"I hope so," I said. It made my heart hurt to say these things about Bran, but I had to make sure Franklin believed me. "I don't want him coming around here anymore."
"Don't worry, my dear. I'll take care of everything." He reached out to touch me, but I stepped back out of his reach.
"I know you will," I said. "I'll be there to help you." I had to go. I had to help Bran or warn him or something to make sure Franklin didn't really hurt him. "What's the plan?"
He leaned in close, his breath hot on my cheek. "I'll let you know when it's time."
I nodded and stepped to the side. "Where are we?"
"I used a spell I've been working on, that lets me move long distances. This is an office within our offices." He spread his arms and stepped back, proud. "There isn't one speck of shadow in this room for a goblin to come through."
Well, that was good for the bad goblins not finding us, but that also meant Bran couldn't do his little shadow thing and come save me. He would've come in a heartbeat if he knew I was in danger. "What do you want to do now?"
Franklin's eyes glittered. "I have something to show you."
He reached out and grabbed my hand, tugging me towards the door. I went willingly enough. I had to find out what he was up to. Only then could I warn Bran.
Franklin led me down the long hall of our office, which was more brightly lit than I'd ever seen it. We entered another well-lit room with a single chair in the middle. "All we have to do is get him in this chair," Franklin said. "And he'll be gone forever."
I stared at the chair, which looked like a plain old office chair. "What does this do?"
"It's a portal to another world. I've been working on it for years, perfecting it. Now, it's ready to use." He looked so smug, so pleased with himself. "This is the key to banishing all the monsters back to their own world."
I looked at the chair again, then back at Franklin. "And you want Bran in it?"
He nodded. "Bran is the key to everything. Once he's gone, the monsters will lose their mission and they'll all go back to their own world."
I frowned. "And what about me? I'm a monster too."
He shook his head. "You're different. You're special. I need you."
His words made fear race through me, but I knew I had to keep playing along. As I did, I reached out with my magic, trying to figure out how it worked. It was powered by magic, for sure. "Okay," I said slowly. "So, how do we get Bran in the chair?" I kept feeling with my magic all around the chair until I found something familiar. My own damn magic. Franklin had used some of the magic he'd stolen from me to power this chair. "And where does it send him?"
"I have a few ideas," he said, his eyes gleaming. "But, I'll need your help to make it happen. As for where, it's not Dream. It's a new dimension, completely unsettled and as far as I can tell, empty. I don't believe anyone who goes there would be able to claw their way back out."
I nodded, my stomach lurching as I coaxed my stolen magic away from the chair. If I could get it, maybe the whole thing's power would crash. "So, what's the plan?"
"I'll need you to help me lure Bran here," he said. "That was partly why I wanted you to take him as a client, so he’d trust you. When he gets here, we'll trap him in the chair."
"And how do you plan to do that?" I asked. "He's not exactly going to just sit down in it."
Franklin's eyes gleamed. "I have a few ideas," he said. "But, I'll need your help to make it happen."
I nodded, my stomach lurching. I had to find a way to warn Bran before it was too late. Otherwise, he would be lost to me forever.
Franklin pulled my cell phone out of his pocket. "Actually, now that I have your cell, I might not need you after all." He turned the screen so I could see it.
Franklin has me trapped in my office. Please come help.
"Now. If you'll come with me to your office." He picked up the chair and turned toward the door. "Get the door?"
Quickly releasing the magic I was trying to coax out of the chair, I left it, hopefully working, and shoved Franklin as hard as I could. He hit his head on the wall, putting a sizable dent in it, and went down without a fight. I reached for my phone, but Franklin was already getting up, holding it aloft.
I wouldn’t have thought he’d move that fast.
And the chair. He'd dropped the chair. With his eyes on me, he stood directly in front of it. Before he could figure out what I planned, I rushed him, ramming my shoulder into his soft belly then throwing myself to the side.
I managed to keep my eyes on Franklin as I hit the ground, sliding back. He hit the chair with a grunt and then just... disappeared. Gone.
