Still grinning, she focused once more on the door in her mind. The memory of the other door, the dull metal door to the cell, nagged and niggled at the edges of her consciousness, but she kept it there, on the outskirts, where it couldn’t interfere. She turned the key, and turned it again, and they stepped through and out, into the carnival site.

“What are you going to do?” Jesper asked as they shepherded him back towards the gap in the chain-link fence. He was breathing fast, his breath crystallising in small puffs of vapour. “Are you going to hand me over to the Hounds? I know you think I deserve it, and I probably do, especially after what I tried to do to you, but think about this, I want you to think about it …” He got in front of them and turned, hands out, trying to smile. “We join forces. Eh? We join forces and together we keep Astaroth out.”

“Not interested,” said Milo, taking Jesper’s arm again and spinning him round.

Amber walked ahead, and reached the Charger first. She took the handcuffs from the glove compartment, putting the brass key in their place, and shut it. She got back out as Jesper stumbled against the car.

“You can stay,” Jesper said, “for as long as you want. You’ll be one of us. Part of the town. You’ll be safe.”

“Desolation Hill is the last place I’d ever want to stay,” Amber told him, tossing Milo the cuffs. “The people here are no better than the killers Astaroth sent after us.”

“No,” said Jesper. “You’re wrong. They’re good folk.”

“And what about the child sacrifices?”

“Necessary,” Jesper said. “An acceptable necessity.”

Amber shook her head. “There’s something wrong with you. There’s something wrong with everyone here. You’re keeping a Demon trapped in a cell and you think you’ve got all the power? He’s been infecting this whole town from the moment you trapped him.”

Milo opened the trunk and motioned to Jesper. “In.”

“Please,” Jesper said, “whatever you want, I’ll give you.”

“We don’t need your help,” Amber said.

“I don’t understand this!” Jesper cried. “What are you trying to do? If the Narrow Man doesn’t bring a sacrifice to Naberius, the barrier will fall and the Hounds will get you!”

“Naberius will get his sacrifice,” Milo said.

Jesper paled. “Me? You’re going to give him me? You can’t. You can’t!”

He twisted from Milo’s grip and started running.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Milo muttered.

Amber ran after Jesper, catching up with him easily. A hand on his shoulder brought him to a panting, gasping stop.

“You can’t do this,” he said. “It won’t even work! I’ve already traded my soul to Astaroth!”

“Astaroth and his brother can argue about that later,” said Milo, walking up.