Lord Skelton walked slowly down the passageway and out into the centre of the hall, lazily swinging his umbrella with every step. As he moved forward, Oscar moved back, anxious not to be seen by his godfather just yet, especially now that he knew that his godfather was the dreaded Lord Protector.
"What do you have to do, Mr Cuddy?" Skelton's voice was quiet but carried to every corner of the hall in the silence.
"Lo... Lord Cuddy... I'm Lord Cuddy now"
"What was that Mr Cuddy?" Skelton had reached the steps and was now climbing slowly onto the stage. The whole hall was watching him, frozen to the spot - even Cuddy seemed unable to take his hands off the lectern. There was something so quietly dangerous about his casual advance into the room, like some awful creature stalking through the crowd, "Do you have to endanger every Magi in this room? Do you have to undo the safety of two decades? Do you have to destroy the Temple?"
He didn't bluster and threaten like the captured Knight Watchman or shout and jeer like Thursby, he just spoke clearly and simply and let every word sink in, like a bell tolling somewhere, warning of danger, danger, danger...
"I bring news my lords," he was talking to the assembled crowd, but he didn't raise his voice to do so, relying instead on their hush for his voice to carry, "I have pursued the Wild Ride across three continents and two oceans and I have discovered their schemes. Their lord and master, the one who calls himself the Erl King, plots against the Temple itself - this very building, the heart of the Royal Order, against all of you...
"Do you trust Mr Cuddy and his young friends to protect you? Can your promise them that, Mr Cuddy? When the Erl King comes looking for you, when the Darklings stalk the corridors and the Wild Ride scours the Temple, will you be ready for them? Or should you stop this charade before someone else gets hurt, before everyone else gets hurt?"
A more menacing note had entered his voice as he crossed the stage and with each swing the silver tip of his umbrella pointed directly at Cuddy, flashing a glinting threat in time to his steps. Cuddy took his hands from the lectern and fell back a single step.
"What should you do, Mr Cuddy? What should you do?"
Skelton stepped forward again, swinging up his umbrella. Cuddy stepped back once more and then...
"Stop it!" Oscar hadn't meant to say anything, but he simply couldn't stand the silence anymore.
Skelton turned at the sound of a new voice and then his jaw dropped: "Oscar?" he gasped and the change in his voice suddenly changed everything in the room. He stared at Oscar, astonished.
"What are you doing here? What's going on?"
"I'll tell you what's going on," Ridley stepped forward and laid a protective hand on Oscar's shoulder, "You have no power here, anymore, Mr Skelton. The Magi have spoken - we have a new Lord Chancellor now, a new Lord Lector, we will have a new Lord Protector."
"Ridley?" Skelton's voice was still surprised.
"Oscar is right," said Ridley, carefully, "This has to stop, now."
"You are a Knight Watchman, Mistress Ridley." His voice was flat, "This is treachery."
"This is loyalty, Mr Skelton, loyalty to the Three Wise Lords and the High Council, loyalty to our traditions and laws, loyalty to the Royal Fraternal Order of the Magi. These are my masters, Mr Skelton," and she gestured with her hand at the assembled Magi, "Not you."
Skelton stared at the two of them in silence for a moment and then, somewhere at the back of the hall, someone began to clap, slowly and hesitantly at first and then gaining in confidence as first one person joined in and then another and then another until the whole hall was applauding. And then they were on their feet, clapping and shouting and cheering, not just for Ridley but also for themselves, as they realised what had just happened: the rule of Lord Skelton and his Knights Watchmen was over - the Magi were free once more!
Skelton looked round at the cheering hall. He no longer looked surprised or angry; he just looked tired and sad. He looked back at Oscar and Ridley and he suddenly smiled, a strange confused, amused little smile and he shook his head as if to clear it.
Cuddy stepped back up to the lectern and motioned for silence, but had little luck getting any - everyone was enjoying cheering themselves a little too much. He shouted over the noise.
"Please can some of you help Mistress Ridley and accompany Master Skelton to his chambers, where we will hold him in custody until the council has time to deal with this case."
Those that heard him cheered even louder and then those that hadn't cheered louder anyway, so that the noise became quite deafening.
The Magi were all now out of their seats and pushing down towards the stage. Ridley singled a few of them out, including the two Watchmen who had been guarding the door, and they climbed on stage to surround Skelton and shepherd him away.
"Wait!" The Magi fell back from around him, many of them raising their arms in defence, "If I'm going," he turned and pointed directly at Oscar, "He goes too."
Oscar's toes curled up in his shoes - he knew what was coming - but Cuddy just laughed.
"This is the fearsome Lord Skelton, is it? Taking petty revenge on the little boy who has helped destroy his evil regime."
"What are you talking about?" Skelton looked confused, "No, I'm just worried - he shouldn't be here - it's too dangerous - he should be at home with his parents..." Skelton suddenly realised that everyone was staring at him, taken aback by his strange concern for Oscar's welfare, "Well, shouldn't I be worried? I am his godfather after all..."
The whole audience froze and, as one, turned and stared at Oscar. This, this little boy who had faced down the Wild Ride, who had stopped the Lord Protector in his tracks, who had helped free the Magi from their own self-imposed exile, this was the godson of the dreadful Lord Skelton? Maggs stepped closer and knelt down beside him.
"Oscar? Is this true?"
"Ye... yes it is." Oscar suddenly felt something brush against his legs. It was the little black cat, and the warmth of it settling down on his feet suddenly made him feel a little less alone up there on the stage. "He's my Uncle Rufus - the one who gave me the book - but I didn't know - not until just now - honest I didn't."
"That terrible work the King hath wrought, by the King's own hand shall be brought to naught," Maggs spoke softly, with a far away look in her eyes.
"But you can't send me home!" Oscar blurted out, "I don't want to... he... he's not Lord Protector anymore - you don't have to do what he says!"
The moment he had spoken he was sorry, because he saw the shocked and disappointed look on Uncle Rufus' face. But then he remembered that this wasn't just Uncle Rufus, this was the terrible Lord Skelton, who had ruled and oppressed the Magi with an iron hand for so many years. And Cuddy seemed to agree with him:
"Ha ha! No he isn't! And even his own family stands up to him! Well said, Oscar, well said - take him away..."
And the Magi assembled round him took hold of Rufus Skelton and bundled him off the stage. But all the while he was staring at Oscar, looking sorry and confused and, Oscar thought, just a little bit cross.
