Walking Shadow (The Darkworld Series Book 2) (13 page)

“They sound like a crazy religious cult,” I said.

“And they secretly run the universe. It explains a lot about the world, at any rate,” said Leo grimly. “They’re usually too late to stop most things. I mean, we live in the safest village around, yet all it takes is one wayward sorcerer and you have total chaos. The Demon Wars started here, you know? Right under their noses.”

“The guy questioning me at the Venantium told me the Blackstone family started it,” I said.

“Didn’t you know?”

“Well… no. I mean, I knew they were local, but I didn’t realise they were actually connected to the Venantium. He said the girl, Melivia, was tricked into summoning a demon.”

“That’s one version of the story,” said Leo. “The other was that she was seduced by a demon itself. An incubus. Or even a higher demon. There’s a cult within the Venantium who believe it was Lucifer himself, leader of the higher demons, in human form, and that someday he will return to Earth again. Then again, a lot of that group also believe in the impending apocalypse, so I wouldn’t take it too seriously.”

“Does no one know what actually happened?”

“Well, there weren’t any surviving witnesses close enough to know for certain, so the stories are pretty much based on speculation. I mean, the Blackstones are all dead, even old Marcus, who was out of town at the time and came back to help fight in the Demon Wars. He built that monument to their family and insisted on the village―what was left of it―taking their name. Died alone, about a hundred years ago.”

“Did the sorcerer―the one who started it―die too? Wait.” I frowned. “The guy questioning me said he did. But―he said his name was Lucifer.”

“Really, now? A lot of sorcerers have used that name. Hmm. That’s interesting. I always thought they knew more than they let on. But as I said, no one knows for definite, which is why all those stories about incubi and the like sprung up. And Lucifer, the higher demon. Not sure how he’d feel about sorcerers using his name, to be honest.”

“The guy at the Venantium… he said Melivia burned herself alive to exorcise a demon.”

“Did he now?” Leo frowned. “Who was he?”

“Mr… Priestley? I think that was his name.”

“Oh God, he’s one of them. That’d explain it.”

“Who?

“The crazy cult who think Lucifer the higher demon is the Second Coming, or whatever.”

“He didn’t seem crazy to me. He did let me off.”

“Probably took it as a sign from Lucifer. I think he was the one who tried to lecture me about the state of my immortal soul.”

“Really?”

“Yep. He’s one of the okay ones, in all honesty. At least you had him and not Dr Philips or one of Jude’s friends.”

“Hmm. Why d’you think Jude was at the house, anyway?”

“God knows. If he tells his superiors that I was in Melmoth’s house―and he will, there’s no doubt about it―then they’ll be watching me.”

“I thought they were watching us anyway?” I said.

“This just complicates things. The real question is whether Jude was acting on orders, of if he just felt like nosing around Melmoth’s house.” He sighed.

Then he grinned at me. “Well, at least it saved us paying train fare!”

Despite everything that had happened, I couldn’t help grinning back.

nsurprisingly, endless tunnels threaded my dreams, and I awoke with a brief flood of panic thinking I was enclosed in the Venantium’s glass case again. I went for a walk to clear my head. After another cold night, every blade of grass and tattered fallen leaf wore a coating of frost.

I was going to follow the woodland path directly to town, but then I saw a flock of large black birds fly overhead, in that direction. I had no intention of doing anything to attract the harpies’ attention, so I altered my course and walked in a loop around campus instead.

Unfortunately, it was early enough that the hard-core partygoers were only just returning from Redthorne’s all-night bars, and the sounds of shrieks and laughter from the still-inebriated students returning from town punctuated my thoughts, keeping me from brooding. It was probably a good thing, I thought as I changed track back towards the student village. I had work I was supposed to be doing, anyway.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Alex had texted me asking where I was. My friends could never understand my habit of taking random spontaneous walks in the woods, although I suppose I didn’t quite comprehend Alex’s rampant enthusiasm for every sport under the sun, or why Sarah liked romance novels so much. It bothered me more that I had to tell them so many little white lies, like where I’d been yesterday, for instance. Alongside Cara, they were the best friends I’d ever had. They were my anchor to sanity.

I stopped suddenly, mid-step. I was about to walk into a frozen puddle, although that wasn’t what made me pause. I saw movement in the trees ahead, and beneath the sounds of chatter carried from campus on the breeze, I was positive I’d heard a quiet voice nearby. It could have been my imagination―perhaps it was the sound of tree branches rubbing together, stirred by the restless wind. But it sounded more like a whisper.

There was a lull in the noise, and I heard a soft laugh.

I skirted the puddle, moving towards the source. Someone was definitely there, only a few metres away from me. The trees here were dense, but I caught a glimpse of the figure, between bramble bushes.

I remembered the girl I’d seen the other day. Was it the same person? I squinted through the trees, unease shivering down my spine.

Then she darted away. In a blink, she was gone, leaving only a blurred impression on my eyes.

What the hell was that?

I walked back in a daydream, wondering if it was a sign I was cracking up that, for a second there, I’d thought I’d been looking in a mirror, that the girl had looked exactly like me. But there were a lot of average-height girls with dark hair who wore black coats around. I was being stupid.

“Ash!” said a voice behind me. “I thought it was you.”

I turned to see Conrad beaming at me.
Oh, crap.

“Hi,” I said.

“Where have you been? Where are you going?”

Seriously?
“I’ve just been for a walk. I’m going back to my flat now.”

“Ah, cool. I love walking. I’ve just been in the forest myself, I thought I saw you earlier on the other side of campus, but it can’t have been you, because you’re here!”

I didn’t even know what to make of his babbling. “Um, yeah,” I said, lamely, wishing he’d stop staring at me. Didn’t he ever blink?

“Did you have a nice weekend?” he said.

“Um, yeah, it was okay,” I said.
Just the usual. Exploring underground tunnels and creepy old houses, and having a cryptic conversation with a demon in the middle of town. Typical student life.

“Great. I’m glad. I know you get stressed out about stuff, right? Claudia told me.”

“You’ve talked to Claudia?” I said, making a mental note to have stern words with her.

“Yeah, I saw her yesterday. I was coming over to see you and she said you’d gone out.”

“Right,” I said.
Jesus
. If I wasn’t careful, I really would end up with a stalker.

“Where were you yesterday?”

Was there a nice way to tell someone to mind their own business? “Just around, with my friends. Why did you want to see me?”

“I wanted to ask if you’d thought any more about the dance.”

“Huh?”

“The Valentine’s Ball?”

“I don’t do formal dances,” I said. “I’ve no money, anyway.”

“I’ll pay.”

“I’m really not interested, Conrad, sorry.”

Surely, I thought, that would put off the advances of even the most eager guy. But not Conrad.

“But it’ll be fun!” he insisted.

“I don’t think so.” I walked faster, keen to get as far away from him as possible.

He hurried to keep up. “It’s okay, we don’t have to go. We could go watch a film or―”

“Conrad.” There really was no other way to say it. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t have time for dating. I have a lot of work to do.” Lame excuse, but I
did
have a lot on my mind at the moment.

“It’s cool,” he said. “But just so you know, I’m available―”

Doesn’t he ever quit?
I’d thought Pete was a walking turn-off, but Conrad’s inability to take a hint astounded me―and I was hardly an expert in romance.

I walked as fast as I could without risking slipping on the wet ground. I kept glancing at the trees in case that figure appeared again, but with Conrad’s constant wittering, I wasn’t surprised they didn’t. Even demons would stay away.

When we got back to the student village, I said, firmly, “I’m going to do some work now. Bye, Conrad.”

Thankfully he didn’t try to follow me into my flat. I made a mental note never to let slip that there were two empty rooms in the flat―as of yet, no one had claimed the rooms that David and Terrence vacated, though Alex said that someone was viewing them in the next couple of weeks.

I looked at Terrence’s door. Someone had taken down the Dante quote he’d had up there, and if there had been any evidence of whatever illegal demonic summonings he’d been doing in his room, the Venantium had long since removed it. I never did find out if the screams coming from there had been coming from real people.

I shuddered and went into my own room. Best not dwell on it. The lunatic was dead, and I wasn’t sorry. He’d brought it upon himself by making a deal with a demon.

I didn’t know why anyone in their right mind would
want
to do that. True, Terrence had been certifiably insane, although apparently good enough at hiding it that no one, not even David, had suspected what he was.

Of course, David had been too busy investigating
me
…

My phone buzzed again. Leo had texted me asking if I wanted to meet in the library later. I replied in the affirmative, and an hour later, I left for campus again.

As I crossed the courtyard to the library, I spotted Leo waiting outside the doors. He waved at me. Just as I caught up with him, I heard raised voices behind me.

“The hell you don’t know what’s going on!”

Around us, everyone was stopping to stare at the altercation brewing in the middle of the square. At the centre was Howard, and another guy. Leo started towards them.

“Do we really want to get involved?” I said, following.

I stopped short as I realised it was Jude. I’d totally forgotten he studied here.
Okay. We definitely don’t want to be involved.

“Really, Howard,” he said, in his usual condescending way. “You don’t want to get hurt.”

“I’ll give you an injury. I’ll break your fucking neck,
venator
.”

“Language,” said Jude.

Howard moved closer, his fist clenched. “Give me a reason,” he snarled. “I know you’re not as saintly as you like to think. I’ve seen you skulking around that cemetery at night.”

“I am employed by the Venantium,” said Jude stiffly. “The entrance to Headquarters is located in the cemetery, which you should be well aware of by now. Wasn’t that the last place you saw your parents?”

At that, Howard seized him around the neck and lifted him off the ground. Jude choked, flailing. Leo moved to intervene.