Gallows at Twilight by William Hussey

the hundreds of paintings and photographs that adorned the office walls. Housed in expensive frames, there was a golden plaque beneath each. Jake read: Mullgrew the Magnificent, arch-wizard to the Kings of the Borderlands, 1723 ; Savage Bones—world heavyweight werewolf boxing champion, 1864 ; Letty Scrivener, bestselling author of The Grace of the Seelie Court, 1975 . The pictures had been posed for in the square just outside the Grimoire Club, although it was difficult to make out the square itself. Thousands of dark creatures filled each scene.
    Jake stood up.
    ‘I wonder, Mr Murdles, do you know who I am?’
    ‘I neither know nor care.’
    ‘Oh, I think you might. Interesting pictures you have here. These people seemed to have brought in the crowds.’
    ‘That was all a long time ago,’ Murdles sniffed. ‘Then the Grimoire Club was famous throughout the borderlands. We could draw celebrities here like vampires to a blood bank, and the money they brought in! These days, the well-todo go to places like the Lizardman Lounge and the Gore Gardens. The sheep follow them there.’
    ‘They’ll come back when they know I’m here.’
    ‘Really? And who, may I ask, are you?’
    ‘My name is Jacob Harker. I’m a clone of Josiah Hobarron, the Witchfinder. And I’m one of the last practitioners of pure, powerful Oldcraft.’
    Murdles’s cloth mouth gaped open.
    Jake explained his plan. Murdles would let them stay at the Grimoire Club. They would keep themselves to themselves and not attract any unwanted attention. In return for Murdles’s hospitality, on the day they left, Jake would put on a show of his magic in the square.
    ‘Thousands would pay good money to see that!’ Murdles crowed. ‘The living clone of Josiah Hobarron working his magic outside my door! Mr Harker … ’ the manager rose and extended his ghostly hand, ‘we have a deal!’
    Razor and Pandora went back to Yaga Passage to fetch Simon and Adam from the car. Meanwhile, Murdles showed Jake and Rachel to their quarters.
    ‘I’m giving you my own apartment,’ he piped. ‘No need to thank me.’
    Having heard Jake’s plan, the ghost had become much more friendly. Now he led them to a red-cushioned door right at the back of the Grimoire Club.
    ‘Will you do the honours, my boy? I have to conserve my strength.’
    Jake opened the door and they stepped into a luxurious, ultra-modern apartment. A circular lounge with squashy sofas and a huge flat-screen TV took up most of the living space. To one side of the lounge stood a spiral staircase which disappeared into the ceiling. Unlike the gloomy, candle-lit corridors they had left behind, the apartment was bathed in electric light.
    ‘I may be over four hundred years old but I’m very partial to modern conveniences. The bedrooms.’ Murdles swept his hand around the six doors that faced the lounge. ‘Please feel free to order as much room service as you like. And now, I will leave you. Sleep well, Mr Harker, Miss Saxby.’
    The ghost glided towards the door.
    ‘Ah, one last thing before I go: if you wish to leave the club for any reason, please call for Razor or one of the other doormen to see you out. Walking the corridors unescorted would not be a wise thing to do. There are many dangerous creatures within these walls.’
    Jake closed the door behind Murdles and turned to Rachel. She looked both exhausted and bewildered. He went to her, held her close, felt her breath warm against his neck. That determination to concentrate only on his father’s cure wavered for a moment.
    ‘Rach, I … ’
    A tap at the door. Murdles’s voice came through the woodwork:
    ‘Oh, and Mr Harker? Perhaps tomorrow you could show me some magic? Adieu for now.’
    Jake groaned. He didn’t think he had the energy to muster even the tiniest magical flame. He’d have to bluff his way out of it. In any case, tomorrow there would be more important matters to attend to: his father’s cure and the secrets locked inside