by Adam Slater
And this time, Callum hit his mark.
The ripples of power slammed straight into Black Annis’ chest and she went flying backwards, smashing into the other side of the cave. She fell into a heap and groaned, shaking her head from side to side as she tried to recover from the blast. For a second Callum thought it was over. But as he watched, the crumpled figure gave a shudder. His eyes widened as Black Annis gathered herself off the hard ground. She found her feet, hunched, crouched and then tensed for a leap. The power in her legs was incredible, and the dead skins of her skirt slapped against her blue flesh. She sailed five feet into the air, talons outstretched, ready to tear and strip. Callum threw his hands out towards her once more, and another blast of energy sent the hag hurtling backwards. This time he refused to relent, putting every ounce of his being into it and holding the beam steadily on her. It pinned the demon to the ground, and she hissed, snapping her putrid teeth, writhing and wriggling in her attempts to get free.
Callum closed in on the demon, taking the initiative as his powers began to take their toll. Reaching her quivering body, he bent down and grabbed Black Annis by her thin blue ankles. She went rigid with pain as the energy radiated out of his fingertips with a crackle and fizz. The hag cried out in anguish, spraying flecks of blue-black spittle, and Callum swallowed bile as his hands brushed against the skins at the edge of her skirt. But he held on, his palms firm against the crone’s flesh. Ripples of power flowed from him and spread across her body.
‘Callum, be careful!’ Melissa cried out from behind him, but her voice sounded muffled through the ringing in his ears.
With a strangled growl, he sent another wave of energy rippling over Black Annis’ body. With the last of her strength, she let out a terrible grating shriek. She twisted this way and that, kicking out at Callum violently, but he refused to let go. He dodged to avoid getting a razor-sharp toenail in the eye, and he could feel sweat pouring off him with the effort of keeping her down . . . but then he saw it.
Smoke.
The energy from his hands seemed to be causing Black Annis’ blue flesh to combust. The dried skins of the hag’s skirt began to singe and burn. Callum choked, but he didn’t let go. In that instant, the swell of power burst from his hands in a blaze of blue-white flame as pure as starlight. Wave upon wave of power surged through Callum’s hands. The energy ignited a raging blue blaze that roared like flames in a chimney around Black Annis’ body. The fire engulfed the crone, and Callum pulled his hands away, standing up he let his arms drop to his sides in exhaustion. His work was done. The blaze raged out of control, and he stumbled back and away from the demon, his eyes wide with amazement.
From amongst the flames, Black Annis let out one last, inhuman screech that made the hairs on Callum’s neck stand up.
Then she was gone.
For a few long seconds a cloud of ash swirled around the cave, then settled gently to the ground in a harmless heap, like the sand at the bottom of an hourglass.
Black Annis had finally come to rest in her lair.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Callum ran to Melissa’s side. She was crouched on the floor looking stunned. One hand was clutching her cheek, and blood seeped in between her fingers. Callum could feel the power still springing from his own fingertips, but this time his intention was to heal. He laid his hand gently against the torn skin at Melissa’s temple and along the side of her cheek, making her wince. Then slowly, deliberately, Callum used the energy radiating from his palm to begin sealing the slashes on his friend’s face.
‘Does that hurt?’ Callum asked.
‘It stings! Like antiseptic.’ She grinned at him weakly. ‘How do I look?’
Callum laughed and said confidently, ‘If you can stand it for a few more seconds, there won’t be any scars.’
Melissa nodded and, sure enough, a few moments later she ran her hand over her smooth cheek. ‘Excellent work, Dr Scott,’ she said with a shaky smile. ‘If the whole chime child thing doesn’t work out, I hear there’s good money in plastic surgery.’
Callum helped Melissa to her feet. She rushed over to the group of children who were gradually becoming more aware of their surroundings as the coven’s spell started to wear off. They began to back away and cower in the corner, clearly terrified. Callum went over to Jacob and Doom. To his relief, the spell that had created the iron cages had also now dissipated, and the Born Dead stood calmly while Doom went to guard the entrance to the cave. The Grim’s red eyes glowed and his white fangs were bared and shining in his shadowy muzzle.
‘Impressive, chime child,’ Jacob said. ‘You have proven yourself worthy of the title indeed.’
Callum smiled tightly, feeling utterly spent after everything they had faced. ‘I couldn’t stop them from escaping though.’
‘Nonsense,’ Jacob said, looking Callum dead in the eye. ‘Your task was to defeat Black Annis before the humans could sacrifice her and bring on the full force of the Shadowing. You have succeeded in just that.’
Melissa walked over to them, her face serious.
‘They want to get out of here,’ she said, glancing over her shoulder at the children, most of whom were weeping uncontrollably.
‘Doom,’ Jacob said quietly, and the Grim moved aside. The children ran blindly down the tunnel from the cave before Callum or Melissa could stop them.
‘They will be all right,’ Jacob said. ‘The authorities will find them and they will be back safely with their families very soon. It is best if you are not involved in their discovery; the fewer questions you must answer, the better.’
Callum nodded grudgingly, but Melissa shook her head.
‘I’ll ring the police,’ she said, pointing to Callum’s pocket, which still held her mobile phone. ‘It can be anonymous.’
‘Come on then,’ Callum said. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
Doom bounded ahead of them, his red eyes glowing in the dark, but then he gave a sudden, urgent snarl that caused all of them to stop. The ghost dog growled, sniffing the air in the foul tunnel. Then he gave an echoing bark at something hidden in the murky darkness ahead of them.
They froze as a deep voice called out. ‘Who is there?’
Cold shuddered down Callum’s back. In the blackness of the underground tunnel a small flame appeared. Its eerie violet glow slowly advancing towards them. After a moment Callum saw that it was dancing on the palm of a hand held below a human face – a man’s face, handsome and world-weary, neither young nor old. The face, lit by the flame on the man’s palm, was frowning and quizzical. Callum swallowed and took a determined step forward, his fists clenched, the last of his power still ready to be released.
‘Who are you?’
The man glared sharply at Callum and his companions. A look of surprise seemed to spread across his features, before he composed them once more.
‘Chime child? The final of your kind,’ the man breathed and then he cleared his throat. ‘I am impressed. But you must know that you’re well out of your depth in this place.’
‘Who are you?’ Callum repeated with angry urgency. ‘Are you their leader? Are you that coven scum’s leader? They said you were coming back. Well, guess what? You’re a bit late to the party.’ He could feel his hands prickle with energy begging to be released.
‘Callum,’ Jacob began, his voice sounding concerned, cautionary.
‘I sense you feel some misplaced glory?’ the man interrupted, his voice cold. ‘You should know, chime child, that my coven will not be defeated.’
‘Black Annis is dead,’ Callum said, his fingernails digging into his burning palms. ‘So you’re out of luck. You’re insane, thinking you could bring some demon lord over here.’
The man laughed a callous, short laugh, and stared at Callum with unreadable eyes. The flame in his palm reflected in them menacingly. He ignored Callum’s question, but his voice took up a mocking tone. ‘Oh? What’s that? Killed the hag yourself, did you? But you’re not quite as proud of it as you should be
, are you? You still feel like a failure, don’t you boy?’
Callum frowned, confused – there was something about the way the man spoke that felt as though he was getting strangely close to the truth.
‘No . . . No, there’s not much to be proud of, is there?’ the stranger continued to probe. ‘A loner, and miserable about it. No one understands you. The weight of the world on your shoulders, and you’re not up to any of the tasks being set for you –’
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Callum snarled.
‘The truth hurts, doesn’t it? If only you could talk to your mother . . . Ah! If only you could talk to your mother about it, Mummy would know what to do –’
With wave of shock, Callum realised that the man was reading his mind. He had fixed his eyes on Callum’s face, but could somehow see straight through him.
‘SHUT UP!’ Callum cried out in fury. Melissa grabbed her friend’s arms to hold him back.
‘Yes, you’d like to see your mother again, wouldn’t you? But she’s –’
The man stopped suddenly, mid-sentence, as though something had interrupted his train of thought, but before he could speak again, Jacob stepped in front of Callum.
Now the man’s face registered a different kind of surprise.
‘Jacob?’
Jacob bowed his head in his characteristic, old-fashioned greeting.
‘So,’ the mind-reader snarled. ‘Making new friends, I see?’
Jacob growled a single word.
‘Doom.’
Doom lunged toward the stranger.
But before Doom’s snapping jaws could make contact, the violet flame in the man’s palm went out. He had simply vanished. Doom sailed through empty air and landed in shadow on the bare floor of the tunnel.
‘Where is he?’ Callum shouted. ‘Where did he go?’
They all looked around, baffled, but there was nothing. Jacob turned to the others quickly. ‘We must go.’
Doom shepherded Callum and Melissa up the tunnel, but they didn’t need telling twice. Soon they were up through the passage and out into the icy cold night air.
‘What was that about? Who was that?’ Melissa asked, panting. Callum, still reeling with the shock of having his mind invaded and his deepest secrets stripped bare, remained silent.
Jacob paused for a moment. ‘Callum, I am sorry. I did not realise at first what he was doing, or I would have interrupted him sooner.’
‘Who was he, Jacob?’ Callum said finally, turning and glaring at ghost boy. ‘How did he know who you were?’
‘He is a powerful magic-user,’ Jacob said carefully. ‘One whose path crossed with my own many years ago. I should have known it might be him who was behind this.’
‘You knew this guy before?’ Callum folded his arms, frowning hard. ‘What did he mean, “making new friends?”’
Jacob was silent for a moment. He turned away from Callum’s inquiring gaze to watch Doom stalk back to his side before speaking again. ‘When I first knew that man, he was not . . . as he is now. He has been corrupted, much as I have warned that you could be, if you do not tread carefully. We must be extremely vigilant now. Our enemies are close. Closer than we could have imagined.’
Callum shook his head at the ghost’s cryptic answers. He sighed, his breath pluming in the starlit night. He’d had enough of questions for now.
‘I just want to get home,’ Melissa said, echoing Callum’s thoughts.
Callum didn’t even have time to say anything more before he felt Jacob’s cold hand on his shoulder, and the grey mist swirling around them.
Moments later, they were all back in Marlock Wood, standing with Doom among the familiar tombstones of the churchyard. Callum looked at each of his companions, and he knew their solemn faces reflected his own.
There seemed to be secrets, mysteries and conspiracies around every corner. Callum’s mind was whirling with a million questions. How could there be people, humans, who were willing to sacrifice everything good about the world for their own selfish gain? How far were they willing to go? No matter how hard Callum had thought dealing with the Shadowing would be, it was turning out to be ten times harder.
‘You should both be on your way.’ Jacob’s voice broke the silence. Callum nodded.
‘Come on, Melissa,’ he said. His friend looked pale and tired. ‘Let’s go.’
They began to make their way out of the churchyard when Jacob spoke once more.
‘Callum,’ he said. Callum stopped and turned around.
‘Well done.’
Callum looked at the Born Dead’s solemn face and smiled.
‘See you soon, Jacob.’
The ghost boy remained still, looking at the chime child for a moment, and then turned away. Callum glanced at Melissa and shrugged, then the two of them began to walk along the path and out of the churchyard.
‘What do you think will happen now?’ Melissa asked quietly.
Callum looked over at her and set his jaw determinedly.
‘I don’t know exactly what we’re going to have to face. I may not be able to protect the entire Boundary. But my powers are getting better; yours are too. And there’s one thing I know we can focus on.’ He paused. ‘The coven. We’re going to stop them.’
Epilogue
In the dark, echoing space, Varick waits alone. He is hesitant, anxious. He swallows hard and clenches his fist for a moment before snapping his fingers and igniting a flame. He drops it down into the centre of the room and the fire catches, creating violet flames that cast an unearthly light around the walls. The crystal on his finger glows blinding white. He is not a coward, but as his master’s terrifying face looms into view among the flames, his heart quickens.
‘Tell me,’ commands the demon with a hiss.
‘Black Annis is destroyed,’ the man says bleakly. ‘We were unable to use her in our sacrifice.’ He closes his eyes and looks away from the demon’s inevitable fury. He takes a deep breath as the hideous face flickers in the flames. Its slitted, goat-like pupils are narrow with anger.
‘How?’ the spitting voice demands. ‘Look at me, mortal, and explain your failure.’
‘The last chime child,’ the man admits, his own voice low. Reluctantly, he looks up at the demon, as commanded. In its fury the demon’s eyes blaze crimson. The violet flames sizzle and snap.
‘The sole chime child thwarted you and your coven?’ the demon screeches. ‘How can this be?’
‘I warned you of this,’ the magician replies grimly. ‘One chime child is still one guardian for the Boundary, and this youth is invested with tremendous power. He does not even realise its full extent yet. And he has some formidable allies, it seems.’
‘You must seek him out. He cannot be allowed to remain.’ The demon’s voice crackles.
‘I know where I can find him,’ the man says through his teeth. He pauses and frowns, before a cruel smile forms on his lips. ‘But to bring about his defeat we must be certain of success. The child has a weakness. One that can be exploited.’
The demon’s smile is crueller than the man’s, and uglier. ‘Go on,’ the hideous mouth spits.
‘I’ve seen deep into the boy’s heart. He’s strong and determined. But he has one fatal flaw. In the right circumstances, I am certain he could be tempted.’
The demon chuckles. Its laughter is like an avalanche of falling rocks. It is no longer angry. It is scheming anew.
‘Yessss,’ it hisses. ‘But you must be more than certain, mortal. You must make good on our agreement, or you will face the consequences when the Shadowing reaches its zenith.’
‘I will not let you down,’ the man says. A moment later, the flames are extinguished and the space is plunged into darkness once more. He waits in the silence for a moment.
‘Varick?’
The voice startles him, but then he realises who it is.
‘Aradia,’ he says, his voice grim. ‘You failed me.’
The woman emerges from the shadows
and steps towards him. He can see that she has been injured, but he maintains a stony glare.
‘We shall not fail again, Varick. I promise you that,’ she says, her eyes narrowed venomously at the memory of defeat.
‘The coven remains intact?’
‘It does,’ she replies. ‘And we are ready for instruction.’
The man smiles, his voice now little more than a whisper.
‘I know exactly what must be done . . .’
Turn over if you dare for a chilling preview of the third book in the series . . .
THE
SHADOWING
DOOMED
It is the dead of night in the dead of winter. Thick cloud hangs in the black sky, reflecting the dull glow of the sleeping city. Above the ice of the frozen River Mersey, three red lights dance; pinpoints of brightness in the dark.
The Will o’ the Wisp is following the river towards the point where it has been called. It has been summoned by a new master.
The Wisp’s red lights flit together along the cold, hard surface of the river, but come to a halt as they reach the towering arches of the Stockport Viaduct. Beneath one of the tall tunnels of Victorian brick slumps a human youth. A young creature – a runaway, far from home.
An irresistible opportunity.
The Wisp floats towards the shivering boy. It cannot help itself. Its Master’s call can wait a while . . .
*
He doesn’t know what makes him open his eyes.
The boy had just begun to drift into a fretful sleep, but now he wakes and looks up. Before him is the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen. He forgets cold, forgets hunger, forgets how miserable he is. He simply stares in amazement as three red lights float up to him and quietly bob and weave around his shoulders. They’re like tiny, playful stars, red and bright. He blinks, scarcely able to believe it. What are they . . .? Where have they come from? And –