The Broken Sun Read Online Free Page B

not have a hole in me.’
    The detective pointed to the floor. ‘You see how the dust has been disturbed. There
was equipment in this room. I believe it was only recently removed.’
    â€˜So whoever sent the watch has left,’ Scarlet said, ‘and removed everything of importance?’
    â€˜I think so.’ Mr Doyle inhaled deeply. ‘There is a strange smell in the air.’
    Jack and Scarlet breathed in. ‘Could it be cleaning fluid?’ Scarlet asked.
    â€˜I suspect they were doing more than engineering here.’
    The next room was a windowless sitting room, containing a couple of chairs, a small
side table and lamp. It was a murky chamber, the only light entering through the
doorway.
    Mr Doyle activated the gaslight and the interior brightened. Reaching into his pocket,
he pulled out a small bust of Napoleon. ‘Oh dear,’ he said. ‘I was wondering where
that went.’ Returning the bust, he dragged out his goggles and scanned the room.
‘This is very odd. Why would someone construct such a dark, dingy room? It looks
like it was once part of the library.’
    Jack crouched. ‘There’s a line running across here,’ he said. ‘Actually, it looks
like—’
    But that was as far as he got as the trapdoor gave way and Jack found himself falling
through the air.
    Thud!
    Landing in a heap on the floor, he heard Scarlet and Mr Doyle cry out just as the
trapdoor sprang back into place.
    â€˜Bazookas,’ Jack groaned, rubbing his rump. ‘Wasn’t expecting that.’
    He had landed in a wine cellar, an enormous chamber packed with dozens of long racks.
Two aisles ran across the middle, with gaps at each end where the racks did not touch
the edges. Light cut like shards of broken crystal from tiny windows set high in
the walls. Cobwebs stretched across the ceiling, a startled spider racing away. Jack
doubted anyone had been down here in years.
    He wrinkled his nose. There was a strange smell about. A bad smell. What was it?
Rotting meat?
    Thudding came from above, and Scarlet and Mr Doyle’s voices reverberated through
the timber. Jack was about to shout back when something clattered on the far side
of the cellar.
    Something else is down here.
    â€˜Hello?’ Jack asked. ‘Is anyone there?’
    Jack crossed the cellar, scanning for movement. Surely no-one lived down here. Unless
they were a prisoner. Maybe the owner was keeping someone captive?
    More movement at the far end of the aisle.
    â€˜Hello?’ Jack ventured.
    He was halfway down the aisle when the figure moved into a shaft of light. Jack gasped.
It wasn’t a person at all. It was a bull, twice its normal size. Three sharp horns
protruded from its forehead, and below these a huge jaw lined with fangs.
    Jack froze. How is this possible?
    The creature must be an illegal biological experiment. Were the Darwinist League
responsible? They worked at the cutting edge of natural science, and much of their
work was revered. They had created oak trees that grew in the shape of planks of
wood, fish that lived on land and domesticated elephants the size of house cats.
They were even engineering whales that could carry humans like submarines.
    The creation of modified animals was strictly controlled, but some scientists carried
out illegal experiments. This deformed bull appeared to be such a creature. The
scientist who had created it had been far from successful: it had no eyes. Jack relaxed
slightly. The beast was enormous, but Jack would be all right as long as he was quiet.
    Taking a step backwards, Jack’s feet scraped against the stonework. The bull lifted
its head, sniffed the air and started down the aisle. Jack turned to run, but in
his panic tripped and fell.
    Move , a voice in his head screamed. Move!
    Jack scrambled to his feet and dived into the next aisle. The bull ploughed past. How can such an enormous beast run so fast? Jack tore down the aisle, darting