‘Ashley freed the sleepers,’ someone in the crowd says. ‘All those people...’
‘Oh my God.’ A woman towards the front claps her hand over her mouth. ‘It’s a miracle.’
‘I’m sure there’s a sensible explanation for all this,’ the Mayor states, his back suddenly ramrod stiff. ‘Let’s go inside and we’ll get to the bottom of it.’ He makes the mistake of moving towards Ashley. She jerks back nervously, her coat flapping open to reveal Bron’s knife. I don’t think anyone other than the Mayor and myself see it.
His expression hardens. ‘What’s the meaning of this? You have a weapon? They’re forbidden! You know that!’
Panic is overtaking her and her hand goes automatically to the knife. That’s enough for the Mayor; he lunges forward to grab her.
‘Stop it!’ someone yells. ‘You can’t do that to Ashley!’
‘She’s not done anything wrong!’
It’s crowd mentality. Where normally they’d turn a blind eye to the Mayor’s antics and believe his lies, the involvement of popular and kind-hearted Ashley is too much.
‘Enough!’ he blusters. ‘I’m not going to hurt her! I just want to talk to her, that’s all!’ His voice carries across the square.
The guards, sensing the imminent danger, abandon their posts around the fountain and fan out into the crowd to quell any further dissent. The sight of their hands on their batons is enough to send a lot of the people into scared silence – but it doesn’t work on everyone.
‘Come with me, Ashley,’ I hear the Mayor say. ‘I’ll sort all this out for you. I won’t harm a hair on your head, I promise.’
She’s pale and stuttering. ‘I ... I don’t know what any of this is about.’ Her eyes fly to mine in confusion.
I can barely look at her. Instead, I jerk my head, praying that Lilith is ready. Dante and Bron are watching me.
‘Mayor!’ Lilith’s cold yet oddly musical voice rings out.
There are stifled shouts and I can see people recoil. I guess I’m not the only one to find the woman creepy as hell. From my vantage point, I spot the crowd part and Lilith glide through. At least one of the guards moves forward to stop her but she fixes him with such an icy glare that he stops in his tracks.
Ignoring both Esme and Ashley, she walks up to the Mayor and places her hand on his arm. He yanks it away.
‘Get out of here!’ he shouts. ‘This is not your place!’
She frowns at him. ‘But you told me it would be. I grow tired of waiting.’ She licks her lips. ‘It’s time to keep your promise. Let’s make this town ours.’
‘I said no such thing! Guards! Get this thing away from here!’
I crane my neck round. All the guards appear indecisive. One of them seems to make the decision to do as he’s told but several people in the crowd hold him back. Kevin appears and stares for a moment at Ashley’s pale face before shouting, ‘Let Lilith speak! What promises have you made, Mayor?’
‘She’s lying,’ the Mayor spits. ‘There’s something going on here and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. You all know better than to trust a succubus.’
Ohhhh. So that’s what she is. It makes sense: she’s a demon who appears in dreams to seduce men and drain them of their health. I feel a trickle of unease. She may not have been the best person to make a deal with.
There’s a murmur of agreement. Sensing the tide turning against her, Lilith raises her voice. ‘I speak the truth. I can prove it. I know his name.’
The crowd hushes. Lilith smiles. ‘Malpeter,’ she whispers, although I’m certain everyone can hear it.
Several of the guards stare in the Mayor’s direction. Their reaction isn’t lost on the others.
‘It’s true!’
‘He’s colluding with her!’
There are cries and angry shouts. The Mayor, struggling to regain control of the situation, holds up his palms. ‘People! You know me! This is a conspiracy which...’ He stops as someone throws a clod of earth that strikes him on the head. His rage is palpable; it’s as if someone has flipped a switch and whatever mask he’s been wearing has slid away. Something indecipherable flashes in his eyes. He spins round and, in the split second before his hand reaches inside his pocket, I notice the tell-tale bulge and gasp aloud. It’s too late to do anything about it. He whips out a revolver and starts waving it around.
‘I keep you all safe!’ he roars. ‘Without me, you are nothing!’