Chapter 77

I sat with my feet pressed firmly together on the top step, looking down into the stairwell. It seemed to stretch downwards for miles and yet was actually barely more than twenty steps. The door to Lucius' room was open and out of that doorway emanated a clean white light that lit up the bottom of the staircase, highlighting the dark corners and banishing the shadows. Lucius' voice drifted up towards me, his high-pitched, clear tones making him sound like your archetypal choirboy, captivating any that would listen with a sweet falsetto version of Ring a Ring O' Roses. Clutching handfuls of hair in my hand, I listened for as long as I could bear and then finally, exasperated, I stood up and turned to walk away through Garrick's room. Suddenly, the singing stopped. Slowly, I approached the staircase again and waited. No sound came from Lucius' room but somehow I knew he was down there, waiting, listening. Warily, I began to descend, holding my breath when I reached that point where I rem