One by one the occupants of the chamber filed out of the restaurant, with Saffie in line behind Nate, her legs moving against her will, and her head locked facing forward. She couldn’t even look down to see Acorn, but she could hear him trotting by her side, being just as controlled by Jade as she was.

NATE: Where are you, Saff?

Saffie felt like crying with relief. She hadn’t expected the messaging function to work.

SAFFIE: NATE!!!

SAFFIE: I’m right behind you!

NATE: Did they hurt you?

SAFFIE: No, I’m fine! I mean - fine isn’t the word. None of us are fine. Nate, what are we going to do?!

NATE: Are there any spells that don’t require you to use your voice or a gesture?

NATE: Like, anything you can do just using your mind?

Saffie racked her brain for any spells she had come across at the Mage’s Guild, but as far as she was aware, there was nothing like that.

SAFFIE: I’m sorry, Nate.

In the corner of Saffie’s vision, the words ‘Group Chat’ suddenly flashed.

CORA: There has to be a way to break this.

RUBEN: You’re the hacker - if anyone should know how to get us out of this, it’s you!

CORA: I’m a glitch hunter, not a hacker. There’s a difference. And neither is going to help us in this situation. I can’t do anything without being able to control my own movements.

NATE: Guys, people are noticing us!

They were already well on their way to the financial district, where the Trellis skyscraper towered like a giant obelisk, and pedestrians were watching them march towards it, some waving and cheering.

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RUBEN: They must think we’re doing some kind of protest!

CORA: Or performing street art or something.

Saffie wanted to scream at the onlookers to help, but she couldn’t even urge her mouth to open. All she could do was continue to put one foot in front of the other, pacing towards the looming pillar as hundreds of other players who were just as zombified as she was began to join the line from all directions.

Before long, they were approaching the base of the tower. It seemed like the journey had only taken around ten minutes, even though Saffie knew the distance between Soho and the financial district meant it would have actually taken them closer to half an hour. However long it had taken, it hadn’t been enough time for her or the others to come up with any kind of plan to get themselves and every other player out of this situation.

As they neared the tower’s wide-open entrance, Saffie noticed that the players were splitting into groups when entering the foyer, and standing in front of a series of elevators.

RUBEN: I don’t get it! Why is she bringing every player in London here?!

NATE: I’m sure it won’t be long before we find out. And I don’t think we’re going to like it.

As Saffie’s line merged with the others and entered the foyer, she noticed the interior was designed just like Jade’s throne room in her restaurant; everything was black and green, with neon tube lighting bathing the place in an eerie glow.

A few steps later, Saffie felt her feet twist and take her to her left, breaking away from Nate to enter an open elevator, where a robotic voice said, “Doors closing, going to… roof level.”

SAFFIE: Guys! I can’t see any of you any more!

NATE: I’m in line for another elevator.

RUBEN: Same here!

CORA: I’m already going up!

Every elevator was made of crystal clear glass, and as Saffie’s rose, she noticed that on each of the floors that were vertically passing her by, there were no restaurants, amusement arcades, or cinemas. There were only machines; huge machines, connected with conveyor belts and other equipment.

This was no entertainment complex, this was some kind of factory. No wonder investors had been getting impatient with Jade. She hadn’t used any of their money to build the empire she had promised. She had used it to create something else entirely.

When Saffie and the group from her elevator emerged onto the rooftop, she found a crowd already gathered, forming a semi circle around a raised platform.

Standing in the centre of that platform, watching with greedy eyes, was Jade, and behind her, around fifteen of her followers stood stoically.

Saffie felt her feet stop moving once she joined the crowd, and could only watch as Jade admired her increasingly larger audience. It was hard to tell because Saffie’s head was locked at looking in Jade’s direction, but it felt like there were hundreds if not thousands of players gathering around her, all tightly compacted.

Eventually, the movement around her stopped, and there was a moment of silence before Jade thrust her arms out and spoke.

“Overworld players of London,” she said loudly, taking them all in. “You are no doubt wondering why you have been brought here tonight against your will, and I promise you that everything will become clear very shortly. You deserve an explanation. But first… I would like to tell you a story.”

She stepped towards the edge of the platform and peered into the crowd.

“For this story, I would like to bring somebody up to the stage. Somebody I haven’t seen in many years, but somebody I have never forgotten.”

Jade’s eyes suddenly stopped moving, and a smile crept up one side of her mouth. She had found whoever she was looking for.

“Come,” she said calmly, and the crowds began parting for someone to Saffie’s left.

Because Saffie couldn’t turn her head, she had no idea who Jade was talking to until she saw a familiar figure step up onto the platform, walking just as robotically as the rest of them, completely under Jade’s control, and followed by a downtrodden-looking panion.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jade said loudly. “Many of you will know this man as Grand Mage Keith, head of the London Mage’s Guild.”

She turned to look directly into Keith’s eyes.

“But to me,” she said, “he’s Mr McKinnon. My former teacher.”