Weyland started beating on the doors on the right side of the hall. “Ceri? Ceri, are you in there?”
Lady Sibba took the left. “Ceri? Are you there, princess?”
They’d made it to roughly the middle of the corridor when the lights went out. Lady Sibba was prepared for this eventuality; she had the match and candle already in hand. She struck the match against the bottom of her boot and lit the candle.
Then she used hers to light Weyland’s as he fumbled for his match.
“We’d better hurry,” said Lady Sibba. “Those long-talkers have power-savers in them, but they won’t last long.”
“I’ll keep trying the doors. You try the long-talker.”
Lady Sibba nodded. She headed to the end of the hall.
The long-talker was somewhat like she remembered it. It had a rotary dial on it now with numbers. She wasn’t sure what to do with that. She hoped operators still existed.
“Number, please.”
Good. At least there was someone to speak to. “Um, hello. I need the ‘lectrics lab at High House. Part of Winwold College.”
“You’re calling from Winwold College, ma’am. Is this an emergency?”
“Yes, I know I’m calling from Winwold. No, it’s not an emergency. I just need to get to the lab.”
“I can’t make internal connections. Check if there are numbers on the side of the box. Have a good night.”
The receiver clicked before Lady Sibba could respond.
Check the side of the box, the operator had said. Sure enough, there was a list of numbers there.
Professor Marin, ‘Lectrics. 090.
Lady Sibba tried pressing those numbers in order, but nothing happened. “Come on…”
The pounding of Weyland’s fist on the doors was echoed by the pounding of shutters against windows. Lady Sibba knew why they hadn’t been able to board up the entire college on shortnotice, but it disturbed her to hear it. Those windows wouldn’t hold if it continued like this for long.
Lady Sibba tried again, this time turning the round dial from each number.
That seemed to work. There was a ringing sound on the receiver.
“Sibba?”
“It’s ringing,” she said. “No answer yet.”
The phone rang and rang. Well, at least if they weren’t there, there was no reason for them to have to go outside.
“Sib, you need to see this. Sib!”
“Just a minute.”
How long should she let it go unanswered before she gave up? She thought about the size of Professor Marin’s lab. There were a few rooms other than the main workshop where they spent most of their time. An office, the toilets, a small classroom. The long-talker was probably in the office, meaning they’d hear it from almost anywhere—
“SIBBA!”
Lady Sibba’s blood ran cold. Weyland was terrified. She rushed over to him, trying not to let the speed of her movement put the candle out but going as fast as she dared.
She saw the gleam of it, the reflection of the candlelight, before she saw Weyland.
Blood.
