Eight of Hearts: The Rift Blade - Book 1

Chapter 20

Adriana struck the dragon with a straight jab to the snout. Its flesh rippled back at the impact, tearing free from its bones and disintegrating into dust. Jonas gaped as he saw the effect spread along the length of its body until only the skeleton remained.

Isaac became visible again, crawling along the inside of the dragons rib-cage towards his bat. The bones began to turn to dust as well, and he only barely reached his target before both he and his bat fell to the street rubble below.

"I got it!" he yelled, holding his bat over his head triumphantly as he climbed to his feet.

Adriana stared at the boy a moment without a word, then turned to address Holmes. "Will someone please either explain what's going on, or get me some absinthe so I can forget all of this?!" she growled.

"The scary man took you, and we got to fight some spooky zombies!" Isaac piped up.

Holmes cleared his throat, "I believe we should start by asking how your rescuer managed to get past the dragon unscathed."

The gentleman bowed graciously, "You may call me Cecil, good sir," he said. His voice was as soft and gentle as his face, which seemed very nearly feminine. "When I saw the dragon, I simply went around the back which was left unguarded."

"Cecil was at the club too, and he did know the secret handshake," Isaac said, cheerfully interrupting again.

"Then why did you use the front as your escape route?" Holmes asked, ignoring Isaac as he stared straight into Cecil's eyes.

Cecil smiled, and he inclined his head in recognition of the fair question. "I witnessed your battle through the window, and thought it best to reveal myself and assure you of the girl's safety. It wouldn't do to have someone get hurt when the one they seek is already safe. I'm just amazed she had both the courage and strength to eliminate such a fearsome beast."

Jonas finally recovered himself enough to speak up. "I want to know why-no, how you punched a dragon to death!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Adriana cocked her head, "What, are you saying that thing was real? Boy, I'll have what you're having."

Jonas pressed on his temples with both hands as he fought back the throbbing pain that was starting to surface. None of this made any sense. That didn't explain anything. This world had magic, dragons, and undead, sure. How Adriana was able to break through with blind ignorance was more than his mind could comprehend.

"I suspect," said Holmes, "that whoever summoned the beast has plans that require Adriana to be unharmed."

Adriana shrugged, "I don't care one way or another." She turned to Cecil, "But I guess I owe you one for saving me. That's one of the top ten creepiest dumps I've ever woken up in."

Cecil bowed slightly, tipping his hat to her with a pleasant smile. "It was nothing, my dear. I was fortunate your captor was already slain when I arrived."

"I should like to see the body for myself," Holmes said, taking a step toward the house.

Cecil gestured broadly, stepping aside to let the detective past. "Of course, he is just inside."

Jonas and Watson followed Holmes to the front door, which still hung wide open. They peered cautiously through the gloom, and saw the twisted corpse for themselves. Whatever magic had made the Ripper invisible was gone, and it took all of Jonas's willpower not to puke at the sight. He was splayed out with his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling through the red paint that still covered his face. Judging by the amount of blood pooling on the floor, there was probably far less paint than it looked. He was missing his entire jaw, and it was obvious by the ragged flesh that it had been torn away rather than surgically removed. All of his internal organs were scattered around, each with a hole where a blade had pierced them through.