The Third Circle (Arcane Society Book 04) Read Free Page B

the poison?”
    “None that we know of. Pay close attention. I understand that you feel you have a claim on that damned crystal, but if you have any common sense, any care at all for your personal safety, you will return it to its true owner. I will give you his name and address.”
    “I appreciate your concern, but I assure you there is no way Delbridge will be able to find me. It is you who are in danger tonight. You said something about hallucinations. Please, tell me precisely what is happening to you.”
    He dashed the back of his sleeve across his eyes with an impatient movement and then shook his head as though to clear it. “I am starting to see things that are not there. At the moment I am still aware that the images are fantasies, but soon they will become real to me. That is when I will become a threat to you.”
    “How can you be so certain?”
    “I believe that the vapor was used twice in the past two months. Both victims were elderly collectors. Neither was prone to violent outbursts, but under the influence of the drug they attacked others. One of them stabbed a loyal servant to death. The second tried to set his nephew afire. Now do you comprehend the danger you are in, madam?”
    “Tell me more about these hallucinations you say you are starting to see.”
    He put out the dying light and opened the door at the bottom of the stairwell. Cold, damp air greeted them. Moonlight still illuminated the gardens, but rain was coming.
    “If the reports are accurate,” he said evenly, “I am about to be consumed by a waking nightmare. I will likely soon be dead. Both of the other victims died.”
    “How did they die?”
    He stepped outside and drew her with him. “One threw himself out a window. The other suffered a heart attack. Enough chatter. I must get you safely away from here.”
    He spoke with a cool detachment that was almost as worrisome as the prediction. He had accepted his fate, she realized, yet he was making plans to save her. A thrill of astonished wonder came over her, leaving her breathless. He did not even know her name yet he was determined to help her escape. No one had ever done anything so heroic for her in her entire life.
    “You will come with me, sir,” she said. “I know something of nightmares.”
    He dismissed the promise of hope out of hand, not even bothering to respond.
    “Keep your voice down and stay close,” he said.

2
    I’M A DEAD MAN, Thaddeus Ware thought.
    It was odd how little effect the knowledge had on him. Perhaps he was already under the spell of the drug. He thought he was holding the nightmares at bay, but he could not be certain. The conviction that he was strong enough to resist the poison for a few more minutes might in itself be an illusion.
    Nevertheless, in the desperate hope that he was, indeed, managing to control the bizarre images, he concentrated his attention on the woman and the need to see her to safety. It was now his only goal. It seemed to him that the bizarre images gathering at the edge of his awareness receded a little when he focused hard on saving his companion. Something to be said for all the years spent learning to control his hypnotic talents. He did not lack for raw willpower. He sensed the ability was all that stood between him and the coalescing dream world that would soon engulf him.
    He led the way through the gardens, following the path he had taken earlier when he had entered the mansion. For once the lady obeyed, staying close beside him.
    A long, high hedge loomed in their path. He reached out and caught hold of the woman, intending to steer her toward the gate, but when his hand closed around her arm, his concentration shattered like a fine china vase dropped on a marble floor. Without warning elation flooded his veins. He tightened his grip, savoring the heady rush of pleasure.
    He heard a soft, startled gasp, but he paid no attention. He was suddenly intensely aware of the exquisite, supple roundness of the arm he held.