The whole scene made her uneasy. Christopher’s placid acceptance of everything they were doing. The guards’ aggression.
She hated that it had come to this.
It was over in seconds. They hustled him out of the churchyard gate, and down the footpath towards the school building.
Then the night fell silent again.
Allie inhaled with gasping suddenness. Shaking herself as if waking from a nightmare, she looked around for the others.
Charlie and Alec were huddled together in the shadows by the chapel door, watching her with trepidation. As if she was the intruder.
Straightening her shoulders, she motioned for them to join her.
‘Come on. We need to get going.’
Emerging slowly from the safety of the sheltered doorway, they followed her down the footpath with clear reluctance.
It was a while before anyone spoke.
Charlie broke the silence when they were halfway to the school.
‘Who was that guy?’
‘My brother.’ Allie’s voice was flat.
‘Wait.’ Alec panted behind them, struggling with the pace. ‘Your brother just broke into our school?’
‘Yep. He used to work for Nathaniel.’ Allie kept her eyes on the dark woods ahead. ‘Any more questions?’
After that, Charlie dropped back to run with Alec.
When they reached the school building, Allie stopped and pointed towards a side door.
‘Go back down to the training room and let Zelazny know what happened.’
She was breathless, but not from running. With every step she’d grown more anxious. If Christopher had come here, he was either working for Nathaniel or he needed her help.
Which one is it?
Alec did as she said, but Charlie hung back. Her eyes watched Allie worriedly.
‘What about you?’ she asked. ‘What will you do now?’
Allie was starting to like her. She had potential.
But she didn’t say that. Instead, she turned towards the front door.
‘I’m going to find out what the hell my brother is doing here.’
Her footsteps were all Allie could hear as she sped to Isabelle’s office.
‘Isabelle?’ she called, knocking harder than was entirely necessary. ‘It’s Allie.’
The office door was locked – no light seeped from the crack around the door.
Trying to think, Allie walked slowly back into the corridor, pressing her fingertips against her lips.
Where would they take him? Eloise had been held in an outbuilding, near the pond at the fringes of the school grounds. Jerry had been locked up in a disused wine cellar deep in the school’s foundations.
Would they consider Christopher such a threat that they’d lock him up like that? She just didn’t know.
‘Allie. What’s happened?’ Sylvain appeared on the staircase, heading down towards her. ‘Isabelle said you found an intruder.’
Out of habit, Allie’s heart jumped, then sank again as he stepped into the light. His expression was cool; enigmatic. He stayed a safe distance away.
‘It was my brother.’ Her throat went suddenly tight. ‘It’s Christopher.’
‘What? On the grounds?’
He was shocked and she couldn’t blame him. She couldn’t decide which was worse, that she’d just turned in her own brother, or that somehow he’d managed to get into the school grounds undetected.
She nodded.
‘I don’t know what he’s doing here or how he got in. I didn’t have a chance to talk to him. The security guards took him away so fast.’ She looked at him imploringly. ‘Sylvain, I have to talk to him. I have to know why he’s here.’
‘Allie…’
She could hear the conflict in his voice. The last thing he probably wanted to do right now was help her. She’d told him flatly she didn’t want that from him. And yet, here they were again.
‘He’s worked with Nathaniel for years,’ he said. ‘He was fully immersed in that world. There’s no reason to believe he’s somehow changed his mind.’
‘But in London he saved my life. He risked everything.’ It felt good to defend Chris, and she warmed to the cause. ‘Maybe Christopher really wants to be on our side now. What if he wants to help us? To help me? I can’t let them put him in the dungeon or whatever they’re going to do to him.’ Seeing the doubt in his eyes, she took a tentative step towards him. ‘Sylvain, he’s my brother.’
He raked his fingers through his wavy hair. ‘I know it’s difficult, but you have to think about this rationally,’ he said. ‘Pretend he’s not your brother. Perhaps, instead, he’s my brother. And he’s been on Nathaniel’s side throughout all of this. He was indoctrinated years ago. Then he does one thing to help me. One thing.’ He held up one finger. ‘Do I believe he’s changed all of his beliefs? Or do I suspect that’s what he wants me to think.’
Allie’s shoulders slumped. He had a point. But she wasn’t ready to give up. Not without talking to Christopher first.
‘I know it’s possible this could be a trick. But I still don’t want them to question him without me.’ He opened his mouth to argue and she spoke over him. ‘I know how they work, Sylvain. So do you.’