“Take him and go,” Aunt Anastacia said to Michael, completely ignoring Dad and Emily.
Nice to see those two were so chummy now.
“Follow my instructions. I’ll meet you at the safe house.”
Emily was about to ask a string of questions, but Michael beat her to the punch. “The plan was for you to come with us.”
“I know, but I’m changing the plan,” Aunt Anastacia quipped. “I have a way to transport myself to the safe house. Now go and stop asking questions.”
Michael didn’t need to be told twice. He didn’t ask Emily for permission. He yanked her forward as he left. Dad brought up the rear. Before long, they were in the thick of the forest. The sound of the Alfreds was gone. Soon, the thunderous clashes of the magic hitting the barrier was gone, too.
They must have walked for fifteen minutes before they happened on a round clearing in the forest. Parked underneath some brambles was the VW Beetle—a different one than Emily was familiar with.
Michael paused by the vehicle and turned to Emily. “The moment I let go, the magic will fail. The confundus spell will cease.”
“How long before they know we’re gone?” asked Emily. She sounded more confident now that they were far away from the house. Although she knew it would take the Alfreds nothing to track them.
“Maybe five or ten minutes, depending on whether they’re paying attention,” Michael said. “We’ll need to be quick.”
Emily nodded. Dad nodded as well.
Michael let go. Emily instantly felt a heavy sensation fall on her. She swayed as the dull reddish tint of the air vanished. She collapsed, but Dad was there to catch her. Michael, too, looked as though his energy had been sapped. He struggled to the Beetle and cleared the brambles. He then pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and opened the car door.
It took several tries to get the other door open, and the seat pulled forward so that Emily could get in the back. When they were all seated in the car, Michael started up the engine. The little car purred to life on the first try. It purred as though it was in constant use.
Michael reversed out of the parking spot in the woods and drove right into the road. The Beetle had a manual transmission. Nevertheless, Michael was deft in switching to upper gears. Soon they were speeding away from the area, headed away from New Haven.
“Erm, shouldn’t we be going the other way?” Emily was thinking of Rina and Joanna. They still needed to be rescued.
“If we go that way, they could be waiting at the city limits for us,” Michael reasoned. “There’s another way. Through the city.”
“Dallas?” asked Dad.
Michael nodded. “We’re going to Dallas.”
25
The rest of the trip was silent. The farther from the cottage they drove, the more settled Emily felt. However, she never got to the point where she was completely calm. Because she had seen the Alfreds’ power—what their magic could do. She knew there was no safe place for her.
The Alfreds could cast a locating spell. They could put on their magical Sherlock hats and find them. They could be in their Land Rover right now, tracking them already. Emily was very aware of this. That’s why a cold blanket of terror wrapped around her.
They got to Dallas by early evening. They stopped at the nearest burger place to grab a bite. Michael paid for their food, and they ate in silence. They had selected a seat in the corner, where they could see the door and look through the windows at the parking lot.
Dad was ever vigilant. Although he abandoned most of his weapons in the Beetle, he still had his pistol with him—concealed, of course. He barely touched his burger. Same with Emily. It was probably for different reasons. Emily was afraid of being caught by the Alfreds, particularly Alice Alfred. Dad was anxious to get back on the road.
Michael seemed content. He had not a care in the world. He feasted on his burger, smiling to himself at what he was reading on his smartphone. He didn’t bother to ask why Emily’s and Dad’s burgers were still mostly untouched. He only gave them one cursory look every five minutes or so.
“How are we sure we’ll actually be safe in the safe house?” asked Emily. “Does it have any defenses or anything?”
Michael paused and glanced at her.
Emily suddenly became self-conscious. She felt like running into her skin to hide. She and Michael had unfinished business, and she had just been reminded of that little fact.
“Think about the barriers that surrounded Aunt Anastacia’s house,” he said condescendingly. He waited for them to think. Then he said, “The one around the safe house is bigger, better, and badder.”
Emily frowned. There’s no such word as badder, she was about to say, when she felt a check from The Owl.
Drop it, Selena warned. Don’t poke the bear.
Emily nodded. She didn’t necessarily feel pacified, seeing how the Alfreds could simply just locate them and attempt to bring the barrier down. “Will the barrier last indefinitely?”
Michael shrugged. “I didn’t discuss it with Aunt Anastacia too much,” he admitted. “You know, I was too busy hoping the confundus spell would work.”
“It worked well,” Dad joined in. “Thanks.”
Michael gave a curt nod. “Thank you, Mr. Davies.” Then, with a side glance at Emily, “At least someone appreciates my efforts.”
Emily knew she should have thanked him. She was just too nervous to say anything. “Um, thanks?”
Michael flashed an insincere grin at her and returned back to his burger and phone. Dad returned to taking slow nibbles every minute or two and watching the door and driveway. Emily was left to her thoughts. They weren’t pleasant, and she had to fight the depression that was slowly sinking into her body.
Soon, Michael announced he was finished and that they could leave whenever they were ready.
