A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #4) - Ransom Riggs Page 0,127

from his waist belt and cocked it. “One each for you, two for me.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Dogface. He dropped onto all fours and snarled ferociously. “I get all of them.”

“That won’t work out so well for you,” Angelica warned him. Her cloud flashed bright white, then rumbled. What I had thought was smoke was really a storm cloud. “And don’t even think about using that fire on us,” she said to Emma.

“Nobody’s taking us,” I said. “Nobody’s buying us, either.”

“When the Ymbryne Council finds out what you’re doing, you’re all in serious, serious trouble,” said Millard.

That comment prompted a few raised eyebrows. Wreck stepped forward, his tone suddenly a bit more respectful, and he said, “You’ve misunderstood us. We don’t buy people. That sort of trade has been illegal for a long time. But we will occasionally make monetary bids to post bail for peculiars guilty of criminal offenses. If we like said peculiars.”

“What criminal offenses?” Millard said. “You’re the criminals.”

“Trespassing on Frankie’s turf,” said Dogface, and Frankie, who was too scared to talk, nodded vigorously.

“She trapped us!” Bronwyn said. “Drugged us with food!”

“Ignorantia legis neminem excusat,” said the tutor. “‘Ignorance of the law excuses no one.’”

“We post your bail,” Wreck continued. “You skip jail, then repay us with your service for a period of three months. After that, many people decide to stay on with us.”

“Those who are still alive,” said Dogface with a sly grin. “Our initiations ain’t for the faint of heart.”

“You, miss, are very talented,” said Angelica, taking a cautious step toward Emma and bowing slightly. “I think you’d feel right at home with my clan. We’re elementals, like you.”

“Let’s get one thing straight,” Emma said. “I’m not going anywhere with you, and neither are my friends.”

“I think you are,” Dogface said.

There was a loud snap as Bronwyn’s ropes broke and she stood up from her chair.

“Don’t you move!” Wreck shouted. “I’ll shoot!”

“You shoot, I burn,” said Emma.

“Do what she says!” Frankie whimpered.

Wreck hesitated, then lowered his gun a little. Despite their tough talk, they really didn’t want Frankie to die. Or they didn’t really want to kill us.

Bronwyn went to Noor’s chair and snapped the ropes binding her.

“Thanks,” Noor said, standing and rubbing her wrists. Then she swatted her hand through the air and scooped away the blinding spotlight. It was still on, shining up in the catwalk, but now its cone of light stopped high above our heads. “There. That’s better.” She pushed her hands together, compressing the handful of light she’d collected, then tucked it into her cheek, where it bulged like a glowing lump of chewing gum.

“Mother Mary,” Wreck muttered under his breath.

“Who are you people?” said Dogface.

Bronwyn had just snapped Millard’s ropes, and now she was coming over to free me.

“They can’t be from around here,” said Angelica. “With peculiarities like that, everybody would know their names.”

“Remember the wights?” said Millard.

“You must be joking,” said Wreck.

“They’re dead or in jail now because of us.”

“Because of him, mostly,” said Bronwyn. She snapped the rope that held my wrists and then held up my arm like the winner in a footrace. “We’re Miss Peregrine’s wards. And when she hears about what you people are doing, she and the other ymbrynes are gonna bring such hell down on your heads, you won’t know what hit you.”

“That’s the craziest thing I ever heard,” said Wreck.

“Then I think they’ll fit in just fine,” said Dogface.

The dynamic in the room had changed. We had earned some grudging respect from them, and the balance of power had evened. But the clan leaders were still wary of us—and of one another—and no one had let their guard down. Wreck was still aiming his gun, Emma was still holding her flame to Frankie’s face, Dogface was crouched on all fours, ready to pounce, and Angelica’s cloud was now quietly storming, pellets of rain wetting her head and shoulders. It felt like we were dancing around a stick of lit dynamite.

“I got one question to ask you, and you’d best answer it true,” said Wreck. “People like you don’t come through town without a good reason. So what are you doing here?”

I suppose I thought I could talk to them like equals, but thinking back, I don’t know why I said it. I was feeling proud and reckless, and the truth just came tumbling out. “We came to help her,” I said, nodding at Noor. “She’s a brand-new peculiar who’s in danger, and we’re taking her home with