Martinez looked around, alarmed. He didn’t seem to understand what was happening. The metal door of the dungeon began to warp before it flew out of its frame.
I gaped as I watched Robert manipulate the solid metal. The door started to reshape itself as though it was made out of metallic liquid. Slowly, it began to spin into ribbons around Martinez until it had formed a prison, trapping him in the middle. It resembled something like a spherical spider-web.
Slowly, the earthquake died away and Robert was left panting in the middle of the room.
When my mother and father stood up and faced Martinez, I followed suit.
‘You’re out numbered,’ my father said as Martinez tried to break free of the web-like cage.
‘Let’s kill him,’ said Robert, breathing hard.
Jack gave me a worrisome look and I knew what must be done.
‘No,’ I said, taking a step towards Martinez.
All eyes snapped to me.
‘Why not?’ Penny asked. It seemed strange for someone so small and petite to be so in favour of killing someone.
‘We shouldn’t kill him,’ I said cautiously.
Everyone began to argue at once, but Jack rushed to my side and held up a hand to silence everyone.
‘Avalon’s right,’ he said glancing at me and beaming. ‘It’s not right.’
‘Not right?’ my father repeated, aghast.
‘My wife!’ Robert croaked.
‘I know!’ I said loudly, over their protests. ‘I know, he deserves it.’
‘You’re damn right he deserves it,’ Bran snapped. ‘You won’t be able to stop me from breaking his neck.’
I shook my head. ‘I have a better idea.’
No one spoke. Penny and Tom gave each other mystified looks, while every body else looked simply furious.
‘Well?’ pressed my father. ‘What is it?’
I took a deep breath. ‘We erase his memories.’
A look of confusion spread across the room.
‘What?’ Elise scoffed. ‘Make him forget about the fight?’
I shook my head. ‘No. Make him forget his whole life. He will be a shell, just like the Humans he enslaved. We can send him off to the Human market. He won’t even know he is a Mage.’
My mother and father looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They seemed impressed.
‘No!’ Martinez’s muffled voice came from inside the prison. We ignored him.
‘That’s all well and good,’ said Tom. ‘But how do we erase his memories? We don’t have the serum The Realm used.’
‘We don’t need it.’ I said. I glanced at R?ven, whose expression was impassive.
I knew that R?ven had accidentally erased her own parents memories using nothing but her voice. She had told me about it when I stayed in her home, back in Frost Arch. Her mother and father didn’t even know they had a daughter. Of course, I would not reveal R?ven’s secret, not even to Jack. I would take it to the grave if she asked me to.
‘R?ven?’ I said.
She bit her bottom lip, her brow furrowed.
‘Please?’
R?ven sighed and nodded. I knew she thought of her gift as a curse, but a great justice would be done today if she overcame her shame.
Jack rummaged through his pockets to find his earplugs. I stuffed my own into my ears.
‘You might want to block your ears,’ I told everyone.
Looking around nervously, everyone put their fingers into their ears. Martinez followed suit.
‘Oh, no you don’t,’ Robert growled. With a flick of his hand, ribbons of metal wrapped around Martinez’s wrists, pulling his fingers away from his ears.
‘No!’ Martinez cried, struggling against the binds. He could no longer block his ears.
‘Ready?’ Jack asked R?ven.
She nodded, taking a deep breath.
‘Block your ears!’ Jack shouted to the room.
Everyone did as they were told. The last thing I heard was Martinez screaming for mercy.
I watched as R?ven opened her mouth. Her eyes were filled with sadness and I felt terrible that I was making her do this, but I knew she would understand. After all, it was for the best, wasn’t it?
I turned to Martinez. He was still shouting for help, yet no one came to save him. Slowly, his eyes became unfocussed and eventually he stopped struggling.
I scrunched up my eyes. I didn’t want to see it happen.
A minute passed and I wasn’t sure whether it was safe to look. A hand on my shoulder told me that it was over. Opening my eyes and looking up I saw Jack standing over me, a sad smile on his face.
‘It worked,’ he told me. ‘Let’s take all of these people and get out of here.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
Funeral
Three days later.
Part of me could not help but feel responsible for Maria’s death. I knew Jack blamed himself too. He said over and over again how he wished he could have healed her, but I told him numerous times that there was nothing he could have done. I wish I could tell myself the same thing.