Free The Book of Beasts by John Barrowman Page B

flesh. The edges of the wound had been cauterized, the flesh puckered and pink around the hole. But the hole itself looked like no wound Matt have ever seen before. It wasn’t a bite, for there were no teeth marks. It wasn’t a tear, for there were no claw marks. It was a wound that appeared to be breathing on its own.
    Carik let Solon apply the syrup to the membrane covering the wound and tug her tunic gently back into place.
    â€˜What did that?’ asked Matt uneasily.
    â€˜It is the mark of the Grendel,’ said Carik. ‘I was lucky my courage abandoned me. If I hadn’t turned my back to run, it would have sucked out my heart.’

TWENTY-THREE
    Auchinmurn Isle
Present Day
    Outside the Abbey, the perimeter lights came on. Simon’s animation shield criss-crossed the top of the wall like a laser game of cat’s cradle. Vaughn stood at the windows and watched the light show for a few minutes.
    â€˜What if Henrietta stole the tapestry because of what it showed?’ he said.
    â€˜What makes you say that?’ asked Renard.
    â€˜When Sir Charles finally broke into the Council room, he said he could still sense Henrietta’s presence. Her emotions were so strong that they lingered.’ Vaughn paused. ‘He sensed joy and an overwhelming wave of triumph. I think we have to ask ourselves what happened in that room with the tapestry that could have caused such heightened emotions in Henrietta.’
    Renard shook his head. ‘Only one thing would elicit a response like that. A different outcome to the battle of Era Mina.’
    Em tried not to absorb too much of the fear and tension in the room; it was giving her a headache. ‘What was the battle of Era Mina?’
    â€˜We’ve always believed it depicted the story of the Grendel attacking the monastery,’ said Renard. He looked older than Em had ever seen him. ‘But like so many of the stories about Hollow Earth, separating myth from reality is difficult.’
    The room grew cold. Em shivered.
    Stay calm, Em. Zach reached his hand across to soothe her.
    â€˜Is the Grendel… really bad?’ she managed.
    â€˜He is a sin-eater, a beast that sucks out your soul and devours your body,’ said Vaughn grimly. ‘The original tapestry was woven by the monks in the mid-thirteenth century. It showed an army fighting the Grendel, led by a shadowy figure in a cowled robe.’
    Simon jumped in. ‘The story we learned in school was that the Grendel was finally stopped by a powerful monk who lured it back to the centre of the earth—’
    â€˜To Hollow Earth?’ Em interrupted.
    â€˜Yes,’ answered Simon.
    â€˜I think whatever else changed in the tapestry,’ said Vaughn, ‘the figure might now be Malcolm.’
    Sandie gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘How is that possible? That tapestry has hung in the Chamber of the Council of Guardians for centuries.’
    â€˜Henrietta believes the figure is Malcolm, whether that’s possible or not,’ said Vaughn. ‘In her mind, Malcolm has changed history, which has changed the story of the tapestry.’
    â€˜But why would she steal it?’ Simon asked.
    â€˜This is only a guess,’ said Vaughn, ‘but I think that when she was waiting for her meeting with Sir Charles in the Council Chamber, she saw the tapestry alter in some way. Maybe the face under the cowl became visible. Maybe the whole battle scene changed. She didn’t want anyone else to see what had taken place, so she took the tapestry. There’s your motivation.’
    Simon rubbed his hands over his face. ‘If Malcolm takes control of Hollow Earth, he will reset the Dark Ages. The monsters of old will return. This world has enough monsters of its own. It doesn’t need any more.’
    â€˜We will have no way of knowing whether Malcolm has succeeded in unlocking the beasts until it happens,’ said Vaughn. ‘We’ll simply