As Helena exhales she can almost feel the wall exploding behind Wormwood.
But that has nothing to do with her and so her eyes jolt open. The prickling sensation has faded, replaced by a dull ache in her forehead. She blinks, thankful to have retained her vision for now. The chorus of whispering voices falls silent and she is safe again.
“Sorry about the rough entrance,” says Sarra, stepping out of the smoke and striding directly towards Wormwood. The Professor has raised his drill-syringe into the air above his head and is stomping up and down on the spot.
“Put it down,” says Helena and something of the power behind her eyes has shifted to her voice.
“It’s an antidote!” Says Wormwood, though he’s really screaming it and he keeps screaming and screaming until another figure steps out from the gaping hole in the wall. Because, for some reason, when Wormwood sees Chatravati he falls completely silent. His screams to to blubbering sobs. “It’s an antidote,” he says.
“He’s telling the truth,” says Chatravati. Pointing to the slumped body of Marcus, Chatravati tells Wormwood to administer it.
“How do you know?” Says Sarra, but Helena silences her with a glance. When Chatravati speaks, you listen. It is Westcrest’s most important rule.
Wormwood lowers the mechanical syringe towards Marcus. Small metal blades whir, slicing open his shirt before three suction cups spring forward and cling to his chest.
Helena looks away as the needle itself—as thick as a thumb—darts forward and punctures Marcus’s chest. Now Sarra’s yelling, but Chatravati places a hand on her shoulder (that’s all it takes) and she’s calm again.
The high-pitched sound of drilling pierces the air as the drill pumps the antidote into Marcus. He awakes, screaming like a newborn baby, clutching desperately at the syringe where it’s embedded in his chest.
Then the drill is out, Wormwood is stumbling backwards and Sarra is rummaging for bandages. Now that it’s over, Helena isn’t worried about Marcus—she’s seen him survive much worse. But there is still the problem of Wormwood.
“Why did you come here?” She asks him.
At first he only looks at her and she’s disgusted by him. Then he starts speaking.
“I needed you, Helena. You and Marcus. I needed Eastcrest.”
“This isn’t Eastcrest,” says Chatravati.
Wormwood smiles. “You’re right, of course. For so many reasons.”
“There was no place for you at Eastcrest,” says Helena. “And there’s no place for you here.”
“Actually… there is.” Says Chatravati and for a moment Helena sees a flicker of something like hope pass over Wormwood’s face.
Chatravati slowly opens his coat and removes an empty glass bottle, stoppered with a darkwood cork.
Well… that takes care of Professor Erasmus Wormwood. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the beginning of a brand new adventure starring Jeremy!