The Winter Freak Show (Book One of The Twisted Christmas Trilogy)

13

Toby pressed himself deeper into the window ledge. He shuddered as Melvin grunted loudly, pulling his burden out of the window, across the front of the house, and up the drainpipe to the roof. For such a small creature, his strength was astounding. Toby knew it would prove to be a problem if he needed to confront him.

Climbing awkwardly, Toby reached the rooftop, only to catch a glimpse of Melvin's silhouette as it bounded from one rooftop to the next. Charlie was limply straddled over his shoulders like a pirate's bag of loot.

Toby's plan was simple; he would follow Melvin to wherever he took Charlie. With luck, he wasn't a murderer. Maybe his victims were hidden away for some reason, trapped but still alive. It was possible. After all, no actual bodies of the victims had shown up across London. The children had just disappeared without a trace.

'Come on, you can do this,' Toby pepped himself, fighting his fatigue as he struggled after Melvin. The roof tiles were slippery under a covering of snow. He slid several times and almost sent himself plummeting off the edge. Each time, he managed to grab on to a chimney or a length of guttering at the last second. The dizzying height was almost worse than the prospect of hitting the ground.

Somehow he kept pace to the end of the street, but he was certain that he couldn't maintain it for much longer. The elf was impossibly fast for his size, and he left no obvious footprints in the snow. If Toby lagged too far behind, he knew there would be no way to track him.

Fortunately, the chase led from the rooftops at the end of the road. Melvin slid effortlessly down a drainpipe and carried his load to his horse and carriage which was waiting for him, tucked away in a quiet alleyway. Feeling the rising winter sun on his numbed face, Toby scaled down the drainpipe cautiously and tailed Melvin into the alley. Thankfully, Melvin still hadn't seen him.

Now further away from Charlie's house, Melvin moved more slowly. Toby watched as he hauled Charlie's limp body into the carriage where nobody would see him, then climbed onto the driving seat. Unhooking the reins from a nearby wrought iron fence, he adjusted the harness, which appeared to have become tangled. This gave Toby the chance he needed to close the gap from his position to the carriage.

Just as the Head Elf spurred his horse into a casual trot, Toby saw his chance and grabbed the carriage, then jumped onto the back. He clung on, nestled next to a string of indoor fireworks for The Winter Freak Show. He only hoped that Melvin stuck to back streets so he wouldn't be seen by passers-by. Not that there would be many awake in the small hours of the day.

Melvin weaved through cobbled passages for almost half an hour, unaware of his stowaway. Toby didn't know where he was going but he knew he could find his way back if necessary as their journey took them roughly alongside the River Thames. He wondered if the carriage was ever going to stop. Then, as if in answer to his question, it passed a construction site for a new art gallery, and pulled into a quiet industrial area in Millbank There were no people in sight. It looked like most of the warehouses contained in the area had fallen into disrepair.

Moments before they came to a stop, Toby dropped from the back of the carriage and tucked himself behind some bushes so Melvin wouldn't see him or his footprints after he parked. Trying not to breathe, he watched Melvin move to the door of the now stationary carriage, where he pulled Charlie's body out and onto his shoulder.

He glanced around. They had stopped in a courtyard in front of one of the smaller warehouse buildings. The warehouse was in disrepair, with holes in the roof from missing tiles. The whole area was more open to the elements than the residential streets, so the snow was deeper. The scene was silent and not overlooked by any houses. If something happened to Toby, nobody would come to help.