Walking Shadow (The Darkworld Series Book 2) (4 page)

“I was wondering,” I said, voicing something that had been on my mind a lot recently. “Is it possible to use magic to change your appearance? You know, disguise yourself?”

Claudia frowned. “Not that I know of. I guess you could use a mind-trick, make people think you’re someone else. But that would take a hell of a lot of skill.”

“More than breaking into someone’s mind?” I referred to what we’d done to my former flatmate, David. It still didn’t sit well with me that we’d erased twenty-four hours’ worth of memories from his mind so he wouldn’t report us to the Venantium, his bosses. Worse was how easy it had been.

“Well, yeah, it’d have to be done on a massive scale. Low-level Influence, like making yourself effectively invisible to people, that’s fairly easy. But maintaining an illusion like that… well, you’d have to be tuned into the Darkworld all the time. Most people would burn out.”

Using any magic required this connection, but I didn’t feel it like other people did. From carefully questioning the others, I concluded that to most people, it was a tenuous connection at best, and quickly drained energy from the body. For me, the penetrating cold made me feel alive in a way that was one part scary and one part strangely thrilling.
Perks of being part demon.
Yet sometimes, I’d sell my soul to be like other magic-users, not caught in a web of secrets that might constrict around me at any moment.

“I’m not the best with mind-tricks,” said Leo. “Pity, since they’re useful. But unless you have specialist training, there’s only so much you can do.”

“It’s because the Venantium like to guard all the secrets of magic,” said Claudia. “Like in their library. There’s still no sign of the
Sorcerers’ Almanac
.”

“I know,” said Leo. “Well, I vote that if our little friend bothers us again, we point him in their direction. There’ll be someone sympathetic enough to take an interest in protecting him. Or just getting him out of our way.”

“That’s not very nice, Leo,” said Claudia.

“Hey, I have every sympathy for his condition. I just think he’s a whiny moron.”

I laughed at that. “A bit whiny, yeah.” I hadn’t told the others about him asking me out, and I didn’t intend to bring it up if I could help it. I hoped he’d leave me alone.

Famous last words,
I thought, as we emerged from the trees to see Conrad waiting up ahead, on the path that led directly to the student village. My heart sank.

“Can’t he take a hint?” I muttered.

“Maybe he’s seen something?” said Claudia.

Conrad stood stock still, visibly trembling.

“What’s up?” Leo called.

He said something I didn’t hear. Then three voices cried, “Ash! Look out!” just as a large shape barrelled into me, knocking me off my feet, and sharp teeth sank into my arm.

he world flipped over. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the stench of earth and leather. And, lurking beneath, a more subtle scent, metallic and salty. Blood. My arm throbbed. I rolled out of the way of my attacker―a big man, broad and wild-looking. He wore the tattered remains of what must once have been a pristine suit, which was now torn and stained with mud. His steel-grey hair was matted and his teeth were bared in an inhuman snarl.

“I found you,” he hissed.

I couldn’t move. Even though he wasn’t touching me, I felt as though I was frozen to the spot. It was like one of my nightmares which ended in sleep paralysis, with me unable to even move a limb, or scream for help. But before anything else could happen, there was an explosion of fiery light and the man leapt aside, roaring in pain. Claudia faced him, and she looked incredibly pissed off.

“What,” she said, “is your problem?”

“This is none of your concern,” he growled.

“I’d say it is,” said Leo, and threw himself at the man.

This was an incredibly foolish thing to do, given that his opponent was twice his size, but the guy clearly hadn’t expected such a direct assault. They both fell away down the hill, and judging by the flashes and yells of pain, both were using magic. I hesitated to follow, not wanting to get in the way. I’d never seen Leo display the slightest bit of aggression before, but now he looked livid. I was ashamed at myself for holding back, but it didn’t seem a bright idea to get in the way of the flames. Being part-demon meant I’d never be able to summon fire myself, although I could still overwhelm a demon using ice that burned like flames. But I couldn’t make myself immune to burning, like Leo and Claudia could. In a fight like that I’d burn alive.

“Get away from her!” yelled a voice.

I’d forgotten about Conrad. He ran towards us, but his feet slipped on the wet grass and he went head over heels. I would have laughed at him if I didn’t have more pressing matters to deal with.

Ignoring my throbbing arm, I contacted the Darkworld and felt the familiar surge of coldness, of pure energy, rush through me. Without thinking, I threw myself after the other two. Claudia hung back, perhaps hesitant to shoot a fireball in case she hit Leo by accident. But I didn’t really have a plan. I just wanted to get him away from Leo.

Ice spread out from my palms rapidly as I latched onto the man from behind.

“Leo, let go of him!” I shouted, not wanting him to get caught in the spell, too. He backed away, gaping as ice flowed over the man before him.

Drained, I dropped to my knees.

“How the hell did you do that?” said Leo. “I’ve never seen magic like it.”

“I have no idea.” Light-headedness swept over me. I pressed my forehead to the cold ground, my body trembling.
This big guy attacked me for no reason.
“Tell me I didn’t imagine that. Who was he? A werewolf?”

“No, he’s another vampire,” said Leo, and he wasn’t laughing. “His name’s Bill Melmoth, and he’s my guardian.”

My heart missed a beat. “You what? Your guardian?” I looked up at him, even though I felt dizzy.

“Yeah. Shit.” He knelt down to examine the perfect vampire ice-statue. “Holy hell. He’s totally iced over.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “He’s… a vampire?” I held up my arm. “He bit me. Am I going to turn into one of them?”

“No, of course not,” said Leo. He’d pulled out his mobile phone. “Vampires often bite people to make it easier to take their magical energy from them.”

“Ouch,” I said, examining the ring of teeth marks. He’d barely drawn blood, but it stung from where the bite had overlapped on the scars from where harpies had attacked me last year.

“Cy! Cyrus! Oh, for God’s sake. He’s not picking up.”

He turned back to me. “Hell. We’re in a mess. Do you need something to put on that arm? I have antiseptic cream somewhere in my flat. Let me look at it.”

That seemed beside the point, but I let him check it anyway.

“I think you’re fine. I’m so sorry about this. I never thought…” He shook his head.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “He’s really your guardian?”

“Yeah. After Mum died, Dad didn’t want anything to do with his kids any more. He left us for the Venantium. Melmoth here took Cy and me in when he retired. And he’s…” Leo shook his head again. “It’s been getting worse. Vampirism worsens over time, and he’s had it his whole life. But he’s
never
attacked anyone deliberately. He seemed to recognise you. It’s weird.”

“I’ve honestly never see him before,” I said. “I don’t understand.”

“Nor me,” said Leo, punching numbers into his phone. “Maybe he’s cracked. I’ll look after him, since Cy’s decided to turn his phone off.”

“So… what do we do?”

“I’ll figure it out,” said Leo. “You’d better get back to your flat―Claudia, too. I don’t want us to get caught out here. I don’t know what he was thinking, coming so close to the Venantium. They’re not exactly best friends. He only stayed in Crowley because his family’s buried there…”

“You can’t stay out here with him alone!”

“Trust me,” said Leo, “he won’t attack me. I can handle him. Go.”

The spell began to wear off. I could see the ice melting, water dripping from Mr Melmoth’s hands.

“Jesus,” said Claudia. “I’ve never seen anything like that ice-spell. Are you a direct descendant?”

“A what?” I said, blankly.

“They say the descendants of the original Inner Circle had extraordinary magic.”

“I’ve no idea,” I said. “I never found my entry in that book, remember?”

“The
Almanac
? That’s a point. I wonder if it’s back in the library? Worth a look, I suppose―”

“Leo!” said Claudia, gesturing at Mr Melmoth’s prone form. “Bigger problems?”

“Oh, right. You two should go.”

“Okay,” said Claudia. “Come on, Ash.”

She half-dragged me back to the flat, ignoring my protests. She was surprisingly strong for someone barely taller than I was.

“Did you want him to attack you again?” she said, as she used her fob to get into the building.

“I didn’t want him to hurt Leo. He―he never told me his guardian was a vampire.”

“It’s not something he or Cyrus really talk about. Cy’s pretty private, but he did tell me about his family one time. Apparently that Melmoth guy used to be really high up in the Venantium, until it came out that he had the Vampire’s Curse, and he had to step down. They’re so prejudiced there.”

“I can imagine,” I said. “He kept it a secret, then?”

“Must have done.”

“It’s weird.” I sighed. “I just don’t get why he attacked me.”

“I don’t get it either. And how did you freeze him like that? It’s the same thing you did to David, right?”

“I don’t know. It must have been instinct, I just… did it.”

Claudia sighed. “We need to look into this. And I think we should talk to… you know,
her.”

“Ash?” said a voice from behind me. Once again, I’d forgotten about Conrad. He stood awkwardly outside the block, swaying slightly as though he might faint.

“You’d better go, too,” said Claudia. “Why’d you follow us here?”

“I live here,” said Conrad. “Well, in the block over there.” He pointed.

“Then what the hell was up with making us go all the way into Blackstone?” she demanded.

“Um, I didn’t want to be overheard. No one knows what I am here. They don’t even know I’m a magic-user.”

“Join the club,” said Claudia. “Doesn’t mean you had to drag us right up to the Venantium’s doorstep. We’ve been attacked there before. Well, Ash has.”

Conrad looked alarmed. “I’m sorry, Ash. I didn’t realise! I’m really, really sorry.”

“It’s fine.” I wasn’t used to guys falling over themselves to apologise to me; it made me feel uncomfortable. “I should be getting to my flat now, anyway. My friends’ll be wondering where I am.”

To my annoyance, Conrad followed me into the building, and right up to the door to my flat.
Great. Now he knows exactly where I live.
At least I was in the habit of checking the shield I’d placed on my room to stop intruders getting in, after what had happened last term.

“Goodbye, Conrad,” I said firmly, as I let myself in, making sure to shut the door behind me.

Maybe I’d been a bit mean to him, but I genuinely didn’t know how to deal with this situation. I’d wasted far too much of last term wondering if a guy liked me or not, and now I had the opposite problem. This had
never
happened before I’d come to Blackstone. I wasn’t the type to turn heads, and it had never particularly bothered me. Guys at home were usually only after one thing, so I didn’t take it as an insult.