Luthier's Apprentice, The (20 page)

“You can kiss your ceremony goodbye, Sonia,” Aunt Lili said. “It’s over—your power, the pact. Everything will end tonight, if I can help it. You see, you weren’t counting on one thing...” She gestured to Emma. “My niece, too, has inherited the power—the power to stop you. I alone was too weak, but now it’s different. Together, Emma and I are powerful enough, strong enough to destroy you... and we
will
destroy you.”

To prove Aunt Lili’s point, Emma stood by her side.

“You’re done, Sonia,” Emma said. “You won’t hurt anybody anymore.”

“Restrain them!” Sonia ordered the soldiers.

“If they put one hand on me or Emma, I’ll burn the fledgling maples with my eyes,” Aunt Lili warned. “What’s more, I’ll burst your zombie minions into flames.”

The soldiers stopped mid-step.

“She’s bluffing,” Sonia said to the soldiers, gesturing with her hands. “Get them. Obey!”

Niccolò had moved to the throne and stood close to her mom and Annika.

“You keep an eye on those two, Niccolò,” Sonia ordered him.

Sighing, Niccolò grabbed their arms.

Stradivarius barked, then started whining. He stared straight at Corey.

“Noah,” Corey whispered, beckoning him. “Come here, boy.”

“Restrain the prisoners, I said,” Sonia hissed at the soldiers. This time they obeyed, marching toward Emma and Aunt Lili.

“Now, Emma,” Aunt Lili urged. “Make them burst into flames. You can do it. Visualize it in your mind.
Now!
”

“Okay.” Emma steeled her body, focused and obeyed.

The three soldiers exploded in a blur of white sparks and smoke. Hundreds of wooden fragments flew all over the chamber.

A stunned silence followed.

“Do you still think I’m bluffing?” Aunt Lili asked. “Release the violinists, Sonia. Now. Or you’ll be sorry.”

“Emma—behind you!” Corey shouted, springing to her side. But it was already too late.

Strong arms grabbed Emma from behind and something hard was jammed against her ribs. “Step away, Lili,” the voice behind her said. “Just one wrong move and I’ll put a bullet through the girl’s back. Like you, I’m not bluffing.”

Emma immediately recognized the voice: It was Madame Dupriez.

“Alice!” Monsieur Dupriez said.

“
Bonjour, mom cher
,” Madame Dupriez said coldly.

Before anyone could react, another figure lurched into the room and seized Corey. He too, had a gun. Emma recognized him instantly: Van Ketts, the nosy owner of the newspaper shop across from Dupriez’s home.

Aunt Lili stood frozen. She seemed to be considering her options and Emma wished she could read her mind. Why didn’t she just burn Sonia? Maybe she didn’t want to risk her and Corey getting shot. Maybe it was Sonia herself who had to undo the spell that kept the violinists prisoner. Emma decided to wait for a signal.

“Well, well,” Sonia mused, pleased by the unexpected turn of events. “As you can see, Lili, things always have a way of turning around. Why, Madame Dupriez, what a nice surprise. And the same to you, Van Ketts. I must say, it is good to have friends in the outside world. You shall both be rewarded for your loyalty. I can be
very
generous, as you well know by now. Keep the gun close to the brat, Madame Dupriez. I do not trust her for one minute.”

Emma swallowed hard. Van Ketts moved to the other side of the room, dragging Corey with him.

“I must say, Emma, I used to think you were a sweet girl,” Madame Dupriez cooed, then hissed: “—until you spray-painted my roses!
Oui
, Van Ketts was kind enough to bring it to my attention. But I admire your courage, sneaking into my house the way you did.” She poked the gun harder into Emma’s back.

“Why, Alice?” Monsieur Dupriez asked.

“Why?” Madame Dupriez replied, as if the answer was obvious. “I was forced to give up my career as a violinist, that’s why. All these years I have been playing housewife for you. I regret it with all the force of my soul.”

“This husband-and-wife exchange is truly charming,” Sonia said, “but we must proceed with the ceremony. Madame Dupriez, you take care of Emma. Van Ketts, you deal with the boy.” She turned to Niccolò. “You—take Elizabeth and this interloper girl and move to that wall where I can see them.”

Sonia turned to Aunt Lili. “You stay exactly where you are. It takes a fraction of a second to shoot a gun. One wrong move and your little niece is dead.”

“You can’t hurt the next apprentice,” Aunt Lili said. “That would be against the pact. Emma must continue making the violins after father dies.”

Sonia grunted. “Will you take that chance?”

Aunt Lili tightened her lips.

“I thought so,” Sonia said. “And the same goes for the boy. Van Ketts, if you detect any suspicious movement from Lili, kill the boy instantly. You will be generously rewarded for your service.”

“It’ll be my pleasure,” Van Ketts said with a slight nod.

“No!” Corey’s mother sobbed. “You wouldn’t hurt Corey. Your only grandson.” The soldier tightened his hold on her.

“I couldn’t care less about your son.” Sonia stood in front of the pedestal and once again began her incantations. “Master of Darkness, I humbly apologize for such delay. Allow me to proceed with the ceremony. Where were we? Oh yes—the baby maples...”

The violinists squirmed and pleaded for their lives.

Sonia snickered as one of the baby trees shimmered with purple sparks and began extending its curled branches toward the German violinist. He struggled until the branches completely enveloped his face. The purple light radiating from the tree covered the violinist like a cocoon. The struggle continued, though not for long. Soon the branches relaxed and once again retracted. Now the violinist hung, motionless.

The maple must have absorbed his soul!
Emma shot a desperate glance at Aunt Lili. What was she waiting for?

The fledgling maple in front of Monsieur Dupriez began to quiver and vibrate with life.

“No, not him!” Emma said. Madame Dupriez shoved the gun harder into her back.

“Sometimes evil must be done for the good of the many,” Madame Dupriez whispered to Emma, but her voice was not comforting; it was harsh and devoid of feeling.

“Evil is never justified,” Emma shot back.

Open a portal.

Startled by the voice in her head, Emma glanced at Aunt Lili, who stared at her. Aunt Lili’s eyes shifted to a spot on the floor close to where Niccolò, Elizabeth and Annika stood.

The baby tree began extending its branches toward Monsieur Dupriez.

“Yes, Yes!” Sonia’s face was a mask of ecstatic, wicked joy.

Open a portal, Emma.

Once again, Emma heard the words clearly in her mind. Aunt Lili was sending her a telepathic message!

Open a portal? How? Then the answer became obvious. She simply had to visualize it strongly in her mind, just like when they had combined powers and burst the soldiers into flames. She looked at the spot Aunt Lili had signalled with her eyes. An open portal would distract Sonia and disrupt the ritual. Suddenly she understood the logic behind Aunt Lili’s idea. What’s more, they could use it to transport themselves back to the real world.

Monsieur Dupriez screamed and struggled as the branches, glowing with sparks, tightly wrapped themselves round his body until he began to choke, his face turning as purple as the light itself.

There wasn’t a second to lose. Emma visualized the portal...

Open, portal!

A
FLASH OF LIGHT LIKE A TINY
explosion cut through the air. The solid texture of the floor began to change; the wood turned syrupy, then translucent, enveloped in a purple cloud like the one in Grandpa’s attic.

It worked!

Emma and Aunt Lili exchanged glances just as exclamations of surprise spread across the room.

Grabbing her throat, Sonia gasped. “No, it is not possible. Not now…”

Then, out of nowhere, Blackie darted into the room. Confusion erupted as Stradivarius bounded after the rabbit and knocked against the fledgling maple holding Monsieur Dupriez prisoner.

“No!” Sonia said.

The baby tree shuddered and retracted its branches. Monsieur Dupriez’s deathly pale face sagged with relief.

Sonia became frantic. “This cannot be happening,” she breathed.

As Stradivarius ran after Blackie, bumping against the buffet and sending salad bowls and fruit into the air, confusion turned into utter chaos.

An idea flashed into Emma’s mind. She didn’t know if her new abilities allowed her to communicate mentally with animals, but she was willing to give it a try.
Blackie, come!

Blackie froze momentarily, then dodged the golden retriever and ran to Emma, leaping straight into her arms.

“No!” Madame Dupriez shouted as Stradivarius, not willing to give up on Blackie, jumped on Emma and the old woman, knocking them both down. The gun flew out of Madame Dupriez’s grasp and slid across the floor.

“Emma!” her mom said.

Emma felt as though she had been hit by a truck, as all the air was squeezed out of her lungs. She tried to reach the gun, but couldn’t get there because Madame Dupriez grabbed her legs. Emma rolled over and snatched the old woman’s glasses, then smashed them against the floor. Taking advantage of Madame Dupriez’s momentary disorientation, Emma kicked and wriggled her way out of the old woman’s clutches.

“Where are my glasses? Give me back my glasses!” Madame Dupriez crawled on the floor as Stradivarius and Blackie continued their crazy dance until they both flashed out of the chamber.

Everything else happened in a matter of seconds. Jumping to her feet, Emma ran for the gun and snatched it up. Corey was struggling with Van Ketts, lying on his back with the old man over him. Both were fighting for the other gun.

“Stop, Van Ketts!” Emma commanded, pointing her gun at him. “Drop the gun.” Her hand shook. She hated guns. She didn’t even know how to use one. She was terrified, but she had to protect her friend.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Niccolò push her mom and Annika into the portal. They disappeared through the purple light. The soldiers still held Grandpa and Corey’s mom as prisoners. Aunt Lili, however, faced Sonia. Both were silently staring at each other. Their fight had begun, only it was a silent war—a war of minds.

“I said, drop the gun,” Emma repeated.

Van Ketts obeyed, giving the gun to Corey. He slowly stood with his hands up. Emma kept the gun pointed on him until Van Ketts surprisingly whirled, running out of the room.

“Are you all right?” Emma helped Corey to his feet.

“Yes, thanks.”

“I hate guns,” Emma said, dropping hers into the punch bowl. She felt energized and confident. She knew she didn’t need that gun any longer.

“Me, too,” Corey said, doing the same.

Madame Dupriez, still crawling on the floor, found her broken glasses and slid them up her nose. The lenses were cracked. She rose to her feet and ran for the door.

“Let her go,” Corey said. “We don’t have time for her.” He gestured to Grandpa and his mom, who squirmed in the grip of the soldiers.

“I’ll handle them.” Emma strode over and drilled them with her eyes. “Release the prisoners or I’ll burn your heads off. I’m
not
bluffing. Want to take the chance?”

The soldiers released them and backed off.

In tears, Tamara ran into Corey’s arms, whispering words of affection in Russian.

“Grandpa!” Emma wrapped her arms around him.

Grandpa kissed her forehead. “I’m so proud of you, Emma,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “
Sbrigati
, you must go through the portal. If the clock strikes midnight and the pact is broken but you’re still here, you’ll hover in limbo forever. You must get to the other side.”

They all looked at the clock. Five minutes until midnight.

Aunt Lili and Sonia were still engaged in their silent battle of wills.

“I can’t, Grandpa. Aunt Lili needs me to defeat Sonia. If I go, she’ll lose power.”

“I’m with you, Emma,” Corey said.

At that moment there was an explosion. The grand hall shook as a ball of fire flew from Sonia’s hands and hit Aunt Lili, sending her crashing against the wall. Another ball of fire shot from Sonia’s hands, missing Aunt Lili’s head by inches. Smoke and flames erupted.

Emma gasped. Was Sonia insane? The entire castle was made of wood. A fire would consume it in a matter of minutes.

“I have to help Aunt Lili,” Emma said. “I’m the only one who can. Grandpa, take Corey’s mom to the portal. Corey, free Monsieur Dupriez and the other violinists.”

“But—” Corey said.

“Do as I say!” Emma urged. Then she turned to Sonia.

N
ICCOLÒ KEPT TRYING TO GET AS
close to Sonia as possible. But the witch was a snake. She didn’t trust him. Each time he got closer, Sonia shot him a feral glance, warning him to back off.