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Twenty minutes later, Mum, Dad, Chrissie, Liam, Shane and I are all gathered in my parents’ sitting room. No one on the fringes has been allowed near, though we’ll no doubt need to rope them in at some point. After Leah’s betrayal, it’s almost a surprise that Shane’s still allowed in the room, but the family’s always regarded him in a different light to her.
Ray would have been there, too, but on Chrissie’s orders, he’s taking the twins on an impromptu visit to see their grandparents in Jamaica. The rest of us will stand and fight, but no one wants to put the babies at risk.
Perhaps things ought to be awkward between me and the others, but in the circumstances, no one is making any snide comments about my disloyal reaction to the truth of the annual Ritual or the way I’ve been keeping to myself of late. And equally, I’m making no attempt to raise the issue or act aloof.
There’s also been surprisingly little debate amongst us. No one’s suggesting Gabriel might be bluffing. No one’s arguing in favour of leaving town. All anyone wants to know is what he’s planning and how to stop him.
A tiny part of me wonders if I ought to get out of Mannith and let Gabriel do his worst. It would at least mean an end to the annual sacrifices. But nothing could persuade my family to leave, and in the case of my parents, who’ve poured their spirit into it for decades, I’m not convinced they’d survive the Dome’s collapse even if they were outside the perimeter. And what about all the other practitioners who’ve contributed to its upkeep over the years?
Besides, what I’ve learnt about the sacrifices horrifies me, but I like Mannith’s weather, prosperity, and sense of community. I couldn’t bear to see it become just another run-down northern town with people out of work and at each other’s throats. Perhaps with enough research, we could find a way to keep the Dome without having to kill.
“How the hell could anyone collapse the Dome?” Chrissie asks the question for the hundredth time.
Shane shrugs. “No idea. And I don’t think anyone in this room has a clue either. But Liam, I reckon you could find out.”
My brother stares at him. “How?”
“Ask the person who created it. No one’s as reliable as you at talking to the ancestors. Get over to the church and find an older one to chat with. I’ll drive.”
Chrissie gets to her feet. “Good idea. In the meantime, I’ll go and visit Bren. If there’s anyone still alive who’d know, it’s him. God knows he’s studied the thing enough.”
A little wave of unease runs through me at her words. Studied it to what end, if not to enlarge it in the way Gabriel claims?
I shake my head. That’s not fair. He’s admitted he attempted to enlarge it in the past. He’s told me he did enough research to convince himself it was impossible.
Liam, Shane, and Chrissie head off on their respective missions, leaving me alone with my parents. I’ve spent the last few weeks feeling like the family’s saviour and only hope, but now I’m useless.
“Go and bathe,” Mum orders. “Then get into your ritual clothes. Whatever he’s planning, there’s a good chance you’ll have to deploy some heavy-duty magic. Either to counteract his own or to take him down.”
In stark contrast to the night of the actual Ritual, I don’t protest.
“I’m calling Colson,” Dad informs Mum as I head upstairs. “When push comes to shove, he knows how to fight.”
Not against Gabriel. Still, we’re going to need every pair of hands we can get.
* * *
I’m still dazed from the heat and herbs of the purification bath and draped in a dressing gown when Chrissie arrives back.
“Bren’s got no idea. Full of facts about maintaining and expanding the damn thing, but not creating it from scratch or taking it down. And he’s freaking out at the thought of Gabriel even attempting such a thing.”
“You tried,” Mum says. “Your sister’s getting herself ready for a ritual. You ought to do the same.”
Chrissie leaves the room to run herself a bath, and I follow.
“What’s really going on with Bren and the Dome?” I ask. “Gabriel’s entire argument is that he’s been trying to enlarge it. Bren denied this, I chose to believe him—but it does seem to track with what you’re saying.”
Chrissie shakes her head. “He’s been obsessed with the Dome since we were kids, you know this. But while he might have tried something stupid when we were younger, his research is all theoretical at this point. He wouldn’t actually try to enlarge it. For all his strength, he’s accepted he doesn’t have the necessary power. And for all his posturing, he wouldn’t have the stomach for that number of sacrifices either. We’ve had long talks about all this while you were away.”
I sigh. Though I’ve told myself I believe Bren, he can be slippery. It’s far more comforting to hear this from my straightforward and cheerily honest sister. Especially her confirmation that he probably couldn’t do it even if he wanted to, which offers rather more reassurance than, “I trust him not to try.”
While Chrissie draws herself a fresh bath, Liam and Shane arrive back, faces serious.
Liam is pale and flops straight onto the sofa.
“Success?” Dad asks.
Shane nods. “He summoned the right spirit. I knew he could do it. The way Jeremiah Sadler explained it was complicated. He liked the sound of his own voice, having not used it in a century and a half. But basically, there’s a massive crystal and the mass grave of the original sacrifices buried at the top of the hill. Destroy that with the right intent and you can bring it down.”
