I had only seen Shadow Hall once, when Cat had taken us to Silver Strand to go swimming. The house was an imposing eighteenth-century mansion, perched on a cliff top overlooking the savage beauty of the Atlantic coast. It was surreal to find myself walking its corridors. I felt like I was wearing somebody else’s skin.
Intricate plasterwork edged the ceiling above our heads, drawing my eye down the corridor toward a large window. Lucas took a left turn, leading us down a short set of stairs and onto a mezzanine level. I stopped short. The polished wood and detailed silk wallpaper in the corridor had given way to metal and glass. Lucas gave me a sly smile. “Not what you expected?”
I shook my head, leaning over the balcony. We were looking down into the core of the building from the third story. The middle of the house had been knocked into a single open plan space, leaving a maze of rooms and corridors around the perimeter intact. It was a feat of structural engineering. A new age center, inside an antique shell.
The vast hall on the ground floor appeared to be some sort of a gymnasium. My eyes were drawn to a large circle carved into the floor. I squinted as the carving blurred and trembled, and suddenly the air felt warmer, heavy with moisture. I blinked, and space below was transformed into a rainforest.
A girl with long blond hair dangled from the ceiling on a vine. She swung herself across the width of the building and dropped stealthily onto a thick branch. She raised her head as a high-pitched shriek filled the air and stepped forward, dropping thirty feet into the creeping undergrowth. Perspex scratched my midriff as I stretched further over the barrier to watch her land.
The blond tumbled as she hit the floor, finding her feet with ease and snatching a chunk of metal from the undergrowth. She raised it above her head in a victory salute and the jungle melted away leaving us staring once again at the immaculate gymnasium. “That was incredible. How the hell did that work? Was it some sort of projection? But she was swinging on that vine. And there’s no vine!”
Jasmine rested her elbows on a smooth aluminum railing and smiled. “Welcome to the wonderful world of magic users.”
I turned away from Jasmine without returning her smile and scanned the group of people down below. A tall, dark lady walked into the center of the hall and nodded to the blond girl. “Nicely done, Megan. Perfect execution.”
I groaned. Megan. Of course. Just to make this day a little more perfect, the meanest kid from the study group had to be another one of the sneaky Shadow Children. Awesome.
Lucas laughed. “Another member of the Megan fan club?” I felt my cheeks coloring. He grinned. “Come on, we need to get you back to quarters. Big man’s orders.”
I followed him, looking back over the balcony. I wondered was the jungle the only scene the gymnasium could create or if there were infinite possibilities. Jasmine had fallen into step with Lucas, but Elijah paused to stare at an older man watching us from the opposite balcony. The man nodded and saluted us with his cane.
Lucas appeared by my side again. “Keep up, new girl, or I’m going to be forced to attach you to one of those toddler leashes.”
I rolled my eyes, letting him drag me down the next corridor. “So, is this actually a training school for gymnasts, Lucas? I assumed that was a lie. Like everything else.”
Jasmine looked at the ground, pressing her hand to her mouth. Elijah caught up with us. I crossed my arms and looked in the opposite direction. Lucas scrunched his nose up. “Deliciously awkward. I love it.”
He threw his arm around my shoulders and held on to Jasmine with his other hand as we walked. “Shadow Hall is an elite training academy, but it’s not just a school. It’s a home and an operations base. People of mixed Angelic and Human blood, their families, people born of Demon heritage, Demons who don’t want to abide by the Angelic laws, Angel families who are on the hit list for displaying sympathy for the hunted—you name it, they’re here. Basically, anyone who knows about magic and the Veil and doesn’t agree with how the Angels police the world is welcome here.”
Lucas wiggled his fingers to emphasize his point. “The Shadow Children have cells all over the world that are dedicated to providing a haven for the hunted. Each cell headquarters is obliged to have a high-quality training center. At Shadow Hall, our focus is physical training and defense, so we compete in sporting events to hold our cover. As far as Humans and Angels are concerned, this is a residential training facility for elite Human gymnasts. There are a few Demons who know that Shadow Hall is a base for the Shadow Children, but they would never betray us to the Guardians. We have a mutually beneficial agreement.”
I pulled myself away from Lucas, planting my feet. “How do you stay hidden from the Guardians and other Angels when you compete at international events?”
Elijah took over the conversation from Lucas and answered my question, ignoring my hostile stare. “The training is for our work with the organization, the competitions are just to keep the cover story solid. Angels are genetically predisposed to being athletically superior to Humans. Almost all of the top athletes are Angels.”
Lucas bobbed his head in agreement with Elijah. Jasmine folded her arms over her chest, glancing at me as she spoke. “Every now and then somebody from outside the Angel world manages to break through and smash the records. Then it’s a race between the Guardians and us to get to them.”
I leaned forward, despite myself. “Because you want to recruit them for something?”
Jasmine tucked her hair behind her ears. “Because anyone who is physically superior to an Angel is either Half-Born or born of Demons, not pure blood, so according to the Guardians their lives are forfeit to the veil.”
I pinched my lower lip, squeezing it between my thumb and forefinger. “When you compete, do the Guardians not recognize what you are? Eve said there was one one-tenth the number of Angels to Humans nowadays, and that everybody in the Angelic community knows each other's families, by reputation at least. How do you pull that off? Do you pretend to be something else? Megan competes, what’s she?”
Elijah smirked. “She is a nightmare.”
Lucas pulled a phone out of his pocket and checked the display. “Megan is an Angel. Top quality bloodline. A direct line descendent of one the Angelic members of the Council of Elders, same as these two.” He tipped his head toward Elijah and Jasmine. “Megan competes under a Human guise. She holds back enough to rank highly amongst the Human competitors but never beats any of the Angel entrants in a contest.”
I opened my mouth to question Lucas further, but he held up his hand and walked as he spoke, beckoning the rest of us to follow him. “Her energy? It’s cloaked so that she appears Human. Whenever we leave Shadow Hall, we cloak our energy to avoid detection. Sometimes on active missions we need to appear Human, other times we need to be recognized as Angels. There are charms for whichever guise is necessary. I just completed a semester infiltrating the London Academy which is attended, unbeknownst to the Human population, solely by Angels.”
“So, you pretended to be an Angel. Like them?” I asked.
Lucas smirked. “I am an Angel. Not quite like them, but not worlds apart.” His grin faded. “I don’t enjoy pretending to be somebody else, but sometimes the end justifies the means. Emmanuel needed information to keep innocent people safe, so I had to pretend to be someone I’m not. It was important, so I can forgive myself for lying. You do what you have to do. Doesn’t mean the feelings I had for the people I got to know at the Academy were any less genuine.”
He gave me a pointed smile. I glanced at Jasmine and bit my lip. Lucas stopped in front of one of the doors, knocking three times. “And these, my darling, are your quarters.” He pointed his finger at Jasmine and Elijah like a gun. “We have to get to class before Cain decapitates us, but we will see you at lunch. You can grill me some more while we eat.”
I heard movement on the other side of the door. Jasmine gave a tentative wave as they retreated and I lifted my hand in response, surprised by the tug I felt at the corner
s of my lips.
“The enigma awakens.” I took a step back from the door, wishing that the others hadn’t already disappeared around the corner. The man standing in front of me was tall and rangy, with skin so dark it seemed to absorb the light and illuminate the captivating amber of his eyes.
I slid my feet back another few inches. “Sorry. I was looking for my family, for a lady called Eve? My foster mother. I think I have the wrong room.”
The man reached out and shook my hand. “Apologies, I answered the door without due consideration. Occupational hazard. Masters of each cell tend to think they are welcome everywhere, which I can assure you isn’t always true. My name is Emmanuel, I am the Master at Shadow Hall. It’s my duty to keep control over the hoodlums you have gotten to know over the past two years, so you will understand why I look so old and decrepit.” Emmanuel turned to the side and I found myself caught in a familiar gray stare. “Eve, I shall take my leave. I will send one of Grace’s classmates to accompany her to the dining hall. We will continue our discussion later.”
His rich voice lingered as he slipped out past me. Eve stood back, angling her body so I could walk by her without making any physical contact. I paused for a second, wondering would she deem this moment worthy of a hug. Or even a pat on the arm. She closed the door behind me and crossed the generous open plan living area and walked into the small kitchen. “I have already made tea, would you like anything to eat with it?”
My gut twisted painfully. I shook my head and sat down at the glass dining table, fingering a delicate china cup. It was at odds with the sleek modern styling of the apartment. Eve settled herself on the opposite side of the table, filling my cup from the teapot. “It’s good to see you on your feet, people were concerned.” Eve took a sip of her tea before pressing the cup firmly onto its saucer. “I owe you an apology, Grace.”
I set my cup down on the table, waiting for Eve to continue. She stared into her drink. Eve had always taken her tea without milk. She didn’t look up. “I hadn’t intended to break your binding. The Spirits were closing in, and you simply wouldn’t move. I wasn’t close enough to force the Spirit Demons back. I wasn’t prepared, I hadn’t seen a Spirit Demon in more than eighteen years . . .” Her voice trailed off for a moment. “Breaking your binding was the only way I could release enough Spirit Light to scatter them.”
I lifted my head and examined her face. I didn’t care about my binding being broken. I was prepared to face my magic if it meant keeping my family safe. They were all that mattered to me. I took a deep breath. “Where did you go?”
Eve’s eyebrows lifted. “Pardon?”
I clenched my jaw. “Where did you go? I saw you at the gate when we got to the top of the steps, but then you disappeared.”
Seconds passed before Eve answered. “I went to put the box away. To bury it.”
I stood up from the table, almost toppling the chair, and stormed across the room. Eve beat me to the door, blocking my exit. “Grace, you need to understand!”
My palms were cool against my burning eyelids. “I do understand, Eve. That stupid, bloody box.” I dropped my hands. “Were you going to let them take us? Cain and the others? If I hadn’t come looking for you would you have let us go alone?”
Eve crushed her lips together and shook her head. “I froze, Grace. It has been such a long time since we had been touched by this world, I had almost begun to believe my own fantasy. I’m sorry. I just wasn’t prepared.” She reached out for my hand and I let her take it. Our fingers bunched together with the awkwardness of a long unpracticed gesture. “I would never have left you, Grace.”
The fragile whisper sent a tremor through my bones, bursting the bubble expanding in my chest. I inhaled deeply. Eve touched my cheek with her other hand. “Grace, there are things I need to explain to you. Things you have a right to know. I tried to protect you but that time has passed. There are things you will learn here—”
I let go of Eve’s hand. “But we aren’t staying here, right? This is just a temporary measure. We get Dawn healthy, we get on our hands on some of those concealment charms these guys use, and we head for the island. We still have the plan.”
“Isn’t this place what you girls wanted, Grace? Somewhere to be with other people, without hiding? A community?” Eve asked.
“But this is hiding—it’s just hiding with lots of people. Why do these Shadow Children protect outsiders like us? What do they get from it? We have never been attacked before and the first time we are is when they reveal themselves? That’s quite a coincidence.”
Eve’s answer was drowned out by the sound of a thump on the door. Her face was tense as she opened the door a crack. A deep voice carried across the room. “Emmanuel says I have to bring Grace to the dining hall.”
Every inch of my traitorous skin was suddenly awake. It was Sam.
Chapter Ten
I chanced a sly sidelong glance in Sam’s direction. He was looking straight ahead, dark eyebrows pulled together. I lengthened my stride to match his pace as we made our way down the sleek marble staircase, digging my fingers into my closed palms. He hadn’t spoken a single word since we had left the apartment.
I focused all my attention on the route, searching for landmarks to help me navigate my way back after lunch. I had no interest in being chaperoned by people who didn’t want to be anywhere near me. People who had only pretended to be my friend because they were following orders. My teeth hurt from being clamped together.
“Here.” Sam thrust his arm out.
We were standing outside a large door made of wood so dark it was almost black. Every inch of the door’s surface was scored with deep gashes, splintering wounds that screamed at me to keep out.
I raised my eyebrows. “This is the dining hall? Are people killing each to get in or to get out?”
Sam rewarded me with a barely perceptible lopsided grin. I bit my lip. He always had a great smile. “These are the rooms for magical training. Emmanuel asked me to introduce you to the magic tutors before lunch.”
Magic. Eve had taught me bits and pieces about the hidden world. I had seen her healing Cat and Dawn—watched bruises fade and broken bones mend themselves. I could see the product of magical intervention but my binding prevented me from seeing the essence of the power itself. For eighteen years, I had been almost Human, but that time had passed.
I swallowed, running a finger gingerly over the scarred wood. It buzzed under my fingertips as if it was alive. “It’s warm? Is that some sort of electric current?” Eyeing the battered wood, it seemed highly unlikely to me that there could be anything high tech about it.
“Wards. That’s what the marks are. Protective magic. Think of it as equivalent to smoke alarms in a chemistry classroom.” Sam pushed the door and held it open for me. The room we entered was longer than it was wide and full-length windows ran along the outside wall, flooding the space with light. The room was bare, except for a few window benches and built-in cupboards. The exposed floorboards were marked in a similar manner to the door.
In one corner, a small boy with a mop of bright red hair was kneeling on the floor and staring intently at the candle. He raised his hand beside the faltering flame and it roared back to life. The boy turned to a dark-haired woman standing beside him. His face shone with delight. She squeezed his shoulder and walked to the center of the room.
Another boy, slightly older than the first, was gripping a piece of metal. He held it out, closing his eyes in concentration, but nothing happened. His face crumpled. The woman murmured into his ear. He squeezed his eyes shut again and thrust the object into the air. A blade of blinding light exploded from the handle. I stepped forward, transfixed by the beauty of the vibrant glow. That must have been what Sam had been holding that night on the steps.
“Spirit Blade,” Sam said, anticipating my question. “Other than large bodies of water, Spirit Light is the only thing known to deter the Spirit Demons.”
“Spirit Light. That’s what Eve rele
ased when she broke my binding?”I asked.
Sam nodded. “It’s the essence of life. The spark. In its concentrated form. Spirit Demons feed on the most basic elements of the soul but when that essence is directed into Spirit Light they’re driven back, overwhelmed by its purity. Almost like they can’t digest it.”
Sam fell silent and we both turned our eyes back to the lesson in front of us. The boy was struggling, his blond hair darkening with perspiration. The light flickered and faded away. The dark-haired woman squeezed his shoulder. “Excellent, Mark, your channeling is improving. Get cleaned up for lunch, good man.”
The blond boy wiped his forearm across his face. “Thanks, Deirdre.”
The teacher turned to face us, smiling broadly. “And you must be Grace.”
She shook my hand. Her fingers were short and plump but her grip was firm. She fixed Sam with a stare. “I assume that I’m going to have my best student back in class now that the bedside vigil has ended?”
My heart missed a beat as a flash of red crept up Sam’s face. “Yes, Deirdre.”
Deirdre smiled. “Glad to hear it, Sam. And I’m looking forward to having you join our class, Grace. Have you felt any power stirring yet?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Sam had already turned away, striding toward the top left corner of the room. I gave Deirdre an apologetic grimace and jogged after him. Sam disappeared through a door and let it slam closed in front of my nose.
I yanked it open, cursing under my breath as I stepped over the threshold. The words died on my lips as the door clicked closed behind me. I whirled around and frantically ran my fingers through the air to find the handle, but it was pointless.
I was standing in the middle of a forest. The ground beneath my feet was covered with virgin snow. I shivered, hugging my bare arms as I crouched down behind a tree trunk.
The Demon-Born Trilogy: (Complete Paranormal Fantasy Series) Page 5