The cathedral suddenly came to life with shadowen. At least a dozen grotesques descended from the ceiling and crawled out of shadows, eyes blazing with wild, animalistic rage. Screams and shouts came from the assembly. The Marksmen notched arrows and brandished weapons, pointing them in every direction. The shadowen took up positions along the walls, perched and ready, keeping the congregation of Gypsies frozen in their places.
I stared in horror as I saw, for the first time, the Corsi clan, in the very last row of the sanctuary. And seated next to James, was Katie. Her wide, terror-filled eyes rocked me to the core. Sickness filled my mouth. Why had I insisted they be released? They’d still be back at the inn, held hostage, but safe. And Hugo and Ezzie? What had the gargoyles done to them?
‘Augustine!’ Quentin shouted, shaking with anger. ‘We had a deal!’
The traitor rotated his arm, exposing the tattoos to the light. ‘Sorry, Quentin, but your crippling hatred of the shadow world disappoints me. Shadowen are too valuable to be destroyed. And now that I have this, I have nothing to fear.’
Sebastian materialized in a plume of black smoke, right between them. Quentin yelled in rage and struck out with his weapon. Sebastian batted it away like it was nothing. He snarled and backhanded Quentin. His body flew backwards, crashing into a brass candelabra.
Whatever side-effects of shadowing that Sebastian had suffered just a few days ago seemed non-existent now. If anything, he looked more stable than I’d ever seen him. He looked back at Augustine, waiting.
Augustine pointed at the Queen. ‘Finish her off.’
Sebastian’s wings snapped back, and he moved towards her.
‘No!’ I yelled.
I rushed forward, throwing myself between Sebastian and my aunt. He paused, cocking his head curiously to one side. He sniffed the air as his solid orb eyes rotated around to focus on me. I stared straight back at him. For a moment, he seemed lost, uncertain of what to do. I held my breath and clutched the dandelion pendant at my neck.
Before I could voice a thought in my head, he suddenly threw his head back in a snarl. I saw Donani yank his knife out of Sebastian’s back. Sebastian spun around with a terrible grace. His hand clenched around Donani’s throat. The Marksman sputtered, clutching at the clawed fingers until Sebastian flung him aside like he was a piece of garbage.
I heard an awful, gurgling sound from behind me. The Queen had rolled onto her side. She’d gone pale, and wild eyes stared dimly back at me. A bloody red flower expanded across the midsection of her dress at an alarming rate.
I rushed to my aunt, dropping to my knees and cradling her head against my shoulder. Her headscarf had come loose, revealing some of her balding head. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth. She opened her eyes and clutched my arm.
‘I’m … sorry,’ she choked out. ‘I have left you … only destruction …’
‘One’s last moments always reveal the truth,’ said Augustine, shaking his head sadly.
‘Aunt Thalia,’ I began, smoothing her scarf back into place for dignity’s sake, if nothing else. ‘You’re going to be okay.’
‘Yes,’ she whispered, her eyes beginning to glaze. ‘But not … in this world.’ The Queen gasped for air, and I heard the fluid in her lungs. ‘Josephine … it is your time now.’
I held her to me, rocking her gently. All the anger and frustration I’d felt for her disappeared. I kissed her forehead. ‘I won’t let this kumpania fail,’ I whispered in her ear. ‘I promise.’
A hint of a smile passed over her features. And then, she was gone.
I lowered her head gently to the marble flood. I stood slowly. I felt tears on my cheeks, and I brushed them away before lifting my eyes to meet Augustine’s. He smiled mockingly back at me and dipped his head.
‘All hail the new Queen.’
A tidal wave of fury slammed into me. I yanked my knife from my boot and launched at him. He caught my wrist, but not before the edge of the blade sliced a gash across his jaw. His hissed between clenched teeth and squeezed my fingers until my knife clattered uselessly on the floor.
‘Let’s not do anything hasty, Kralitsa.’
‘Agreed,’ said Quentin out of nowhere. He held his blade firmly pointed at Augustine’s chest. Pain twisted his face, and I saw his broken arm hanging from the ripped sling around his shoulder. His sword, however, remained steady. ‘Let her go, and call off your creatures. Right now.’
I ripped my hand out of Augustine’s loosened grip. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He dabbed the blood off his face. ‘Quentin,’ he said lightly. ‘I don’t know why you’re so upset. This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Open season on all shadowen.’ He gestured around the room at the shadow creatures lurking along the walls and ceilings. ‘Be my guest. Though, I must admit, I don’t really like your odds.’
‘This wasn’t our agreement,’ spat Quentin, pointing at my aunt’s body.
Augustine glanced down. ‘Oh, of course. How thoughtless of me. You’re referring to your future wife and the throne. I made a promise to you, and I’ve kept my end of things.’ He shifted his gaze to me. ‘I just never said how I would go about it.’
Augustine held up his arm and pressed his fingers against the tattoo. Sebastian’s body jerked violently, like a marionette under its master’s control. He launched into the air. The beat of his wings was a loud, ominous heartbeat. He bowed up his chest, threw his head back, and roared. The sound was a primal blast that rattled the chandeliers.
Shadowen crashed through the stained-glass windows and joined the others, descending on the assembly of people below. Panic engulfed the room. Gypsies dove under pews and ran for the doors. Marksmen launched forward to defend the their clan members as chimeras poured into the room. Diamond blades flashed and arrows flew. Donani had gotten to his feet and was struggling down the steps, shouting orders to his men.
Augustine laughed, with an almost blissful expression, as he watched his own people fighting for their lives. Sebastian dropped behind him in a flurry of wings, landing deftly on the pads of his clawed feet. I looked at his face, which had gone vacant once more, and a deep, penetrating cold seeped into my bones.
‘Consider this an engagement gift,’ said Augustine as he stepped back to stand beside Sebastian. He winked at me. ‘Do try to enjoy it. These remaining moments as Queen will be your last.’
He put his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder.
And they were gone.
Time slowed around me. The shouts and screams died away. I stood in the middle of the altar space. The fighting became a blur. I could no longer see the Corsis or Katie. Maybe they were dead already. Would I be next? I wanted to be next. I couldn’t take another breath.
My gaze drifted to the altar table. The pages of the large open Bible. The thick brass candlesticks on either side. I reached out and touched them. I heard Quentin calling my name. It brought me to the surface.
‘Josie, let’s go,’ he said urgently. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
I didn’t turn around. ‘We’re not getting out.’
‘He could’ve killed us. He didn’t. He’s letting us go.’
I slowly closed the Bible and rested my hands on it, just inches from one of the candleholders. ‘He’s going to kill everyone, and he won’t stop until it’s done.’
‘He’s weeding out the corruption in our kumpania. So we’ll let him. We’ll be able to start over. It will make our reign that much easier.’
My fingers closed around the brass fixture. ‘Our reign.’
‘You’re the Queen now,’ said Quentin smoothly. ‘And I’m—’
I grabbed the candleholder and swung it. The metal cracked against his head. Quentin staggered back and fell into a heap on the floor.
I tossed the candle aside and knelt, checking his breathing. The edge of the brass base left a gash in Quentin’s forehead, but his chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm. I grabbed his sword and stepped over his unconscious b
ody.
I reached the bottom step, but as soon as a placed my foot on the floor, a grotesque dove at me from the ceiling. I swung the sword with both hands, falling back into a pew as the force of the creature hit me. The shadowen skidded across the floor, its head disconnected from its body. The sword clattered away from me across the floor.
I gasped for breath, gaping at the stone corpse of the grotesque. Someone grabbed me by the arm. I jerked out of the hold and raised my hand to strike. But I stopped short. The green-hooded couple I’d seen earlier on the first row stood in front of me.
One held a small, diamond-coated axe. The other clutched a mace. Both were smeared with black blood. The taller one threw off his hood, and the other followed suit. I stared into the faces of Zindelo and Nadya Corsi.
‘This way,’ said Zindelo.
They didn’t wait for me to follow. The Corsis hurried through the side door, leaving the battle behind us. But we didn’t go outside. Instead, Zindelo led us down a narrow hall and through several small prayer rooms.
‘Where are we going?’ I panted.
Nadya was at my shoulder. ‘You tell us.’
I stopped dead. ‘What?’
Zindelo turned on his heel. ‘We have to get to Augustine before it’s too late. You must locate Sebastian.’
My heart wrenched tight in my chest. ‘But they shadowed. I don’t know where they went.’
‘Yes, you do,’ said Nadya, peering up at me. ‘You need to stop everything else going on in your head and concentrate.’ She grasped the pendant at my neck and held it out. ‘Use your sclav.’
I didn’t ask for explanations. Didn’t try to reason. I took the glass between my fingers and held it tight. I pictured Sebastian in my head. Every detail I could muster. Every emotion. The pendant went white-hot in my hands. I dropped it in shock. And then, I knew.
‘He’s on the roof.’
40. Josephine
We took the winding staircase to the cathedral belfry. In the quiet of the tower, I could almost believe none of this was happening, that the fighting in the sanctuary wasn’t real, that Sebastian was at home at the Circe, waiting on me with his shy smile and a witty comment. As we neared the imposing iron bells, reality set in.
‘Can you help Sebastian?’
My words sounded dull and flat in the stairwell.
‘We’re not certain,’ Nadya replied. She searched through her bag as we reached the top. ‘You see what is happening. It is exactly as we feared. Sebastian can control the shadowen. If Augustine has truly gained mastery over him, then all may be lost.’
I paused before answering. ‘Augustine told me he’d burned the last of the humanity out of Sebastian. But back there, in the sanctuary, when Sebastian looked at me, I thought maybe for a second, that he might snap out of it. He looked confused, like he didn’t know what he was doing.’
Nadya glanced sideways at me. ‘You think Sebastian is somehow managing to hold back La Gargouille?’
‘I don’t know. But I can feel him fighting.’
‘Then there may still be time,’ she replied.
Zindelo nodded. ‘Augustine may have control of him now, but I fear he doesn’t know what he truly possesses.’
‘Do we have a plan?’ I asked.
Nadya pulled out a thin syringe. She handed it to me. ‘There is a large enough dose of Vitamin D in this to turn one gargoyle to stone. While not pleasant, it is certainly preferable to death.’
I took it from her quickly, so she wouldn’t see my trembling fingers. Zindelo pushed open a thick wooden door, and we found ourselves on the roof of the Cathedral of Saints.
Illuminated by the light of the moon, the flat space seemed to go on forever. There were thick parapets and wide ledges on either side, lined with statues and tall spires that cut into the night sky. In the center of the roof was a large domed glass window that looked down into the sanctuary below.
I couldn’t see Augustine or Sebastian anywhere. We moved forward cautiously, keeping to the right side, feeling our way along the ornately walled ledge that kept us from falling to the ground below. I started to doubt my senses, but as we reached one of the towering spires, I caught a glimpse of movement on the far end of the roof.
Zindelo nodded at me to continue. We moved around several more spires before ducking behind a section of parapet, using it as our vantage point. Badrick and the other gargoyles were perched along the back ledge of the cathedral, their wings tucked against their backs and their expressions still blank and lifeless.
Augustine stood one side of the glass dome. On the other, two figures knelt in front of it, knees pressed into the packed, pebbly gravel of the roof, looking down though the window into the depths of the sanctuary.
Ezzie and Hugo.
Sebastian crouched several feet away on a narrow section of parapet exactly like the one we were hiding behind. His body seemed almost frozen as he stared, unblinking, into the darkness beyond. I prayed that he and the other gargoyles, in their trance-like states, wouldn’t sense we were near.
Augustine’s voice carried easily to us in the night air. ‘This is fitting, is it not? That La Gargouille should have for his first kill a member of the Corsi clan and its banished guardian.’
‘He doesn’t belong to you,’ hissed Ezzie.
‘Oh, but he does,’ Augustine replied, touching his arm. ‘And he commands the shadowen on my orders alone. Observe.’
He pressed his hand against his arm and I watched Sebastian jerk to life, like he’d been shocked with paddles. He lifted his head to the heavens. The veins bulged in his neck as he let out a ferocious snarl.
The glass dome shattered. Two chimeras burst through the window. The creatures shot into the air above us, eyes wide and glaring. Black ooze dripped from the deep cracks in their skin as they hovered in the air expectantly, ready for blood. But they didn’t attack. They waited, I knew, for Sebastian’s permission.
‘You know,’ said Augustine, his voice thick with triumph. ‘I could’ve killed you both in the cemetery, but I’ll find this much more satisfying. Before you die, you will watch my shadowen eradicate every Outcast in the sanctuary below.’
Hugo glared at him. ‘You’re gonna burn for this.’
‘I’ll take my chances,’ Augustine replied.
Suddenly, his body hit the ground, crushed by the weight of Hugo’s running tackle. Hugo punched him hard across the jaw. Sebastian made another noise. The gargoyles surged to life. Ezzie jolted to her feet, but Badrick was there to intercept her. Augustine pulled himself out of the way, clutching his face, as the gargoyles and chimeras attacked.
Zindelo sprang past me, launching his axe as he ran. The blade caught Tamzen in the shoulder. She fell back against a spire, clutching at the diamond weapon. I looked frantically back at Sebastian. His face was turned to the shattered dome, observing the sight below us with cold eyes. I ducked behind a row of statues and dropped to my knees.
‘Don’t kill the gargoyles,’ Ezzie shouted.
‘Trust me,’ Hugo shouted back, ducking out of the way of Gussalen’s claws. ‘Not a problem!’
I turned to see Zindelo, pinned against a spire by Sunniva, her claws splayed to strike. Then, somehow, she turned to stone. Zindelo slipped underneath her frozen arms.
Suddenly, the chimeras grabbed Hugo and began dragging him across the roof. I fixed my eyes on Sebastian. I had to get through to him before Augustine used him to kill us all. I squeezed my eyes so tightly my head ached.
Sebastian!
His name sent painful spikes into my head, taking me off balance. I struggled to my feet and tried again.
Sebastian, listen to me.
The whoosh of giant wings filled my ears. I opened my eyes as he landed in front of me and dropped to a crouch. His lips pulled back, showing all his teeth. My heart beat like a stampede beneath my chest, but I ignored the threatening glint in his eyes and concentrated only on my mental voice.
This isn’t you.
He tipped h
is head to the left, like an animal would when it heard a sound. He blinked slowly, and for just a second, I saw a flicker of something behind his solid silver orbs. I pressed forward with my thoughts.
Augustine is controlling you.
Sebastian’s face wrenched up in agony. He ground the heels of his hands into his temples. He took one step back on his clawed feet and shook his head with fierce movements, like he was trying to throw something off. I closed my eyes and tried one last time, yelling inside my head as loud as I could.
Sebastian, you have to stop this!
I opened my eyes again to find him staring back at me, eyes wide and wild. But there was recognition – a flash of understanding. I felt it rip through me like fire. Sebastian’s lip dropped, though his face contorted. My head buzzed with electrical shocks. I heard a voice. His voice. It was faint at first, barely coherent. And then, I caught the words.
I … can’t …
The tortured pain in those words sliced into my brain. He was battling, fighting a losing fight that had transformed him inside and out, but he was still in there! Sebastian wasn’t lost. Not yet. I raised my hands in front of me and held his gaze with every ounce of determination I possessed.
Yes, you can.
His entire body shook, every muscle underneath his gray skin tight and bulging. The internal war tossed him backwards, and his wings shot out to steady him. He roared, and the sound pierced the air around me. Sebastian threw back his shoulders and advanced on me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hugo bent between the chimeras as they took to the air. I shouted out loud.
‘Yes, you can!’
Sebastian stopped dead in his tracks as a violent shudder engulfed him. His eyes locked with mine. I held my breath, my arms still extended in front of me, and I braced myself.
Then, I felt a shift within him.
Sebastian spun away from me and took off like a sprinter, arms pumping as he gained speed. His wings snapped out. He collided with the chimeras, knocking Hugo free of their grasp. Hugo’s body skittered across the pebbled rooftop. Sebastian and the chimeras spiraled in tight circles through the air, disappearing into the night.
Midnight Page 33