“What is this?” Matthew bellowed, steadying me so that I could locate the mop’s handle.
“His name is Lobero. Gallowglass says he will grow into a great beast and that he might as well have a saddle fitted for him as a leash. Annie loves him, too. She says he will sleep with her, but I think we should share. What do you think?” Jack said, dancing with excitement.
“The wee mop came with a note,” Gallowglass said. He pushed himself away from the doorframe and strolled over to Matthew to deliver it.
“Need I ask who sent the creature?” Matthew said, snatching at the paper.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Gallowglass said. His eyes narrowed. “Did something happen while you were out, Auntie? You look done in.”
“Just tired,” I said with a breezy wave of my hand. The mop had teeth as well as a tongue, and he bit down on my fingers as they passed by his asyet-undiscovered mouth. “Ouch!”
“This has to stop.” Matthew crushed the note in his fingers and flung it to the floor. The mop pounced on it with a delighted bark.
“What did the note say?” I was pretty sure I knew who had sent the puppy.
“‘Ich bin Lobero. Ich will euch aus den Schatten der Nacht zu schützen,’” Matthew said flatly.
I made an impatient sound. “Why does he keep writing to me in German? Rudolf knows I have a hard time understanding it.”
“His Majesty delights in knowing I will have to translate his professions of love.”
“Oh.” I paused. “What did this note say?”
“‘I am Lobero. I will protect you from the shadow of night.’” “And what does ‘Lobero’ mean?” Once, many moons ago, Ysabeau had taught me that names were important.
“It means ‘Wolf Hunter’ in Spanish, Auntie.” Gallowglass picked up the mop. “This bit of fluff is a Hungarian guard dog. Lobero will grow so big he’ll be able to take down a bear. They’re fiercely protective—and nocturnal.”
“A bear! When we bring him back to London, I will tie a ribbon around his neck and take him to the bearbaitings so that he can learn how to fight,” Jack said with the gruesome delight of a child. “Lobero is a brave name, don’t you think? Master Shakespeare will want to use it in his next play.” Jack wriggled his fingers in the puppy’s direction, and Gallowglass obligingly deposited the squirming mass of white fur in the boy’s arms. “Annie! I will feed Lobero next!” Jack pelted up the stairs, holding the dog in a death grip.
“Shall I take them away for a few hours?” Gallowglass asked after getting a good look at Matthew’s stormy face.
“Is Baldwin’s house empty?”
“There are no tenants in it, if that’s what you mean.”
“Take everybody.” Matthew lifted my cloak from my shoulders.
“Even Lobero?”
“Especially Lobero.”
Jack chattered like a magpie throughout supper, picking fights with Annie and managing to send a fair bit of food Lobero’s way through a variety of occult methods. Between the children and the dog, it was almost possible to ignore the fact that Matthew was reconsidering his plans for the evening. On the one hand, he was a pack animal and something in him enjoyed having so many lives to take care of. On the other hand, he was a predator and I had an uneasy feeling that I was tonight’s prey. The predator won. Not even Tereza and Karolína were allowed to stay.
“Why did you send them all away?” We were still by the fire in the house’s main, first-floor room, where the comforting smells of dinner still filled the air.
“What happened this afternoon?” he asked.
“Answer my question first.”
“Don’t push me. Not tonight,” Matthew warned.
“You think my day has been easy?” The air between us was crackling with blue and black threads. It looked ominous and felt worse.
“No.” Matthew slid his chair back. “But you’re keeping something from me, Diana. What happened with the witch?”
I stared at him.
“I’m waiting.”
“You can wait until hell freezes over, Matthew, because I’m not your servant. I asked you a question.” The threads went purple, beginning to twist and distort.
“I sent them away so that they wouldn’t witness this conversation. Now, what happened?” The smell of cloves was choking.
“I met the golem. And his maker, a Jewish weaver named Abraham. He has the power of animation, too.”