The Witch's Sacrifice, page 20
‘Great idea,’ said Ben. ‘But it’ll take too long to brew and I’m all out.’
‘Frazzle.’ I paced the length of the car, tapping my index finger against my leg. How could we get rid of the security guard without hurting him? ‘Got any drugs?’
‘We’re not drugging the nice security guard just for doing his job!’ Fadil whispered angrily.
‘Well then what do you suggest?’ I asked. I didn’t like the thought of drugging him either, but we were desperate.
‘When I first started drinking caffeine, my body didn’t like it,’ said Fadil. ‘Do you know if he drinks it much, Manju?’
‘He doesn’t. Says it makes him feel ill.’ She smirked. ‘But I had a peek inside before you got here, and he was falling asleep at his post.’
‘Perfect,’ I said.
‘But before we go in,’ said Manju, ‘we need to consider the security cameras.’
‘How many are there?’ asked Ben.
‘Four. One in each corner of the room. Plus some in the corridors,’ she replied. ‘They get deleted at the end of each shift to save data. Unless anything happens on them, of course.’
Fadil narrowed his eyes. ‘I think I have an idea.’
‘What is it?’ said Mum.
‘Well, I’ve been studying technology just in case we ever needed it. I think I could put the camera on a loop, so it looks like the security guard never moved,’ he said.
‘And you learned how to do that?’ said Niamh.
Fadil shrugged, looking sheepish. ‘It felt like something that might be useful some day. And since I didn’t have powers, I wanted to contribute in some other useful way.’
His instincts couldn’t have been more right.
Ben grinned, clapping his hands together. ‘That’s brilliant!’
‘Thanks,’ said Fadil, smiling. ‘It’s nice to feel useful for once, instead of like I’m the one you’re saving.’
I stroked his arm. ‘We’re not saving you. We’re being good friends.’
Ben and Mum nodded.
Fadil’s eyes welled up. He snivelled. ‘Well.’ He gulped. ‘Where can we find the security cameras?’
*
All right, so it was a little cruel to give the security guard caffeine when it made him ill, but we were desperate. It wasn’t like there’d be long-term side effects or anything.
And, when we walked into the hall to present him with his coffee, he was sleeping so heavily he didn’t hear us enter. And he was drooling. Not exactly the best look for a night security guard.
Ben stayed with the car, on the off chance something happened to Dominic. You could never be too careful. He had to have friends in high places if he’d summoned demons to torture Josh and Maggie.
Manju cleared her throat.
The security guard fidgeted, flailed about, then opened his eyes. When he saw Manju, he sat bolt upright. ‘I—I wasn’t—’
‘It’s OK. My friends and I came to say goodbye to the exhibit and noticed you were falling asleep. So I made you a coffee to perk you up a bit.’ She handed him the flask of coffee. He sipped it, squirming as the bitter liquid hit his tastebuds. But he chugged the rest anyway. Wow, he was desperate.
‘Do you want me to give you a moment, so you can say goodbye properly?’ the security guard offered.
Manju gave him her sweetest smile. ‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
The security guard stood up and nodded. ‘To tell you the truth, I could use a break to stretch my legs.’ He shook them out. ‘They’ve proper seized up from sitting for too long.’
‘Bless you. Well, I’ll be here until you get back.’
The security guard returned Manju’s empty flask to her, then left us in the hall.
Well, that had been easier than I’d expected.
The hall was creepy at night. Moonlight streamed in from the high windows, reflecting on the highly polished wooden floors. Fadil’s sarcophagus, his home for four millennia, looked particularly eerie inside its glass case. What remained of the face on the death mask took on a menacing feel even though I knew the sarcophagus itself was harmless. I stepped back, shuddering.
‘Right. We’d better get Ben and Dominic before the security guard comes back,’ said Mum.
Manju stayed with the exhibit, probably to say an actual goodbye, while Mum, Fadil, and I returned to the car. Ben was leaning against it, staring up at the cloudless sky. There weren’t many stars to see; there were too many streetlights around. But he must’ve been looking at something, because his eyes were glued to the sky.
‘You look very pensive,’ said Mum.
‘I like stargazing. It reminds me of how small and inadequate we all are. It’s humbling,’ he said.
‘I’d hardly call what we’ve done in the last few hours inadequate,’ said Fadil.
Ben half-nodded in acknowledgement, then went around to the boot and opened it. ‘Do you want to say anything, Edie? Before we do this?’
‘Nope. I’ve already said my go-to-hells to him.’
Mum laughed from behind me. The others didn’t know what I’d said to Dominic, but I knew she’d overheard. And probably felt pleased by what I’d said. If only I’d said it earlier.
Mum, Ben, and Fadil carried Dominic’s body from the car and into the school. I carried the replacement canopic jar with Dominic’s curse ingredients in, and opened doors for them, trying to make it as smooth as possible. It wasn’t like Dominic could protest or move or otherwise stop them, but it was still weird to know that they were carrying around someone who was alive but looked dead. I forced the thought away from my mind as much as I could. We’d done what we’d done for a reason. It was the only way to protect ourselves and other people from him.
When we reached the hall, they lowered his body in front of the sarcophagus.
‘Now what?’ said Fadil. He studied the canopic jars, one of which we had to replace with Dominic’s curse ingredients, to keep them together. Could they even tell which was the replacement Mum had created?
Manju stood up from the security guard’s chair and came to join us. There wasn’t much she could do, but given she’d helped us to get there, so it was only right she was present to see why we’d needed her help so badly.
‘How did the other guy open the glass cases?’ She had no idea ‘the other guy’ was lying right in front of her. Which was good, because it kept her safe.
‘We still don’t know,’ said Mum. ‘Could he have used a spell?’
‘Probably,’ said Ben. He gestured to the lock on the glass case. ‘Does the security guard have any keys to get inside?’
‘He must have, but I don’t know how we could get them off him without him getting suspicious,’ said Manju.
‘Why do we need keys? We have magic,’ I said.
I moved the red rope fence from around the sarcophagus and the canopic jars, then bent down and peered into the lock on the sarcophagus’s case. It was gold, to match the edging of the case. If you weren’t looking for it, you might miss it. Closing my eyes, I pictured what I thought the inside of the lock might look like. Then, I adjusted the spell I’d come up with to get into the bakery below Dominic’s flat: ‘Spirits, assist me. Unlock these cases so the past will leave us be.’ It was a little bit metaphorical, but I was hoping it would work anyway.
The two locks clicked open. I stood up, grinning.
‘Where’s the spell from?’ asked Ben.
‘I made it up.’ I skipped back over to my spot beside Mum.
‘We got it!’ Fadil ran to the glass cases.
I put my arm out to stop him. ‘Fingerprints. Don’t touch it.’
Fadil relaxed behind my arm. ‘Of course. I knew that.’
I lowered my arm, holding out the fake canopic jar to Fadil. Switching them felt like something he should do. He took it from me, then approached the jars and stared at it for a moment.
‘Does anyone have a glove?’ asked Fadil.
Manju took one from her coat pocket and handed it to him. It was a fake leather one.
‘Thanks,’ he said, putting it on. He gestured to the canopic jars. ‘Which is the fake one?’
‘Far left,’ said Manju.
As delicately as he could, he opened the case, switched the jars, then closed it again.
I walked up to him and put my hand on his back. ‘You OK?’
He sighed. ‘I’m not sure. But time will keep moving whether I am or not, right?’
I rubbed his back. ‘Yeah, it will.’
He lowered his head.
Ben gave me an incantation to reverse the spell on the fake canopic jar. I repeated it, then the Anubis-headed jar morphed back into a plastic plant pot. ‘Whoa. That was cool!’
Ben smirked.
Mum smiled at me. ‘All right, next step. Open it without touching it. Ben, could you use your forcefield?’
‘Like, use it to cause the pressure to build up and force it apart?’ Ben finished for her. Finishing each other’s sentences. Now that was cute.
‘Exactly,’ she said.
‘Worth a shot.’ He flexed his shoulders, then held his arms out in front of him. A white, hazy glow came from his hands and went over to the glass case. He strained, his neck twitching as he tried to force it apart. The glass lid flew back, stopping parallel to the floor.
Ben flexed his shoulders again. ‘I think I still have enough magic left to lift the lid. But I won’t be able to do it for long. Glass is one thing. But stone…’
‘We’ll be as fast as we can,’ said Mum. They exchanged glances, then Ben turned his palms up and slowly raised them. Right on cue, the sarcophagus lid began to float, too. It looked so effortless. But I knew it was anything but from Ben’s clenched jaw and the groaning emitting from his throat.
Before Mum, Fadil, and I could lift Dominic’s body, the stone lid fell back into place with a thud. Ben crouched over, panting. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t have enough energy left.’
Thankfully, it didn’t seem to have done any damage to the lid. Phew. But the security guard had definitely heard that noise. Frazzle.
Mum put her hand on Ben’s back. ‘It’s OK. It isn’t your fault.’
‘But we’re so close!’
‘I doubt Dominic had your power when he opened it. There must be another way,’ I said.
Fadil nodded. ‘I heard him mumbling a spell as the lid lifted. But I don’t know what it was.’
Footsteps echoed down the hall. The security guard! Frazzle!
Manju ran towards the door, skidding on her Converse as she tried to stop him from seeing what we were up to. ‘I got this! But hurry!’
‘Thank you!’ Mum called as she disappeared out of sight.
Ben stood up. ‘We need a spell. Fast. Edie, do you think you could write another?’
‘Yeah. I think so.’ A spell to lift the lid. What did it need? ‘Let’s try this. Are you up to helping, Ben? It will be more powerful if all three of us say it.’
Ben nodded.
The voices of Manju and the security guard echoed into the room. If this didn’t work, we were in big trouble. There was no way to explain what was happening to someone I was pretty sure didn’t even know ghosts existed, let alone anything else. If he reported us to the police, we’d have no way of explaining what we were doing. Not one that they’d believe, anyway.
All right, it was now or never.
‘Repeat after me,’ I said. ‘Move this lid so we can fit in the human who’s committed all this sin.’ It wasn’t my best spell, but I was under pressure.
Mum and Ben repeated the spell along with me. The stone lid shifted from side to side, then began to levitate. So cool!
‘How long will it stay like that?’ said Fadil, reaching for Dominic’s body.
‘Wait!’ I said. ‘Let’s use a spell to put him in. It’s less dangerous if the first spell doesn’t hold.’
‘That will be a lot more draining,’ said Ben. He still looked kind of ropey. I really hoped he could get a lie down soon.
‘But safer,’ agreed Mum.
Ben straightened himself up and nodded. ‘I think I’ve got something. It’s an old trick I used to play on my sister when she’d annoyed me. If we all line up between Dominic and the sarcophagus, it should guide the spell.’
We did as instructed, then Ben gave us the spell. ‘Levitate, levitate, move in a straight.’
Dominic’s body floated off the floor, following the path we’d laid out for him. The way it moved was so graceful. I hadn’t expected that. It was almost like it was being pulled along by an invisible rope. It reached the edge of the sarcophagus and hovered. It almost seemed like the spell didn’t know what we wanted to do next.
So, instead of worrying about any more magic, I walked over and shoved him inside with my elbow. Then I stepped back as fast as I could just in case the lid slammed on top of me.
Dominic lay inside the stone case, his back against the side of it instead of the bottom. Tobias had paid so much attention that Dominic was even wrapped up with his arms lower down his body, like Fadil had been. How had Tobias known to do that? It was probably safer that I didn’t know, but I appreciated his attention to detail all the same.
‘Think it’ll matter?’ said Mum, gesturing to Dominic’s awkward pose.
‘Nah. Let him suffer,’ I said. A part of me felt guilty. A bigger part of me was still angry at him for the way he’d treated me, everyone I cared about, and total strangers. He wanted life? He got life. ‘He’ll move about inside when they move the sarcophagus tomorrow.’
We reversed the spells, leaving Dominic locked inside.
Finally, I was free from his hold. He wouldn’t be able to hurt me – mentally, emotionally, or magically – ever again. Mum put her arm around my waist. I leaned on to her shoulder, feeling more relaxed than I had in weeks. It was finally over.
31
Niamh
Edie and I dropped Ben and Fadil back home, then finally returned to ours. By that point, it was gone three in the morning. Edie could barely keep her eyes open, but I was buzzing with energy after everything that had happened.
Maggie had walked Tilly and Dave, fed them, and set Tilly up in front of RuPaul’s Drag Race – her favourite show – so we knew she’d been fine. Dave had been put in the kitchen with the radio on. And Spectre was…doing ghost cat things.
Given the time, we figured Tilly and Dave would be asleep when we got in.
But Tilly was wide awake when we walked into the lounge. She dove for Edie, jumping up at her and barking and begging her for attention. Edie crouched down next to her, causing Tilly to climb all over her and shower her with kisses. I wiped a tear from my eye. My two girls were happy again.
Edie fell backwards, landing on her back. But she didn’t cry out like she normally would have. I daren’t ask if she’d healed herself using her powers. There was enough to unpack from everything else she’d done. That was a therapy session for another day, though. What mattered was that she was home.
Spectre floated in from the kitchen, walked over to Edie, and rubbed himself against her legs. She was the only person who could touch him, so he’d probably missed that. Edie reached out and stroked him with one hand, keeping the other on Tilly. When she tried to stop, the ball of white fluff nudged her to resume fuss. It was adorable and I’d missed it more than I thought I could.
‘Do you want something to eat?’ I asked.
‘Thanks, but I’m really tired. Do you mind if I just go up to bed?’
‘Of course not. It’s all made up, although Tilly’s been sleeping on it since you left.’
Edie looked up at me. ‘She has?’
I nodded. ‘She missed you.’
As demonstrated by the fact that she was still licking every part of Edie’s face, and as soon as Edie stopped stroking her, she got nudged to continue.
‘Go on. You two go up to bed,’ I said.
Giggling, Edie picked up the flailing westie, then hugged me. I hugged her back, blinking back tears. She didn’t need to know how much I wanted to cry because she was home. That would’ve just made her feel even more guilty for leaving. And she was carrying around enough guilt already.
I kissed Edie’s forehead, then Tilly’s. They both kissed me back, then Edie carried her sidekick up to bed, Spectre close behind.
I went into the kitchen and started making myself a hot chocolate. My brain was racing too fast for me to be able to relax enough to sleep. It was still processing everything that had happened.
Dave was asleep in the corner, clearly not bothered about everything that had happened in the last few hours, or the change of scenery. I’d never met such an indifferent dog. It went against everything I knew about terriers.
While I was boiling the kettle, my phone rang. It was Ben.
‘Is something wrong?’ I said.
‘Can I come over?’
‘Sure.’
What did he want? I was eager to see him, but nervous, too. Was he going to say being around Edie and me was too much drama, so he was done with us? I wouldn’t blame him. Ever since we’d met there’d been one thing after another.
He texted me when he arrived so that he didn’t wake Edie. I let him in, locking the door behind him.
‘No Tilly attack?’
‘She’s asleep with Edie.’
‘Cute,’ he said with a smile.
‘Yeah.’ We went into the living room, an awkwardness hanging in the air. There was so much to talk about. So much to unpack. But where to start? ‘So, about—’
Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed my arms, pulled me into him, and kissed me. Everything I’d been wanting to say to him melted away as my body leaned into him. His touch was the one thing I’d been missing.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, trying to mould myself to him. Everything that had happened melted away as his lips pressed against mine. It was a magical feeling. One I hadn’t realised I’d missed until that moment.
He stopped, resting his forehead against mine as he regained his breath. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘For what?’
‘Doubting you and Edie. I almost lost you. All because of my own stupid fears. Fears that were completely unfounded!’ He started pacing, his shoulders hunched over and his head lowered. ‘I couldn’t stand the thought of history repeating itself. But how could I even think that when I don’t even know what really happened?’
