And that included getting down on my knees and grovelling to Emilia to help me find a way to save it.
14.
Finn
Marcel marched into the house like a moody housewife whose visitors had shown up before she had the chance to make the place presentable. Roman still had a hold on Ridley, who was seething with barely contained rage.
I almost felt sorry for the bloke, but then I remembered that this was the same man who set fire to Rita and Noreen’s house all those weeks ago. He was also the same man who kept Alora locked up in his house like a prisoner.
Yep, not feeling so bad for him anymore.
Inside, there was barely a scrap of furniture to be found, just white walls and beige carpets.
“I really love what you’ve done with the place. Minimalism is so hot right now,” I joked, and Marcel narrowed his eyes to slits.
We walked through the house and out to the back. It seemed that all the effort to jazz up the place had been put into the garden. There were swings, monkey bars, and a variety of playground toys amidst the perfectly segmented flowers and bushes. While Theodore hung upside down by the legs from one of the monkey bars, Rita was perched on the swing set wearing a long black dress. Rebecca was standing perfectly still on a large, brightly coloured box by a blossoming rose bush. The little girl’s eyes were closed, as though she’d been induced into a magical slumber, and there were tubes coming from her arms with blood flowing through them.
Okay, what the fuck?
I half expected Emilia to be lounging nearby with a glass of lemonade in hand, but she wasn’t. She was sitting on a bench, her arms tied behind her back with duct tape, and the same went for her legs. She must have been crying at some stage because her mascara had run down her face.
I stared at Rebecca again and understood exactly why Emilia had been crying. The little girl’s blood was flowing through the tubes and out of her body, where it floated in the air in the shape of a rose. Theodore swished his hands at the blood when he saw me looking, and the shape changed into a monstrous face. I jumped because he did it so quickly. He giggled, and the face dissolved and transformed into glittering star shapes.
“This blood really is a wonder,” he mused, seeming not at all bothered by our sudden presence. He swept his hand out in front of him, and the blood stars turned into glittering red rubies hovering in the air. Rita continued to swing back and forth, taking us in with no reaction. Roman, on the other hand, stared at her with interest.
As the blood swished through the air around Rebecca, I saw that she was standing on a human-sized music box. The blood began to whistle as it moved rapidly through the air, creating a shiver-inducing tune. Rebecca’s body started to turn around in circles, and Theodore clapped in delight as he watched his horrific creation. He was playing with her blood, entertaining himself with the power it contained.
The sorcerer’s eyes flicked to Roman. “I felt your presence return to the city, young Roman. Welcome home. It’s been a while.”
“That it has,” Roman replied, and I wondered if I was the only one who found it odd that Theodore referred to him as young. It begged the question, exactly how old was Theodore?
“We’ve come for Emilia and the girl,” Roman went on. “Release them and there will be no bloodshed.”
Theodore suddenly looked intrigued. “Is that a threat?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t like threats.”
“Few people do.”
“You know, I was once threatened by another sorcerer about your age,” Theodore recalled. “I cut out his heart for doing so. It was actually a lucky thing because I needed the heart for a spell I was casting.”
“Fresh hearts are a rare commodity,” Roman agreed blandly.
It was almost funny how they spoke in such benign tones, as if they were having a friendly chat over a cup of tea.
“This is outrageous,” Marcel exclaimed. “They have taken Michael’s hearing! Something needs to be done.”
“Hush now,” Theodore said, motioning him to quiet before returning his attention to Roman. “Why do you want them?”
“They are not yours to keep, and I have promised my kin that I would assist her in this matter.”
Now Theodore really looked intrigued. “Your kin?”
“Tegan,” Rita said out of nowhere. I’d started to think she’d lost the ability to talk since it’d been so long since I’d heard her voice. “His magic looks like Tegan’s.”
Roman smiled widely at her, so wide it was a little creepy. I couldn’t tell whether he wanted to kiss her or kill her—perhaps a mixture of the two.
“You are related to my dear little Treasure?” Theodore questioned with a disconcertingly cheerful expression. “Why, this is a cause to celebrate.”