“Your opinion doesn’t bother me,” I tell him in a flippant voice, which only functions to let him know that his opinion does bother me. A lot. Wolf makes a grunting noise and gets up to leave the room, clearly telling us that our talking is interrupting his afternoon nap. That dog has a wicked personality. Even if his size does scare me.
There’s silence for a minute or two after that, which is ironic really, and the sound of us taking small sips from our warm tea is the only noise to be heard.
“How long have you lived in Tribane?” I ask finally. “You’re obviously not native.”
“You’re a shrewd one,” says Finn with an over exaggerated Irish lilt, still not giving up on the sarcasm. “I came here about three years ago. Tribane has one of the largest centres for vampire slayers in the world.”
“So that’s why you moved here is it?” I say. “To join the DOH? That’s a fairly drastic life decision.”
“I had my reasons,” says Finn in a cold voice.
“What reasons were those?” I ask, knowing I’m delving into personal waters but not being able to help myself.
Finn looks at me for a minute, no longer drinking his tea. Then begins, “A vampire back in Dublin killed my mother and my sister, the only family I had. He’d developed some kind of sick obsession with the two of them and messed with their heads for a while before he finished them off. Exactly what Cristescu will do with you in the end. He might toy with you for a little longer than usual since he can’t use his compulsion on you, but believe me, once he gets bored, and they always do, he’ll drain you until you’re nothing but a shrivelled old corpse.”
“Lovely.” I reply, smiling vaguely at his morose use of imagery. And he calls me and Rita the morbid twins? But the smile is a façade, because a knot of worry is forming in the pit of my stomach as I wonder if Finn is right. That Ethan will kill me in the end. That it’s inevitable. Ethan had claimed vampires don’t kill, but that could very well be a massive lie. Thoughts of last night have me even more uncertain. Was any of it real? Did Ethan really mean it when he told me he’d never end me and kissed me like it meant the world?
Finn is quiet and I take the opportunity to ask, “So you think I should stay away from Ethan, from all of the vampires?”
Finn quirks his eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s an option for you anymore sugar.” He answers, deadpan.
Yeah, I guess not, I say to myself just as my phone begins to buzz in my pocket. I pull it out and find Rita’s name flashing on the screen.
She doesn’t even wait for me to say hello. “You need to get down to the port now. Not the functioning end, the deserted end. Do you know where that is?”
“Um, no. But wait a second I’ll ask Finn.” I put down the phone and ask him and he nods to say that he does. I pick the phone back up. “Yeah, he knows it. But why do I have to go there?”
“Because,” says Rita in an irritated voice, she obviously hates to be questioned, “the whole city’s running wild on a rumour that Theodore is going to show himself there at sundown, which is in approximately twenty-five minutes time.”
I sigh inwardly. Yet again I’m being pulled into supernatural drama. “I’ll be there.”
“See you then,” says Rita before quickly hanging up.
I glance back at Finn. “That was Rita. Apparently there’s a rumour that Theodore is going to reveal himself down at the deserted end of the port at sundown. You up for a little outing?”
His eyes widen a fraction before he jumps up and practically shoves me out the door.
Chapter Sixteen
Magical Mr Mistoffelees
Before we even get close to the port we’re slowed down by crowds upon crowds of people making their way there. Rumours must travel fast among the supernaturals of Tribane. Or maybe they’re all here because they’re afraid that the rumour could be true and that their lives are going to be turned upside down. The hope of disproving what they have been told fills the air like a heavy cloud of unlikeliness.
Bodies fill the footpaths on either side of the road and there are even people walking in the middle of the road out in front of us. Finn decides to park the van and walk the rest of the way. We find a spot and get out, disappearing into the hordes. Finn instructs me to stick close to him. I agree only because of the fact that you can tell there’s something not quite normal about the people I’m surrounded by. Something in the atmosphere that tells me that they’re different.
There are only dhamphirs and magical folk around me, the vampires must be taking a different route so as not to bump into their enemies. My mind fills with thoughts of a riot breaking out when the two tribes have to stand in close proximity once we get to the part of the port Rita told me about. The very idea makes every bone in my body scream in protestation. Get out now, while you still can, it tells me.
I feel like I’m going to some strange version of a football match, where everybody walks down the road towards the stadium. Tension fills the space. Supporters of either team eye each other in expectation of a fight. This situation is so similar it’s almost funny. Almost.
After about five minutes of walking a bigger crowd appears up ahead, all standing at the very edge of the water. “We’re not going to be able to see a thing.” I say to Finn in frustration. He only sighs in response. I stare ahead, gazing at the crowd. There’s a divide of about three foot directly down the middle that no one dares step into. I realise that this is the divide between those who inhabit South Tribane and those who inhabit North Tribane. There is a truce for the moment, so long as neither side steps inside the territory of the other.
Well I definitely can’t use this gap to get nearer to the front of the crowd, even if I am supposed to be neutral. This reminds me that I was supposed present myself in front of the two Governors and declare my position. I have a funny feeling that isn’t going to be happening now, especially since Herrington has been murdered.
Then, all of a sudden, I see this tiny white speck of light coming towards me. Like the tip of a very small torch. “Do you see that?” I ask Finn, “the light coming toward us.”
Finn looks in the direction I’m gesturing but only shakes his head to tell he can’t see what I’m talking about. The next thing I know the light is right in front of me and Rita and Alvie step out of it.
“Hey,” she says with a grin. “Cool trick huh? We couldn’t find you in the crowd so I used a little spell I made up.”
“Yeah, it’s good all right, but how come Finn couldn’t see it?” I ask.
Rita shakes her head, still grinning. “I cast it so only you could see it, can you imagine what would happen if every misfit here saw the light? They’d think it was Theodore and chaos would break out.”
“I suppose you’re right, so what’s the deal? Do you think it really is Theodore behind all this?”
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” says Rita. “Now come on you two, I’ll take us back up to the front.”
Finn looks uncertain as Rita begins gesturing with her hands, casting her silent spell. Reluctantly, he steps in close to us and the next thing I know we’re hovering above the gathered people, trapped inside of Rita’s light. A moment later we’re standing at the head of the North Tribane side, among the warlocks and the dhamphirs. They don’t even seem to notice us appear, as though we’d been standing there the whole time. Rita is even more powerful with magic than I’d thought.
After a beat Marcel and Gabriel spot us and come to stand by Finn. Marcel doesn’t even bother to look at me, as though I am dead to him now. It actually surprises me that I don’t really care about that so much. Finn stands and speaks to them quietly, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. Rita and Alvie have their arms linked and they stand staring out into the water, anticipation in their eyes. I step close to Rita and link my arm through hers, because she’s the person I trust the most to keep me safe right now. She accepts my arm wordlessly and continues staring.
“What are you two looking at?” I ask.
/> “The Island,” Rita answers, and nods her head out at the water where Ridley Island lies in direct view of us just under a mile out from the port.
“Oh. Why?”
“It’s way too obvious. We were all instructed to come to the area of the port where there’s the best view of Ridley. Something’s going to happen over there, I can feel it.”
I stare around at the others present and realise that nearly everyone else is staring out at the Island too. Suddenly I understand what Rita means, there is a definite feeling of electricity buzzing from the direction of Ridley. A cold shiver tip toes down my spine.
I sense somebody looking at me and turn my head over to the vampires to find Ethan’s eyes boring into me, a question in his expression. Why am I standing with his enemies? I shrug my shoulders and send him a look of confusion, as if to tell him that I don’t know myself. Beside him are Delilah and Lucas, and the barman from the club with the long brown dreadlocks. I hadn’t pegged him for a vampire. To the left of Ethan is the recently bereaved Antonia Herrington with her three bodyguards, the two burly men and Dru.
Antonia has an air of determination about her. If Theodore does happen to show up here tonight she is sure to want his guts for garters. She appears even more severe out here in the open, with the dying grey light just about to fade away into darkness. Her white hair is pulled back into a tight bun like the last time I saw her. She wears a dark grey designer suit with pearls around her neck.
Dru, alongside the other two bodyguards, is scanning the area with her eyes, keeping a look out for any threats. She catches my eye as I’m looking at Antonia and smiles lazily. She’s wearing all black again, with big heavy duty steel toe cap boots on. Despite her smile I can tell that she’s wondering what I’m doing standing with my arm linked through a witch’s.
I glance away and back out at the Island. There is nothing on it, no buildings, just a bare expanse of land, probably about a mile long and two miles wide. Not a very big island at all. Rita had mentioned that there was once a mansion there surrounded by carnival rides, but that had been back in Theodore’s heyday. Now it is devoid of anything at all.
“How long is it until sundown?” I ask, turning my head a fraction to Rita.
She glances at her watch before answering, “Just under five minutes.”
Expectation fills me, along with a certain degree of fear. I wonder what Nicky is up to right now. I wish I could be with her, wherever she is, probably in her spare room doing some painting. Life would be so much better right now if I were there with her, watching her paint while I drink a glass of wine and listen to a CD of one of the many obscure independent bands we like to support. I miss her so much. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I miss the simple life of grief and solitude I’d been living up until recently, with Nicky being my only connection to the outside world. Now all I know is strangeness and an abyss of the unknown.
The next four minutes pass quickly as I spend time in my own head, having a discussion with myself about what my life once was. It had been a sad little life, but at least I knew where I stood with it. At least I knew that monsters were made up. Only they weren’t. Air seems to get sucked out of the space as the final thirty seconds before sundown come along, each second lingering for longer than normal. As though in slow motion.
Rita’s hold seems to tighten on my arm as the half minute comes to an end and the sun disappears under the horizon. The moment it’s gone I hear faint music begin to play, and it tickles at my memory. Where is it coming from? The others seem to be hearing it too, we all glance around in an effort to discern its source. Then I remember. This is the music I’d heard that time as I’d been leaving Crimson to walk home by myself. The old piano music from the twenties.
It’s slow at first and very, very quiet. But as it gets louder it also begins to speed up, like a merry-go-round. Is this Theodore’s music? Had he been close by that last time I’d heard it? Rita had mentioned that he liked to collect antique fair rides. This is the exact kind of music that would be playing alongside such rides back in the day.
“Do you hear that?” I ask Rita, but she only nods in response, her eyes darting this way and that. Then she closes them, as though trying to sense what is creating the music with the magic she holds inside of her. Suddenly her eyes shoot open, almost in shock.
“It’s him,” she breathes. “It really is him.”
“Where is he Rita?” Alvie asks urgently.
But before she has the chance to answer, the ground begins to shake. Like a mild earthquake. I have never experienced one before, Tribane doesn’t generally get them. I look around but it seems that the vibration isn’t coming from the ground on which we are standing. My eyes wander out to the water where it ripples violently, and then I realise that the shaking is coming from Ridley Island. Soon it seems that everybody else has realised the same thing, because now we are all watching Ridley, and it is a sight to behold.
Objects are rising out of the ground, like some kind of miracle. Gravel and mud and rocks shoot up into the air as these things push their way to the surface. The music is even louder now, as though belting out from the big massive speakers they have in nightclubs and gig venues. It hurts my ears to listen to it. I close my hands over them to block some of it out. The object that is pushing its way up in the centre of the island seems to be gaining headway, it is the largest of them all. It rises out of the ground like an enormous zombie rising from a grave, or a strange ground monster coming to life out of the depths of the earth
And then I can make out what it is, a house. Vines and mud coat its exterior. If it weren’t for this then I would almost describe it as stately. Once it has finished its ascent I can see that it has about four levels and is almost as wide as a quarter of the whole island. “That’s Theodore’s old mansion, the one that disappeared back in the sixties. I’m certain of it,” says Rita, talking loudly so as to be heard over the music. Alvie lets out a curse that I won’t repeat.
I turn to look over at Marcel and Gabriel. Both of them are standing stock still, and it is clear that they recognise the house also. So this is definitely Theodore we’re dealing with, or perhaps just a really powerful impersonator. How much magic would it take to pull off a stunt like this? Perhaps more than all of the magic users present would hold combined.
I jump when my pocket begins to buzz, but then I remember it’s my phone. Sometimes you need the mundane to snap you out of your fear of the fantastical. I laugh involuntarily, but it is afraid rather than joyful. I pull out the little black phone and lift it to my ear. Ethan’s name is on the screen. Oh crap. Do I really want to deal with this right now?
Nonetheless I answer. “Hello?” Although I doubt I can be heard over the music. Still, Ethan’s voice comes through loud and clear. I look over and see that he’s staring straight at me as he holds his phone to his ear.
“What on earth are you doing over there with that slayer?” he demands, and I don’t like the accusatory tone of his voice. As though I belong to him and should not even consider any notions of free will. It’s also predictable that he would notice I’m standing close to Finn, even though my arm is linked through Rita’s.
“Is this really the time to be talking about this Ethan? Because I think there are more important issues at hand. Like say the house that seems to be rising out of the ground over there.” I gesture frantically over to the island.
“That is the slayer from the other night, have you been in league with him all this time?” he questions, ignoring what I’ve said.
“He’s friends with Marcel and Gabriel.” I tell him, not bothering to go into detail.
He seems to consider it for a moment before he accepts. “Right, well you’d better get over here. I can’t see any of this ending well and I need to be able to protect you.”
All around people are making noises of shock and astonishment, and even a little bit of awe. I turn back to the island and see that the other objects have now risen to the surface. Carn
ival rides. Dirt spills off them and miraculously they are all lit up with lights of various colours; red, blue, yellow, green. The chair-o-planes spin around and around, twirling out of the ground like a humongous screw driver. The merry-go-round horses do the same. Around and around, it’s enough to make a person dizzy.
I return to my conversation with Ethan. “I can’t go over to you. All hell would break lose if I walked over the divide.”
“Everybody is watching Theodore’s display,” he tells me. “Run across now and nobody will notice. I will catch you on the other side.”
“It’s too risky.”
“It’s a lot more risky if you stay where you are. Both sides are itching for a fight and I can’t let you get caught in the crossfire. Come now Tegan,” he pauses a second. “Please.”
“I’m with my friends, I’m not leaving them.”
“Bring them with you.”
“They’re magic users, Ethan. They can’t go over there.”
He’s just about to respond when the music stops, and everybody goes still and silent. All you can hear is the click and whirr of the motors that are working the fair rides across the water. Other than that the silence is deafening. Nobody knowing what will happen next. I hang up on Ethan and put my phone back in my pocket. A chill comes over me and I pull my coat tighter.
A moment later I hear footsteps tapping down on the hard concrete of the ground. They sound as though they are coming from the direction of the parting between the two sides. All heads turn to the gap and gasps ensue as those closest see who is making their way through the centre of the gathering.
It’s not long before the person passes by us and I see a man with paler than pale skin, and jet black hair that has two twisty spikes on each side of his head. He’s a bizarre looking character, but also absolutely terrifying. He’s wearing a glittery black coat with tails with a frilly white shirt underneath and a black dickey bow. Black slacks and shiny black shoes. He looks like Mr Mistoffelees from the musical Cats, it is quite fear inducing.