Shrill Dusk (City of Magic Book 1)

by Helen Harper

  ‘You’re a stone-cold bitch, Charley,’ he spat. Next to him, Monroe started to growl. Max hissed. ‘Fine. I’ll do what you want.’

  I smiled as if I’d expected nothing less. ‘Great.’

  I half-turned to go. In one swift movement, he lunged forward, producing the same knife with which he’d tried to kill Julie. Before I could blink, one arm had me by the ribs and the other held the knife to my throat.

  ‘Any of you come one step closer and I’ll fucking kill her.’

  I sighed. Then I concentrated on the swirl of magic in my belly and pushed it backwards. Max was thrown back against a tree with a loud thump.

  I straightened my shoulders, shook myself off and picked up the knife. It was rather pretty; the blade was sharp and the handle was made from intricately carved bone. I nodded approvingly. I’d keep this.

  Max groaned. ‘I think I’ve broken my leg. And my arm.’

  I tutted. ‘Shame.’ I glanced briefly at Monroe, who was already shifting back into human and gazing at me with an amused glint in his blue eyes. ‘I might be soft-hearted,’ I said. ‘And I might have a penchant for helping others. But don’t ever mistake me for being a pushover. I am still the enchantress, after all.’ Then I smiled again.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Monroe moved next to me, casting me a long look with his blue eyes. I felt his hand brush against mine, the briefest of touches. The hairs on the back on my arm stood up, but he didn’t seem to notice. ‘You know this is for the best,’ he told me.

  I raised an eyebrow. ‘Ejecting the undesirables?’

  Monroe shrugged lazily. ‘You gave him a chance to slink away and he blew it. Killing him would send the wrong message to everyone else. And we don’t have the capacity to lock him up. Who would watch him? How long could we shove him in a cell for? Manchester no longer has the infrastructure to deal with his sort. We do what we have to do. It’s as well we have this one exit route left to us and that Anna knew about it but, from now on, we’ll have to control it from this end because the British government controls all the other roads from their end. Not to mention the damned wall they’re building.’

  He watched a group of werewolves as they busied themselves building our barrier. It wouldn’t be long before Manchester was sealed off completely, us from them and them from us.

  ‘I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you,’ I said. ‘I’m just saying that we can’t chuck people out whenever we feel like it. There have to be proper rules. Proper laws.’

  His fingertips touched mine again before he moved away. ‘There are. Screw around and get banished. Simple.’ At my look, his eyes hardened. ‘Even you can’t think there’s a place for the likes of Maximillian Strong in our city, especially at the moment. We need time and space to adapt to our new situation. We have enough problems with all this magic shit to worry about.’

  He paused. ‘We should round up everyone who chose to work for him and do the same to them as we’ve done to him. They won’t do well in Manchester anyway – none of them have power or magic. They don’t belong.’ His voice was soft but there was an underlying edge to his words.

  ‘If they want to stay, they should be allowed to.’

  Monroe sighed. ‘I knew that’s what you’d say. There’s a lot of them, though, a lot of people who wasted no time in flocking to Max’s side even though it was clear he was up to no good. Not to mention that there’s likely to be several more Max Stones in amongst that bunch to cause us more problems in the future.’

  I pulled back my shoulders. ‘Then we’ll deal with them in the future.’

  ‘It’s far better to be proactive than reactive, Charlotte.’

  This time I didn’t bother correcting his use of my full name. Oddly, I had decided I quite liked it when he used it. But that didn’t mean that I was ever going to agree with him. ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…’

  ‘We’re not the United States of America. This isn’t new territory, it’s a new way of living that none of us have ever experienced before. Maybe once things are settled we can take another look at how we manage things but, until we have a proper new society set up, we shouldn’t take on more than we can handle. My pack died because I tried to do that. I won’t make the mistake again.’

  I was silent for a moment. ‘What happens when a werewolf steps out of line?’ I asked finally. ‘Do you kill them? Banish them? Lock them up?’

  ‘Wolves don’t step out of line,’ he answered instantly. ‘We respect the hierarchy.’ A muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘And before you say it, it’s not about running a dictatorship or whipping people into place. We have centuries’ old ways of doing things. It’s part of our DNA to fall into place.’

  ‘If I didn’t have magical powers,’ I asked him, ‘would you be trying to kick me out of Manchester?’

  ‘It’s not like that and you know it. You’re boiling down a complicated argument to its basest form. I’m talking about the safety of those who have chosen to remain, whether they are human or wolf or magically inclined.’

  ‘Sometimes breaking down an argument into its basest form is the best way to make sense of things,’ I shot back.

  ‘It’s not as easy as that and you know it. Just because you couldn’t save your brother doesn’t mean you have to spend your life saving everyone else.’

  I wasn’t going to answer that. I couldn’t answer that.

  Monroe drew in a breath and his eyes travelled over my face as he examined me. ‘You’re not going to let them all find their corners of the city, are you, Charlotte? You’re going to invite them to yours. All those people who marched to Max’s command, you’re going to open your door wide and give them tea and biscuits and your comfiest chairs.’

  ‘Lizzy destroyed my comfiest chairs when she changed into a bunyip,’ I said.

  He growled. ‘Stop trying to deflect me. I know you well enough by now to know what you’re planning.’

  ‘We need to build a community,’ I told him. ‘Not a competition where only the strongest survive. It’s the only way forward.’

  ‘I’m not disagreeing with you,’ he said gently. ‘But these are uncharted waters. Like I said, we can’t take on more than we can deal with. We can’t have people who are going to do nothing but cause serious problems. If we hadn’t stopped Max when we did—’

  ‘He’s a bastard,’ I interrupted. ‘But that’s no reason to tar everyone else with the same brush. And there is such a thing as free will.’

  Monroe’s jaw tightened and he turned away. ‘There will be more like him in the future. More who want to exercise their free will and hurt others.’

  ‘Then we’ll deal with them if and when that happens,’ I said. ‘You don’t have to be so pessimistic all the time.’

  ‘I’m not being pessimistic. I’m being realistic.’

  I moved away. Monroe’s inability to see what we needed to do to make a success of this new, magical Manchester was making me angry. I was prepared to roll the dice; he should be too.

  I gave him a single, hard-eyed glare then focused on the forlorn group who’d come to witness Max’s ejection. There was no point addressing the werewolves; they were already Monroe’s, regardless of what he said.

  ‘What Max wanted to do wasn’t right,’ I said. Unfortunately my voice came out as less of an authoritative declaration and more as a squeak. I cleared my throat and tried again. ‘Maximillian Stone wanted to claim this city for himself and smack down anyone who got in his way or didn’t fall into line. Manchester is on its own now. We don’t have the government to help us out. We don’t have any real infrastructure any more. We have the constant threat of what the magic surrounding us is going to do next.’

  I tilted up my chin. ‘And yet we’re all still here for a reason. We’re all gambling that remaining in our city is the best thing to do. And make no mistake – this is our city. I am establishing a community over on the south side. This is our chance to make it right and live and work together. Nobody ha
s to come. You can hide out on your own if you wish. There will be consequences if you threaten us but we would far prefer it if you join us instead. We’re stronger together than we are apart. We can make something of this new world if we pull together.’

  I lifted my eyes to Monroe’s. His face was expressionless, but he kept quiet and let me continue. ‘All are welcome. Spread the word and tell whoever you can that the slate is wiped clean and this is our opportunity to start anew. I’m not saying there won’t be challenges or disagreements or problems, but if we work together we can work through them. There’s more than enough space for everyone.’

  Monroe rolled his eyes. Before he could say anything, however, one of the white-faced women spoke up. ‘So you’re going to be in charge, are you? Your place, your rules? What if we do something you don’t like? What then?’

  I met her eyes. I felt like I was making this up as I went along, but I had to do something. ‘We’ll form a council. I don’t have to be on it but there should be different representatives from different groups. If that doesn’t work, we’ll come up with a better plan. It’s not about me being in charge. It’s about us surviving. Properly.’

  I thought about the supplies squirrelled away across the city. I’d been thinking of myself when I’d done that. Really, I should have been thinking about everyone. There was enough left in the abandoned supermarkets and warehouses to cover us for months, especially if we worked together and weren’t selfish about it.

  ‘Charlotte can have the south of the city,’ Monroe said loudly. ‘You can join her if you want to and I wish her the best of luck. I’m going to settle in the north. Anyone who wishes to join me there will have to prove themselves. They’ll have to toe the line.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘My line. I will, however, make a pledge that they will be kept as safe as I can manage. If all and sundry are bedding down with Charlotte, then no one’s safety will be guaranteed in the south.’

  I watched as the still-busy werewolves paused for a moment and exchanged glances. They shrugged in unison, turned to Monroe and nodded. Jeez. At least he wasn’t forcing the other people out of the city straight away. Then I noticed the flash of vulnerability and pain in Monroe’s eyes, which was so brief I almost could have imagined it. He was grieving; he was in pain. In truth, he likely would be for some time yet. Max’s shenanigans and the closure of the city had given him something else to focus on – now he only had his own hurt to think about. He needed people around him just as much as I did. Monroe simply didn’t realise it yet.

  The little group of humans drew closer, some of them starting to murmur to each other. I could tell from their expressions that most would side with me. Werewolves like Monroe might be pack animals, but humans were social creatures too. We needed each other.

  ‘So,’ I murmured to Monroe, ‘the lines are drawn.’

  ‘Apparently.’ He paused. ‘Look at me, Charlotte.’

  I raised my eyes to his with some reluctance. ‘Your way isn’t wrong,’ I told him. ‘It’s different. I understand why you want to do this.’

  ‘Survival is the name of the game,’ he replied.

  I nodded. ‘Exactly. We just have different definitions of the word.’

  Sadness tugged down the corners of his mouth. ‘When you get into trouble with all your waifs and strays – and you will get into trouble – I won’t be at your beck and call. I won’t be able to come running whenever you need me.’

  Something tightened deep inside my stomach. ‘I wouldn’t expect you to. Besides, it will be fine. We’ll work it out. And,’ I added, ‘when you need to talk or to yell or to have a good cry, I’ll be here. I will come running, even if you won’t.’

  ‘I don’t want that from you.’ A muscle ticked in his jaw and he suddenly refused to meet my gaze.

  ‘I know. But I’ll be here all the same. Not dying but surviving,’ I added pointedly. ‘Surviving successfully.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Monroe said seriously. ‘For your sake.’ His eyes flicked back to mine. ‘We should still arrange those fighting lessons,’ he muttered.

  Yeah, I supposed we should. I shoved my hands into my pockets and nodded. ‘I have to go. The others will be waiting for me to come back.’

  I raised my eyebrows at the huddle of people. Several of them stared back then peeled off, trudging towards me as if they had no choice. I glanced at Monroe one last time and gave him a small smile before I turned away.

  ‘For what it’s worth,’ he said behind me in a barely audible voice, ‘I’d never kick you out of the city. No matter what happens or what you are.’ He paused and spoke even more quietly. ‘Sunshine.’

  I hesitated for a fraction of a second then I kept on moving. There were houses to allocate and supplies to sort out. We’d make this brave new world work for us no matter what happened. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that life was going to be easy but, magic or no magic, Manchester was worth it.

  ‘See you around, Monroe,’ I whispered.

  This time, I didn’t wait for a reply.

  Thank you so much for reading Shrill Dusk! I really hope you enjoyed it. It would mean a huge amount if you could leave a review – any and all feedback is so very, very welcome and hugely important for independent authors like myself.

  Find out more about me and my books at http://helenharper.co.uk

  The second book in The City of Magic trilogy, Brittle Midnight, will be released on March 1st 2019 and is available for pre-order here now.

  mybook.to/BrittleMidnight

  If you’d like to know more about the events of the Manchester magical apocalypse and what really happened with Madrona and the other faeries, then check out the Fractured Faery series here, starting with Box of Frogs.

  About the author

  After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time, thanking her lucky stars every day that's she lucky enough to do so!

  Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.

  She currently lives in Devon in the UK with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere.

  You can find out more by visiting Helen's website: http://helenharper.co.uk

  If you would like to subscribe for Helen’s email based newsletter to ensure you never miss a new release and get the chance to receive special content, you can sign up here.

  Other titles

  The complete Blood Destiny series

  Bloodfire

  Bloodmagic

  Bloodrage

  Blood Politics

  Bloodlust

  Blood Destiny Box Set (The complete series: Books 1 – 5)

  Also

  - Corrigan Fire

  - Corrigan Magic

  - Corrigan Rage

  -Corrigan Politics

  -Corrigan Lust

  The complete Bo Blackman series

  Dire Straits

  New Order

  High Stakes

  Red Angel

  Vigilante Vampire

  Dark Tomorrow

  The complete Highland Magic series

  Gifted Thief

  Honour Bound

  Veiled Threat

  Last Wish

  The complete Dreamweaver series

  Night Shade

  Night Terrors

  Night Lights

  Olympiana stand - alone

  Eros

  The complete Lazy Girl’s Guide To Magic series

  Slouch Witch

  Star Witch

  Spirit Witch

  Sparkle Witch

  Wraith stand-alone

  The complete Fractured Faery series

  Box of Frogs

  Quiver of Cobras

  Skulk of Foxes
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