He shook his head. ‘There’s no way we can open this. It was created by the demon, and only he can unmake it.’
‘Why imprison someone in somewhere they can never get out of?’
Martin looked at her, eyebrows raised. She spread her hands apart. ‘What? Come on, really, even when they say you have a life sentence, you still get released after, like, ten years. It’s ridiculous. Surely if he brought her here, it was for a reason, not just to leave her in a cage?’ She was shouting, and turned back to mum, putting her hands out. It was freaky her being in there, still shouting, still silent, and she had the sudden need to hug her, which was even freakier.
‘I think that life sentence means something a little different here. But as dramatic as it sounds, unmaking the cage would be the act of a simple thought for the demon that resides within this castle, easier than turning a key.’
She nodded. ‘So, what, we have to find him?’
Martin glanced around the large hall, brow furrowed. When he turned back to her, she winced at the look on his face. ‘I don’t wish to sound negative, nor do I suggest we shouldn’t do this, but finding the demon may prove to be a very foolish move. He is powerful, and we have nothing, no bargaining chip, no reason why he shouldn’t just imprison us also.’
‘So why did mum come here in the first place?’
Martin shrugged. ‘That would be very useful to know, but the prison does more than trap her body, it retains every part of her essence, hence why we cannot hear her voice.’
‘Did you actually just say ‘hence’?’
He nodded, looking offended, then shook his head and looked around the room. She pulled out the spell book, leafing through to the page she had stopped on, and scouring it. Surely there would be something in there to give away why mum thought she would be safe here. ‘So, what sort of things could we use to bargain with?’
Martin held his hand out, ticking things off on his fingers. ‘First, ourselves. They want humans, more than anything, so you could trade yourself for your mum.’
She snorted, and felt instantly guilty. Martin ignored her and went on. ‘You could have some sort of magical artifact, something that possessed power. You could have information; knowledge of something the demon is interested in. Of course, if you know its name, you have a real advantage. It isn’t a guarantee, but it gives you a good head start.’
He peered over her shoulder, just as she turned the page, and they were presented with a word that made her want to be sick. It was written in English, but the letters writhed and twisted on the paper, as though they needed to escape. She began to read it and he clapped his hand over her mouth. Ow, that hurt. ‘Ow, that hurt, what the hell?’
‘That is his name. We are most fortunate, but once you have read it, he will be here, and we need to be ready when that happens.’ He leant forward until his head was level with hers, and he stared into her eyes. ‘Listen to me, Scarlett, this is important. He will try everything to convince you he is in control, that he can do whatever he wants, and he will terrify you.’
She sniffed. ‘Not sure there’s much that will scare me after that fog stuff.’
He shook his head. ‘The fog, the noises, were nothing compared to him, trust me. He is pure evil, squashed into some semblance of a living being, but evil nonetheless. Just remember, you have his name. You are in control.’
Next instalment: 30 October
