Death of an Adept

"House phone's dead," Peregrine's voice went on, through crackles of more static. "Cell phone keeps breaking up - "

"Peregrine?" Adam shouted, as the interference continued, gesturing urgently as Humphrey appeared in the library doorway. "Peregrine, hang on! We'll be there as fast as we can! Humphrey, bring the Rover around. Peregrine, don't even try to leave the house. If you can hear me, just stay put and keep your heads down!"

A scant five minutes later, Adam and the faithful Humphrey were barrelling down the drive in the Range Rover, Humphrey at the wheel and Adam beside him with a pair of loaded shotguns braced purposefully across his knees. Neither man spoke as they approached the final bend in the road, but Adam slipped his Adept ring onto his hand.

The dark bulk of the gate lodge hove into view ahead, no lights showing upstairs or down. Humphrey pulled up short by the front door in a shower of gravel and a blaze of headlamps as a dark-colored panel van with its lights out accelerated away from the gates in the direction of the motorway and quickly disappeared from sight. Flinging his door wide, Adam shoved one of the shotguns into Humphrey's hands and snatched up a powerful torch before vaulting out of the cab with his own weapon at the ready, praying that the Lovats were not in the departing vehicle.

"Peregrine?" he shouted, pounding up the steps two at a time to hammer on the door. "Peregrine, it's Adam! Humphrey and I are here with shotguns. Philippa's calling the police."

Deathly silence suddenly gave way to the thud of hurrying footbeats on the stair within, followed by a scraping noise and the sharp click of a snib-lock being drawn. When the door swung partly open, Peregrine's drawn face appeared at the gap, squinting in the light of Humphrey's torch.

"Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed. "Quick, come inside."

He threw the door wide to allow them to enter and closed it swiftly behind them.

"Julia's upstairs," he informed them, as he replaced the chair he had wedged under the doorknob and Adam anxiously swept his torch around the room. "The air's clearer up there."

A foul carrion stench permeated the ground floor, along with a faintly dizzying narcotic residue and a more disturbing ripple of soul-chilling menace. Adam was hardly surprised to see that Peregrine looked decidedly queasy.

"We'd better deal with whatever's in the kitchen," he said, shining his torch in that direction. "You want to show me? Humphrey, stay here and guard the door - and see if you can get some windows open."

Mutely the young artist led the way into the kitchen, where the noisome bundle still lay on the floor by the kitchen door. The accompanying emanation of evil, as they approached, was nearly as palpable as the physical smell.

Laying his shotgun aside and tucking his torch under one arm, Adam used his handkerchief to mask his nose and mouth with one hand while he gingerly lifted a corner of the tea towel with the other. One glance was enough to make him drop the towel and sketch a sign of warding in the air above it.

"There's nothing I can do about this here and now," he told Peregrine. "We'll have to bring it up to the main house to deal with it properly. You go fetch Julia, but stay in the sitting room with Humphrey. I'll get this thing shielded for transport."

As Peregrine disappeared up the stairs, Adam cast his torch-beam around the kitchen until he spotted a square metal biscuit tin with a tight-fitting lid. Emptying its contents into the sink, he set it on the floor beside his bundled-up quarry and used a pair of wooden spoons to lift the offending item into the box. It was still smoldering inside the tea towel. As he set the lid in place and pressed it closed, Peregrine came down the stairs with Julia, the latter cradling their black and white kitten protectively in the front of her robe.

"Let's get out of here," Adam said, tucking the biscuit tin under one arm and grabbing up his shotgun.

With Humphrey warily covering their departure, they piled into the Range Rover, Adam stashing the biscuit tin in the back before he took the wheel. Philippa was waiting at the front door when they arrived at the house, bundled in a warm woollen robe.

"The police are on their way," she informed Adam as he alighted from the car. In a lower tone, she added, "Is there anything in particular we need to confer about before they arrive?"

"You could say that," Adam replied, handing her the shotguns.

Peregrine helped Julia from the car, with Humphrey taking charge of the frightened kitten, and Adam herded everyone toward the front door, himself lingering to retrieve the biscuit tin from the back of the car.

"The intruders planted a Hand of Glory in the kitchen," he said to his mother, carrying the tin somewhat gingerly. "Don't worry - I've got it safe in here for the time being. But you and I are going to have some work to do before the night is out."