Frost Arch (32 page)

The Master drew ever closer, polishing and dusting his collection lovingly. He drew so close to the wardrobe that I felt it necessary to hold my breath, for I feared he would hear my laboured breathing. For the first time I worried that he might actually open the wardrobe. I hadn’t considered my luck that horrible up until this moment. My legs and back screamed at me to move position but Sebastian Forsythe was a mere meter away.

Dusting off the last ancient gadget, he adjusted his trousers, coughed, wiped his nose on the back of his hand, scratched his eyebrow and turned to leave. I was aware of the sweat building up upon my own brow and upper lip. As Master Forsythe neared the doorway, ready to leave, I let out a quiet sigh of relief and began to relax my tense body. Finally it seemed he would be leaving the landing. How long would it be before he left the room entirely? The Master blew out the oil lamp placed his foot out of the door and turned to close it behind him. I heard the jingle of keys and I was suddenly filled with panic. He was going to lock the door behind him and I would be trapped here!

Within the next few moments several bad things seemed to happen in very quick succession. As I panicked, my stiff body tensed and I was aware that I had lost all feeling in my entire body, which was why my cramped leg suddenly spasmed as I jumped with fear in the confined space. The resulting noise did not go unnoticed. My shoe slipped and kicked against the wardrobe door making a small bang and causing the wardrobe to move slightly. Sebastian Forsythe stopped and stared blindly towards the wardrobe. My heart pounded frantically and my mind reeled with different ideas, schemes and lies to get me out of this situation. My first instinct was to pull one of the garments over myself in an effort to look like a pile of clothes if he were to open the wardrobe doors, but I could not do so without making more noise. Perhaps the Master would ignore the brief sound and continue on his way.

No such luck. The Master reignited the lamp and took a step back into the room, looking towards the wardrobe intently; his face full of harsh lines. I wondered how many times I would be flogged for this? I had never wished to have the Power of invisibility this bad before.

He stepped closer and closer to my hiding place, and my heart pounded fearfully. Perhaps its last beats. What was the Masters Power again? I couldn’t remember. Noah had told me so many weeks ago.

Through the crack between the wardrobe doors I saw the Master’s figure edge closer, the oil lamp held in front of himself as though it were a weapon? What would I do when he discovered me? Should I just make a run for it? Perhaps I should just apologise profusely and beg for forgiveness. Did anyone else in the world know what was contained in this room?

This was it. I had only seconds left and still my mind was drawing blank. I could do nothing. I was going to be discovered.

In an idealistic world something outside the room would happen and draw the Master’s attention away, yet, as I was often reminded, terrible things tended to happen to me.

Sebastian Forsythe put down the oil lamp upon a table and grasped the wardrobe handles, yanking them open with such a great force that the air blew back and extinguished the lamp.

We were thrown into darkness before he had even gotten a chance to look at me, but he knew I was there. His rough hands grappled in the dark and landed on me, grabbing at my clothes and hair trying to drag me from the wardrobe. I cried out in pain as I felt a tuft of hair ripped from my head. I kicked out and flailed my arms, hitting ever part of him I could reach to try and get the old man off me. He gave a yell and fell backwards as I burst from the wardrobe, trampling him as we went crashing to the ground.

“Who is that?” Master Forsythe demanded, “Show yourself! When I find out who you are-”

I untangled myself from the mass of limbs and made a run for the illuminated doorway. If I could run fast enough maybe he would never know it was me. Of course there was the matter of the pressing black against my eyes and the several tabletops with priceless artefacts all over the room. My legs were still numb and I went crashing into a table and knocked its content all over the floor. I heard the Master cry with shock and outrage and felt his hand close around my ankle. I gasped and kicked out, making contact with something soft and squishy. Probably his face. The Master cried out in pain and released me. Perhaps being discovered in the wardrobe, in an illuminated room would have been easier after all. Another few steps and I stood on and crushed several items littered over the floor. I ran into another two tables, sending them (and myself) flying across the room. I felt like a scared and confused pigeon trapped inside a room, bouncing off the windows, trying to get free.

I had completely trashed the room in my attempt to make an escape. I could hear Sebastian behind me, falling over himself and shouting angrily after me. He wallowed with rage as he struggled through the room, trying not to ruin any more of his precious objects.

I had never run so fast in my entire life. My face shiny with sweat and my legs full of pins and needles I flew across the landing once I had freed myself from the room of artefacts. I considered throwing myself down the stairs in order to get away faster but I would probably only injure myself. Instead I ran down them, three steps at a time. It was a miracle I didn’t break my neck. Once I was on the lower level I heard the sound of the Master finally untangling himself from the mess and emerging onto the landing. I only had a split second to get to the door and run out of sight.

I took my chances of being seen and fled for the door, ripping it open and wrenching myself into the hall. From there I didn’t look back. I sprinted through the servant halls and staircases, passing a few people I didn’t know. I felt their eyes burning into me as I passed, their faces alight with curiosity. I ignored them and kept running. Was the Master following me? It was a large manor. I could hide anywhere and be missing for several hours. Besides, did he even know it had been me? I couldn’t take that risk. I had to leave. Immediately, before Master or staff alike could get their hands on me. I had ruined his prized possessions. Could I have ruined my life any more thoroughly?

A stitch formed in my side but I kept running through the halls and down the stair wells. I was heading for my room. I would pack everything and anything I laid my hands upon. I would rush to the stables. No time for goodbyes to Jack and Camryn. No time to explain. They would hear about what I had done eventually anyway. I would hop onto Hawthorne and we would fly away. I knew Hawthorne would be back by now. He would forgive me for hurting him earlier. It had been hours since it had happened.

I was now in the staff section of the manor. I hurried past the kitchens and now no one was paying attention to me. I thought I had even spotted Jack on my way past the door. I kept running and soon arrived to the staff living quarters. The sound of my shoes against the stone echoed loudly through the hall, but my footsteps were not alone. I heard more thundering steps coming from behind me. Someone was coming after me. Dare I look? I chanced a glance over my shoulder and saw Jack was hurrying after me. So he had seen me rush past after all. I couldn’t stop right now, not even for my best friend. I kept running until I skidded to a halt outside my own bedroom door. Thrusting it open I burst inside and closed it and locked it behind me before Jack could run in after me. I grabbed my rucksack which was under my bed and started stuffing the clothes from my drawers into it hastily. As I had been running I had made my decision to go home. We would only be safe once we were airborne.

The sound of Jack hammering on my door made me jump.

“Avalon, open up!” He called through the door, “What’s wrong with you?” The doorknob rattled as he tried to open it.

Once my bag was full of all of my possessions I put my coat on and flung the bag over my shoulder. I wish Jack wouldn’t draw attention to the fact that I was currently busy running away.

“Let me in, for god’s sake!” Jack called.

I threw the door open and stormed out of the room. Jack looked after me, bewildered by my sudden change of heart.

“What are you doing, Redding?” He said hurrying after me, struggling to keep up with my fast pace.

“Be quiet, Jack.” I hissed.

“Why are we being quiet?” He said incredulously, “Why is your bag packed? Where are we going? Avalon?”

My fast pace had now turned into a jog as I hurried through the halls.

“Why aren’t you telling me what’s going on?” Jack whispered angrily.

“Jack, I have to leave.” I murmured under my breath.

“Why?” Jack demanded.

“I did something terrible.” I groaned as we entered the kitchen. No one seemed to have noticed that anything unusual was going on, as staff bustled about doing their jobs. Jack and I passed through the kitchen silently, hurrying to the back entrance onto the grounds. Once we were outside in the moonlit night the freezing atmosphere slapped me and I was instantly shivering. Jack held me at an arm’s length and looked at me seriously. I tried to wriggle free of his grip but he just fumed at me silently. He really did hate it when I withheld information from him.

“Just tell me what happened.”

“Oh, Jack, what hasn’t happened to me since we’ve met.” I said incredulously.

“Fair point.” He allowed, “But you have to tell me so I can help you.”

“Master Sebastian is going to kill me.” I breathed.

Jack managed a smile, “I’m sure it can’t be bad enough that you have to run away.”

“Jack, I have to leave now, before he catches me!” I hissed urgently.

“Okay, okay. What did you do?” He rolled his eyes. Obviously Jack didn’t believe that I could have done something so bad that it would result in my instant death.

I wrung my hands together, which I noticed were shaking, “I kicked him.”

“You kicked him?” Jack’s eyes popped.

“In the face.” I mouthed. “In the-?!” Jack blanched.

I winced before wrenching myself free of Jack’s loose grip and started running towards the stables.

“Okay, so that’s quite bad.” Jack admitted running after me, “Nothing I can’t fix though. So what? Maybe a broken nose-?”

I stopped on the spot and spun around to face Jack, who skidded to a halt, spraying me with icy snow.

“It’s worse than that!” I stressed, “I was cleaning his study, and got a little curious, so I went upstairs to his landing, where the big telescope is.”

“Oh no.”

“There was another room up there, it was unlocked so I thought I’d have a little peek.” I groaned, putting my face in my hands, “He had this collection of-of-of-” I found it hard to continue.

“A collection of?” Jack prompted.

“A collection of pre-apocalyptic artefacts, thousands of years old. Priceless. While I was in the room, the Master came back from dinner, so I hid in a wardrobe so he wouldn’t find me.”

“But he did.” Jack guessed.

“Obviously!” I said, almost pulling my hair out in tufts. “But I don’t think he knows it was me. It was dark”

“Then why are we running?”

“He got a clump of my hair!” I remembered with a groan, “Who else here has hair like me?” I said pointing to my thick, wavy, waist length locks of black hair.

“I still think you’re over reacting.” Jack shook his head.

“As I was trying to escape the pitch black room I knocked over all the artefacts and broke them, Jack!” I spat.

Jack was silent for a moment, “I see.” He nodded in understanding, “Right well … I suggest we run.”

With that we began hurrying to the stables together.

“Where are we going?” He asked as we were a few meters away.

“We nothing.” I said, “I’m getting Hawthorne and flying home to Mortlock.”

Jack skidded to a halt, “Avalon, Hawthorne hasn’t come back yet.”

“What?” I slowed to a walk before I came to a stop, “What do you mean he isn’t back yet? It’s been hours.”

Jack shrugged, “I don’t know, Ava. We don’t know where he is.”

“What am I going to do?” I fretted, “I need to get out of here!”

Just as I spoke those words a commotion reached my ears. It sounded like shouting. Angry yells and thundering footsteps were close by. I looked back towards the manor fearfully. Obviously the news had spread and people were looking for me. It wouldn’t be hard to guess whose hair Sebastian Forsythe had ripped out. Who knew that the day I would die would come so soon? I hadn’t expected to fall this very night.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Jack cut across my thoughts and stared at me seriously, “But it’s not today. I won’t let it be.”

I gaped silently, rather surprised I hadn’t started crying again. I couldn’t decide whether I was more worried about myself right now, or for Hawthorne whose whereabouts were still unknown.

“Jack, the Master will kill me.” I whispered.

Jack frowned, “Yes, he will. But only if he finds you.”

Just as the commotion sounded closer to the back entrance Jack ushered me around the back of the stables, and not through the doors like I had planned. We ran the length of the wall until we came to the edge of the grounds, looking into the deep dark mass of forest. There was no moon out tonight to light our way.