‘Love,’ said Archie, taking her arm. ‘You needn’t shoulder this all on your own.’
‘Of course I do,’ said Theodora. ‘Archie, you are going to Seafarthing as planned. As long as Dot practises carefully, her human magic will grow and it will tame the afflictive magic. I really do believe she has her solution at last. Lio, I know you will look after Rupert. You can teach both of them. As for me . . . all I need is to find a way to sneak into the dungeon beneath the department store, pinch my contract and collect enough spirits to override the daemon’s power. Failing all of that, I’ll just throw every spell I know at the stupid thing and see what happens.’
‘And failingthat?’ asked Rupert.
‘If Salamander is fated to make a conduit of me,’ said Theodora, ‘then I will cause as much mischief as I can. I’ll destroy the lab. Maybe I’ll turn Marcidus into a chicken. Let’s not dwell on that. What if Isucceed, Rupe? I’ve never actually eaten fried cockles, you know, and I’ll look forward to you, Archie, shouting me some in Seafarthing, and to me telling loud and terribly embarrassing stories about Rupert when at last we get to meet Celia.’
Lio tried to hide his expression of pity as he listened. Oh, the witch was in denial. She still believed she could get the better of the daemon. Lio coughed again, his body racketing with it. Rupert thumped him on the back. He opened his mouth to tell the boy he wasn’t choking,but at that moment, a horrible scream sounded from below. The same scream he’d heard that night in the Lourdes.
‘Belchamber, stop it!’
Theodora’s eyes snapped to Lio’s. Then the coffee table was shoved aside and the witch was rushing down the stairs. Rupert leaped to his feet. Archie too. All of them raced down to the tea shop floor and out into the courtyard just as Dot’s legs disappeared up over the brick wall.
‘Dorothy!’ cried Theodora, leaping at the ivy. She sent a repulsion spell at the ground and vaulted upward, scrambling at the brickwork, and clambering up onto the clay-tiled roof.
Lio had stepped into and out of a portal and was now beside her on the eaves.
Belchamber moved across the roof with uncanny speed. In the terrible autumn wind, the spirit leaped over the void between the tea shop and the house next door, dragging Dot, who cried out as her legs collided with the stone. She flailed and the talons of her afflicted hand clawed at a nearby chimney. Then, she scratched at the spirit. It slowed him but did not stop him. On the chase went.
Theodora leaped with a manic terror over each roof after Dot. The spirit, however, took one huge jump over the road and across to the houses opposite, and before Theodora could throw herself into the open air, Lio snatched at her hand and yanked her into and out of a portal. They fell through the whirling darkness and landed on top of Belchamber and Dot.
The witch seized Dot by the arm, and Lio grabbed at Belchamber, the four of them struggling against the wet rooftiles. Theodora threw out one hand and a bulb of light flashed against Belchamber. He was dazed a moment, his little tin body slowing.
Theodora pried Dot away, but then Belchamber was animated once more and clawed at Dot.
‘Wake up,’ shouted Theodora at the spirit. ‘Stop this!’
Lio seized Dot and again yanked her away from the deranged spirit, the two of them sliding momentarily down the roof. Theodora grasped the spirit’s small body. She shouted back at Lio, ‘Don’t let her go!’
A mocking voice came from above.
‘Perhaps he should.’
There was Opal, sat on the apex of the roof, smiling down at them.
She wore that thin satin gown that exposed her wan skin and winding tattoos. Opal raised one hand and with an elegant twinkle of her fingers, Belchamber’s body went limp once more, sliding from Theodora’s grip. She caught him by the foot, cradled him, and placed him against a chimney.
‘Are you alright?’ Lio quietly asked Dot, who gave him a nod.
Theodora’s gaze was on Opal. Fury shook her voice. ‘What did you do to Belchamber?’
‘The same that was done to me,’ called Opal over the wind. ‘The same that will be done to you.’
‘A conduence charm?’ asked Dot, voice hoarse.
Opal climbed to her feet, her prima ballerina body dainty against the backdrop of the storm clouds. She twirled, and they watched her.
‘You’re almost right, Dorothy,’ said Opal in a saccharine voice. ‘I can’t perform a proper conduence charm on a spirit. This spell disguises itself well, but it is temporary.’ Opal made a show of peering down into the street. Outside the tea shop opposite them, Archie stood by the open door, his hand on the glass to steady himself, his red coat halfway on.
‘There’s the oldie,’ said Opal. ‘Where’s little Rupert?’
The door to the tea shop opened.
‘Rupe,’ whispered Theodora.
In the boy’s hand glinted the bread knife.
‘Oh!’ said Opal. ‘My knife.’
