follow them. On the boat to America, Sherlock meets Rufus, a violinist who wishes to teach in America, as well as a man who is heading to the Americas to make advances in the hot air balloon industry. Sherlock is also attacked by a deckhand paid off to kill him, but Sherlock knocks the man into the machinery cogs in the bowels of the ship. Once they reach America, Sherlock manages to locate where Matty is being held and he and Virginia follow the conspirators (and Matty) aboard a train. The conspirators find Sherlock and Virginia, and after a perilous fight on the roof of the train in which another conspirator is killed, Sherlock is captured and the train is diverted to the headquarters of the organizer of the conspiracy, Duke Balthassar. In conversation with Balthassar, it becomes clear that the conspirators, who are all confederate supporters, plan to invade Canada and have it become a new Confederate country. John Wilkes Booth would be the figurehead for the army, but his mental state prevents any other usefulness. Balthassar also suffers from a blood disease that causes him to constantly utilize leeches to thin his blood clots, and has very breakable bones. Sherlock, Virginia, and Matty are locked in a cage with several crocodiles, but they manage to escape and make contact with Amyus. Amyus and the US government plan to drop bombs from hot air balloons onto the confederate army's camp, which Sherlock is determined to stop because he knows it would be a massacre. Sherlock manages to destroy the hot air balloons using flaming arrows, but on his way back to where he, Amyus, Virginia, and Matty are staying he is attacked by Duke Balthassar. Balthassar sends his two pet cougars after Sherlock, but Sherlock manages to turn the cougars onto their master by breaking Balthassar's arm. The cougars attack and kill their master before leaving Sherlock in peace. The confederate army falls apart on their own and Sherlock, Virginia, Amyus, and Matty return to England. On the boat, Sherlock once again encounters Rufus, whose plans in America had fallen through. Rufus asks Sherlock if he knows anyone who needs a violin teacher, to which Sherlock responds that he does. Characters Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes who has grown since the events of Death Cloud and is not afraid to do things on his own initiative. He has formed close