’s hair, here.”
Dylan joined her and picked up the strands. “Thet’s not
hair, thet’s fur. Looks like they came back here to do the dog
ritual.”
“So doesn’t it make sense that they would do the next ritual
here, too?”
“Does to me, but magicians don’t think like normal folk.
Mah guess is that this next ritual is Dane’s big night and he’s
gonna want to cater his own party.” He brushed his hands
on his cassock and stood. “Ah don’t think anything is goin’
down here tonight. Ah say we high-tail it to the City.”
Kat nodded, moved to resolve by the anger welling up in
her. How dare they do a magickal working in her house,
after all? “Let’s go get the bastards,” she said.