Tales of the Scarlet Knight Collection: The Call

by P. T. Dilloway

  “All right.” The girl did as Emma instructed. She rifled through the case and finally pulled out the golden cape. “Now what?”

  “I need you to lean against me. Then we need to wrap the cape over both of us.”

  In order for it to work, Emma had to abandon the walker. Since it was magic, the cape stretched enough to cover both Emma and Veronica. As yet another embarrassment, Emma had to lean against the toddler for support.

  Then they began to shuffle towards the door. They made it halfway down the hallway before they saw Marie approach with a tray of food. Emma put a finger to her mouth to indicate Veronica should remain quiet. After Marie passed by, Emma and Veronica continued.

  “Veronica? Sweetheart? Where are you hiding?” Marie called out from the bedroom.

  “We have to hurry,” Emma said, though she couldn’t hobble along much faster.

  The stairs proved the biggest challenge. Not only did Emma’s legs have difficulty with the steps, but by then Marie had alerted the guards Veronica and Emma weren’t in the room. They had to flatten themselves against one wall as guards pounded up and down the stairs. “They have to be here somewhere!” Marie shouted.

  The good thing about the guards being alerted was they left the door open to run out into the yard to search. This allowed Emma and Veronica to get through the door without the risk of opening it. Once they got through the door, Emma motioned Veronica to help her to the right, over by some hedges.

  Emma knew they could never get through the front gate. There would certainly be video cameras that would be able to see through the cape. She just hoped the next phase of her plan worked.

  She collapsed to the ground and then whispered, “Marlin? Where are you?”

  “Who’s Marlin?” Veronica asked.

  “He’s a ghost. A nice ghost.”

  “Like Marie when she used to visit me?”

  “I suppose so, dear.”

  Emma hoped she didn’t have to wait too long. Surely by now the ghost would have realized she’d called for the armor. It shouldn’t take him too long to find them out here.

  “What the bloody hell have you gotten into this time?” Marlin asked. Emma barely managed to put a hand over Veronica’s mouth before the girl yelped in surprise.

  “Marie did this to me,” Emma said.

  “It’s not much of an improvement, is it?”

  “Listen, we don’t have much time before they find us. You have to get Mrs. Chiostro or Sylvia to come get us.”

  “I suppose I can manage that. Try not to have a heart attack or stroke while you’re waiting.”

  The ghost zipped away before Emma could think of a comeback. She settled the cape tighter around herself and Veronica. Not far away, she heard guards pounding up and down the stairs. Emma recognized the Watchmaker’s voice as he said, “How could you let an elderly woman and a toddler escape?”

  “I don’t know what happened,” Marie said. “I only went to get them breakfast and when I came back, they were gone.”

  As the Watchmaker and Marie continued to argue, Emma heard something rustle the bushes. She poked her head out enough from the cape to see a canary had landed on top of the hedge. The canary hopped down; its wings fluttered as it landed beside Emma.

  Again Emma had to keep Veronica quiet as the canary changed into Mrs. Chiostro. “Hello, dear. My, don’t you make a handsome old woman?”

  “We have to hurry,” Emma said. “They’re almost here.”

  “Don’t worry. Here we go. Take my hand, dear.” The last sentence was addressed to Veronica. The girl’s eyes were wide from shock, but she obeyed.

  Then they disappeared in a flash of light.

  Chapter 26

  The next time Emma woke up, she didn’t feel the aches and pains as before. A hand touched her shoulder before she could sit up. “Careful, dear,” Mrs. Chiostro said. “You’re probably going to be disoriented for a few minutes.”

  Emma closed her eyes as the light came on. When she opened them, she was relieved to see her hands were no longer wrinkled or liver-spotted. Mrs. Chiostro held out a mirror so Emma could see herself as a young woman again. Though from the pimples on her cheeks and her longer hair, she suspected that like Veronica she was a couple of years younger than she was supposed to be.

  “I’m sorry, dear,” Mrs. Chiostro said. “These potions aren’t an exact science. We can have Sylvia do something about your hair. I have another potion that might get rid of that acne—”

  “No, that’s fine. We wouldn’t want to use too much magic, would we?”

  “Very true.” Mrs. Chiostro sighed. “I have to say, it was nice not to be the oldest woman in the house for a change.”

  “Yes, well, you weren’t the one who had to use a walker.”

  “I’m sorry, dear. It must have been very trying for you.”

  “It was.” Emma shook her head. “I never thought Marie could do something like that. I thought despite everything she was a good person.”

  “Don’t be too hasty to judge her. She’s only trying to protect that little girl. I can see why. She’s such an adorable little thing.”

  “Where is she?”

  “In the parlor, with Sylvia.”

  “You’re letting Sylvia babysit her?”

  “You’d be surprised how well she can get along with children.”

  Emma expected to find Sylvia showing Veronica how to clean a handgun. Instead, the witch—who still looked about as old as Emma—sat next to Veronica on the sofa. Lucy was between them, the doll suspended in midair. As Emma watched, the doll began to dance. Veronica giggled at this. She batted the air above the doll to search for strings. “How are you doing that?”

  “It’s magic, kid,” Sylvia said.

  The doll curtsied to Veronica and then dropped into her lap. Sylvia looked up at Emma and Mrs. Chiostro. “About time you woke up. Looks like you overdid it on the Inner Child potion.”

  “You of all people know that’s a very difficult potion to brew.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Who are you?” Veronica asked.

  “It’s me, Mrs. Dreyfus. Mrs. Chiostro made me young and pretty.”

  “Can she make me seven again?”

  Sylvia tousled the girl’s hair and said, “You don’t want her to try it. You’d probably end up an old lady like her.”

  “Oh. All right.”

  “You two behave yourselves,” Mrs. Chiostro said. “Emma and I are going into the kitchen for some tea.”

  They left Sylvia and Veronica to play while they went into the kitchen. Mrs. Chiostro already had a pot of tea ready for them. “You must have had a feeling I’d wake up soon.”

  “And I’m glad I was right.”

  They sat down at the table. Emma kept her voice low as she asked, “How bad are things out there?”

  “There were a lot more attacks last night. Once they knew you were out of the picture, they really pressed their advantage.”

  “It’s going to get even worse now that they know I’m back.”

  “I’m afraid so. This might be too much for us to handle. Perhaps it’s time I go to the coven for help.”

  “That might be a good idea.”

  “It could take a while to round up everyone. We’re pretty spread out these days.”

  “Any help you can bring would be welcome.” Emma took a sip of her tea and then shook her head. “I don’t know what they’re planning, but it involves the park. I’ve got to get over there and check it out.”

  “That might be difficult. The police have sealed the whole park off.”

  “Even during the day?”

  “I’m afraid so. They’re probably looking through it already.”

  Sylvia cleared her throat. “Look, this seems pretty easy to me. We go back to that house they took you and we level the place.”

  “I doubt they’ll be there much longer now that they know we escaped. This Watchmaker doesn’t seem like the type to sit around and wait for us to come k
nocking.”

  “So, what, we just sit around and wait?”

  “I’ll go to the park and look around. Maybe there’s a clue there.” Emma held up a hand. “I’ll use the cape so they won’t see me.”

  “If you think that’s wise, dear.”

  “Is there a place you can take Veronica? It’s not safe for her here.”

  “I suppose I could take her with me to the archives. She should be safe enough there,” Mrs. Chiostro said.

  “What am I supposed to do? Sit on my hands?” Sylvia asked.

  “You should stay here and rest,” Mrs. Chiostro said. “You’re still not at full strength yet.”

  “Neither is Emma, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “If you want to do something useful, you can go to Milton’s and fetch Hisae. The two of you know more about demons than anyone in the coven.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that,” Sylvia grumbled. She reached out to pat Emma’s shoulder. “Try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”

  The witch vanished in a flash. Right on cue, Veronica trotted into the kitchen. “Where did Sylvia go?”

  “I’m afraid she had to run an errand,” Mrs. Chiostro said. “But how would you like to go on an adventure with me?”

  “What sort of adventure?”

  “We’re going to go somewhere very far away.”

  “Can’t I go home to Mama and Papa?”

  “I’m afraid not yet. It won’t be safe for you there.”

  “Why not?”

  Mrs. Chiostro and Emma looked to each other. “It’s hard to explain, dear. Your friend Marie is with some very nasty people. They might look for you at your mama and papa’s house. So we’re going to take you to a place they won’t look.”

  “Where?”

  “It’s a big cave in Ireland. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

  “No.”

  Emma took Veronica’s hand and looked the girl in the eye. “I know this is difficult to understand, sweetheart, but you have to go with Mrs. Chiostro. We’re going to do everything we can to get you back to Mama and Papa, but first we need to convince Marie to stay away from that nasty old man.”

  “But why can’t I go home?” The little girl began to cry. She stamped her foot and shouted, “Everyone keeps saying they’re going to take me home eventually, but they never do. I want to go home now!”

  “That’s enough, young lady. I’m sure if your mother were here, she’d give you a good thrashing for that,” Mrs. Chiostro said. “Emma is going to do everything she can to convince Marie to take you home. Until then, you’re coming with me. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Veronica mumbled.

  “Good girl. Now, let’s find you something pretty to wear to Ireland. I think I have the nicest pink dress—”

  Mrs. Chiostro led Veronica back into the parlor to search for clothes. With a sigh, Emma finished her cup of tea. Then she called for the armor.

  ***

  She was surprised to find the bike by Mrs. Chiostro’s curb when she went outside. With a shrug, she hopped on and set out for the park. Emma left the pink motorcycle a few blocks away from Robinson Park and then walked. She usually didn’t go out in the daylight in the armor, but she didn’t see where she had much of a choice. The demons would return tonight, if they weren’t here already.

  With the cape around her body, she slipped through the southeast entrance and then began a meticulous search of the grounds. She had to walk nearly as slow as when she’d been an old woman so she wouldn’t trip over the cape. She didn’t know what she hoped to find, but there had to be some reason the demons continued to attack anyone who got near the park.

  It was three o’clock in the afternoon before she reached the center of the park. She had seen a few police officers around, but none had come too close to her. She paused at the pond where she and Aunt Gladys had swum so long ago.

  Emma squinted as she stared at the pond. The water was a lot lower in the pond in this timeline than in hers. No, that wasn’t right. The water level wasn’t usually low; from the water that soaked the grass around the pond, someone must have drained the pond.

  She made her way towards the edge of the pond. She had to be careful not to get her boots stuck in the mud as she got close. If any of the police looked closely, they would find her tracks in the mud too. Still, something told her the pond was the key.

  She dropped to her knees at where the shore of the pond had been. From what she could see, most of the water had already been drained. They had been careless to leave so much water around the edges of the pond.

  The question was: for what purpose? Emma squinted at the water, which from this vantage she could see was only a couple inches high now. She couldn’t see anything below the water that might be worth the trouble.

  She was relieved when Marlin floated up next to her. “There you are. And no longer among the geriatric set, I see,” he said.

  “Can you go down into the water and see what’s below it?” Emma asked.

  “What, not even a hello? Or a please?”

  “Please could you go down into the water?” Emma asked. “We’re kind of on a tight schedule here.”

  “Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I can manage it.”

  Emma watched as the ghost floated out to the middle of the pond. He sank down into the water, until he disappeared beneath it. Given the level of the water, he must have gone beneath the floor of the pond, underground.

  The ghost returned a few minutes later. He floated back over to Emma. “All I see is dirt and earthworms,” he said. “And a few fish who aren’t long for this world.”

  “You’re sure there wasn’t anything there? No tunnels or doorways or anything?”

  “Not a bloody thing. What did you expect there to be?”

  “I don’t know.” She suspected she would find out tonight.

  ***

  Marie lay on her cot in the abandoned factory and sobbed. Veronica was gone. Somehow Emma, even as an eighty-year-old invalid, had managed to smuggle Veronica out of the “safe” house. None of the guards had seen either of them.

  Once they had done a complete search of the grounds, the Watchmaker had forced everyone to this backup safe house in the industrial sector. It was a far cry from the opulent house in the Heights, but Marie didn’t care. No house would feel like home with Veronica gone.

  The Watchmaker patted Marie on the back. She knew it was him because no one else here paid her any attention. Most of them seemed to actively ignore her. Maybe they blamed her for Emma and Veronica’s escape, and thus the abandonment of the safe house.

  “We’ll find her,” the Watchmaker said. “I have my people out searching.”

  “I should be out there. I can find her.”

  “That’s not a good idea. It’s you Mrs. Dreyfus and her friends really want.”

  “I can’t just stay here.”

  “You won’t be here much longer. We’re going to open the gateway tonight.”

  “What? But what about Veronica?”

  “My dear, when we open the gateway, we’ll have all the resources we need to locate your friend.”

  “We will?”

  “If nothing else, your friend Emma is bound to show up there. This time you can make sure she doesn’t escape. Then she can tell us what they did with Veronica.”

  Marie considered this. She supposed the Watchmaker made a good point. If they did open the gateway, the Scarlet Knight would have to show up to stop them. That was if Emma had been able to make herself young again. She must have; how else could she have gotten out of the house with Veronica?

  Marie grabbed her pillow and kneaded it with both hands. How dare she! Veronica was Marie’s friend, practically her daughter, and Emma had kidnapped her. What had she done to Veronica? Had she knocked her out? Did she have Veronica tied up to a chair in a basement?

  Or maybe she had promised Veronica she could go home. Despite how much Marie had done for her, Veronica
still wanted her mama and papa. She was so attached to them—

  “Wait, I know how to get to Emma.”

  “What are you talking about, my dear?”

  “Her parents. They’re still alive. Emma is bound to visit them. And her husband. If you take me to the hospital, I’m sure she’ll be there. Then I can get her to tell me what she did with Veronica.”

  “We’re on a very tight schedule, my dear. It would be best to open the gateway first. Then we can deal with your friend.”

  “She’s not my friend! Not anymore.”

  “Be that as it may, the gateway should be our priority.”

  “You just want me to open your stupid gateway. You don’t care about Veronica at all.”

  “Maybe I don’t care about Veronica, but I do care about you, my dear. You would be far more exposed at a hospital than in the park.”

  “I don’t care. Take me to the hospital or I won’t open your gateway for you.”

  They locked eyes for a minute. Finally the Watchmaker sighed and nodded. “Very well. But I’ll accompany you to make sure there aren’t any slip-ups this time.”

  “There won’t be,” Marie growled. This time she would make sure Emma didn’t escape.

  Chapter 27

  Again Emma left the motorcycle behind a dumpster, followed by her armor. She hoped once more the bike would still be there when she got back. This time she didn’t plan to be gone as long, at least not if she could help it. She only needed time enough to say goodbye.

  In the waiting room on the fifth floor, she saw her father, Becky, and a newcomer in Aunt Gladys. Emma hurried over to give her aunt a hug. “You didn’t have to come here,” Emma said. “You barely know Dan.”

  “But I do know you,” Aunt Gladys said. She patted Emma’s pimpled cheek. “At least I thought I did. What happened to your face?”

  “Just stress, I suppose.”

  “You look as bad as you did for your picture in tenth grade,” Becky said.

  “Leave your sister alone,” Daddy said.

  “I’m only kidding,” Becky said and began to sulk.

  Emma looked around the waiting room. “Is Mom in the room?”

  “She went to get some coffee,” her father answered. “She should be back in a few minutes. Unless she got lost in this maze. I don’t know why they can’t have the coffee machine a little closer. As bad as it tastes, it’s not worth walking a mile for.”