‘Quiet woman, don’t let him know our real names!’
They muttered between themselves for a while as Jack’s mind slowly cleared. He tried to sit up, but found it difficult with his hands and feet bound by rope. The small woman hoisted him up into a sitting position. Jack looked around at the group of people surrounding him; there was at least ten people watching him with narrowed eyes.
‘What’s all this about?’ he said. ‘Why did you need to knock me out?’
‘You can’t be too careful, Dear,’ replied the small woman.
‘Who are you?’ asked Jack.
‘I am Cecilia Pinschmidt,’ she said. Cecilia looked to be in her forties, with lines on her eyes, and a few grey hairs. She had the appearance of someone who had aged quickly from stress over a short time.
‘Don’t tell him your name!’ snapped Anton.
‘Oh, be quiet. This boy is harmless. He’s a healer, for goodness sake. What’s he going to do?’
‘He could be a spy,’ hissed Anton.
‘Are you a spy?’ Cecilia asked.
‘No,’ replied Jack.
‘See, Anton?’ said Cecilia. ‘He’s not a spy.’
‘Of course he’s going to say that!’ Anton crossed his arms over his chest. ‘He’s not going to admit it. He’s a guard, remember?’
Cecilia turned to Anton, annoyed. ‘What is my Power, Anton?’ she asked shrewdly.
Anton avoided making eye contact with Cecilia, grumbling something under his breath.
‘I beg your pardon?’ asked Cecilia.
Anton grumbled again.
‘I can’t hear you,’ Cecilia said in a sing-song voice.
‘A truth-seeker!’ snapped Anton. ‘You don’t have to patronise me.’
‘Exactly. I’m a truth seeker,’ said Cecilia, turning back to Jack. ‘I can tell when someone is lying. This boy is not a spy. I’m sorry, Dear, but you can never be too careful.’
‘Can you untie me, please?’ asked Jack.
‘Are you going to run?’ asked Cecilia.
Jack considered it for a moment, but decided that it was not wise. ‘No,’ he said honestly.
‘Are you going to hurt anyone?’ asked Cecilia.
Once again, Jack replied, ‘No.’
‘All right then.’ She reached for the rope that bound his hands and began to untie the knots. Looking around, Jack realised that he was no longer in the tavern. It was the living room of someone’s home.
‘Where am I?’ he asked.
‘You are at my home,’ said Cecilia, releasing his hands and beginning to untie his feet. ‘We weren’t safe talking at the tavern.’
‘You kidnapped me,’ said Jack, getting to his feet. The strangers surrounding him watched his every move carefully, as though he were about to pounce at any moment.
‘No, Dear, we didn’t kidnap you,’ said Cecilia, waving a hand airily. ‘We just transported you somewhere safer without your knowledge.’
‘There isn’t much difference, if you ask me,’ said Jack. ‘Look, are you going to let me leave without any problems?’
‘Leave?’ said Anton. ‘You can’t leave. You know where our headquarters are now.’
‘Be quiet, Anton,’ said Cecilia. ‘Sweetie, what’s your name?’
Looking around, and feeling extremely overwhelmed by the situation, Jack felt he had no choice but to be honest. ‘I’m Jack Greenwood,’ he said.
‘Well, Jack, please believe me when I say that we are no threat to you.’
‘You knocked me out and brought me to your home,’ said Jack. ‘I’d say I’m feeling rather threatened.’
‘We just wanted to talk to you somewhere safe, where we can’t be overheard. Please, sit down.’
Cecilia offered Jack a seat, which he took begrudgingly.
‘Can I have a glass of water?’ he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
‘Yes, of course, Dear. Anton, fetch a water for our guest, will you?’
‘Me?’ said Anton. ‘I’m not getting a bloody drink for a guard of the Realm!’
‘Now, Anton,’ Cecilia snapped.
Scowling, Anton retreated from the room to fetch the drink.
‘Now, Dear,’ said Cecilia, sitting beside Jack. ‘You asked to meet me in the tavern at midnight. Why?’
Jack looked around at the numerous people staring at him. The light from the fireplace flickered across their faces, illuminating their expressions of loathing.
‘After what you did to me, I’m not sure I feel like talking,’ said Jack.
At that moment, Anton returned and thrust the glass of water into Jack’s hand, slopping it down his front.
‘Drink up,’ he said.
Jack sipped the water and found that it tasted normal.
‘Please,’ said Cecilia once Jack had drained the glass. ‘You must understand our situation-’
‘Oh, I understand your situation,’ interrupted Jack. ‘Better than you think. Are you familiar with a particular Fire-Mage called Avalon Redding?’
‘Are we?’ said Cecilia with wide eyes. ‘She’s famous. All human activist groups know who she is. It’s because of her we formed our group H.W.L.’