Shadowborn's Terror: Book IV of 'The Magician's Brother' Series

by HDA Roberts

  "You run, she wins," Crystal said.

  "She broke my heart, Crystal."

  "What's the worst she could do after that?" she asked, stroking my face.

  "I don't know, and I'm not over-eager to find out!"

  "She may be here to win you back, you don't know."

  "I am not a toy to be picked up and put down at her whim!" I said, a little harshly, "I may not be much, but I'm worth more than that! And no, she was very clear on that point."

  "Mathew, trust someone who found out the hard way, knowing is far better than speculating. If you hide instead of facing her, that's a decision that will haunt you," she said gently.

  I scowled. She smiled at me and pulled away, leading me by the hand.

  "Want to make out a little in front of her?" she asked coquettishly, "Make her a bit jealous?"

  "Maybe next time."

  She giggled, "And I don't like her at all, so you know. Far too prim and prissy for you," she said as we walked down the stairs and left towards the drawing room. Crystal opened the door for me.

  Tethys had redecorated again. The wide room was now filled with comfortable sofas and armchairs, coffee tables strategically dotted about the place.

  Cathy was wearing casual clothes; skirt, cotton shirt and jacket with thick socks, stockings and polished shoes. She was beautiful, her hair pulled back into a bun, her glasses slightly slipped down her nose.

  Tethys was there, glaring slightly at my ex-girlfriend. The very sight of her sent a lance of pain through my chest. She stood as I approached and winced as she saw me. Well, I couldn't blame her for that; between the Siphon and the poison, I was a horror show, paler than I'd ever been, slightly more gaunt in some places and saggy in others, it wasn't pretty.

  I walked over to the sofa opposite hers, bypassing any awkwardness over any sort of hug-type situation. She was watching me like a mouse in the presence of a snake, very intent and careful, like even the slightest movement would set me off, or something.

  I sat and she followed suit, Tethys slid out discreetly.

  Cathy's eyes looked around the room while I waited, almost entirely disinclined towards helping her out of the silence.

  "The place looks good," she finally said.

  "Thank you," I said as politely as I could.

  "I imagine Tethys is owed the compliment far more than you, though," she said with a small smile.

  "Why are you here, Cathy?" I asked in a voice that sounded tired even to me.

  "I... I didn't like how we left things."

  "How... we left things, you say?"

  "How I left things," she replied, looking down.

  "How would you have preferred to have left things?" I asked, falling back on my tried and tested verbal nonsense that covers up my insecurity and hurt feelings.

  "Not like that," she said, "I... you are my best friend, Matty. I hate that we haven't talked. I hate that I had to hurt you like that. I miss you."

  "How's Bill?" I asked.

  She started, "He's fine," she said, her voice a little shaky.

  "Funny, he hasn't called, picked up or answered a text in almost as long as you," I said slowly.

  I stared her down.

  "It's not what you think, I swear."

  "Hardly matters, does it? You made it quite clear that I have no further say in your... affairs."

  "He made a pass. I said no, alright? Is that what you want to hear?"

  It very definitely was not what I wanted to hear. That hurt quite a bit; maybe Bill hadn't managed to escape the effects of Source, after all. I couldn't imagine the Bill I knew doing something like that.

  "Again, you made it perfectly clear that what I want doesn't make the slightest difference to you," I said, pushing past it, "I nearly died. And you just left me in that hospital. After that day, I got even sicker, and that moment was the source of quite a few delirium nightmares. You took away my hope in that moment, do you understand that?"

  "Yes! Of course I understand, Matty, and I'm so sorry! I came here to say I was sorry! I'm so sorry!"

  I sat there sadly.

  "Do you want me back?" I asked, half-hopefully, "Is that why you're here?"

  She looked away. No, she didn't. God, I wish she hadn't come, this was agony.

  "No, I don't, not like that. I want my friend back," she said, tears in her eyes, "I miss you so much!"

  "So you're willing to have me as a friend, knowing what I do, but not a boyfriend? Interesting," I said.

  "Don't be like that, Matty, don't you understand that I can't be with you like that if there's a chance you won't be there in the future?" she said, slightly desperately.

  I sighed and rubbed my face, "Yes, I can understand," I said sadly, "but what are you hoping to get out of this? You aren't coming to Stonebridge University. We won't even see each other."

  "I want to be there for you, and I don't want to lose touch with you, not after everything we've been through. I want to talk to you, to know that I can call and you'll pick up."

  "Okay," I said, "We'll do that, I guess."

  She nodded, and the silence came back with a vengeance.

  "Call me then?" she said, standing up, eager to get out of there, I thought.

  "Yeah," I said. I opened the door to the drawing room and found Kandi with her ear to the keyhole.

  "Really?" I asked.

  "I was just checking the fixtures for... holes and woodworms and stuff," she said sheepishly.

  "Why don't you go check the fixtures upstairs?" I suggested with a glare. She grinned and darted away.

  I walked Cathy through a deserted house and out to the front gate.

  "Bye Matty," she said softly.

  "Bye Cath," I said, barely preventing my voice from trembling. She got in a cab and left. I walked back inside, where Demise, Cassandra and Tethys were waiting.

  "The traitor, Hedrin," Demise whispered, "It would be my pleasure to kill him for you, my Lord."

  She was perfectly serious. She'd do it and not sweat at all.

  I almost said yes.

  And in that moment, something nasty woke up inside me.

  It wasn't anything really, barely a worm at the bottom of my Well, very definitely part of me, something that had always been there, dormant and quiet, something that perked up its evil little head and said 'You called?'

  No, no I didn't.

  'Ha, too late, you looked at me, and now I'm awake!'

  Evil.

  My own personal Evil; that black kernel at the heart of every man, just waiting for the right chance to make itself known. In a Shadowborn, that was the part that used the Black.

  I didn't really have a conversation with it, it wasn't a separate part of me, it was just... me. The ugly part of me that I'd been suppressing for so long. The part I'd stomped down when I met Hopkins and she taught me the error of my ways. This was the part of me that was petty and vindictive and cruel. It had always been tempered by a sense of justice and decency, but right then, it was at its strongest, glutted on pain and sadistic satisfaction over the destruction of all the evil creatures of Gardenia. And I was so sore...

  I dared not look too closely at it. In my heart, I knew what was underneath it, feeding it, and I dared not admit that to myself. Not then, not ever. Not if I wanted to keep my soul.

  But just in that moment... I almost lost Mathew Graves to my hate, my loss and my grief.

  "No," I said after a struggle, "Thanks, though."

  "Of course, my lord," she said, patting my shoulder, smiling grimly.

  "I won't kill him, but I'll happily track him down and kick him square in the balls for you," Cassandra said.

  "Go forth, Warden, as my emissary, and with my blessing," I said with a smile.

  Cassandra smiled back and kissed my cheek before leading Demise away and leaving me with Tethys.

  "Want I should arrange for a Warlock of my acquaintance to curse him with a limp doodle?" Tethys asked.

  I smiled sadly and she wrapped her arms
around me again.

  "It's alright, Matty," she said, "It's all going to be alright."

  Afterword

  Thanks for reading Shadowborn's Terror! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I would like to offer a special thank-you to all my readers, and especially those who wrote to me with questions, comments and feedback; you've been a real inspiration and help to me, so thank you!

  If you enjoyed the book, and you have some spare time, I would greatly appreciate a review, and any comments or questions can be sent to me directly at hdaroberts@gmail.com.

  Mathew will return in Heart's Darkness, coming (relatively) soon.