Case 30: Entry 2

Well, I'm pretty sure the books are authentic. I haven't done enough work on them to give an official answer yet, but everything about them that I've looked at so far is just so completely right. It's like if an English professor read a lost Shakespearean play: it wouldn't take them more than a few lines to recognize the bard's literary fingerprints. I've read plenty of old literature, and when I got the call for this job I made sure to read the few stories that are believed to have come from Los Susurros. So that's the good news. The bad news is that something just explained to me precisely what it would do with my entrails unless the books are either discredited or destroyed. That was kind of a bummer.

Honestly, I was an idiot not to see this coming. The whole reason Los Susurros is such a big deal is because most of the stories either faded from memory or were lost as the people who told them were wiped out, which means that there's probably a good handful of nasties who are safer without the books being found. For all I know, there could be a hundred different fiends all heading straight to this city. In fact, if any of the things described in Los Susurros can pass for human, it's possible I could have the head of a cartel gunning for me. A lot of the stories are from the right region, and it wouldn't be the first time human and supernatural evil joined up. I'm glad I have such a pleasant imagination to come up with such lovely scenarios. Anyway, the point is that this job is a lot more dangerous than I was expecting.

The first thing I did after I got back to my hotel room was call the Agency. They're still stretched thin, but it turns out they consider a collection of stories that could expose dozens of malevolent supernatural species to be a high priority. A small handful of agents is being dispatched, and they're pulling all the strings they have in the area to make sure the books as well as the other experts and I are protected. Of course, that kind of thing can be difficult to do when you don't know who or what you're defending against, and most of the people being protected don't know about you. Playing the defensive role while also moving openly about a large city is not exactly the tactical ideal. Especially when your enemy is something which (for all you know) can only be killed by being hung upside down and stabbed in the spleen with a copper dagger. Honestly, I'm much happier to have Nox on my side. A lot of monsters are afraid of certain domesticated animals, and cats always make excellent companions for supernatural work. Not to mention that Nox is a lot more clever than he has any right to be.

Anyway, I suppose I'd best get to work. I've got some copies and translations that I have permission to keep with me, and I'm hoping I can develop some profiles with them.