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He tutted and waved a hand at the door beside him. ‘Where do you think? Harrod’s toy department?’
‘The generator shed?’ I asked. ‘Why would you bring us to that?’
‘Wrong question, Lowen,’ he said, tapping the side of his nose. ‘What you should be asking—what you should have always been asking—is why does an island entirely run on magic need a generator shed?’
We all looked at each other rather sheepishly. He was quite right, but I’m ashamed to say it hadn’t even occurred to me.
‘Okay then,’ I said slowly. ‘So why does an island entirely run on magic need a generator shed?’
He grinned. ‘I’m very glad you asked me that. To generate magic, of course!’
He pushed open the door and we stepped inside, disappointed to find a pretty ordinary and rather grimy-looking shed.
‘You can flick that light on,’ he said, nodding at the wall where I spotted a light switch. ‘Don’t worry. We won’t be seen from the mainland or at sea, should any boat be in the vicinity. There’s a very thick screening of trees all round this building, remember?’
I fumbled with the light switch, relieved when light flooded the shed and made everything feel just that little bit more normal.
‘So, are you ready?’
‘As we’ll ever be,’ I said.
‘Ready for what? What are we doing here?’ Trinity questioned.
‘Just bolt that door, Lowen, there’s a good chap,’ Emrick said. ‘That’s it. Right then. Here we go.’
Over in the corner of the room, the bulky, rather dirty machine that I’d assumed was a generator, shimmered and vanished, revealing a trap door beneath where it had been standing.
‘We’re going down there?’ Romy squeaked.
‘We are,’ Emrick said. ‘Now, go careful, as there’s no hand rail. I’ve been meaning to put one in for years, but I never got round to it. My bad.’
He hauled up the trap door and began to descend. We all huddled together and peered down, watching his progress as he lightly made his way down a flight of stone steps.
Romy shivered. ‘Seriously?’
I felt a surge of protection for them both—my two sisters, looking so worried and vulnerable.
‘It will be fine,’ I assured them. ‘Do you want me to go first, or in the middle, or last?’
‘Can I go next?’ she pleaded. ‘That way Emrick will be just in front of me.’
‘I don’t mind,’ Trinity said with a shrug. ‘You can go second or third. It doesn’t matter to me.’
‘You’re brave,’ Romy told her.
‘I’m kinda getting used to being taken to basements lately,’ Trinity said wryly. ‘I just hope there’s not some crazy mermaid down there with a Marks and Spencer cardigan and hair like Zelda from Terrahawks.’
‘Who?’ Romy asked blankly.
‘Oh, boy. You haven’t lived.’ Trinity shook her head sorrowfully.
‘You go next,’ I told her, as Romy began to descend. ‘I’ll bring up the rear.’
‘I don’t need protecting,’ she assured me.
‘I know,’ I said, grinning. ‘Just let me pretend to be the hero for a few moments, before my new identity is thrust upon me, and we all find out I’m no such thing.’
She smiled. ‘Don’t worry about that. You’ll be amazing.’
