CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Theodora, Dot and Lio stepped out onto the roof of Hemmington’s department store.
The sky was gloomy in the dim afternoon light.
The witches of Acanthi were gone. Theodora set down Opal, who stirred, addled and half-alive, covered in scales of white.
They climbed down to the balcony that was overlooked by the bistro; the sea lapped at the edge of it, every third or so wave washing over their feet.
Within the bistro atop Hemmington’s department store, a revelry was underway.
‘It’s like they’ve won a war,’ said Lio, peering in at the spirits.
Salamander’s allies in their hundreds danced and chanted and smoked and rang their bells.
Dot expected to see Casimir sat at a table, cigarette in his mouth.
He wasn’t. Instead, she spotted a spirit who looked like a turkey crossed with a library; a chimera-type creature the colour of plums; an angular spirit with legs like razors; a fur-covered spirit singing vibrato; and a fish-like spirit bopping about on a nearby table.
‘Some of these spirits lived at Ollianne,’ said Theodora.
Dot chewed her bottom lip. ‘I suppose I don’t entirely blame them for joining Salamander.’
‘I do,’ said Lio.
‘Even those who didn’t leave with the Exodus were still insulted by Article Thirteen,’ said Dot. ‘Salamander is offering the right to use their magic however they would like.’
Lio shot her a sidelong glance. ‘That Bachelor of Politics is evident as ever, Dot.’
Theodora placed her hand on the window latch. ‘No wards around the bistro,’ she said. ‘Not for us, anyway.’
‘Could we take a portal straight to the dungeon, then?’ asked Lio.
‘Not if you enjoy having your spine attached to your body,’ said Theodora.
She waved a hand over Opal’s soiled satin dress, scooping her up.
Lio opened the door to the bistro, and the raucous noise spilled out.
He squeezed inside the room, battered by dancing spirits.
Dot followed, then Theodora, levitating Opal’s body.
‘Which way?’ called Lio over the fanfare. He dodged out of the path of a slug-like spirit, who turned to them and halted.
‘Humans,’ she said. ‘Whatever are you doing here?’
‘We work for Salamander,’ said Theodora and, to Dot’s surprise, the spirit believed her and went on dancing. ‘Straight ahead, Lio.’
They dodged and parried the festivities, skirting the room, tripping over the flailing limbs of the dancing spirits.
It was not unlike Dot’s first night at the Raven’s Attic.
She took hold of Lio’s and Theodora’s arms and they wove through the party until at last they came to the door beside the kitchen.
The catfish spirit stepped out of the fray. She seized Theodora’s arm.
‘Madame Kae?s. Refugees are not allowed on the upper floors.’
‘We are not refugees,’ said Theodora, tugging her arm from the spirit’s grip. ‘We’re here to see Salamander.’
‘Is that Miss Weyer?’ gasped the spirit, looking at Opal, who was suspended inelegantly in her dress like a baby from a stork’s bundle.
‘Indeed,’ said Theodora. ‘Where is Casimir?’
‘I’ve not seen Mr Delané for some hours. Still, I cannot allow you—’
Theodora blasted the spirit backward.
‘Hurry!’ shouted Theodora. She seized Dot’s arm, pulled the door open and ran down the corridor. Lio followed, dodging Opal’s bobbing body. They passed down several hallways and at last they came to a submarine-like door. Theodora wrenched it open. ‘Get in!’
Just as the door shut, they spotted an onslaught of spirits rushing down the hall behind them. Theodora yanked on the lever and the elevator plunged downward.
‘That was unnecessarily bold,’ said Lio.
‘I know no other way,’ said Theodora, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Opal stirred, and Theodora nudged at her leg. She flinched but did not wake. ‘Not lucid yet.’
‘Probably for the best,’ said Dot, clutching at the elevator wall.
‘The amnesia charm takes a while to wake from,’ said Lio. Then he looked about at the elevator. ‘How deep does this go?’
‘You wouldn’t like the answer,’ said Theodora.
The elevator thudded to a stop. Lio wrenched open the door and, together, they crept into the dark, hit by the reek of mould and pond water. Theodora lit a plume of fire that illuminated the labyrinth of halls.
‘Won’t those spirits follow us down here?’ asked Lio, glancing up at the elevator.
‘Would you have come willingly into this place if you didn’t have to?’ asked Theodora. ‘The spirits are terrified of Salamander’s dungeon.’
‘Whatever is that smell?’ mumbled Opal, floating along behind them.
Lio, Theodora and Dot looked at each other.
‘We have to be quiet,’ cooed Theodora, as if to a child. ‘Go back to sleep.’
‘Of course,’ said Opal dreamily, and she closed her eyes and let them drag her along. In the plume of the firelight, Dot caught Theodora’s and Lio’s anguished expressions, both of them stealing a glance, every now and then, at the woman floating behind them.
Theodora led the shaken group down the halls. Lio coughed as quietly as he could while Dot counted their steps. They doubled back more than once.
‘Casimir usually does this part,’ whispered Theodora. At last, they made it to the final hallway, and Theodora halted them. ‘Quiet,’ she breathed.
Dot squinted. In the dim light, she saw the edges of the door to Salamander’s lair at last.
It was already open.
A strained voice rose from within.
‘I’ve faced far worse than you. Bleed every vein in me, I will not tell you which is Opal’s contract.’
‘Casimir?’ asked Dot. Theodora hushed her.
‘Do not be petulant,’ came the voice of Catherine Weyer.
Dot recoiled, bumping into Lio, who knocked Opal into the wall.
‘Ow,’ said Opal. ‘Mind where you’re going.’
Theodora lurched to cover her mouth but, at the same moment, Cate paused within the darkened chamber.
‘Opal?’
‘Get off me,’ Opal snapped at Theodora.
‘Opal!’ shouted Cate. In an instant, she was at the door with Moira behind her, just visible in the gloom.
Cate sent a spell at the group and, before they could block it, yanked all of them violently into Salamander’s study.
They all tumbled painfully against the cement – all except for Opal, who Cate caught in her arms.
Casimir groaned on the floor beside them. ‘Why are you here, T?’
He was curled around himself, head against the hard concrete, blood spilling from his mouth. Casimir lay on a bed of papers; around him, several huge cabinets were turned on their sides. There were cuts along his arms, winding up his skin and intersecting with his tattoos.
‘Cas,’ breathed Theodora. ‘Acanthi have made a blood spell of you.’
Dot and Lio joined Theodora at Casimir’s side. The final two witches of Acanthi, who it seemed had almost forgotten them entirely, bent low over Opal.
‘I thought I heard your voice when I was on the rooftop,’ groaned Casimir. ‘The crone started doing something with her string and began prattling about Weyer’s contract.’
Casimir gave Theodora a knowing look, and the witch looked down at the papers and blood surrounding them. She gently clasped Casimir’s hand. ‘Cas,’ she said, ‘thank you.’
‘Stop touching me, would you?’ snapped Opal’s voice. She pushed Acanthi away.
‘We are helping,’ promised Cate, who had begun to cry. ‘Look at your poor skin.’
‘What have they done to you?’ hissed Moira.
‘It was Salamander,’ called Theodora. ‘His conduence charm and his orders caused this.’
They ignored her.
Theodora dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a pot of antiseptic salve.
She worked quickly, casting quiet spells upon Casimir’s wounds.
Lio took out his chalk and drew a shaky rune on Casimir’s shirt.
Haphazardly, the worst of the blood lifted from him.
Dot’s eyes darted about. Aside from the strewn papers and cabinets, Salamander’s lair was unchanged.
They stood before the huge water tank, which refracted tepid green light over them. The daemon was nowhere.
‘My darling,’ said Cate. She clutched Opal so tightly that the addled woman’s back arched. ‘We just need the contract now. That man is going to get it for us. I saw it with my threads; I saw the contract in his hand. We’ll take you away from this. We’ll go back to Caelin Forest.’
‘Wherever is that?’ asked Opal, pushing Cate away. ‘Who in heaven’s name are you?’
Cate stilled. Moira, realising immediately, raised one arm at the group, but Theodora and Dot were ready this time. Dot balanced her magic. In the same moment that Moira cast a curse at them, Dot and Theodora blocked it. The spells collided mid-air and exploded like a firecracker.
Cate’s hands were now on Opal’s temples. ‘A memory charm!’ she shrieked.
‘Get off me!’ screamed Opal, swatting at her.
Moira seized Opal’s wrist. ‘This is Liutprand’s handiwork.’
‘You made my daughter forget me?’ cried Cate, whirling around. She had hatred in her eyes.
‘It was because of Salamander,’ said Theodora again, her voice firm. ‘His magic has doomed her. Our hands were forced. We wanted to be kind.’
‘Not that she deserves it,’ said Lio. ‘She’s your daughter, Cate, through and through.’
‘She killed a boy,’ added Dot.
‘Utter lies,’ hissed Cate. ‘You didn’t kill a boy, Opal.’
‘Me?’ asked Opal. ‘What are you talking about? I don’t know where I am. Please. I want to go home.’
‘We will take you there,’ soothed Moira.
Cate placed her hands to Opal’s temples once more. ‘Hold still, darling. I will reverse this.’
‘One cannot reverse a memory charm,’ said Casimir, weakly.
‘One can if it is poorly crafted,’ said Moira, smirking at Lio.
Cate began to chant. A vicious wind scattered the papers of Salamander’s study.
‘Where is the daemon?’ Theodora asked Casimir.
‘Below,’ said Casimir. ‘There’s a door behind the tank. If you go now, I can seal you in. The witches won’t get through.’
Dot peered behind the tank. Indeed, there was a recess there and a door.