Coyle and Fang: Curse of Shadows (Coyle and Fang Adventure Series Book 1) Robert III (first color ebook reader txt) 📖

Coyle a few moments alone so she can work,” Vonteg said. “This here’s a big house, and there are plenty of other places to look for something useful.”

Their footsteps grew distant after a few moments, and she glanced over her shoulder. She was alone. In a sense. She let out a long breath of air and her shoulders slouched. She rolled her neck when a small noise caught her attention.

It was soft, just barely a whisper. But, what—or who—was it? She leaned over and studied the faces. Who could be alive after this? No one. She was hearing things.

Right?

And then she locked eyes with a woman. Her lips moved. Coyle pulled up the hem of her dress, keeping it away from the blood-soaked rug, and stepped over the bodies until she was next to the woman with lavender eyes. A thin line of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Her skin was pale, without life, yet she was alive. Her pupils were constricted, focused and locked onto Coyle’s gaze. The woman’s lips formed shapes, struggling with words. Coyle leaned in close and dabbed her handkerchief at the woman’s mouth.

“Keep this safe,” the woman said, pushing each word out. “Keep this safe.”

“I don’t understand,” Coyle said. “Keep what safe? Vonteg!” she called out, regardless of the fact she was standing in the aftermath of a crime that had occurred over six months ago. She didn’t understand what or how this was happening, but she had to treat the situation as if it were happening right now.

The woman patted her waist. A bulge was under the material, and Coyle carefully lifted the woman’s cool, soft fingers away. She tugged a pouch away and pulled out a large metallic ring with smaller concentric rings inside it. Runes were engraved along the outside. Coyle pushed a gemmed knob on one side. The rings came apart and hovered next to each other, tethered by a single blue, glowing strand. She switched hands, and the rings floated into a different formation but still held fast to the blue strand.

“What is this?” Coyle asked.

“Reciter. For the book. To read it.” The woman’s hand slipped away, and her eyes rolled back. “They don’t know. Keep it safe.” She let out a long sigh, and her body went limp, her eyes vacant.

Coyle held up her palm, and the rings returned to their original formation and collapsed into her hand. She pressed her finger into the woman’s neck. No pulse. Coyle’s eyes shifted to the Reciter.

What have I found?

***

Veiul’s pulse quickened, and she pushed the switch on her transreceiver.

“They found the Reciter. Repeat, they found the Reciter,” she said.

“Then it wasn’t in Trevin’s lair?” the deep, mechanical voice asked.

“The woman named Coyle just found it. Do you want me to single her out of the projection equation?”

“Yes. Send her to me. I’ll take it when she arrives.”

“Singling her out means there won’t be enough power to kill the others, you understand,” Veiul said.

“We do whatever is necessary to reach the objective. Let Death have her way when she wishes.”

Veiul removed the device, adjusted its knobs, and returned it into the projector.

***

Coyle stood up and looked down at the other bodies, wondering if anyone else was still alive. She carefully inspected each of their faces and called out to Vonteg again. They would have to know what she found and what happened. She patted her pocket and felt the heavy rings inside. She smiled. She couldn’t wait to see Treece’s face when she shared the news. She was definitely on her way to becoming a detective.

The floor shifted underneath her. She steadied herself and looked down, but nothing appeared to have moved. She stepped out of the bloody mess and was about to call out again when Vonteg and Duone arrived from the staircase. She frowned when the staircase shifted colors.

“Coyle,” Vonteg said. “What’s wrong? Did you find some—”

She gasped as Vonteg and Duone shifted colors. Their mouths moved as if they were speaking, yet there was no sound. Portions of the walls and furniture shifted colors and disappeared for a moment before reverting back to normal. The air vibrated and made a scratching noise.

“Should we leave?” Coyle looked around the room. The walls and floors and ceilings were disappearing and reappearing all at once.

What’s happening?

***

“We still have over two hours to retrieve any evidence, Coyle,” Poes said as he rounded a corner. “What’s wrong?”

Coyle’s mouth moved as if she were speaking. The men frowned at each other. She looked at her hands and arms as her body shifted colors, from black and white to shades of blue and green, before changing back to normal. Dismay and shock washed over her face.

“Coyle?” Poes asked. He walked toward her. She shifted colors again, faster and faster until she burst into a flash of light. The men shielded their eyes. There was a loud pop and the sharp odor of hot metal.

Poes opened his eyes into slits and stood before a motionless, three-dimensional image of Coyle, the color of blue sky. The details were blurred, but Coyle’s hand reached out to him, mouth was frozen in a scream eyes wide in terror. By instinct he reached for her, but the image melted into nothingness. He looked at the floor, then at the ceiling, but she was gone.

“What’s happened?” Vonteg shouted. “Treece?”

The others came running until they were all standing near the crime scene. Treece and Sullywether exploded through the door.

“What’s going on?” Bolt asked.

“Something happened to Coyle,” Vonteg said. “She was flashing colors and then, poof, she’s gone.”

“But where?” Quolo asked.

“Sullywether?” Treece asked. All eyes settled on the gnome.

“Sounds like the work of a molecular transference device, and not one of ours. That means there is only one place she could have gone,” Sullywether said. He shoved the cigar back in his mouth.

“She’s at the original Baldwin mansion.”

Chapter 8

The Baldwin mansion

Presidio Heights

“What happened?” Coyle asked. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she searched for Poes. But he’d vanished right before