The Dark Detective: Venator Read Online Free PDF Page B

stairs.
    “Twenty! I can hardly believe it. How did you get to be so grown up?”
    “Gran!” Max ducked his head in embarrassment.
    She smiled. “But I can see that you need this now.”
    She handed him a soft, heavy parcel, wrapped in blue tissue paper that whispered against her lined hands.
    Max ripped off the paper. Inside lay a bulky package of smooth, black leather. He shook it out to reveal a smart, full-length overcoat.
    “Wow, Gran! This is fantastic! Thank you!”
    He hugged her gently, towering over her, careful not to hurt her bird-like bones.
    “Yes, well,” she said happily, “it should last a bit longer than the last one. Plus I put a few protection spells on it so that should help as well. There’s power in words.”
    “How do you know about protection spells, Gran?” said Max curiously.
    “Oh, really, Maximilian,” she said. “I wasn’t born yesterday!”
    Max laughed.
    “Now, tell me what’s bothering you?” she said.
    Max frowned. “What makes you think there’s something bothering me?”
    “Max, dear, I don’t need to have second sight to know that you’ve come all this way because you’ve got something on your mind. Not that I don’t enjoy a surprise visit...”
    “I don’t like talking about work,” grumbled Max.
    “Nonsense!” said his gran. “Who else are you going to talk to about it? Besides, I heard that some Level Threes are in town.”
    Max was shocked.
    “Who told you that? I mean, how do you know about Level Threes?”
    She smiled thinly.
    “Nobody told me, dear. I listen. I lurk. Who notices a little old lady on the streets? And if they did, they wouldn’t care. You young people are all alike – you think us oldies are useless just because we’re not as nippy on our pins as we used to be, but there’s nothing wrong with my hearing – or my brain.”
    Max smiled. Even grown up detectives have grans who tell them off. And his gran seemed to know more than he could ever have guessed. She’d been holding out on him.
    “So what have you heard, Gran?”
    “The demons are frightened – and I don’t just mean of the Brood. Something’s got them all in a lather. Some of the lower Levels are leaving town. It would have to be a Big Evil to make them do that. Have the PTBs given you any information?”
    Max couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with his gran!
    “No,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “Nothing – and they haven’t responded to my messages either.”
    His gran shook her head. “You mustn’t rely on them too much.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The PTBs have their own agenda – always have done. So far it’s been to keep the status quo on this side of the Gateway and keep the netherworldlings in order, but if their agenda changed, might they decide not to tell you?”
    “If I can’t trust the PTBs then I’m really up the creek without a paddle,” said Max, feeling worried.
    She patted his knee. “I wouldn’t worry too much: this world was born to have balance.”
    “Yeah, I know – you’ve told me that before: good and evil; light and dark; ying and yang.”
    That was true, but Max had never guessed at the knowledge hidden behind the wise words.
    “But if you’re right about the PTBs, then the world is screw... seriously in trouble.”
    She smiled.
    “Maybe. Maybe not. Who do the PTBs answer to?”
    Max shook his head. “I’ve no idea. What makes you think they answer to anyone? They’re the Powers That Be.”
    His gran looked thoughtful.
    “Possibly, but doesn’t it make you wonder? If the PTBs maintain the balance, where does good and evil come from? And if the PTBs keep a demon register, don’t you think maybe they keep checks on the other side, too?”
    Max raised his eyebrows. “You mean... like angels and that stuff?”
    His gran smiled again. “It’s a thought, isn’t it?”
    Max shrugged. “It’s a nice thought, yes, but it doesn’t really help me at the moment – especially as the PTBs aren’t