Darkness Watching (Darkworld #1) (26 page)

I skimmed through the book. The further into it I got, the worse the images became. The book was divided into two parts:
Shadow-Beasts and Other Lesser Demons
and
True Demons
. Within the latter section, I flipped open the book onto a later chapter entitled “Higher Demons.”

“Are some demons more powerful than others, then?” I asked.

“Yeah, they have a hierarchy within the Darkworld,” said Cyrus, “but no one really understands it, not even the Venantium’s Demon Researchers. They say the highest demons have the ability to make the human they possess live forever, as they do, but there’s no proof of this.”

“So, naturally, some sorcerers summon as many demons as possible in an attempt to gain enough power to contact these so-called higher demons,” said Leo. “It’s a waste of time. Read that book. It says the higher demons appear in this world only when they want to; they can’t be controlled. They walk around in a human-like form, so no one can track them in either world. That’s what the legends say, anyway,” he added, “and, generally, what the Venantium dismisses as legend turns out to be true.”

“What about angels?” I asked, looking at the pictures of twisted creatures and thinking of Dante, of Milton, of all the poets who summoned up a vision not only of Hell but also its opposite, Heaven, a supposed antithesis to the place of evil. “The fortune-teller told me they don’t exist, but how do we know for sure? In all the myths about demons I’ve read, angels always appear as the opposite.”

“That’s where people get the wrong end of the stick,” said Cyrus. “They think demons are pure evil in themselves, but they’re not, not as evil as some of the sorcerers who conjure them. Really, the problem with demons is that people have this image of them as servants of Satan, but all they’re really doing is acting in their own self-interest. Which is pretty human, in my opinion.”

“
Or
you could look at it like this,” said Berenice. “People made up the myth of Heaven to escape from the fear of the reality of Hell. But there are no angels. No one can save you.” She wore a twisted smile, as if revelling in her personal vision of Hell.

“Which is why beer exists,” said Leo, opening a can.

“
Anyway,
” said Claudia loudly. “Anyone want to come to the bar tonight?”

“Can’t. I’ve got to finish my seminar work,” said Cyrus. “Next week, definitely.”

“I’ll come,” said Leo. “How about you, Ash?”

“Er… I shouldn’t; I have work to do.”

“Come on, Ash. Just come for one drink.”

“Well, okay, then. But I’m not going back to Satan’s Pit!”

t was surprisingly fun at first, just like hanging out with Alex and Sarah. Claudia, Leo, and I played a three-way game of pool; I ended up watching since the other two were so much better at it than me. Then we went to the common room and watched
Family Guy
on the widescreen TV. Leo had us in stitches doing a word-for-word impersonation of the whole episode. But then a group of football fanatics took over the TV to watch the match―including Howard, who reappeared without so much as an apology for hitting Leo. Berenice flounced over, too, and the mood rapidly deteriorated. Claudia and Leo were happy to take shots of Jäger until the sun rose, but I made an excuse and went back to the flat early. As I let myself in, I heard someone in the corridor. I opened the door and saw David, just going into his room.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hey. Where’ve you been?”

“The bar, with some people from GameSoc.” I crossed the corridor to my own room.

“I figured.”

“What have you been up to? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Just doing work. We’ve got our first essay in a couple of weeks, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, realising with a twinge of guilt that I’d forgotten all about the essay myself. Still, two weeks was plenty of time. “Did you manage to get your bike fixed?”

David’s face darkened. “Yeah, and then someone nicked it again. I found it halfway across the field the other night, like someone just dumped it there. Bastards are playing a game with me. I still don’t know how the hell they’re breaking the locks. It’s supposed to be foolproof.”

“Won’t the security cameras have picked it up?” I said, my heart sinking as I remembered the bike in Redthorne, and the trail of oil.

“Angela, the college secretary, checked them. Someone’s tampered with the footage from the last few weeks. It keeps going blank, like the screen’s been obscured by something. Haven’t you seen all the posters around campus asking for information?”

I shook my head.

“Well, anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

So now there was another mystery. All the evidence suggested there was someone at the university―most likely within the student village―who was a magic-user. But was this the same person who was summoning the shadow-beasts? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t fight the growing feeling that there was something very wrong.

The next day, however, drove all thought of foul play from my mind. As we waited for Sarah and Alex to come out of their rooms ready to go to the afternoon’s lecture, David asked me, “Do you want to come and hang out with me tonight?”

His words didn’t register immediately. When they did finally hit home, I’m pretty sure he could read the total shock written all over my face.

“Um, sure,” I said. “With your friends?”

“No, I don’t think they’ll be around. I’ve been invited to a party, but I’m not really feeling it. I’ll let you know later, okay?”

Before I could gather my thoughts into a coherent reply, Alex came out of her room.

“Ready for another thrilling lecture?”

“I don’t mind Payne’s lectures,” said David.

“Are you kidding me? Payne’s a psycho. I think he wants us all to fail.”

I let them carry on about the famously bad-tempered lecturer without joining in. My thoughts spun out of control. Was this it? Had David just
asked me out?

God, I needed to get a grip. I didn’t quite trust David not to disappear again.

But he didn’t. We went to Bargain Burgers, which, whilst hardly being a five-star restaurant, gave us the chance to have our first proper conversation in what felt like ages. Free of the suspicion that he’d been the one who’d broken into my room, I found myself relaxing around him entirely. He seemed in a much better mood, too.

But then things went wrong when David suggested going for a drink in the college bar.

As luck would have it, Claudia, Berenice, and a few people I didn’t recognise sat at a table right by the entrance. I couldn’t possibly avoid them.

I tried not to catch Claudia’s eye, but Berenice spotted me anyway, and called out, “Hey, Ash!” like she was pleased to see me. But her smile was more like a smirk.

I ignored her and walked with David to the bar, but he’d already seen.

“Who was that?”

“Someone from GameSoc,” I said evasively.

“Right. I’ll get the drinks. You can go sit with your friends, if you like.” His voice took on an irritable tone, like the presence of the others annoyed him.

“No, it’s fine, I’ll come with,” I said, wanting to get out of Berenice’s sight. She looked at me as if daring me to come and speak to her. What was
with
her?

David fidgeted, constantly checking his phone whilst we waited at the bar. He kept looking around, and his eyes lingered on the table where Berenice and the others sat. Although none of them looked at me, I saw him catch Claudia’s eye, and a strange expression crossed his face. Like recognition.

Finally at the front of the queue, David starting lining up shots of tequila on the counter.

I said, confused, “I don’t like tequila.”

“I know, they’re for me.”

I watched with raised eyebrows as he started downing them.

“Holy cow,” I said. “I thought you just wanted to come for one drink?”

“I’m going to a party,” he said shortly. “You remember?”

“I thought you said you weren’t going.”

“It’s my mate’s birthday. I can’t not go.”

That’s not what you said earlier,
I thought, but I was too aware of Berenice’s gaze on my back to argue.

“Oh, right.”

“Sorry,” he said, not meeting my eyes. “You can go if you like.” But what I heard was
Go away.

I didn’t quite make it back to the flat before the tears came. I tried to get inside without drawing attention to myself, but Alex and Sarah accosted me as soon as I opened the door.

“You went on a
date
with David, and you didn’t tell us?” said Alex. “I’m ashamed of you.”

“How was it?” said Sarah.

I was too choked up to speak.

“What’s wrong?”

“It wasn’t a
date,
and he doesn’t even like me anyway.” The tears came thick and fast now. “He totally spurned me.”

Alex hugged me. “What a prick. Tell us all about it.”

“I don’t know what happened. We were getting on fine, then we got to the bar and he suddenly said he had to go to this party and ditched me! He’d already told me he wasn’t going. It was like he just changed his mind.”

“Maybe he’s bipolar,” said Alex. “What an asshole. Don’t bother with him.”

“But… I don’t get it. I thought he
liked
me,” I said, cheeks burning with humiliation.