Lycans and Legends

Chapter 22: Bloody Boggarts

Agent Rose, Constantine, and I returned upstairs to the workroom which had been relit. I inhaled slowly and deeply, taking in the destruction. The faerie and his lackeys had destroyed Headquarters.

Agent White and Agent Jones were directing the medics who were taking the wounded agents upstairs.

“I’ll meet you later,” Constantine whispered to Agent Rose.

I looked back at the vampire who nodded to me, then he melded into the shadows and disappeared.

“Agent White,” I called, joining the junior agent. She had a smear of blood on her chin and was sweating. “Where did they take Agent Hunter and Agent Greystock?”

“We got word to Her Majesty. The wounded are being transported to Buckingham. In fact, there was a message for you. Oh, here he comes…” she said then looked to the lift.

When the lift doors opened, Agent Martin Fox stepped out.

Without a scratch on him.

“Agent Louvel,” he called. “There you are. I have an urgent message for you from Her Majesty.”

My eyes scanned the floor. I had seen Agent Fox, seen him lying dead not far from where Edwin had been. When I looked now, there was nothing. Had I been mistaken? Had it been someone else?

I rushed across the room quickly and grabbed Agent Fox. Pulling my spare silver cuffs off the back of my belt, I slapped them on him.

“What? Clemeny, what in the hell are you doing?”

“Hell’s Bells,” I said then turned to Agent Rose. “I saw Agent Fox dead. There,” I said, pointing. “It must have been—”

“A boggart,” Agent Rose finished for me.

I could feel all the color drain from my face. If that had been a boggart, then he would have heard what Edwin had told me.

Turning, I raced down the hallway toward Agent Hunter’s office.

“Clemeny, I need your key. Clemeny? You gotta let me out of these cuffs,” Agent Fox—the real Agent Fox—called.

I knew even before I got there.

I knew.

I turned the corner into Edwin’s office to see the replica of Tinker’s Tower smashed open. Picking up the remaining pieces, I looked inside.

From my periphery, I spotted Agent Rose at the door.

“Gone,” I told her, dropping the piece onto Hunter’s desk.

“The faerie got what he wanted.”

I nodded ruefully.

“Now what?”

“Clemeny,” Agent Fox called, joining Agent Rose and me in Edwin’s office. “Christ, they tore the place up. What were they looking for?”

“Something that they found,” I said with a sigh.

“Clemeny, Her Majesty wants you to come to Buckingham at once.”

“I’m sure she does.”

Agent Rose raised an eyebrow at me.

“The faerie is reconstructing a device. It contains three pieces. Once he has all three, he can open all the doorways to the dark fey realm.”

“And how many pieces does he have now?” Agent Rose asked.

“Two.”

“And the third?”

I shook my head as I scanned the room. My eyes fell on a painting of Victoria hanging on the wall. I studied it closely then huffed a laugh.

“It’s hanging off our Queen’s neck.”