CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Emilia opened her eyes slowly, feeling drowsy, weak and confused. She pushed herself up and shook her head, trying to clear her vision.
Blindly, she patted the damp, cold ground and looked around. Where was she?
She blinked repeatedly until everything came into focus. She was in some sort of a cell, a prison cell from the looks of it.
Emilia reached out and tested the black iron bars in front of her. They felt real and solid. No, she wasn’t dreaming. She was really in a cell.
Emilia gasped and touched the back of her neck. She remembered the tranquilizer dart. She had been attacked in the park and taken to this strange, horrible prison.
“Hello?” she called out hoarsely. Were there other prisoners here? Could they help her?
Her voice echoed round the chamber. She stared at the empty cells opposite her. There was no one else around. She was the only prisoner here.
Emilia froze when she heard a door creak open. Someone was coming down the steps.
She gripped the bars and refused to back away. Was this the coward who had attacked her in the park?
“Hey!” Emilia yelled. “Hey you! Let me out! Let me go, you piece of...”
A gray-haired, distinguished-looking man walked towards her. This didn’t seem like the man who had attacked her in the park. That man was younger and built like a tank, but she could be wrong. Having a tranquilizer dart in your neck could mess with your memories.
Emilia frowned at the well-dressed, gray-haired man. Even if he wasn’t the one who had thrown her to the ground and tranquilized her, he still looked strangely familiar. Emilia chewed her lip, trying to recall where she had seen him before. He did look very familiar.
The man stopped in front of her cell and smiled at her. “Here you are,” he said. “Finally.”
“What are you talking about? Who are you?” Emilia snapped. “Let me go!”
“I’m Ivan Bailey,” the man said with a mock bow. “You may have heard of me. I own quite a few casinos and hotels.”
Emilia’s eyes widened. “You’re Ivan Bailey?” She blinked again. “Yeah, there was a grand opening of a casino and your picture appeared in the papers,” she muttered. “You do look like Ivan Bailey. But...” Emilia shook her head. “This doesn’t make any sense! Why? Why have you kidnapped me? You...” She gestured at him and blurted out, “You’re Ivan Bailey! You own casinos and hotels...you’re a big, rich businessman! You don’t need the money. You have tons of it!”
Ivan laughed and paced around the chamber. Emilia didn’t like the sound of his laugh. She cringed and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Who are you really?” she demanded. “You can’t be Ivan Bailey. You’re a crook, a doppelganger!”
Ivan Bailey cocked his head at her, looking both amused and impressed. “You’re a clever girl,” he said. “Well, I guess there’s no harm telling you the truth. I’ve been Ivan Bailey for decades. But my real name is Banet.”
Emilia shook her head, not comprehending. “I’ve never heard...” she began.
“I’ve made a name for myself in the human world, and amassed a huge fortune. But all that money means nothing to me. What I really want is power.”
Before Emilia could throw out an insult, Ivan Bailey began to morph before her eyes. His facial features changed, and his brown eyes darkened to black. His nose grew longer and his lips thinned. Long nails protruded from his fingertips.
The walking stick in his hand turned into a long staff and Emilia saw that a shiny black snake was coiled around the staff. The snake’s body kept slithering but it never reached the top of the staff.
“Wha…?” Emilia staggered back. “You...you...”
“Yes, this is how I really look.”
“You’re not human,” Emilia stammered.
“No. I told you, Ivan Bailey isn’t real.”
“What are you?” Emilia whispered. “You can change your appearance at will and...”
“I’m a warlock,” Banet replied. “I went into hiding fifty years ago, and reappeared as Ivan Bailey. I gave myself a new face, a new name, and I inserted myself into human society. But I never stopped searching.”
Emilia gulped as he stepped closer. For once, she was actually grateful for the iron bars between them.
“Whatever it is you’re searching for...” she whispered, staring into the depths of his cold, emotionless eyes.
“I have found it,” Banet said, his lips stretching in an ugly smile. “I have found my unicorn at last.”