‘Ben!’ shouted Sheere. ‘Help me!’
Ben looked up and saw Sheere being dragged across the floor of shining stars, cocooned in fire, like the chrysalis of some infernal butterfly. He jumped up and ran after her, following her abductor’s trail towards the rear of the house and trying to dodge the furious impact of hundreds of books that were cascading off the shelves of the circular library. Suddenly he felt a blow to the head and fell flat on his face.
His sight began to cloud over but he could see the fiery visitor stop and turn to look at him. Sheere’s face was distorted by panic, though her screams were no longer audible. Ben tried to claw his way along the floor, which was now covered in glowing coals, fighting against the drowsiness that was urging him to give up. A cruel wolfish smile appeared before him, and through his blurred vision he recognised the man he had seen in the ghostly train that travelled through the night. Jawahal.
‘When you’re ready, come and find me,’ the fiery spirit whispered. ‘You know where I am …’
A second later Jawahal grabbed Sheere again, pulling her through the wall of the house as if it were merely a curtain of smoke. Before he passed out, Ben heard the echo of the train as it rode away into the distance.
‘HE’S COMING ROUND,’ murmured a voice hundreds of miles away.
Ben tried to make out the fuzzy shapes moving in front of him and soon recognised some familiar faces. Hands made him comfortable and placed a soft object under his head. Ben blinked repeatedly. Ian’s eyes were red and despairing – he was watching his friend anxiously. Next to him were Seth and Roshan.
‘Ben, can you hear us?’ asked Seth. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week.
Ben suddenly remembered and abruptly tried to sit up. The three boys made him lie down again.
‘Where’s Sheere?’
Ian, Seth and Roshan looked at one another.
‘She’s not here, Ben,’ Ian replied at last.
Ben felt the sky falling on top of him and closed his eyes.
‘What happened?’ he asked after a moment.
‘I woke up before you two,’ Ian explained, ‘so I decided to go out and find something to eat. On the way I met Seth, who was coming over to the house. When we returned we saw that all the windows were closed and there was smoke coming from inside. We found you unconscious. Sheere wasn’t here.’
‘Jawahal has taken her.’
Ian and Seth exchanged a look.
‘What’s the matter? What have you found out?’
Seth ran both hands through his thick shock of hair, pushing it away from his forehead.
‘I’m not sure that this Jawahal exists, Ben,’ he declared. ‘I think Aryami lied to us.’
‘What are you talking about? Why would she lie to us?’
Seth summarised the discoveries they’d made at the museum and explained that there was no mention of Jawahal in any of the documents relating to the trial, except for that one letter addressed to the engineer and signed by Colonel Llewelyn, who had covered up the matter for some reason. Ben listened to their revelations in amazement.
‘That doesn’t prove a thing,’ he objected. ‘Jawahal was sentenced and imprisoned. He escaped sixteen years ago and that was when his crimes began.’
Seth sighed, shaking his head.
‘I went to the Curzon Fort prison, Ben,’ he said glumly. ‘There was no escape and no fire sixteen years ago. The jail burnt down in 1857. Jawahal could never have escaped from a prison that had ceased to exist for decades before his trial took place. A trial in which he isn’t even mentioned. It just doesn’t add up.’
Ben stared at him open-mouthed.
‘She lied to us, Ben,’ said Seth. ‘Your grandmother lied to us.’
‘Where is she now?’
‘Michael is out looking for her,’ Ian explained. ‘When he finds her he’ll bring her here.’
‘And where are the others?’