‘Oh, I think I will,’ he licked his lips devilishly.
‘I never did like it,’ said R?ven. ‘It became more of a curse, after a while.’
‘You wanted to be rid of this Power?’ asked Mackerville. ‘Why?’
‘No one wants to befriend a Siren,’ said R?ven. ‘Be prepared for a life of silence, Mr. Mackerville.’
He sneered, but something flickered in his eyes. Regret, perhaps? Regardless, John Mackerville bowed deeply to R?ven.
‘Thank you for your business, my pet,’ he crooned.
Next, he pulled out a small piece of card from his pocket and handed it to Kenneth. ‘My home address, Fire-Mage.’
Kenneth took the card and pocketed it.
John Mackerville turned to Cecilia. ‘I expect I will see you both soon enough, Miss Pinschmidt. Oh … and it might interest you to know that the list of humans on the register is in that drawer over there.’ He pointed them in the right direction. ‘You’ll be able to track down each human that was processed and sold within the last twelve months.’
And without another word, John Mackerville swept from the room, leaving the four Mages in the laboratory, staring at one another.
‘Oh, R?ven, you beautiful girl,’ said Cecilia, rushing forward and hugging the teenager. ‘You lovely, lovely girl.’
‘It’s okay, Mrs. Pinschmidt. Really.’
‘It’s not okay. You gave half your Power to save our families. How did you know it was going to work?’
‘I didn’t,’ said R?ven sheepishly. ‘I just hoped.’
Cecilia kissed R?ven’s forehead, beaming. ‘You have saved thousands of people. Never have I met someone so selfless.’
R?ven’s cheeks burned pink from embarrassment.
Kenneth moved forward and embraced her. ‘We are forever in your debt,’ he said, his voice breaking. ‘If you ever need anything – ANYTHING – you let us know, okay?’
‘Thank you, Mr. Redding,’ said R?ven.
‘Your voice is so strange now,’ said Xara. ‘I’m not used to it.’
‘Don’t you like it?’ asked R?ven.
Xara gave a shrug of indifference. ‘Whether I like it or not is irrelevant.’
‘Your new voice is fine, Dear,’ said Cecilia, brushing a tendril of hair behind R?ven’s ear affectionately. ‘You don’t have to whisper everything you say anymore.’
R?ven nodded. ‘It feels as though a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders.’
Suddenly, a great rumble sounded, as if the very foundation of the Realm was collapsing. It shook the floor, and rattled the windows.
‘What was that?’ asked Kenneth, his eyes wide.
‘It sounds like it’s time to leave,’ said Cecilia. ‘The building has sustained many blows. The structure may be failing.’
They nodded in unison before dashing out of the laboratory; but not before Cecilia grabbed the human registration.
R?ven was weak, but managed to shape-shift into her bird form and fly ahead of the group.
Together, they ran down the stairs, the sounds of battle reaching their ears once more.
Men and women fought in the vast entrance hall, so chances of leaving the headquarters unnoticed were slim.
A guard met them on the stairs, his face covered in blood that was not his. One of his eyes was badly burned; the pupil white. He was clearly blind in that eye.
‘Well, what do we have here?’ he sneered. ‘A couple of snoops?’
He advanced on them, but not before R?ven swooped down, her beak sinking right into the guard’s only good eye. He screamed and wailed, holding his face. Thrashing about, he bumped into the handrail of the staircase, and toppled over it, falling two storeys and landing head first on the marble floor below.
‘Good work,’ Cecilia said breathlessly, clutching her heart.
R?ven cawed proudly and circled, landing on Xara’s shoulder.
‘Let’s go,’ said Kenneth, urging Cecilia forward.
They continued down the staircase, Cecilia slipping in a rather large puddle of blood. After hoisting herself back up, they managed to reach the ground floor, where two women in red cloaks ambushed them.
‘Tiffany and Vanessa,’ Xara whispered to Cecilia at once. ‘Telepath and Teleporter, respectively. Tiffany will be able to read your every move, and Vanessa is almost impossible to catch.’
‘Right,’ Cecilia nodded. ‘So it’s best not to think about what I’m doing, right?’
‘Yes. Though most people don’t think before they act anyway,’ replied Xara.
‘Did you just make a joke, Xara?’ asked Kenneth.
‘Jokes have no purpose,’ said Xara.
Kenneth rolled his eyes and dropped the subject.
‘You’ve lost, Rebels,’ said the girl called Vanessa. ‘Most of your supporters have run away with their tails between their legs.’
This was true. Much of the initial party had disbanded, fearing for their lives. But it didn’t matter. As long as someone managed to bring the humans' memories back, it was a job well done.
Tiffany narrowed her eyes on Cecilia. ‘What’s that in your hand there, Rebel?’