Some of them exchange nervous glances; the bolder ones don’t seem to care. ‘The Mayor’ll take care of them,’ one grunts.
Something flickers in the corner of my eye and I swing my head round. It’s Dante. I wonder where he’s fallen asleep in real life. Is he in a corner of the police station or did he check into a B&B? Then I see how stiff his body is and I feel a ripple of unease. When he shrugs off his jacket, revealing a tight T-shirt and well-toned muscles, my unease changes to alarm.
‘This is between me and you!’ I shout, ostensibly to the Mayor but really for Dante’s sake. ‘No one else can get involved!’
‘No one else is stupid enough to get involved, girlie.’
If only that were true. Dante steps forward and I grit my teeth in annoyance. ‘I mean it. No one else!’
His eyes search my face. I twist away from him, focusing on the guards. ‘I’ll get down!’ I tell them. ‘Just give me a minute! Please don’t hurt me.’ I inject as much emotion into my words as possible. I must be a better actress than I thought because several people in the crowd look worried.
‘She’s obviously a bit loopy,’ someone shouts. ‘Just help her get down. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt.’
Two of the guards peel off in the direction of the voice. Damn it. I don’t want any violence. A bloody coup – successful or not – will only cause more problems.
Thankfully, the commotion finally brings the Mayor out of hiding. I guess he doesn’t want the Travellers to see how brutal his methods really are. He strides out of the Department building with his hands knitted together in front of him and a concerned expression on his face. Some of the crowd look relieved; others, the more canny and aware among them, tense up.
‘Goodness me!’ he booms. ‘What sort of trouble is this? Guards, stand down.’
They obey instantly. The Mayor steps up to me. ‘Zoe, this isn’t necessary. We can get you the help you need. We have some doctors here, you know.’
His words have an instant effect. The Travellers who have been sympathetic towards me change their expressions to ones of pity. It’s the smartest move the Mayor could make. If I’m the mad woman who’s a danger to herself and others, then he can contain me. Except he doesn’t realise that I’m smarter than he is.
The timing is perfect. From towards the back, Ashley’s shining blonde hair appears. She pushes her way gently through and when she sees me, her mouth drops open. ‘Zoe, what are you doing?’
I bite my lip hard. I’ve never been good at crying on demand though, so when tears fail me I’m forced to rely on the tone of my voice and my expression instead. ‘Ashley! You’re the kindest person I know! You’ll help me, won’t you?’
Naturally she is confused. ‘Of course. But what’s going on?’
‘Ashley, it’s very kind of you to offer to help but I have this under control,’ the Mayor interjects smoothly.
No, he hasn’t. Esme is already elbowing her way towards us. ‘What have you done?’ she shouts.
Everyone turns in her direction. Most people think she’s addressing me but she is looking at Ashley. She stomps up, completely ignoring everyone else, and grabs Ashley’s arms. ‘What did you do?’
Esme’s eyes are wild. She’s oblivious to me clutching on to the statue, the Mayor frowning and the crowd agape. I know a little about what happens when emotions overrule your rationality; if Esme took a moment, she’d realise I was behind all this – not Ashley. The fear she feels at the disappearance of her sleepers, however, subsumes everything else.
‘Where are they?’ she screams.
The Mayor looks from Esme to Ashley to me. Before he has time to grow suspicious, Esme starts shaking Ashley. ‘Where are they?’ she repeats. ‘Where are my sleepers?’
The Mayor motions silently to the watching guards to move back and surround me. He gently pulls Esme away. ‘What’s the problem here? I’m sure we can sort it out.’
Esme points at Ashley. ‘The sleepers have gone! All of them! And she was just there, in the castle. She’s done something!’ Her bottom lip trembles. ‘Did you wake them up? Are they safe?’
‘I ... I ...’ Ashley is completely baffled.
I see Bron sidle up to Dante. His brow is furrowed in confusion but, from the way Dante tilts his head down and mutters, it’s clear that someone has worked out what’s really going on. Bron’s face clears. Then he says loudly, ‘Dreamweaver!’
Everyone turns to him then back to Ashley. There are wide eyes and astonished expressions. Esme steps back. ‘He’s right,’ she whispers. ‘It’s the only way you could do it.’
Ashley shakes her head. ‘But I didn’t...’
The Mayor’s eyes narrow. He stares at Ashley before grabbing hold of Esme. ‘What happened?’ he demands.
‘I was there this morning, in the castle. They were all fine. Then she goes in. Now there’s no one left. They’ve all disappeared.’