Strange Beasts

by Susan J. Morris

Sam felt a surge of gratitude. “Hel⁠—” There was an answering squeak, and Sam’s eyes widened. “What,” Sam said, “was that?” “Oh, right.” Hel reached into her long tan coat and pulled a rat out of her pocket. “I almost forgot.” “A rat!” Sam exclaimed. “Does the hotel know?” Hel raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, were you planning on informing them?” “Tell me you didn’t just bring that in from the sewer,” Sam said. “No, wait⁠—don’t. I don’t want to know.” “Hardly.” Hel snorted as she let the rat run up to her shoulder. “He’s courtesy of the Golden Dawn. We know mistresses are being transformed into the Beast by way of an unguent⁠—we just don’t know how. I thought it best we test on something that wasn’t one of us. The Golden Dawn assures me this rat has been ritually prepared to react to alchemy in the same fashion as a person. We should be able to test whether it was Clotilde’s perfume or lipstick that held the unguent. I should have a cage somewhere around here.”