Fading Light

by Nick Cook

  The terracotta horseman swirled his sword around his head and took out three more shadow crows with one blow. Something told me that whatever the Chinese ambassador thought when he found out what had happened, whoever had made these figures would approve of how their creations had acquitted themselves in this fight.

  The door swung shut behind us and we lost sight of the battle. With Gem’s hand in mine, we rushed away through the museum, heading for the exit.

  The first thing we saw outside was Williams sprinting towards us, although there was no sign of anybody else.

  Williams stared at Ethan slung over Hammond’s shoulder as he reached us. ‘What about the lad?’

  ‘He’s just unconscious,’ Hammond replied, as he cast a glance around. ‘So you managed to get everybody evacuated?’

  Williams nodded. ‘We used the fleet of bicycle rickshaws that had been parked up safely in a side street away from the wolves, to get everyone to safety.’

  ‘Good thinking.’

  Howls echoed from the museum at our backs.

  Domino managed a feeble snarl. Chloe clutched him tighter as the dog’s blood soaked into her jacket.

  ‘We need to put some serious distance between us and the museum, but we also need to get on and track down the new DEC,’ I said.

  ‘I know just the place where we can start to get things in motion. I also doubt the Terracotta Army will be able to hold the Shade off much longer. There were only a hundred of them to start with.’

  Williams gave his employer a startled look.

  ‘I’ll explain later,’ Hammond said. ‘Have we got any of the rickshaw drivers left?’

  ‘No, but I’ve already organised an alternative mode of transport.’ He put his hands into his mouth and blew a loud whistle.

  A horse-drawn carriage loomed out of the fog.

  General Hammond slapped his assistant on the back. ‘Very enterprising, Williams.’

  ‘It should prove an effective mode of transport, sir. And with it, we can cut through the city’s parks and avoid the jammed-up roads in this fog. We should be able to move quickly.’

  ‘Remind me to give you a pay rise,’ Hammond said.

  ‘Of course, sir,’ Williams replied with a smile.

  As we approached the open carriage, the driver jumped down and opened the door for us. Hammond entered first and carefully lowered Ethan on to the rear seat. Chloe and Domino clambered in alongside him. Straight away the dog struggled across and placed his head on Ethan’s legs.

  Williams gave the dog a withering look as Gem and I climbed to the front seat. ‘Just try to keep the dog’s blood off the upholstery,’ he said.

  ‘This dog helped save our lives. A bit of blood hardly matters, man,’ Hammond said.

  Williams quickly nodded. ‘Sorry, sir, of course not.’

  Hammond shook his head as he handed his expensive-looking scarf to Chloe. ‘I’m all out of bandages, so use this to stem the dog’s bleeding instead.’

  Chloe pressed the scarf into a gash across Domino’s shoulder. ‘Hang on, boy. You’ll be all right.’ She gently patted his head.

  The dog looked up at her with weak eyes before laying its head back down on Ethan’s lap.

  ‘Once we get back to my house, Williams, fetch a vet,’ Hammond said.

  But as Williams nodded, I caught the worried look Hammond traded with his assistant. I’d been thinking the same. Domino wasn’t going to make it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  General Hammond pointed at the impressive white stone building we had just pulled up at. ‘Welcome to my home and, more importantly, a place for us to regroup and deal with the injured, while I organise the search for the DEC.’

  The I bit of his sentence wasn’t wasted on me. We might have approached him, but Hammond was sweeping in and take over. I wasn’t exactly thrilled by this.

  Williams held the front door open as Hammond carried Ethan up the steps. Chloe was right behind him, clutching Domino to her chest.

  Gem and I followed the others inside and found ourselves in a large red-walled hallway filled with old landscapes and portrait canvases. A crystal chandelier hung over our heads, soon glinting with light once Williams had lit them. This looked just the sort of place I would have expected a retired general to live… An over-privileged bubble, walled-off from the rest of the world.

  We followed Hammond into a wood-panelled drawing room. Ethan had already been lowered on to an expensive-looking red-leather sofa with fine stitch work. Chloe had placed Domino on a rug next to him, much to Williams’s obvious disgust – he was busy glaring at the dog’s blood as it soaked into the white sheepskin.

  ‘Williams, fetch me some smelling salts and brandy, and then go straight round to the bicycle courier to drop off a note for me,’ Hammond said.

  ‘Right away, sir.’ Williams disappeared through the doorway.

  Gem looked after the assistant as he exited the room. ‘He doesn’t really approve of us, does he?’

  ‘You mustn’t mind Williams,’ Hammond replied. ‘He’s just one of the old school. He’s been with me since the army and is a huge snob, I’m afraid. But that aside, he’s got a good heart. Just give him time and he’ll come round.’

  Hammond withdrew a well-worn black address book with gold embossed letters on the cover from a bureau and began writing down a list of names.

  ‘I’m drawing up a list for Williams, based on my Friday-night dinner group,’ he explained as he caught me watching him.

  An image of overweight men in penguin suits immediately filled my mind. ‘And they are?’

  ‘A group of my trusted friends – from former ministers to retired officers. We meet once a week to put the world to rights over dinner. More importantly, they are exactly the sort of people to muster a very capable search party when we don’t know who can be trusted in government.’

  That sounded promising, but could Hammond, for all his good intentions, really find the DEC in time? But what was the alternative? For us to rush back to the middle of London, hoping for a big neon sign to point us in the right direction? No, as uncomfortable as it made me, relying on someone else seemed the only option right now.

  Hammond took hold of Ethan’s wrist and checked his pulse. ‘Good – it seems normal.’ He peered at the bandage. ‘But that’s very odd.’

  ‘What?’ I asked.

  ‘Hardly any blood has soaked into the bandage.’ Hammond carefully lifted the material to take a better look. ‘Good grief – his head wound has totally healed!’

  ‘Ah, yes,’ I said. ‘That’s another thing we should have probably mentioned. Awoken have a rapid healing ability.’

  Hammond shook his head. ‘Another miracle in a day of extraordinary events.’

  Williams hurried back in. He was carrying a silver tray with a small glass, a decanter and a small plastic sleeve.

  Hammond took the sleeve, ripped the end off and carefully placed it under Ethan’s nose.

  Ethan’s nostrils flared and his eyes shot open as he coughed violently.

  ‘Here, lad, drink some of this.’ General Hammond passed Ethan a small measure of brandy. He took a sip and pulled a face.

  ‘I’d rather have a good beer.’ Ethan’s fingers felt his bandage. ‘I remember… The wolf attacked me!’

  Chloe smiled. ‘You’ll live.’

  Ethan smiled back, but his face froze as he spotted Domino. ‘What happened?’ He dropped to his knees by his dog, tears filling his eyes. ‘The last thing I remember is Domino attacking the Shade wolf to protect me.’

  Chloe’s eyes glistened. ‘The way he protected you was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen.’

  A convulsion shook the collie.

  ‘Williams, call the vet again – now!’ Hammond shouted.

  Williams rushed out of the room and we heard the front door slam shut.

  Ethan stared at Domino. ‘I think it’s already too late for a vet…’ A choking hush fell over the room as he stared at the collie. ‘But
I can’t let him die. He’s been my best friend for years. We’ve been through everything together.’

  I felt the phone vibrate in my pocket. I’d forgotten that I was even carrying Sentinel with me.

  I believe that Gem may be able to help Domino with her gift, Sentinel messaged.

  I turned the screen to show her.

  She frowned. ‘But my ability seems to be only good for hurting the people I care about.’

  No – that’s not your true gift, just a distorted version of it. You told us before how you have been able to bring flowers back to life.

  ‘You’re not suggesting I try that out on Domino too?’

  That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.

  I stared at Gem. ‘Do you think that could really work?’

  ‘There’s a world of difference between bringing flowers back to life and healing a living, breathing animal,’ she replied.

  ‘What are you guys talking about?’ Chloe asked.

  I turned the screen round so the others could read Sentinel’s message.

  Hammond frowned. ‘But what makes you think Gem will be able to control her gift and not accidentally summon up that demon creature instead?’

  We won’t know for certain until she tries, but if you want to save Domino, it’s the only option we have, Sentinel messaged.

  Ethan reached out and grabbed Gem’s arm. ‘Look, I’ll take any help for Domino right now. Please, if there is anything you can do, then you have to try.’

  Although I was desperate to help Ethan, part of me was painfully aware of the risk.

  ‘I’m happy to try if you want me to,’ Gem said.

  Ethan looked on the point of shattering.

  Maybe to save the world, we have to start with acts such as this despite the obvious risk, Sentinel texted.

  ‘Do it, Gem,’ I said.

  Chloe extended her hands and lit a spark between them as she faced Gem.

  ‘What’s that for?’ Ethan asked.

  ‘An insurance policy,’ Chloe answered.

  I looked at her with hooded eyes. ‘You’re seriously going to blast Gem?’

  ‘Only if goes wrong,’ she replied.

  But Gem was nodding too. ‘No, Chloe’s absolutely right. You should be prepared to kill me if I lose control again.’

  My shoulders rose. ‘Do you have some sort of death wish, Gem?’

  Her eyes slid from mine and she didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled her hair back over her ears as she knelt by the dog, alongside Ethan.

  So that confirmed it. At some point, I needed a moment alone with Gem for a proper your life is worth living talk.

  Gem carefully lifted Hammond’s handkerchief from Domino’s wound and placed her hands directly on the bloodied gash in the dog’s side. The collie winced and Ethan stroked his dog’s head as he quietly hummed to him. The tune was ‘Danny Boy’ – the one I’d heard him singing during the first Summoning.

  Several minutes stretched on, but nothing seemed to be happening.

  What was Gem trying to do exactly? I shifted my vision into the Light Web so I could see if I could spot some clues there.

  The world around me became a lattice of light and I immediately spotted the unravelled threads over the wound in Domino’s energy field. The dog’s aura was beginning to dim too.

  Chloe intensified her plasma ball and drew her hands back, ready to hurl it at Gem.

  I grabbed her wrist. ‘What are you bloody doing?’

  ‘Look for yourself!’ she replied.

  I’d been so intent on Domino, I hadn’t noticed the air around Gem thickening.

  Hammond had removed a pistol from a drawer and placed it within easy reach on his desk. It seemed as if everyone else was betting on this going badly wrong.

  But Gem turned round to us and smiled. ‘It’s OK, everyone. This feels completely different to before. It’s so much better.’

  The air around her started to glow with golden light and tethers from it sprang to Domino. Sparks of energy cascaded down those threads and into the dog’s energy field.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Chloe whispered as she dropped her plasma sphere back to a spark.

  ‘I’m not sure, but I think it’s something wonderful,’ I replied.

  Golden light filled the room, bathing our faces with gentle warmth.

  The light seemed to reach deep into every tiny corner of my being, driving out the sense of despair that had lived deep inside me for too long. Everything felt suddenly possible, even tracking down the DEC and defeating the Shade. If nothing else, we had hope.

  ‘I might not be able to see what’s going on, but even I can feel the energy coursing through this room,’ Hammond said.

  Gem bent her head over Domino as the energy continued to flow from the her and into the dog. I gasped as the dog’s aura grew stronger and I reached out for Chloe’s hand so she could see my view within the Light Web.

  Her gaze widened at once. ‘So this isn’t just the normal self-healing ability of an Awoken. Gem can heal others too.’

  I grinned at her, but that was swept away as a knot of grief rose up through me. If we’d found Gem earlier, then maybe Allan, and even Clarke, would still be alive.

  Tears ran down Ethan’s face as he smiled at Gem. ‘Whatever you’re doing, please keep going.’

  Gem’s brow was tight in concentration. She didn’t respond. But Domino’s wound had started to vanish under his strengthening aura.

  ‘Oh good god – I can see it now, too,’ General Hammond said in hushed awe. ‘To be able to help someone like this is truly a miracle.’

  Gem dropped her head as intense golden light rippled through Domino’s energy field. With a soft whine, the dog raised his head and nuzzled into Ethan’s hand.

  Gem groaned and began to topple sideways.

  I leapt forward and caught her. ‘Are you all right?’

  She swallowed. ‘I just overdid it, but I’ll be OK in a bit.’

  Ethan clutched Domino as he jumped on top of him and squirmed, licking away Ethan’s tears. ‘I don’t know how I’m ever going to thank you for this, Gem.’

  She gave him a weary smile. ‘As it’s you, there’s no charge.’

  We heard the front door open and Williams rushed in. ‘The vet will be here in five—’ He broke off and stared open-mouthed at Domino. ‘He’s all right?’

  Hammond gave us all an amused look. ‘As you can see, Williams has amazing powers of observation.’ He pointed at Ethan’s shirt, covered with Domino’s blood. ‘We’re going to need to get that washed for you.’

  Ethan glanced down and shrugged. ‘Don’t worry – they’re not exactly my best clothes.’

  Hammond handed his assistant the note he’d been writing. ‘Williams, once you’ve dropped this off with the courier, run a bath for Ethan and see if you can find him some fresh clothes. Some of my son’s old ones will probably fit him.’

  Williams’s eyes grew wide. ‘Very good, sir.’

  ‘You have a son?’ Chloe asked.

  General Hammond’s face became drawn. ‘Had… He died far too young. Shortly after that, his mother and I divorced. Every time we looked at each other, it was too much of a painful reminder. Ever since, I’ve dedicated my life to organising fundraising events for cancer charities.’

  I properly looked at Hammond for the first time and took in years of pain etched in lines around his eyes. A lost son; a world of heartbreak. And the guy had been trying to make a difference ever since. Maybe I needed to cut Hammond a bit more slack. He was just a good guy trying to make a difference with us too.

  Without saying a single word, Gem crossed to him and gave him a hug.

  When Ethan walked into the dining room an hour later I almost didn’t recognise him. He was wearing a black polo-neck jumper and clean jeans. His hair had been washed and his skin no longer looked dusty and pallid.

  General Hammond smiled at him. ‘You look a good deal better in every sense of the word.’

  ‘I feel it,�
� Ethan replied.

  Chloe studied him up and down. ‘Don’t you scrub up well? You’re almost handsome now.’

  He gave her a crooked grin. ‘Almost?’

  ‘Don’t push it,’ she said.

  Gem bit back a smile.

  It was getting increasingly hard to ignore the natural spark between Chloe and Ethan. But that wasn’t really surprising – she’d been dreaming about this guy, after all. And the strange thing was, far from feeling jealous, I was totally chilled about it. Maybe that was the confirmation, if I really needed it, that Chloe and I really were just friends. OK, friends who loved each other, but nothing more than that. It was also hard for me to ignore my own connection with Gem. Whether I was going to do anything about it was a completely different matter, because why would she feel the same way about me? She hardly knew me.

  Ethan sat down at the table, which was groaning under the weight of pies, platters of cold meats and a massive selection of cheeses and pickles. ‘This is quite the feast!’

  General Hammond smiled. ‘Williams was under orders to provide a banquet, albeit in somewhat challenging circumstances as we don’t have any power.’ He passed over a plate of pork pies.

  Ethan helped himself to a huge pie with glazed apricots on top and took a large bite. ‘That’s seriously great.’

  ‘Eat up, because there’s plenty more food in the larder. Just make sure that you leave some room for Williams’s plum crumble. It’s quite his culinary masterpiece.’

  I pushed my full plate away. I didn’t feel like eating a thing. ‘So how long till we hear back from your contacts?’

  Hammond glanced at the old carriage clock and scowled. ‘I would have hoped to have heard by now, but no doubt this fog is slowing everyone down.’

  ‘We can’t just sit around waiting. We need to do something before it’s too late…’

  ‘I agree, but what exactly?’ Gem asked.

  From the table, my phone chirped.

  I’ve been thinking about how we could find the others and also locate the precise position of the portal. I’ve got an idea, Sentinel messaged.