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resuming an earlier incarnation to seek help is far more useful than trying to
interact as a purely spiritual entity. Which is precisely what he did, and why."
"I'm going to have to think about this," Peregrine said dubiously. "But don't be
surprised if it takes a little while for it all to sink in."
He fell silent after that - they were nipping around the Edinburgh Ring Road
now, heading for the Forth Road Bridge - and when he began nodding off,
exhausted from his accumulated exertions, Adam at last could turn his thoughts
to other aspects of the day's events besides wrestling with Peregrine's logic. There
were aspects to the case surrounding Michael Scot that still did not quite add up.
Aside from the appalling violation of the soul of Michael Scot, and the need to
rectify its effects in young Gillian, if possible, the most important question raised
by the circumstances of the case at Melrose concerned the status of those
responsible, and their apparent intention to go after Scot's book of spells. Upon
further reflection, Adam stood by his earlier conjecture that the thieves were
neophytes. The muddled approach to their whole assault on Scot was a clear
indication of their comparative inexperience.
On the other hand, he had crossed swords with the members of various black
lodges often enough in the past to know that the Lodge-Masters of such
fraternities were quite capable of allowing their more enterprising underlings a
degree of apparent autonomy, whenever it served their own veiled purposes to do
so. Was the summoning of Michael Scot no more than what it seemed: the ill-
judged act of overly-ambitious apprentices? Or did it represent an opening
gambit in a much more complicated chess game?
Adam was forced to admit that, on the basis of the information he possessed at
the moment, he was in no position to say. And until he got some rest, he was not
likely to improve on the situation. As they turned into the drive at Strathmoume,
he became acutely aware of the leaden sense of fatigue he had been holding at bay
for some hours now, born of the labors he had undertaken to liberate Scot and
cleanse his burial site. And one glance at Peregrine, jerking back awake as Adam
stopped the Jag and turned off the engine, was enough to confirm that the artist
was similarly exhausted - and far less able to cope with the weariness.
"Thank you, Humphrey," Adam said, as the butler opened the door on their
approach, ready to relieve them of their coats. "It's been quite a day. I'd be very
much obliged if you'd bring us tea in the library - and even more obliged if you
could manage to provide some sandwiches to go with it."
"I'm certain I can manage to put something together, sir," Humphrey said, with
every appearance of aplomb. "And I lit a fire in the library about an hour ago. You
should find it quite comfortable by now."
As he followed Adam along the corridor toward the library door, Peregrine spared
Humphrey a backward glance.
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r r
"He always seems to know just what you're likely to want or need, doesn't he?" he
remarked wonderingly. "I hope you're not going to tell me he reads minds. How
does he do it?"
Tired though he was, Adam could not suppress a chuckle. "No mind-reading -
just ease of long habit, I suppose," he said, gesturing Peregrine toward his now
accustomed chair by the fireside. "If I know Humphrey, he'll be up with the tray
in a trice. Why don't you have a seat and make yourself comfortable& ?"
Half an hour later, Peregrine found himself yawning uncontrollably over his tea.
"I'm awfully sorry," he said apologetically. "I can't think why I should be so sleepy
when it's barely five o'clock. Granted, last night was a rather late one, and we
were up and about early this morning, but that's still no excuse for nodding off in
the middle of a sentence. And it's only been a few hours since we ate, but I was
absolutely ravenous! Anyone would think I'd been out digging ditches all day!"
Adam helped himself to another buttered scone, starting to feel more human.
"A common enough misconception. Most people don't realize that psychic work
can be far more exhausting than the roughest forms of manual labor."
"Psychic work?" Peregrine caught himself short in the middle of another yawn.
"But I haven't been doing any work at all, psychic or otherwise."
"Ah, but you have," Adam replied. "What did you think you were doing, when you
were making all those sketches?"
The question earned him an owlish look from Peregrine.
"In case you hadn't noticed," Adam went on, "today you took a rather active part
in what is turning out to be a significant psychic event. The fatigue you're feeling
now is a direct consequence of your participation. It's something you'll have to
learn to deal with, if you think you want to become any further involved in this
business than you already are."
Peregrine lifted his head. "Am I allowed to become further involved?" he said in
surprise.
"Yes, you're allowed - and encouraged, in fact. The way things are starting to
move, I can't promise I'll be able to find time to explain everything that's
happening, perhaps until it's all over, but I want you to understand the nature of
at least some of what you've seen today - and what you may see me do in the
future."
Peregrine pursed his lips, breathing out in a low, soundless whistle as he turned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]