“What did the scarf look like?” Alvie questioned.
“It was red and black, sort of silky.”
Alvie gasped and put his hand to his mouth. “That’s Rita’s. She’s gone after Rita.”
I was about to swear loudly when the front door flew open. I heard feet stumbling weakly down the hallway. A second later, Tegan emerged covered in dirt and blood and looking like she just stepped out of a warzone. Cristescu immediately scooped her up into his arms, asking what happened.
“Rita …” was all she could manage.
“Yeah, we figured that bit out.”
“She tried to kill me …” she whispered and then passed out in Cristescu’s arms. He carried her to the kitchen counter, swiping everything out of the way to clear the space. Then he began running his hands over her body to check for injuries. He stopped when he reached her left hand, holding up the index finger.
“This is broken. It will need to be taken care of by a doctor.”
“If you have a First Aid kit, I can see to her,” Alora put in. “I’m a trained first aider, and I used to volunteer at the hospital on the weekends when I was still at school.”
Cristescu gave her a look of approval. “Yes, thank you. I will bring her upstairs. The First Aid kit is on the shelf in the laundry room. Retrieve it and follow me up.”
“What about Theodore’s rally?” I interrupted. “We need to find Roman so that he can cast his spell.”
Before Cristescu could answer, the back door swung open and the sorcerer himself entered. His normally pristine hair and suit were slightly dishevelled.
“I am here,” he said as though he heard every word I just said. “I need volunteers and I need Emilia. She’s the only witch powerful enough that we have at our disposal.”
He noticed Cristescu holding Tegan and walked over, running his hand softly over her face. “Ah, you survived, little one. I knew you would,” he murmured.
Cristescu’s eyes cut to the sorcerer. “You were with her?”
“I was. I got caught up chasing Theodore, and Tegan was left with the witch …”
“Enough,” Cristescu cut him off, quietly fuming. “We don’t have time for this. Theodore is releasing his chaos onto the city in only an hour. I expect you’re ready to cast your spell?”
“Absolutely. But I will need to release Emilia.”
“So, release her. Just get it done.”
He finally left carrying Tegan. Alora followed behind him with the First Aid kit tucked under her arm. Fifteen minutes later, I was standing in a circle with Gabriel, Alvie, Delilah, Ira, Cristescu, and Emilia. Roman transported us all to Campion Row, where it was now jam-packed with humans gathered for the rally.
The avenue was just how it had been in Alora’s vision. Dread filled my gut as I remembered how the chaos entered the bodies of the humans, killing them on the spot. If Roman wasn’t successful here, then the vast majority of us were as good as dead, including me.
When I looked at Roman, I saw he was holding a huge ball of shimmering red string, energy humming from it. He handed one end of it to Emilia and began instructing everyone else to take hold. When it was my turn, I noticed how he wasn’t just giving me the string, he was magically fusing my hand to it.
“This is a very rare and potently magical material. We are going to use it to create a vein of magic that will run through the gathered crowd. Think of it like an electrical wire. In this case, the ends are the most important parts, and therefore the strongest casters need to be holding them. Those two people are Emilia and me. Be as inconspicuous as you can; we cannot afford for Theodore to figure out what’s happening.
“Emilia will walk to the lower end of the avenue, and I will walk to the top. Once the spell has been cast and Theodore has released his chaos, believing all the humans to be dead, that will be our moment to strike. I will be closest to him, so I will be the one to catch him. Make no mistake, he will have many tricks up his sleeve to get away. That’s why it’s going to take all of us to kill him. I will cut off his head, and young Gabriel here will douse him with petrol. Mr Roe, I will allow you the honour of setting his body alight.”
“I can do that.”
Addressing Cristescu, he said, “You will have to restrain the daughter. She could prove troublesome, and you are the only one with the physical strength to outmatch her magic. Get her hands first. If you can keep her from moving them, then she won’t be able to use magic against you. You will be beside me in the line.” He paused and looked at each of us in turn. “Once I summon the magic, only those holding the string will be able to see it. Any questions?”