'The Blind helper committed these crimes all by her…'
'I said I do not die alone!' she repeated as she nodded in Samantha's direction.
He stared at the Finch, his eyes still consumed in black.
'This city owes me that girl,' the Finch said.
'How so?' he asked.
'Ask the proud daddy,' she said, falling on her knees at the same time.
Samantha's mother looked at her husband. 'What is she talking about, honey?'
'It's a lie! Don't believe her!' A man within the multitude shouted.
'It's true,' Samantha's father confessed, bowing his head and releasing his hands from Samantha's shoulders.
The multitude began to quiet down.
'Baby, I'm really sorry. I've always wanted to tell you but…'
He was slapped hard on the cheek by his wife. Tears were in her eyes and Samantha's too who was facing her father with the look of a person who had been abused all her life and now stood face-to-face with her abuser.
'I was a carpenter and Sarah, now my wife, was a rich, young and beautiful woman in law school. I tried so many times and methods to win her heart but she told me that there was no way we could ever be. So one day I heard the story of the Finch and I went looking for her in the forest and by some miracle, I found her. She told me that she could make me one of the wealthiest men on this island and there was no way that Sarah could resist me, then…who could say no to that?' He imploringly looked into his wife's eyes then everyone around him as if seeking approval or at least a voice of understanding. 'Anyway..,' he continued, '…I said yes and she gave me my rhyme.'
'What did the rhyme say?' one spectator asked him.
The Finch flung her hair from her face: '"In this city the wealthiest man you shall become; fame, power and the life you desire shall be yours. If I were to die or when I see it fit you will pay the sum, the price of your last born child shall seal the clause. If not, then the terms of the deal will subside, as long as in this oracle she does not reside".' She looked at Mr. Patricks with lazy eyes and a forced smile, 'You're rich, John…pay your debt.'
'How is it that the Blind helper got two people to owe her one life?' Brendan asked her.
'It's nothing personal; just insurance.'
The people pushed Samantha and her father to the ground. 'Burn them together with the witch!' they shouted.
Mrs. Patricks was in tears, struggling to get to her family but the crowds pulled her back.
Mr. Patricks had his arms wrapped around his daughter. Both of them were crying. 'I'm sorry, love. I was young and naïve,' he spoke into her ear.
Most people had already rolled over drums of gasoline.
Brendan looked around. The police were there too, watching in amusement and some even cheering on.
'Come on, Anonymous..,' a short, fat man rolled a drum of petrol towards Brendan's feet, 'let's burn these lawbreakers!'
The crowd cheered on when he said this. 'Burn them!' they kept shouting.
Brendan walked away for a while, as if pondering over something. It would be hard for anyone to tell what he was thinking of because of his dark and shadowy eyes. 'Wait!' He stopped a man who had begun to tie Samantha's and her father's wrists.
The man backed away in fear and silence overcame the crowd.
Brendan looked at the Finch. 'What happens if the girl's life is not taken from her?' he asked.
She gave him a weak chuckle, 'Since it's no secret that I'm about to die, all my debtors have to pay. The only way for her to keep her life, is if I do not die, or if I decide to spare her life- which we both know I will never consider- and so I demand John pay his debt; his last born child.'
Brendan pondered some more. 'Release the girl,' he said.
'But, Anonymous, she..,' one man began.
'The Marauder said release the girl,' he said again.
The same man who had tied them up began untying Samantha.
'And the man too,' said Brendan.
No one dared to protest.
As the man untied them, he threw cautious and suspicious glances at Brendan, hoping not to get smacked but one would think that he was trying to gain favor from him by doing what he requested. The man finished untying them and moved back into the crowd.
Mr. Patricks and Samantha were now rubbing their wrists.
'John, come here,' Brendan called him.
Mr. Patricks kissed Samantha and walked up to him.
Brendan drew his face closer to his ear. 'The Marauder wants you to leave Bradwield, now!' he whispered through his mask. 'Do not go to Dasa, do not try to contact your daughter except through the phone, in other words; you shall never see her again, understood?'