There was blood in the autopsy room as they walked past, fresh blood that streaked beyond the darkened doorway as though something had been dragged inside. A part of Simon wanted to explore, to find out the most recent of Gideon’s victims, but a greater part of him realized it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered aside from destroying the demon and severing his abyssal control over Haversham.
The light flickered to life in the autopsy room as Simon walked past, and he spun rapidly. Luthor stood in the doorway, his hand frozen against the inner wall, his fingers still grasping the light switch. The apothecary tensed and made a retching noise before bringing his arm to his mouth and backing out of the room.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Simon returned to the doorway and peered within. He understood Luthor’s revulsion. What remained of a man was pinned to the metal table with hooks pierced through his wrists and ankles. The once-obese man had been vivisected, carved upon until he was properly autopsied. The spray of blood that marred the walls and the smear that led from outside the room to the table itself told Simon that the man was most likely alive when the surgery began.
Arching his eyebrow curiously, Simon stepped over the trail of viscera and approached the side of the table. The smell was hideous, a combination of feces and gore. He wasn’t sure if the man defecated himself during the torture or if the smell merely exuded from the piercing of the man’s bowels, but it lingered in the air like a noxious cloud.
Simon arrived beside the table and turned the deceased man’s head toward him for identification. His fears were founded as he finally caught a glimpse of the man’s face. Though he had always seemed jovial during their meetings, the horror now permanently cast on the governor’s face barely concealed the man’s features.
“Is that who I think it is?” Luthor asked, covering his nose to block the atrocious smell.
“Governor Godwin,” Simon confirmed. “Mr. Dosett is truly becoming desperate if he’s begun eliminating his closest allies. He must realize that his plan for control of both Haversham and the crown is unraveling quickly.”
Simon walked out of the room, turning off the lights behind him as he exited. “He’s growing desperate, which means he’s growing equally dangerous. We have to put a stop to him with all haste, which means we no longer have time for petty distractions.” He turned toward Luthor and stared intently at the apothecary. “Next time I avoid a room, do me a favor and leave the light in its original off position.”
Before Luthor could reply, Simon stormed toward the staircase at the end of the hall.
They walked up the stairs slowly, weapons drawn as they listened intently for any noise from above. The stairwell ended in a narrow hallway, one direction from which led to the kitchen while the other led to the foyer.
Simon stole a glance around the corner but found the first floor abandoned. He motioned for Luthor to follow as they crested the stairwell. The soles of their shoes clicked on the hardwood floor as they entered the foyer.
“Where is he hiding?” Luthor whispered as they rounded the corner and stood before the stairwell leading to the familiar second floor landing.
“Up, most obviously,” Simon replied, equally quietly.
“In his office, you presume?”
Simon shook his head. “Potentially, or perhaps he’s in the ballroom. It’s impossible to tell in such a grandiose mansion.”
Luthor tightened his grip on his blade. “Then shall we separate and explore as much of the mansion as possible?”
Simon turned toward the apothecary sharply, a look of absolute horror portrayed on his face. “Split up? That is one of the worst possible plans I’ve ever heard you offer. You never split up, certainly not when hunting a demon. There is strength in numbers.” Simon huffed in disgust. “Split up, indeed.”
Luthor clenched his jaw, uncertain if this ridicule was merely retribution for his earlier disrespect or if Simon was genuinely disappointed. “What would you have us do then, sir? Shall we slowly and deliberately search every inch of the estate until we uncover where he has concealed himself?”
Simon’s features relaxed and he smiled softly. “Of course not, Luthor. You are correct, of course, that would take far too long.”
The Inquisitor sheathed his sword and cupped his hands against either side of his mouth.
“Gideon Dosett!” he yelled, startling Luthor badly enough that the apothecary stumbled away. “How dare you wallow in your cowardice, sending minions instead to fight your battles? You’re an abysmal demon, and I don’t mean that in the slightest bit as a compliment. Show yourself. Come and face me!”
Luthor regained his composure and clenched Simon’s arm tightly, pulling his hands away from his mouth. “Have you taken a leave of your senses?”
Simon raised a finger to his lips, encouraging silence on the part of Luthor.
The sound of heavy furniture being tossed aside echoed from high above them. They craned their necks backward as they sought the source of the noise, but they saw nothing on the landings above them.
“You have been a thorn in my side for far too long, Inquisitor,” Gideon’s voice boomed from the floors above them. His voice sounded deeper and more malicious than it had been during their previous encounters. “I should have killed you when I had you alone in my office, rather than bending you to my will. I see my error now, one that I don’t intend to repeat.”
Simon and Luthor looked at one another.
“The ballroom,” Simon confirmed. “Now wasn’t that far easier than searching the entirety of the estate?”
“You’re a fool,” Luthor scolded, “and you take far too many liberties.”
“I do what is necessary, as I have always done,” Simon retorted. He placed his hand on the small of Luthor’s back, guiding him toward the stairwell. “Now let’s make haste before he has a chance to set a trap for us.”
Simon and Luthor rushed to the stairwell and bounded up the marble steps, their footfalls echoing through the vaulted central passage. They quickly reached the second-floor landing. Though both men still felt the need to rush, they slowed their pace as they examined the hallway and rooms that extended from the wide landing. They could see the doorways to their previous rooms in the distance, the doors ajar and assorted broken furniture strewn into the hallway.
“I don’t see anyone,” Luthor remarked.
Simon nodded and pointed toward the next stairwell, the one that concluded on a landing before the ballroom. “Then let’s not delay the inevitable. I would so hate to keep him waiting.”
Luthor nodded and rushed toward the base of the next stairs. He ascended two stairs at a time, his hand clenching the pommel of his cane tightly and the tickle of magic coursing through his free hand.
As he reached the third-floor landing, the burning in his forearm returned with a vengeance, sending searing pain through his bicep and into his shoulder. Without pulling up his sleeve, he knew the dangerous black tendrils had already reappeared around the edges of the inflamed rune. Simon’s estimation had been correct; Gideon Dosett was evidently in the ballroom.
The door was open, offering a clear view across the expansive formal hall. Luthor lowered himself, using the top stair as protection as he examined the room beyond. Gideon Dosett stood in the center, without any attempt to conceal himself.
Luthor turned toward Simon, ready to describe the scene before him, only to find the stairwell behind him empty. Simon was nowhere to be seen.
“Simon,” Luthor hissed. “Simon?”
He strained to hear anything coming from the floors below, but the mansion was blanketed with utter silence.
The silence was shattered by a frighteningly commanding voice that rolled from the ballroom. “Mr. Strong, I know you’re there. Please do come and join me.”
Luthor turned his attention slowly back toward the ballroom, his eyes widening as he saw how much closer Gideon now appeared. The man stood just within the doorway to the hall, a broad smile cast upon his face as he ext
ended his arms in invitation.
No longer seeing the need to hide, Luthor rose from his position on the stairs, cursing both himself and Simon as he walked toward the ballroom’s entrance.