A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #4) - Ransom Riggs Page 0,126

his eyes. “Funny, I remember three of yours getting carted off to the healer, and only two of mine.”

“I think you forgot how to count,” said Wreck. “Just stay out of my territory, or it won’t be the healer they take you to, it’ll be the deadhouse.”

“Wahh, waah, waah,” the furry boy said, mocking him. “‘Stay out of my territory!’ Someone needs to have his diaper changed.”

Wreck, who had sat down again, jumped out of his chair, but one of his flunkies held him back. Dogface didn’t flinch, chuckling to himself as Wreck made a show of needing to be dragged back to his seat to prevent a brawl.

“I wouldn’t try it,” said Dogface. “I got three boyos waiting with their ears to the door, and if they so much as hear me bark, you’re a dead man.”

“Enough of this tiresome peacocking,” said Angelica, her face placid but her smoke cloud dense and swirling.

“Yes, may we please begin,” said the tutor.

Everyone took a seat. Though the tension between the clan leaders was palpable, their focus gradually returned to my friends and me.

“What have you got for us today, Frankie?” Dogface said. “More rubes from the sticks?”

“I don’t need any more parlor-trick peculiars,” said Wreck. “I want genuine talent this time.”

“Yeah,” said Dogface. “He’s got enough deadweight morons in his crew as it is.”

Wreck shot him a nasty look.

“No, no, these here are the real deal,” said Frankie. “And they’re gonna be real expensive.”

“We’ll see,” said Angelica.

“Only thing I care about is, can they rob?” said Wreck. “I need muscle. I need lookouts.”

“I need chameleons,” said Dogface. “My crew have been getting noticed by normals lately, and we’ve had some close shaves.”

“You could surely use one,” Wreck said, laughing.

“This one’s invisible!” said Frankie. She spun around and poked Millard with her baton, and he squeaked.

We still couldn’t talk.

“Hmm,” said Wreck, drumming his fingers together. “I could be interested . . .”

“They ain’t ugly enough for your crew,” said Dogface. “Better leave ’em to me.”

“I need weatherfolk, as ever,” Angelica said with a sigh. “Wind-shifters, cloud-seeders. Competent ones.”

“All right, talk,” said Frankie, waving her baton in our direction. “Tell ’em what you can do.”

I felt my jaw slacken and my tongue, which had nearly gone numb, suddenly go all pins and needles as the feeling flooded back. It was hard to talk at first. Bronwyn tried to speak, too, but it sounded like we had forgotten how to form consonants.

Dogface tossed up his hands. “What are they, idiots?”

“Of course they are, why d’you think Frankie was able to catch ’em in the first place?” said Wreck.

“Lose my telegraph number,” Angelica said, and stood up from her chair.

“Their tongues are just tired!” Frankie pleaded. “Don’t leave!”

Frankie started to beat Bronwyn with her baton and scream, “TALK RIGHT!”

Seeing that made me so furious that something jarred loose in my head, and I found my voice again and shouted, “STOP IT!”

Frankie turned, enraged, and came at me with the baton. She had to pass Emma to reach me, though, and Emma had burned through her wrist restraints without anyone noticing. Though her feet were still tied to the chair, she was able to lunge at the girl with the top half of her body and tackle Frankie to the floor.

Emma got Frankie in a choke hold, one arm around her neck and a flaming hand held beside her face.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Frankie screamed, wriggling and writhing. She seemed to have lost her telekinetic grip on Emma, and though she was trying mightily, she couldn’t get it back.

“Let us go or I’ll melt her face off!” Emma yelled. “I mean it! I’ll really do it!”

“Oh, please do,” said Angelica. “She’s such a pain.”

The others laughed. They seemed surprised, but not particularly upset, by the sudden turn of events.

“Why are you just standing there?” Frankie shouted. “Murder them!”

Dogface crossed his ankles and laced his fingers behind his head. “I don’t know, Frankie. This just got interesting.”

“I agree,” said Angelica. “For once, I’m glad I got out of bed today.”

Emma looked annoyed. “None of you cares if she dies?”

“I do,” the tutor said halfheartedly.

“You can’t do this to me!” Frankie shouted. “You’re mine! I caught you!”

I was starting to feel control returning to my arms and legs as well as my tongue. The girl’s spell had been broken. I looked at my friends, and I could see them beginning to move their limbs as well.

“I say we split them evenly,” said Wreck, and he drew a fat-barreled pistol