Howls and hallows
Steampunk Red Riding Hood, Book 5
Melanie Karsak
MelanieKarsak.com
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Howls and Hallows
Steampunk Red Riding Hood Series
Clockpunk Press, 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed are fictional. Any resemblances to the living or dead are purely coincidental.
Published by Clockpunk Press
Editing by Becky Stephens Editing
Proofreading by Siren Editing
Cover art by Art by Karri
Novel Description
You’re invited to the All Hallows Ball.
*Werewolves prohibited.
Busy tracking down thieving werewolves in London, Clemeny is surprised when Edwin asks her to lead a new case in the Fens of eastern England.
The Cabell family is haunted by a curse. Something in the misty moors surrounding Cabell Manor has come howling just days before the exclusive All Hallows Ball. How gauche. But London’s best agent is on the case.
Clemeny soon finds herself trying to learn the ropes of polite society while hunting an apparition on the foggy moors. She’ll need to solve the case quickly if she hopes to be the belle—not the bruiser—of the ball.
Continue Clemeny’s adventures in Howls and Hallows, a Halloween-themed novel. Journey to gaslamp London in the 19th century in this steampunk retelling of the classic Red Riding Hood fairy tale by New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak.
Dedication
for my ARC Team…thank you, thank you, thank you
Table of Contents
Howls and hallows
Novel Description
Dedication
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Back in Red
Chapter 2: Every Eligible Maiden
Chapter 3: Vesta’s Grotto
Chapter 4: Not Exactly a Pumpkin Carriage
Chapter 5: Cabell Manor
Chapter 6: Lord Cabell and Lady Charlotte
Chapter 7: The Witching Hour
Chapter 8: The Fen
Chapter 9: The Land of the Iceni
Chapter 10: Missing Pieces
Chapter 11: I’d Prefer A Mad Tea Party
Chapter 12: At Least She Knows it’s not a Dinglehopper
Chapter 13: Meanwhile, Downstairs
Chapter 14: The Night Shift
Chapter 15: Of Romans and Druids
Chapter 16: A Pinch of Practical Magic
Chapter 17: Of Lions and Gargoyles
Chapter 18: Reading Between the Lines
Chapter 19: Reverent
Chapter 20: In the Garden
Chapter 21: Harper in the Small Library with a Plan
Chapter 22: Farewell
Chapter 23: Odd is as Odd does
Chapter 24: Clemeny in the Parlor with Lady Chadwick
Chapter 24: Red as Roses
Chapter 25: The All Hallows Ball
Chapter 26: Rattled
Thank You
Keep in touch with Melanie online
Sneak Peek: Golden Braids and Dragon Blades
Chapter 1: Back in Red
I banked the steambike left, making the tight turn. Keeping one eye on the row of buildings beside me, I watched as the werewolf jumped from rooftop to rooftop. The wolf looked down at me, his red eyes glaring with hatred.
Wolves.
I pressed the accelerator. The wolf was running out of rooftops, and I was running out of road, as we both raced toward the Thames. I knew bloody well that he had a ship waiting for him. One of us was going to get there first. Which one, I wasn’t yet sure.
Focusing my attention back on the narrow cobblestone street, I weaved around horse carts, autos, and irritated pedestrians. The fog was dense, the orange glow of the gaslamps barely cutting through the mist. Master Hart had configured me a new pair of goggles. The optics enhanced the shadows detected by my mooneye. As I raced toward the river, an ethereal sailor floated past. It was just days before All Hallows. The entire city was alive with…well, the undead. The dark district, wild on a regular day, was like a preternatural circus. With the city brimming with the supernatural, how had I ended up chasing jewel thieves?
I’d been chasing this rogue pack of wolves all autumn. They were crafty little mutts, five in all in their crew. They’d started their shenanigans in Rome, moved to Venice, then hit Paris, and now they were here. Pilfering banks, museums, and stately homes, the thieves were remarkably good compared to the usual blundering of werewolves. Given they were not a local problem, Sir Blackwood decided to let them be an issue for the Red Cape Society to handle. I almost argued. Almost. But things had been decidedly neutral between Sir Blackwood and me, and I wanted to keep it that way since there was no telling when—or if—Lionheart ever planned to return, an issue that dogged my mind much to my extreme annoyance. With the Templars out of the picture, it was up to the Red Capes to take out this cell of bandits. Where my colleagues abroad had failed, I would succeed. The reputation of the Red Capes depended on it. And I wasn’t about to let the realm down.
Ahead, I spotted the dark waters of the Thames. The waves slapped along the breakers. Slowing the bike, I turned the machine, skidding sideways to a stop. I quickly jumped off, my red cape billowing behind me. I rushed to the end of the row then cast a glance out at the water. Just offshore, I spotted a small boat. The vessel was perfectly positioned so that anyone with extraordinary, preternatural strength could leap from the rooftop at the edge of the wharf onto the ship.
I smirked. My plan was working.
Pulling both my pistols, I turned and waited.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The werewolf appeared at the edge of the roof.
I closed my right eye, looking out with my mooneye. Through my altered vision, I saw the wolf and the man all at once.
The wolf raised his maw, the light of the moon behind him making him glow, and let out a loud howl in celebration of his victory.
“Too soon, my friend, too soon,” I whispered then pulled the trigger.
The werewolf’s yowl halted with a wounded yip.
A moment later, there was a fiery explosion as the boat lingering offshore blasted apart in a fiery display.
The werewolf’s body dropped from the rooftop. Holstering my pistols, I rushed to him. The werewolf—Yuri, the alpha of this thieving pack—was shifting back into human form. He tried to get up, but his leg failed him. My shots had been true but not lethal, as intended. The wolf fell to his knees. Cursing in Romanian, he glared at me. Pressing one hand against his stomach where blood seeped out, another on his lower leg, he spat at me when I came close.
“Now, Yuri. That’s just rude. I could have killed you.”
Lying not far away from him was a tattered satchel. I snatched the bag off the ground and opened it. Inside, I found a velvet box. I opened the lid. The circle of diamonds, on loan from Her Majesty for the express purpose of this set-up—and with many threats to send me on an expedition to Antarctica to hunt snow monsters if I let the assailants get away with her crown jewels—was safe within.
I looked over my shoulder toward the Thames. Fast moving ships—Red Capes—were already closing in on the wreckage. I chuckled seeing the wolves dog-paddling toward shore as if their lives depended on it. But there was no escaping. They were surrounded.
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye as someone approached us. Turning, I found Agent Harper making her way toward me, a device in hand.
“Got it?” she asked.
I nodded, looking down at the diamond necklace. “Suppose she’ll let me keep it in reward?”
Harper laughed. “Not likely.”
Yuri, who was still cursing at me, turned his venom toward Harper.
Harper frowned at him. “Don’t be ungrateful. She could have killed you.”
“That’s what I told him.”
“See my fireworks?” Harper asked, waggling the detonator in her hand.
“So I did. Well done, Senior Agent Harper.”
“Well, I wanted to close my first official case as your partner with a bang.”
Good-naturedly, I rolled my eyes at her. “I thought we covered this already. No puns.”
“Sorry. Appears I picked up some bad habits in the field.”
“We’ll have you right in no time,” I said then looked down at Yuri. “I’d cuff you, but you’d probably bleed to death,” I said then lifted the werewolf off the ground, hauling him toward the dock where an agency boat would collect him. “Don’t worry, Yuri. We’ll have you all nice and healed up in time for prison,” I said then turned back to Harper. “And the other goods?”
“Got word half an hour ago. Agent Fox locked down the wolves on guard and secured the airship and its treasures.”
I grinned at Harper. She’d returned from abroad just after the case with Alodie, and Edwin had formally assigned her as my partner. Thankfully, save these thieving devils, it had been relatively quiet. But all the same, I was glad she was back. Nothing stays quiet for long.
“Why are you grinning at me like that?” Harper asked.
“I think I might have missed you, Harper.”
“I might have missed you too, Louvel.”
Yuri swore at us both—decidedly not interested in our mutual respect—making us both laugh.
Chapter 2: Every Eligible Maiden
With the wolves safely locked down, Harper and I headed back to headquarters to check in and, of course, do paperwork. Not that I minded. I knew Edwin would be there. I was surprised, however, to find him lingering by my desk when we arrived.
He smiled when he saw me—that soft, shy smile he reserved for me alone.
My whole body felt warmed by the glow. In truth, things had been a little strained after the case with Alodie. Edwin was perceptive, and he had seen whatever that something was between Lionheart and me. But he had never questioned me. It was an honor I wasn’t entirely sure I deserved.
With Lionheart gone, I was able to set that odd moment aside. I hardly ever thought about it—at least, that’s the mantra I told myself. Everything went back to normal. Edwin and I carried forward. Nothing changed except my move to Vesta’s Grotto, as Grand-mère insisted we call our new home. On that topic, I might have smudged the truth from Edwin a little. A gift from the Templars—that’s what I’d told him. Which Templar, I didn’t specify. He didn’t ask. I didn’t divulge. But I felt a healthy amount of guilt over it. Yet what was I supposed to do? Keeping my grand-mère safe outweighed everything, and Lionheart had literally given me the key to making that happen. Despite my feelings for Edwin, or the strangeness between Lionheart and me, there was one person to whom I was beholden: Grand-mère. Those were the facts of the matter. What I felt about what had happened between Lionheart and me was far more confusing. But he’d left, so I was pretty much on my own when it came to figuring out what that kiss was all about. With Lionheart missing, it made it a lot easier to pretend nothing had happened. It made it a lot easier to forget. Kind of.
As Harper and I approached, I noticed that Edwin was holding a leather binder.
“New brief,” Harper said.
I nodded. I wasn’t surprised that something new was going wrong, but I wasn’t thrilled either. Jessica was due within the next couple of weeks, and I was anticipating becoming an unofficial aunt to baby Briarwood. I had hoped things would stay quiet enough that I’d have time to go fuss over the baby when the time came. No chance of getting that lucky.
“I see you mean to keep us busy,” I told Edwin as I eyed the folder.
“I wanted to make sure Agent Harper was properly broken in to her new post.”
“Properly broken in?” Harper exclaimed in mock protest. “You did read my report from the field, didn’t you?”
“That I did,” Agent Hunter said then grinned. “You forgot to file Form 1101.”
Harper laughed. “Well, dock it from my pay.”
Edwin grinned good-naturedly at her then turned to me. “I did have an inquiry from Her Majesty.”
I pulled the velvet box from the bag. “Her Majesty’s baubles are secure.” I handed the box to Edwin, suppressing a sigh when I did so. I would have liked to try it on, just once, just for the hell of it.
Edwin chuckled lightly and took the box from my hand. “Shall we?” he asked, motioning to his office.
We crossed the workroom. It was almost dawn, but many other agents were already at their desks. This time of year was always busy for the Red Cape Society. Nothing like the lead-up to All Hallows to get all the preternaturals riled up. I waved to Hank and Cressida who were busy bickering over something. They paused their argument long enough to acknowledge Harper and me then went back fighting. I eyed the place for Agent Rose, but there was no sign of her. I also scanned for Agent Ewan Goodwin—a Pellinore whose case I worked on over the summer—but he wasn’t there either. No doubt he was at Willowbrook Park. Edwin had loaned his family home to the society for use by the Pellinores. I hadn’t broken the news to Grand-mère yet that her vision of a fine country estate was off the chessboard.
Harper and I followed Edwin into his office then took our seats opposite his at his desk. He handed the brief to Harper.
“When I was at Eaton, I made the acquaintance of Lord Edison Cabell,” Edwin began. “He is a good friend, and his family holds an annual All Hallows Ball at his estate in the Fenlands. It’s attended by many notable peers and is the highlight of the autumn season. His family, however, is cursed. The setting and the curse evoke a delightfully eerie milieu for people who would be quite scandalized to know their play at the macabre touches very close to the truth of our realm. Regardless, Edison wrote to me about some strange happenings at the estate. He is aware that I worked with the peculiar and asked for my help,” Edwin explained as Harper leafed through the brief.
“You’re sending us?” I asked.
Edwin nodded. “I wanted to send my best agents.”
I raised a playful eyebrow at him.
Edwin smiled.
“You said the Cabells are cursed. What exactly are they cursed with?” Harper asked.
She pulled a sketch of the manor house from the folder and handed it to me. The Gothic style mansion screamed old money and bad vibes. “Or who are they cursed by?” I added.
Harper nodded to me.
“On the lands lorded over by the Cabells there was once a small settlement that was home to a coven—or so the legend says. Back in the sixteenth century, Lord Bran Cabell rounded up the local witches and burned them at the stake. With their dying breath, the witches cursed the family. Any heir who steps foot on holy ground—the coven site—will die in a fortnight. Lord Bran himself was found dead at the location of the coven shortly after the burning.”
“Sounds like he deserved it,” I said.
“Found dead. Dead how?” Harper asked.
“Lord Bran was found with his throat ripped out,” Edwin replied.
“Well, that would do it,” I said.
Harper rolled her eyes at me.
“The descendants of Lord Bran Cabell have
always been careful to avoid the site. But Edison has always been interested in the family curse, interested in learning if there is any truth behind it. He once expressed an interest in finding a way to making reparations. Edison recently visited the ruins. Three nights later, something came howling at Cabell Manor.”
Now I understood why Edwin had asked Harper and me to work the case.
“Werewolves?” Harper asked. “A werewolf curse? What’s the connection with the witches though. I don’t get it.”
“Werewolves, hellhounds, banshee. God only knows what it might be. But between the howling and the throat ripping…” Edwin said.
I nodded. “A werewolf could live for centuries, carrying on a curse. And a wolf could survive burning at the stake.”
“Nasty business,” Harper said. “So, the fens?” she asked, turning to me.
“A country job. Shall we get rustic?” I asked Agent Harper.
“Country, yes. Rustic, no,” Edwin said, motioning to the drawing of the manor I was holding. “The Cabells are very wealthy and have a prominent place in good society.”
“The Cabells. Is Lord Cabell married?” Harper asked.
Edwin shifted slightly, lacing then unlacing his fingers. His nervous movement didn’t escape my notice. “No. Lord Cabell and his sister, Lady Charlotte, live at Cabell Manor.”
“Lady Charlotte,” Harper whispered, making a note in the brief.
I tried to meet Edwin’s eyes, but he kept his gaze on Harper.
Curiouser and curiouser.
“I’m afraid the whole affair is very ill-timed. Since the All Hallows Ball is this week, Edison was anxious to get this matter settled,” Edwin said.
“Ah, so they’re hoping we’ll have this mess cleaned up before the party. How posh,” I said with a roll of the eyes.
“Having actual monsters at an All Hallows Ball would upset Lady Charlotte’s carefully organized event,” Edwin said then chuckled to himself.
Howls and Hallows: A Steampunk Fairy Tale (Steampunk Red Riding Hood Book 5) Page 1