The Peregrines

Chapter 19

Jake was completely on board with it, no doubt about it. Given his nature and the situation we find ourselves in, any one of us would have readily accepted any assistance that was offered. We are willing to go to great lengths to rescue our loved ones from captivity and potentially save them from a tragic fate.

Sharon emerged from the shadows that had been creeping along the room's periphery, bringing us a glimmer of good news. "Remember your friend who got smashed by a falling bridge?" he said. "Turns out he's not quite dead. They pulled him out of the Ditch a few hours ago."

"They?" I said.

"The pirates. They've got him chained and caged down the end of Oozing Street. He's causing quite a stir, I hear."

"That's it, then," Emma said, tensing with excitement. "We'll steal the hollow and bring him back here, restart Mr Bentham's machine, open a door to the wights' fortress, and get our friends back."

"Simple!" Sharon said, and he let out a barking laugh.

"Except for that last part . . . And the first," Jake said.

Emma stepped close to Jake. "Sorry, love. I volunteered for your services without asking. Think you can handle that hollow?" she smiled.

"Of course I can handle it," He took too long to say. "When can we go?"

Myron clapped his hands. "That's the spirit!"

Emma's gaze lingered on his face. "You can leave as soon as you're ready, Sharon will be your guide," said Myron

"We shouldn't wait," Sharon said. "Once the locals have had their fun with that hollow, I reckon they'll kill it."

Emma picked at the front of her poofy dress. "In that case, I think we should change," she said.

"I don't wanna go, and I don't think it's safe out there for me anymore," I said.

"Of course, you may stay with me" Myron smiled. 

Myron asked Nim to get suitable clothes for their task. Nim came back quickly with sturdy boots and contemporary waterproof pants and jackets in black, with a slight stretch. Sharon, Myron, and I then headed to the hall to join the rest.

"Ready?" Sharon asked.

"Ready," Jake said.

Myron shook Jake's hand, then Emma's. "I'm so happy you're here, It's proof, I think, that the stars are beginning to align for us," he said.

"I hope you're right," Emma said.

"Mr Bentham," Jake said, "We never did talk about my grandfather. How did you know him? Why were you looking for him?" 

Myron's eyebrows raised suddenly, followed by a quick smile to mask his surprise. "I missed him, that's all," he said. "We were old friends, and I hoped I might see him again one day." Myron raised his hand goodbye. "Be careful out there," he said. "I'll be here with Kira, preparing my Panloopticon for its triumphant return to service." And then we went back into his library, "PT, up! We have work to do!" he sang out.

{Time skip, cause Kira was sleeping in the whole time until now XD}

When they finally returned, the sun had almost set, casting a shadow of darkness. Nim hurriedly ushered Emma and Jake into the entrance hall, where Myron and I were eagerly waiting. Myron didn't even have time to exchange greetings. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him; he seemed incredibly worried.

"Why have you brought these grims? Where's the creature?" he said, his eyes darting to the laundry cart that just had been wheeled in.

"It's here," Jake said. 

As he carefully removed the cubs, he started to peel back the linens. Myron and I observed from afar. The sheets at the top were white, but turned increasingly bloody as Jake continued to dig, transforming into a dark cocoon as he reached the bottom. Finally, Jake uncovered the last layer, revealing a small, shriveled figure curled up like a fetus. Myron and I inched closer to get a better look.

"My God," he said, looking at the bloody sheets. "What did they do to him?" said Myron.

"Actually, I did that, I didn't really have a choice," said Jake.

"It was about to swallow Jake's head," Emma explained.

"What..." I looked at the two in disbelief.

"You didn't kill it, did you? It's no use to us dead," said Myron.

"I don't think so," Jake started speaking in Hollow language, but unfortunately, the hollow remained unresponsive. He then turned his gaze towards us. "I don't know how much longer it'll last, though," he said.

"In that case, we've not a moment to waste," said Myron. "We must send for my healer right away and hope to heaven her dust works on hollows."

Nim hurried off to get the healer. As we sat waiting, Myron took us to his kitchen and kindly served us biscuits and canned fruit. Emma and Jake didn't seem hungry, but they nibbled politely. Myron updated us on what had transpired in their absence, mentioning that he had prepared his machine and was just waiting to plug in the hollowgast.

"Are you sure it'll work?" Emma said.

"Sure as I can be without ever having tried it," he replied.

"Will it hurt him?" Jake asked.

"Of course not," Myron said with a dismissive wave. 

When the healer showed up, I was on the verge of shouting in shock. It wasn't because of her unique appearance, even though she did stand out. It was because I was positive I had crossed paths with her before, yet I couldn't recall when or where I had forgotten about such a peculiar encounter. The only body parts I could see were her left eye and left hand.

The remaining items were concealed under layers of cloth: wraps, neck scarves, a gown, and a bell-shaped crinoline. Her right hand appeared to be absent, while her left hand was held by a young man with tan skin and wide, lively eyes. He sported a stylish silk shirt and a broad-brimmed hat, guiding the healer as if she had impaired vision or mobility.

"I'm Reynaldo," said the young man in a crisp French accent, "And this is Mother Dust. I speak for her." Mother Dust whispered something to Reynaldo, who then turned to me and said, "She hopes you are feeling better." It was at that moment when I finally recognized her: she was the same person I had seen in my dreams before she transformed into a slender man-creature—or at least, what I believed were dreams—while I was recovering from the attack.

"Yes, much better," I said, unnerved.

Myron skipped the formalities. "Can you heal one of these?" he said, leading Reynaldo and Mother Dust to the laundry cart. "It's a hollowgast, visible to us only where it's been painted," said Myron

"She can heal anything with a beating heart," said Reynaldo.

"Then, please," Myron said. "It's very important that we save this creature's life."