forward in his chair. ‘Who’re you?’
‘Inara,’ she replied, after a pause, as though trying to recall her name. ‘Don’t fight against the ropes,’ she said as Bill discovered his bound wrists.
‘We can’t just remain here,’ said Jack. ‘No one knows where we are; our only chance is to escape.’
‘What’s going on Yin?’ asked Bill.
‘I guess it’s the upstairs room,’ replied Jack, remembering the space beneath the roof of the house. ‘I don’t know why we’re here. Krimble has held Inara captive a lot longer than us.’
Inara scratched her knotted hair; both Jack and Bill waited for her to give them an explanation. ‘What’s that moving across the table,’ she said, drawing back her arms.
‘It’s Yang!’ cried Bill. ‘Yin, get him to untie the rope.’
Jack saw his shadow move closer to the candle, his form almost too faint to detect. The flame licked the curled wick with a blue sheen, the yellow fire extended only a little higher, providing the candle with a peaked hood.
Shaking his head, Jack said, ‘He’s too weak, without a stronger light he won’t be able to loosen the ropes. If we had a second candle, he could do it. As it is, he won’t be able to grip anything.’
Climbing the white wax, Yang reached for the flame. They held their breath, willing the shadow to gain strength. The shadow’s fingers passed through, stirring the candlelight as though disturbed by a breath of wind.
‘It’s no good,’ said Jack when Yang did not solidify. ‘How about you Bill, can you get Black to kill Krimble for us?’
Bill shook his head. ‘I’ve needed to see all the animals I’ve commanded. Locked up here, all I can do is feel Black’s presence. He’s still outside, obeying my last command. I’ll try later, I’m still sick from the poison.’
‘Don’t try to escape,’ warned Inara. ‘He will catch you, and then it will be worst.’
Dumbstruck, Jack looked at the girl. ‘How can you say that, knowing how sick with worry your parents are? We must get out of here.’
‘I’m not going to spend my time locked away in this room,’ said Bill. ‘Black will protect us once we’re outside.’
Unshed tears shone through a fan of blonde hair. Inara, her mouth cast into a grimace, said, ‘I want to get from here more than you. I have lost everything since coming to this house. Once I escaped from this room.’ Her voice, cracking like a castanet, fell silent. She sat, wringing her hands in her lap. ‘It was the last time I saw anything other than these walls. He caught me.’ Shifting in her seat, she hiked her brown skirt over her knees.
Jack’s eyes grew large with horror; Bill vomited the last of the tea onto his shirt. Inara sat on the chair showing how Krimble, after discovering her downstairs, had cut off her legs below the knee. Only two ruined stumps remained; blood soaked through the dirty rags bandaged around her legs.
‘You understand why he doesn’t bother to tie me to the chair. He doesn’t need to, I can’t escape.’ She banged the table. ‘If you attempt to escape, he will catch you, and make you scream.’
The significance of the casket of bones became clear. Suppressing a surge of bitter-tasting bile, Jack remembered his shadow playing with the leg bone. Had that once belonged to Inara? How many people had Krimble mutilated, the casket held enough bones for at least another ten people, had they all once sat up here in the dark?
‘I’m sorry Inara,’ he said, ‘I am, but we must escape. We will take you with us, don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here.’
He saw Inara about to argue, when they heard the doorknob turn. With an intake of breath, Inara straightened her skirt, hiding her crippled legs. The door opened, bleeding new light into the room.
Krimble stood framed in the doorway, holding a cage full of black rats.
12. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
Yellow teeth gnawe d at the cage’s wire mesh. Cackling, Krimble set the cage atop the
‘Inara,’ she replied, after a pause, as though trying to recall her name. ‘Don’t fight against the ropes,’ she said as Bill discovered his bound wrists.
‘We can’t just remain here,’ said Jack. ‘No one knows where we are; our only chance is to escape.’
‘What’s going on Yin?’ asked Bill.
‘I guess it’s the upstairs room,’ replied Jack, remembering the space beneath the roof of the house. ‘I don’t know why we’re here. Krimble has held Inara captive a lot longer than us.’
Inara scratched her knotted hair; both Jack and Bill waited for her to give them an explanation. ‘What’s that moving across the table,’ she said, drawing back her arms.
‘It’s Yang!’ cried Bill. ‘Yin, get him to untie the rope.’
Jack saw his shadow move closer to the candle, his form almost too faint to detect. The flame licked the curled wick with a blue sheen, the yellow fire extended only a little higher, providing the candle with a peaked hood.
Shaking his head, Jack said, ‘He’s too weak, without a stronger light he won’t be able to loosen the ropes. If we had a second candle, he could do it. As it is, he won’t be able to grip anything.’
Climbing the white wax, Yang reached for the flame. They held their breath, willing the shadow to gain strength. The shadow’s fingers passed through, stirring the candlelight as though disturbed by a breath of wind.
‘It’s no good,’ said Jack when Yang did not solidify. ‘How about you Bill, can you get Black to kill Krimble for us?’
Bill shook his head. ‘I’ve needed to see all the animals I’ve commanded. Locked up here, all I can do is feel Black’s presence. He’s still outside, obeying my last command. I’ll try later, I’m still sick from the poison.’
‘Don’t try to escape,’ warned Inara. ‘He will catch you, and then it will be worst.’
Dumbstruck, Jack looked at the girl. ‘How can you say that, knowing how sick with worry your parents are? We must get out of here.’
‘I’m not going to spend my time locked away in this room,’ said Bill. ‘Black will protect us once we’re outside.’
Unshed tears shone through a fan of blonde hair. Inara, her mouth cast into a grimace, said, ‘I want to get from here more than you. I have lost everything since coming to this house. Once I escaped from this room.’ Her voice, cracking like a castanet, fell silent. She sat, wringing her hands in her lap. ‘It was the last time I saw anything other than these walls. He caught me.’ Shifting in her seat, she hiked her brown skirt over her knees.
Jack’s eyes grew large with horror; Bill vomited the last of the tea onto his shirt. Inara sat on the chair showing how Krimble, after discovering her downstairs, had cut off her legs below the knee. Only two ruined stumps remained; blood soaked through the dirty rags bandaged around her legs.
‘You understand why he doesn’t bother to tie me to the chair. He doesn’t need to, I can’t escape.’ She banged the table. ‘If you attempt to escape, he will catch you, and make you scream.’
The significance of the casket of bones became clear. Suppressing a surge of bitter-tasting bile, Jack remembered his shadow playing with the leg bone. Had that once belonged to Inara? How many people had Krimble mutilated, the casket held enough bones for at least another ten people, had they all once sat up here in the dark?
‘I’m sorry Inara,’ he said, ‘I am, but we must escape. We will take you with us, don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here.’
He saw Inara about to argue, when they heard the doorknob turn. With an intake of breath, Inara straightened her skirt, hiding her crippled legs. The door opened, bleeding new light into the room.
Krimble stood framed in the doorway, holding a cage full of black rats.
12. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
Yellow teeth gnawe d at the cage’s wire mesh. Cackling, Krimble set the cage atop the
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