Unhonored Read Online Free PDF Page A

its look.
    Yet it was his eyes that finally caught her, as they always did. They were a striking light blue that even in his apparent current ferment held a hint of sadness and confusion. There was anticipation there, too, she thought, and she wondered for a moment if these were the same eyes the mouse looked into just before the cobra struck.
    In an instant, however, his countenance changed. His eyes became downcast, his brow troubled and his shoulders slightly bowed.
    â€œYes, Ellis, it is me,” Merrick said in penitent tones. “And I fear that I have given you reason for pain in hearing my name.”
    A sigh of sympathy came from the masked faces crowding the room about them.
    â€œI was terribly concerned for you when you returned,” he continued, his gaze rising from the floor to gauge her reaction. “Down all the ages of our existence, no one had ever left. I had hoped to make your return easier, to create for you a space where perhaps you could gradually regain yourself.”
    â€œIs that what Gamin was all about?” Ellis said, her mouth dry at saying the words.
    â€œMistakes were made.” Merrick nodded. “I’ll grant you that.”
    â€œFriends vanishing without a trace? Mass murder? Demonic monsters in the street?” Ellis’s eyes remained fixed on Merrick. “These were ‘mistakes’?”
    The masks uttered an audible gasp.
    â€œIt was Dr. Carmichael,” Merrick replied after a moment’s hesitation. He straightened up, the old assurance that she always found suspicious reasserting itself. “I should’ve never taken his advice. Those manifestations were entirely his doing. I realize now that he never had your best interests at heart. But now that that terrible nightmare is over, I can properly welcome you home back among the friends and acquaintances who have so longed for your return—”
    â€œAnd where is Jenny?” Ellis demanded.
    â€œJenny?” Merrick appeared annoyed that his speech had been interrupted.
    â€œYes, my cousin Jenny,” Ellis reiterated, her voice stronger and more insistent.
    Merrick once again beamed a great smile and then began to laugh heartily. His arms opened wide as he gestured with a mask in one hand and the slapstick in the other, pivoting as though to encompass the entire company of grotesque masked revelers.
    â€œWhy, Jenny is the game,” Merrick exclaimed. “We shall have a treasure hunt throughout the house! You all know Jenny March, Ellis’s cousin. She is our houseguest and the game is that she must be found.”
    Squeals of delight mingled with the murmur of excitement, and a smattering of clapping rippled from room to room among the partiers.
    Ellis spoke to Merrick through clenched teeth. “Where is she?”
    Merrick was nearly a full head taller than her, looking down at her in puzzlement. “But that’s the whole point of the game. Finding Jenny.”
    â€œYou’ve hidden her somewhere,” Ellis said. She could feel the heat of her anger rising in her face. “Tell me where she is!”
    â€œI did no such thing!” Merrick seemed insulted at the suggestion. “She hid herself. It would be such a terrible game otherwise.”
    â€œEllis,” Alicia said, her hand touching Ellis’s elbow. “It really should be a very good game. Don’t you think we could play? Perhaps, just for a little while?”
    â€œEveryone, please, I shall need your attention for a moment,” Merrick said, his voice booming over the murmuring of the crowd. “To begin the game, I have secured the assistance of the Nightbirds Society in preparing a theatrical offering, the libretto of which may assist you in your quest.”
    The excited response of the revelers threatened for a moment to overwhelm Merrick’s oration. He held up his hands to quiet the crowd once more.
    â€œLet us all move quickly into the theater,” Merrick