Kasper was whooping for joy, clearly thrilled. Felix just tried to ignore his terror as they left the building far above them. Finally, they fell through the ceiling of a brick-lined tunnel.
“EPIC!” Kasper said, spinning on his heels to take it in. “I had no idea this was even here!”
“Keep it to yourselves.” Leah brushed invisible dirt off her shoulders. “We don’t want it getting around.”
“Is this where you come? When you disappear sometimes?” Rima looked like she was having an epiphany. Felix had been witness to many rants about Leah’s mystic hiding skills.
“Occasionally,” Leah admitted. “This is where I used to live. It was here long before the university was founded. Judging by the state of the halls, I think it’ll be here long afterwards, too.”
Felix inspected the solid red brick arch of the tunnel’s ceiling. “I don’t doubt it.”
“We’ll be safe here for a while. Rufus and Vini won’t come down here until they’ve exhausted all other options.”
HARRIET
Harriet woke up to the sound of screaming. She stirred, forcing her eyes open even though she felt like she could sleep for a hundred years. A ghost jumped back. He had been hovering over her body, but he backed off slightly when he saw that she was awake.
It was one of the ghosts from the basement, she realized with a jolt of shock. She’d seen him playing pool down there. What was he doing in the foyer? Qi’s lightning barrier was supposed to keep them all trapped inside. But Qi was gone now.
This was why the Tricksters had been so desperate to get hold of Qi – why they’d been willing to grant a favour to anyone who managed it. They’d been searching for freedom, and Harriet had foolishly given it to them.
The ghost licked his lips, looking her up and down as he prepared to eat her. Around them, dozens of imprisoned ghosts were fighting and killing and laughing viciously.
“Back off,” Harriet croaked.
The sound was so pathetic that he laughed, right in her face. “What happened to you?” he asked, looking at her wounds and broken neck. “The fight has only just started!”
“Stay back unless you want to find out,” she said, with entirely false bravado.
He smirked. “Uh-huh.”
Harriet stared him down, knowing there was nothing she could do to defend herself. This was it. After all her efforts, this was how she would finally die.
Behind his shoulder, she caught sight of Rufus. He was strolling alongside Vini, his arms held behind his back in the picture of relaxation.
Harriet jolted. “Rufus!” she shouted at the top of her voice. The words twisted into something grotesque as jagged shards of bone ground together, where Norma had snapped them. “Wait!”
He beamed when he noticed Harriet sprawled on the floor at his feet. “Oh, hello! I’ve just been hearing about the exciting time you’ve had today. Your grandmother sounds absolutely fascinating, darling.”
“Please,” she begged, ignoring his teasing. Her eyes bulged in their sockets as her head dropped to the side. “Don’t let him eat me. You owe me a favour!”
Rufus cast a look at the boy, who shrank back slightly. “I don’t recall owing you any favours.” He rolled up his sleeve to inspect the spreadsheet tattoo on his arm. “It doesn’t say anything here about a debt.”
“I was the one who brought Qi to you,” she said. Why should Norma get the credit for that, when Harriet had done the dirty work?
Rufus raised his eyebrows. “I was wondering which secret admirer had left me that little gift. How did you manage it?”
“I … pretended to be Rima. She followed me straight downstairs.”
Rufus laughed. “Brilliant! Congratulations on such a useful power. Well, I suppose I can help you out. Just this once. You’re practically family now, aren’t you?”
Harriet frowned at him. He gestured to his white hair, and hers, a secret smile lighting up his eyes. “Matching features! It’s as if we’re related.”
Beside him, Vini snorted.
“Right,” she agreed. She’d agree to anything, if it would help save her.
Rufus turned to the pool-playing ghost. “Sorry. This one’s off the menu for now.”
The boy nodded and turned to leave, but Rufus grabbed him by the back of the collar. He thrust him towards Harriet.
Her reaction was automatic. As soon as the boy’s skin touched hers, she tugged at the edges of his soul and sucked up his energy. The boy screamed in rage, wriggling in their grip.But Rufus held firm as Harriet drank until the boy disintegrated into nothing.
Rufus drew his hand back, flexing his fingers. He nodded at Harriet in approval. Why had he done that for her? He must dislike being in someone’s debt for any longer than necessary.
The boy had filled the empty place inside, quenching her thirst a little. She was safe from becoming a Shell now, and could probably defend herself if someone else attacked her. Every muscle in her body ached, though she couldn’t even tell if that was real, or some pain-induced hallucination. Had her gran really attacked her? Surely that had been an impossible nightmare, not real life. Though, why had Norma left her with enough energy to stop her from disintegrating? Why hadn’t she gone ahead and destroyed her completely, instead of leaving her on the verge of becoming a Shell? It was like Norma didn’t actually want to get rid of her.
Harriet shivered. It was no use thinking about this. She was just going to stay as far away from her grandmother as she could. Forcing herself to sit upright, she pushed her head back up to centre. “Thank you, Rufus.”
“Why don’t you come with us?” he said. That strange glint reappeared in his eyes. “I think there’s something you’ll want to see.”
FELIX
Leah led them down the red-brick tunnel, stepping lightly over stones worn from centuries of footsteps. Claudia was more active than Felix had seen her in ages, burbling and skimming the bricks with her fingers. Cody hopped along too, stopping to do invisible little wees up the wall every few paces.
They passed a ghost dressed in a long gown, with her hair covered in a cap. There was a purple bruise on her cheek. When she smiled, Felix caught sight of sharp fangs jutting out of the corners of her mouth. He skirted past her, though Leah said a friendly hello in something like medieval English.
“Her skeleton is still sealed up in that brick wall,” Leah said to him, as they moved on. “Poor thing.”
Felix shivered.
Finally, Leah stopped walking. “This is far enough. This wall here is right up against the property edge. They won’t be able to get behind us.”
They all sat down, with Leah keeping a close eye on the hallway.
“Qi must be gone,” Rima said. “If the ghosts have escaped the basement.”
“Oh, no,” Felix said, devastated. He hadn’t thought of that. “Do you think Harriet got to her?”
“Or Norma,” Kasper said darkly. “I wouldn’t put it past them to have teamed up.”
Rima asked Leah, “Why are the Tricksters after you? You have to tell us this time, Leah. You can’t keep it a secret for ever.”
Leah sighed. “Fabian wasn’t a good man. Worse than his brothers. The three of them used to work as a team, completely in sync. Rufus and Vini would take down other ghosts like prey, feeding on their fear. Then Fabian would extract their memories and use their weaknesses against them.”