Scarlet's Walk - Life Without Tumblr Season Two

Part Seven

The inside of the Council was as impressive as the outside, a huge corridor that reminded her of Hogwarts, a ceiling high enough to play rugby under and more bizarre wooden carvings than she’d seen on a lifetime of exam desks. It also smelled, of money and expensive hotels. Probably. Neither were things she had much experience in. The place was silent. She stopped short of saying ‘as the grave’, but only just. 

Scarlet tiptoed down the corridor, keeping to the edge, as if she wouldn’t be spotted. The scrape of her shoes on the wooden floor was horribly loud, and conspicuous, and she found herself kind of sliding along, a sort of swish-tap movement, that made probably as much noise, but might make anyone listening think they were being invaded by a crocodile.

Martin was here, somewhere, assuming the sisters had told her the truth. So where was he, and how was she going to get him out without being caught by the Council?

Alex and Rat man were still outside, ‘watching’ her, apparently, and waiting. She hoped Martin, if she found him, could deal with that. The corridor ended in a huge round room, doors leading off in every direction. She went to each in turn, pressing an ear against them.

From some, she heard the murmur of voices, from others, the clash of metal on metal. It was, she decided, sword fighting, which came pretty high on the list of cool things she should be able to do. Could Martin sword fight? Her mind was trying to replay what Alex had said to her outside, about Martin being dead, but she was ignoring it, much the same way she ignored maths, or any story that ended ‘and then she woke up…’

Plumping for one of the silent ones, Scarlet took the door handle, ignoring the slight shake in her hand, and pulled it open. The noise that assailed her as she pulled was loud enough that she thought she’d gone deaf, so intense was it and so utterly agonising. 

She clapped her hands over her ears, dropping to her knees and burying her face in her lap. She barely felt the hands that grabbed her shoulders and hauled her upright. It was only the abrupt cessation of the noise that made her open her eyes and take in the three men stood before her. 

They were tall, but then everyone was, compared to her. They were dressed in black, which was kinda cool. And they all looked very angry. She giggled. It was turning out to be the kind of night where nothing was scary anymore, just ‘cause she’d gone past the point. Once someone puts a knife to your eye, the presence of three guys with identical scowls and little badges on their arms, just isn’t that bad.

‘Um, hi, so I’m looking for the toilet, sorry, I think I took a wrong turn.’

They kept glaring. ‘Which one of you is Gerald? I was told to meet Gerald, but I just can’t find him anywhere.’

She giggled again, and the three of them exchanged looks. Finally, one stepped forward and took her arms. She shrugged him off, glaring at him. He was young, not much older than she was. She glanced at the others and realised they were all baby-faced. 

‘You will come with us now.’

He was speaking in a very deep voice. She giggled, shaking her head. There was something to be said for a knife at the eye, if only so she knew proper bad when she saw it. Although, based on what just happened outside, she should have stuck with her first instinct. ‘Where are we going? Cos if they don’t got wifi, ah ain’t int’rested.’

She wagged her finger, her impression of a sassy black chick standing up even under such demanding circumstances. The man who had spoken tried again. ‘Our masters wish to see you, you will come with us.’

She raised an eyebrow, shaking her head again. ‘Look, I’ll come, cos I think I need to speak to them, but please, drop the voice, you just sound stupid.’