Bagsy Beetlehorn and the Vampire Affairs (The Bagsy Chronicles 4)

The Escape

Primrose wasn't sure when, but the invisible walls dropped. She crawled to where Emmeline had been and rested her face against the floor. The stone was cool against her skin, not hint of warmth left in it. She closed her eyes at the sensation.

Someone put their hand on her back. 'I told you.' It was Lewis. 'This wouldn't have happened if you'd kept her away.'

He was right. For once, this was all Primrose's fault. There was no one else she could blame.

There was the sound of approaching footsteps—of someone running—and then there was a freezing sensation at the back of Primrose's neck as Lewis pressed his hand against it. 'Sleep, now,' he murmured, and Primrose slept.

***

Bagsy fell onto her back as if she'd been shoved, her limbs flailing as they shifted from scaled back to her usual skin tone.

Mezrielda reached out a hand to help catch her. 'You did it.' She gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. 'Do you know where Emmeline is?'

Bagsy couldn't respond. She covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes fixed on Primrose. The others turned back around. Only a few seconds had passed for a year's worth of memories.

'What is it?' Greenda asked.

'Emmeline...' Bagsy didn't know what to say, or how to finish that sentence.

Greenda was shaking her head. 'I don't know what's going on but we're wasting time. We need to go and find her!'

Mezrielda searched Bagsy's face, her mouth pressing into a thin line. Bagsy looked at her, hoping she would understand without her having to say it.

'Emmeline's dead,' Mezrielda said, plain and simple, as if it was a fact they needed to remember for an exam.

Greenda stalled. 'Wha—? What are you on about? How on earth would you know that?'

'Bagsy can look into people's memories,' said Mezrielda. 'Look at her. Think about what she just said.'

'Looking into memories? Bagsy, tell her she's being ridiculous!' Greenda begged but Bagsy couldn't look at Greenda. 'No. No!'

'We have to go.' Mezrielda got to her feet.

Tentatively, Bagsy pushed the hair out of Primrose's face, before picking her up. She wasn't too heavy—Bagsy could carry her. It was good to feel useful, to do something that didn't involve thinking about the memories she'd just experienced.

Teresa grabbed Greenda's arm. 'Something bad has happened,' she said, sounding like she was repeating a script. 'And how you feel about it is valid, whatever that is. Denial, anger, bargaining, I don't care, it's all normal, everyone responds differently, yada yada yada. You're allowed to feel that way, and I won't ask you to mute your emotions, but what happened happened, and nothing can change that. We need to get moving or we'll all die. Do you understand?'

Greenda was still shaking her head, looking as if she was being confounded by a particularly hard crossword.

'You need to get over it for now. There just isn't time. I'm sorry.' Teresa pulled Greenda after her, a consoling hand placed firmly to her back. Greenda moved as if on autopilot, eyes misty.

As a group, they moved towards the platform, the wind breathing ominously around them. Mezrielda pulled her wand out and pointed it to the sky, flashing a light at the end three times.

'Mezrielda,' Bagsy said. 'Your spells.'

'I'll explain later.'

They all stopped sharply when a carriage fell through the clouds above them. It was split in two by a horde of buzzing flies and fell into the blackness of night below. They stared after it silently.