Double Alchemy: Climax by Susan Mac Nicol Page B

fear and blood and was overwhelming to one such as Quinn, whose senses were more refined than anyone else’s. He took a deep breath, trying to rid himself of the feeling of abject horror that had claimed his mind and his heart.
    I do not like this book . Taliesin sounded very uneasy. It has a stench like an old abattoir, desperate and with a sense of total futility. Whoever’s book this was, they suffered greatly and they knew they would never survive whatever it was they were facing. Their fear is the blackness that killed that poor young witch.
    “I agree, old friend.” Quinn said thoughtfully as he looked at the book, not really wanting to touch it but knowing he had to. He could wear gloves to protect himself but that would defeat the object. Most of the book’s secrets resided in its owner’s thoughts and emotions and he had to get past those first before he could properly research what was in the book. He took a deep breath and laid his hand on the cover. Taliesin’s disgust manifested at the same time as his own, a pervading feeling of sickness that invaded his body like icy fog. It got into each pore, worming its way into his muscles, his bloodstream, his bones. Overwhelmed, Quinn retched, acid bile rising in his throat. He turned and was sick in the wastepaper basket at the side of his desk. He waited for the nausea to subside before he touched the book again, getting the same sensation but less than before. He gritted his teeth and continued his exploration.
    The book was small and leather bound and there were definite stains on the front. Quinn thought they were too dark to be water. He opened the front cover gingerly and saw it was just as Misty had described it. A wheel with eight segments, along with two symbols like an M and a V of slanted lines together. He picked up his mobile and took a shot of the cover and the first page.
    He picked up the desk phone and dialled a number, tucking it into the crook of his neck as it rang. He rapidly compiled a message on his mobile to go with the photo then clicked Send.
    Quinn spoke as Percy answered. “Quinn here. I got the book.”
    “She gave it to you? “ Percy’s voice was disbelieving.
    “Yes, it was relatively easy, not as bad as I thought. I’m taking a look at it now and I’ve just sent you some pictures. I want someone in the Reponosium to look through everything we’ve got down there and try and find a connection to the symbols on the first page and anything regarding seventeenth-century witch trials. Specifically tell them to keep an eye out for witches that were tried and killed by the Witchfinder, but let them know any other connection is possible.” He laid his mobile phone down on the table.
    “I’ve got it. I’ll put someone on it right away.”
    “Thanks. Let me know the minute you find anything.”
    Quinn disconnected the call and browsed through the book. He recognised some of the spells and chants. As Valensia had said, they appeared run of the mill, spells for wealth, health and love. But there were a few that were different, added to the very back of the book, ones that were darker and infinitely more dangerous unless you knew what you were doing. The one that Misty had chanted to restore the dead geranium and the one that had killed Melody were at the forefront of this new section. He frowned. To his eyes, it looked like someone had probably put the innocent spells at the front and tried to hide the more intricate ones at the back in the hope that no one would really find them. It wasn’t a particularly clever plan.
    Quinn. This book is covered in blood. Real blood. I can smell it.
    “You mean the stains on the front?” Quinn stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I tend to agree with you. It has that—metallic—scent to it.” Quinn’s senses were on high alert. “It would be interesting to find out whose blood, though. Perhaps the guys at the Reponosium will find something.”
    He spent another hour perusing the book but came