CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

A rhythmic rasping noise woke Jane. She had been dreaming about the Greymill cemetery where Lulu was leaning on a tombstone while talking to a boy with a cigarette in his mouth. The boy kept blowing smoke in Lulu's face. Lulu kept giggling.

Jane was rustled awake by the rasping noise, and she sat up in bed.

At the window there was a green hand reaching in from outside holding a thin metal saw, working back and forth on the base of one of the wooden bars. The hand had long nimble fingers, and the arm behind the hand was sinewy and strong and female, and Jane knew it had to be Trinket.

Swinging her feet to the floor, Jane went to the window. Trinket’s face was just behind the window bars, smiling. She didn’t say anything, just continued to work the saw, breathing with a slight whistling sound. A cold wind blew through the window and gave Jane goosebumps.

Sawdust swirled in the candlelight.

Trinket sawed through the base of all the bars, then went to work on the tops. Her two front teeth were poking out over her bottom lip.

Finally Jane said, ‘You escaped your house arrest.’

Trinket didn’t answer.

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After a moment Jane asked, ‘What are you standing on?’

‘A mushroom.’

One of the bars fell from the window and banged against the floor.

‘Why are you rescuing me?’ said Jane. ‘After I turned my back on you earlier?’

‘Because I had a stupid thought, as I was floating up on the mushroom, that you might be useful in my effort to rescue Elion.’

Jane crossed her arms.

‘Of course I will help.’

Trinket continued to work the saw, and another bar fell to the ground.

Jane said, ‘A bird flew into the throne room and told the Governor that Elion is in Paris, and that I had been seen accompanying him. The Governor was very insistent that I tell him where Elion was.’

‘Did you tell him?'

'No.'

Trinket stopped sawing.

'Did you see my father, the King?'

'Yes.'

'So he is alive?'

'He is, but it appears the King has lost control of Wyld Fell.’

Trinket sniffed with disdain, then continued sawing through the bars.

Jane put her hand out to indicate her surroundings.

‘The Governor had me arrested and sent me here. He told me he would talk to me in the morning.’

‘You won’t be alive in the morning … if you stay here.’ said Trinket.

Another bar fell to the ground. There was only one final bar to remove.

Jane made a small harumph. She wasn’t entirely sure if Trinket was joking. She tried to think of something to say to lighten the situation, only a clicking sound came from the other side of the room. It was the sound of someone unlocking the door.