I give him a wink. ‘Come and find out.’
I start jogging, aware that other people are falling in behind the teenagers. Apparently rubber-necking is as much of a hobby here in the Dreamlands as it is in the real world. It suits my purposes though, so I don’t react.
‘Do you think she’s a dreamweaver?’ I hear someone whisper.
‘Nah,’ someone answers. ‘She ain’t strong enough.’
‘If she is, we’re pretty screwed. She looks kind of shifty to me.’
I tighten my lips into a grim smile. I wondered whether I was doing the right thing getting Ashley involved but my gut instincts were correct. No one is going to trust me; I’m a stranger who’s only been apparating for a few weeks. And I’ve hardly gone out of my way to be friendly and get to know people.
When I pivot to my left, I spy four uniformed guards striding in my direction. They’re about a hundred feet away so I swerve down the next small street to avoid a head-on collision that’ll end up with me being dragged back to the Department’s grim headquarters. I hear some shouting as they start to pursue me and I try not to react. The crowd behind me might create a buffer until I reach the square. Unfortunately for me, the guards are smarter than they look and another set of four appears, using a pincer manoeuvre to block me in.
‘We’re taking you to see the Mayor,’ one shouts.
I walk up to them while the people behind me fall back. They don’t leave; they’re obviously curious about what’s going to happen but they’re not willing to get directly involved.
‘I’m on my way to see him now,’ I say calmly.
‘Yeah, right.’
I sigh. ‘It’s the truth.’
The guard leers at me nastily and holds up a pair of handcuffs. ‘Then you won’t mind putting these on.’
‘I’ve not done anything wrong though.’
‘You unleashed dangerous creatures in public. People could have been killed.’
‘But no one was. No one was hurt. In fact those dangerous creatures, despite having been kept in appalling conditions, ignored everyone. They just wanted to get back to the forest. If they wanted to terrorise people, I’m sure they would have done it before now.’
Doubt creeps into his face, then his eyes harden. He gestures to his three companions and, like a well-rehearsed dance troupe, they simultaneously raise their batons.
‘Why does the Mayor get to decide what’s right and what’s wrong?’ I ask, holding up my wrists so he can snap on the cuffs.
‘Because he’s the Mayor.’ He fastens them tightly and the cold steel pinches at my skin. I wonder why things like knives and cuffs and batons appear in the Dreamlands; even without the Mayor and his Department, there must be something sinister here for them to exist. But then, if this place is fuelled by the subconscious minds of the world, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
I think about willing them to vanish but I’m not sure whether I have that sort of power or control. Equally, I don’t want this to be about me. If I’m the centre of attention, then I’ll probably lose.
I drop my head meekly to show the guards that I’m not about to fight them. It doesn’t do me much good; out of the corner of my eye I see something careening towards me. Realising it’s a baton, I duck down but it still smashes into the side of my head. A wave of pain judders through me.
Several of the onlookers hiss. Perhaps the blow wasn’t such a bad thing, after all. It’s one thing to ‘arrest’ someone, it’s quite another to hurt them when they’re trussed up and helpless.
Two of the guards grab my arms and drag me away. ‘You lot clear off!’
The crowd mutter. The last thing I want them to do is follow those orders. I tilt my chin and take a deep breath. Then, with as much force as I can muster, I dig my elbows into my captors’ sides.
It helps that they’re not expecting it; surprise rather than pain makes them let me go. The second that I’m free, I run for it, sprinting down the narrow street towards the square. I can hear the guards pounding after me and I run faster because I’ve got more at stake than they do. Satisfyingly, I hear the crowd running too, albeit more slowly.
In the square I make a beeline for the fountain and Salib’s stern stone visage. Leaping into the water, I place my foot on his knee and clamber onto his shoulders, hooking my legs round them. It’s not easy with my wrists bound but I manage it. The guards are barely three seconds behind me.
‘Get down!’
I tighten my grip. ‘Why? So you can throw me in a cell?’
More Travellers are arriving from every direction. I look anxiously for Ashley but there’s no sign of her. The guards start advancing menacingly towards me. ‘If you don’t get down, we’ll have to come and get you. And it’ll hurt,’ one of them shouts.
‘Yeah?’ I taunt. ‘Eight big burly guys to bring down one woman? What do you think this lot will make of that?’