A Rose as Black as your Heart

(49) The Point of a Knife

Chapter 49

All of us stared at Jason in horror, and at Daniel, hanging limply in his grasp, almost as if...

“What did you do to him?” Rose shouted furiously at her cousin.

“Calm down, Princess. No one’s going to take a bullet for you now,” Jason grinned, taking a dig at Harrison, which he knew would provoke her. I grabbed Rose’s arm before she could start towards him.

“Nice face,” I said to him coldly. Jason’s smile withered, the grotesque scars twisting.

“I’ll be returning the favour to you, don’t you worry,” he said.

Old Maria spoke up, to my surprise. “Let the boy go.”

Jason sneered. “Don’t tell me what to do, old woman.”

Even I knew this was a stupid move.

Old Maria removed something from her small carpet bag; a red rose. In the dull yellow glow from the street light, I could see it was perfectly formed. The heady scent drifted tantalisingly in the air. Rose stepped away, coughing like it was chlorine gas. Jason had enough sense to draw away, too.

“I won’t repeat myself,” Old Maria said, her voice soft but commanding.

Jason didn’t move. His mangled face was a steely mask. With an almost regretful sigh, Old Maria turned to Rose.

“Move back,” she advised. And with almost casual slowness, she tore a petal from the rose.

Jason started as if he’d been bolted with electricity. “W-what-”

Old Maria tore more petals off with more savagery, and with each rip, Jason flinched as if it was his own skin she was ripping off. He backed away, grimacing, but the petals weren’t just falling to the ground; a light breeze stirred up, kicking the petals up into the air. They began to wind their way towards him like a trail of blood oozing down a stream.

Jason dropped Daniel, and howled in agony as the line of petals coiled around him like a snake, biting into his flesh. Blisters welled up where they touched his skin.

Instantly I rushed towards Daniel, the petals brushing past me as harmlessly as feathers. Daniel was still out cold, but some of the petals had touched him, burning his skin. I grabbed him under the arms and pulled him away, shielding him from the shreds of roses with my body.

Rose was cowering away, hands raised protectively over her face from the few petals that were fluttering her way, but when she saw Daniel, she hurried to help me pull him over.

Footsteps sounded behind us. Matt appeared, closely followed by Travis, and then Dom and Zoe. They’d evidently noticed our disappearance.

“Look who we found,” I said, as cheerily as I could, gesturing to Old Maria. Petal stems littered the ground around her, like twigs from a fallen tree.

“I can see that,” Matt said quietly, staring in amazement at Old Maria.

Dom squinted at the ground. “Is that Daniel?”

I nodded, turning to gaze at his face. I shook him gently. “Daniel?”

“That’s not going to work.” Rose raised an arm and slapped him hard round the face.

“Hey, you could’ve asked me,” Travis complained. “That’s twice you’ve got to hit him.”

“I heard that,” Daniel muttered.

“Daniel!” I flung myself into his arms in relief. “You okay?”

“I was, until a small blonde girl fell on top of me.”