As Frederick escorts them back the through the halls to their, Emelia's mind works overtime to digest the short but strange meeting they just had with Batholmieu and concludes that the man is just as demented as his son.

Revealing her father's identity just saved their lives, at least temporarily, but she knows that there is no genuine guarantee of safety. The people in this place are completely delusional and delusional people are dangerous. Emilia sure isn't going to wait around for one of them to snap.

Frederick stops outside the guestroom. Once opening the door, he turns around to face them and Emelia brings her leg up in one quick surge, nailing him hard in the groin and sending him to his knees.

Sofie gawks as Frederick doubles over with a pained grunt and Emelia grabs her hand, a single word leaving her lips.

"Run."

Not wasting a precious second, they hurtle down the hallway together in the direction of the staircase.

"Merde!" Frederick groans, clutching his intimate area. "Get back here!"

The girls ignore him, taking the stairs two at a time whilst gripping the shiny gold-tinted handrail to avoid tripping. Once at the bottom, they sprint through the entrance hall, their feet slapping hard against the immaculate marble floor, and race towards the front door only to discover that... it's locked.

Emelia curses under her breath, spinning around, just as Frederick appears at the top of the stairs, hobbling slightly.

"You two," he shouts, "Stay right where you are."

Like hell. Emilia flips him the bird before turning and running in the opposite direction, Sofie following right on her heels.

"Bon sang!" she hears him exclaims.

As they flee, Emilia realises that she has absolutely no idea where they are going. The château is like a maze with halls that seem to go on forever and rooms that only lead into other rooms. The dark and grandiose décor does nothing to ease her panic either, only accelerates it until she can barely think straight.

"Quick, in here," Sofie pants, pulling her towards a closed door.

After dashing inside and shutting themselves in, the girls discover a large, musky library. Dark wooden floorboards expand out beneath their feet and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves obscure every wall. Long embroidered curtains cover the windows, depriving the room of any natural light.

"Searching for an escape?"

The low, rough words catch both girls off guard and they cry out simultaneously. Whirling around, Emilia scans the large room and quickly discovers the source of the voice.

Sitting in an armchair in the furthest and darkest corner of the library is a man. Not much of his face can be made out in the shadows but Emilia can see that he's gaunt and skinny. Held loosely in his long, pale fingers is a black leather-bound book.

"If so," he continues conversationally, "You won't find it in here. Unless it's an escape for the mind, of course. That you will most certainly find. Books are such wonderful things, aren't they?"

He smiles then, revealing crooked white teeth. A chill trickles like liquid down Emelia's spine.

"Who are you?" she asks.

"The name's Malcolm," the man replies. "Malcolm Falcon. You are...?"

He waits patiently for Emelia to reply and Sofie shifts closer to her nervously.

"It doesn't matter," she says, not interested in starting a conversation with him.

Leaning forward in the armchair, the man sniffs at the air that inhabits the distance separating them like some sort of animal.

"I thought I smelled guests," he says a second later, sounding oddly satisfied.

"We're not guests," Emelia retorts and his eyes glint with mischief in the dark, a mauve-coloured tongue gliding across his teeth.

"Dinner then," he rasps.

This is what sends Sofie over the edge, the dam of panic bursting open. Squealing like a frightened guinea pig, she grabs Emelia's shoulders and yanks her back.

Unprepared, Emelia stumbles, barely managing not to trip over her own feet before the doors to the library are flung open and Frederick stalks in, appearing to have physically recovered from Emilia's low blow.

"You two," he snarls and they both scamper back in response.

"Stay away from us or I'll kick you in the bollocks twice as hard next time," Emilia yells, blindly grabbing a book from the nearest shelf and chucking it at him. He moves his head to the side just in time, the book grazing his ear as it sails by, and the man named Malcolm suddenly starts to cackle with laughter as if this is the funniest thing he has ever seen.

"Don't do that," he says but Emelia ignores him, snatching another book from the shelf and throwing it with all her strength. Frederick dodges it more effectively this time and makes a guttural growling sound in the back of his throat.

This is the only warning he gives them before moving so fast his body becomes nothing but a blur. Emelia gasps, Sofie squeals, and together they scramble back in a desperate attempt to escape - but there isn't anywhere to go.

When her back bumps into a bookshelf, Emelia turns to retrieve another book to use as cannon fodder but stops instantly when she turns and sees Sofie caught in Fredrick's clutches, ensnared in the circle of his arms.