harsh, grating sound meant, it did not bode well. He shoved Derek, to no avail. “Wake up, man! Come on, snap out of it! We’ve got to get out of here!”
Derek just kept listening. Tears of nostalgic emotion glistened in his eyes. “It’s beautiful. I could listen forever…”
“Blazes!” Jake muttered. He had to find some way to block Derek’s ears, then maybe the warrior would come back to reality. I can’t believe I’m doing this, he thought in vexation as he slipped around the corner.
He must truly be losing his marbles. First, he’d gone willingly into the police station to testify, and now he was sneaking into the warden’s office in the very heart of Newgate Prison. But what choice did he have?
As he crept into the warden’s office with the utmost stealth, the enchanted guards didn’t even look at him, to his relief. There! His gaze homed in on the melting clumps of wax from the candle burning on the desk, providing the warden with light for his paperwork.
As Jake sneaked over to the warden’s desk, the man gave no reaction whatsoever, though he was staring straight at Jake. It was a little unnerving. Whatever that sound was, it had to be some sort of magic.
Jake still wasn’t sure he even believed in magic, though it was getting hard to deny. Brushing off his thoughts, he quickly gathered a clump of the still-warm candle wax between his fingers and rolled it into two round blobs.
First he stopped up his own ears with the makeshift earplugs, then he made two more, ran back to Derek, and carefully tucked them into his ears, as well.
A second later, Derek returned to his senses. He shook his head to clear it, but his eyes were still rather glazed, as if he had just taken a good wallop in the head.
“Where am I, what’s happening?”
Jake poked him to get his attention. When Derek looked at him, Jake mouthed the words, “Let’s go!”
Derek’s face darkened as he remembered what was going on. “Only a few creatures can unleash that kind of power through their song, and all of them are deadly.”
“Creatures!” Jake exclaimed.
Derek nodded. “Probably a siren. But what would a siren be doing here so far from the sea? Well, never mind. We’ll figure it out later.”
“Agreed. I’ll unlock the door.”
“Hold on.” Derek took the still-entranced warden’s night stick, hefted it in his hand to test its weight, then tucked it through his belt. “That’s better.”
“Expecting trouble?”
“Always.” Then he helped himself to a set of leg-irons hanging on the wall in the warden’s office.
“What are you going to do with those, arrest someone?” Jake asked.
In answer, Derek twirled the chain in both hands for a few seconds; the leg-irons began whirling all around him in deadly patterns, circles, figure eights.
Anyone who came too close would be knocked out cold.
“Aha,” Jake muttered, impressed. “Right.”
Derek shot him a cold little half smile and made the chains go still. “ Now I’m ready.”
“What about me?” Jake insisted. “Shouldn’t I take something to fight with, too?”
“What about that power in your hands?”
“So you know about that.”
“Your father had it, too.”
His eyes widened. “Really? But how did he—”
“Patience. Let’s get through this first.” Derek cast him a warning glance over his shoulder, then pushed open the door to freedom, and they both slipped out into the dark, chilly night.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, Fionnula Coralbroom still disguised as a beauty beckoned the black-clad servitors into the jail.
She was satisfied that everyone inside would have succumbed by now to the enchantment of her song.
Oxley nodded to the others, eager to get even with the Guardian who had trounced them in the alley and had caused him to kill their comrade Ratlow. His failure to succeed at his task so far had made His Lordship very cross, and Oxley had no desire to anger him further.
Along with a few
Derek just kept listening. Tears of nostalgic emotion glistened in his eyes. “It’s beautiful. I could listen forever…”
“Blazes!” Jake muttered. He had to find some way to block Derek’s ears, then maybe the warrior would come back to reality. I can’t believe I’m doing this, he thought in vexation as he slipped around the corner.
He must truly be losing his marbles. First, he’d gone willingly into the police station to testify, and now he was sneaking into the warden’s office in the very heart of Newgate Prison. But what choice did he have?
As he crept into the warden’s office with the utmost stealth, the enchanted guards didn’t even look at him, to his relief. There! His gaze homed in on the melting clumps of wax from the candle burning on the desk, providing the warden with light for his paperwork.
As Jake sneaked over to the warden’s desk, the man gave no reaction whatsoever, though he was staring straight at Jake. It was a little unnerving. Whatever that sound was, it had to be some sort of magic.
Jake still wasn’t sure he even believed in magic, though it was getting hard to deny. Brushing off his thoughts, he quickly gathered a clump of the still-warm candle wax between his fingers and rolled it into two round blobs.
First he stopped up his own ears with the makeshift earplugs, then he made two more, ran back to Derek, and carefully tucked them into his ears, as well.
A second later, Derek returned to his senses. He shook his head to clear it, but his eyes were still rather glazed, as if he had just taken a good wallop in the head.
“Where am I, what’s happening?”
Jake poked him to get his attention. When Derek looked at him, Jake mouthed the words, “Let’s go!”
Derek’s face darkened as he remembered what was going on. “Only a few creatures can unleash that kind of power through their song, and all of them are deadly.”
“Creatures!” Jake exclaimed.
Derek nodded. “Probably a siren. But what would a siren be doing here so far from the sea? Well, never mind. We’ll figure it out later.”
“Agreed. I’ll unlock the door.”
“Hold on.” Derek took the still-entranced warden’s night stick, hefted it in his hand to test its weight, then tucked it through his belt. “That’s better.”
“Expecting trouble?”
“Always.” Then he helped himself to a set of leg-irons hanging on the wall in the warden’s office.
“What are you going to do with those, arrest someone?” Jake asked.
In answer, Derek twirled the chain in both hands for a few seconds; the leg-irons began whirling all around him in deadly patterns, circles, figure eights.
Anyone who came too close would be knocked out cold.
“Aha,” Jake muttered, impressed. “Right.”
Derek shot him a cold little half smile and made the chains go still. “ Now I’m ready.”
“What about me?” Jake insisted. “Shouldn’t I take something to fight with, too?”
“What about that power in your hands?”
“So you know about that.”
“Your father had it, too.”
His eyes widened. “Really? But how did he—”
“Patience. Let’s get through this first.” Derek cast him a warning glance over his shoulder, then pushed open the door to freedom, and they both slipped out into the dark, chilly night.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, Fionnula Coralbroom still disguised as a beauty beckoned the black-clad servitors into the jail.
She was satisfied that everyone inside would have succumbed by now to the enchantment of her song.
Oxley nodded to the others, eager to get even with the Guardian who had trounced them in the alley and had caused him to kill their comrade Ratlow. His failure to succeed at his task so far had made His Lordship very cross, and Oxley had no desire to anger him further.
Along with a few
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