Beneath the Goddess of the Night Cathedral in Forendana lay a deep, spacious tunnel paved with blue stone slabs. Lamps burned steadily along both sides, and at its far end stood a great bronze door.
The long tunnel was deserted.
Red candles burned brightly on raised stands flanking the bronze door.
Suddenly, the candlelight flickered. The bronze door opened a crack, and a man stepped out, dressed in the standard missionary robes of the Goddess of the Night Church. He was slender, almost lanky, with a gaunt face devoid of flesh.
The moment he stepped fully through, the bronze door shut behind him. The candle flames wavered again, and his figure vanished like a wisp of smoke.
Mist drifted across the sky as a carriage briefly stopped outside Mistvale Manor.
Zatanna stepped down from the carriage in a long black gauze dress, her bearing striking and cool. She held a rolled sheet of white paper, apparently a drawing or a map.
A servant who had been waiting beside the manor gates hurried forward.
"Sixth Miss, the master, the mistress, and the other young ladies are waiting for you in the meeting room."
Zatanna nodded slightly. She had sent word home the previous night that she would be returning. She had uncovered some new information during this trip, and it was extremely important.
After she had reached an agreement with Bruce, Cameron had sent Zatanna to search for traces of the Gargoyle. She had not deliberately tried to find its hiding place. That would have been far too much work. Rhode Town covered such a large area that inspecting every corner thoroughly was impossible.
Besides, the Gargoyle might still have been in the hands of the Sharon Family's heir. If Zatanna encountered that heir, her strength would leave her in