The Shadow Children (The Demon-Born Trilogy Book 1)

by L. C. Hibbett

  Strong arms caught me from behind, holding me steady. Eve appeared in front of me. Her brow was creased. Cat and Cain crowded around me. Jasmine and Elijah hung back. I tried to kick Cain, but my legs were rubber. I pointed at him with a shaking hand. “You took her.”

  Cain jerked backward. “Took who?”

  I shook my head, trying to clear away the fear-induced fog. “Dawn. You took Dawn. She’s gone.”

  Cat’s face drained, and she turned and sprinted across the gravel with the others at her heels. Sam’s sinewy arms lowered me into a seated position on the grass and he hunkered down by my side, staring out across Clew Bay. Twilight danced across the water. He spoke without looking at me. “You think she ran away?”

  I felt a wave of nausea wash over my body. Everything was wrong. Eve had been right, we could trust nobody. I wanted to be anywhere but beside Sam, who made my stomach flip and my chest ache. I pressed my forehead against my knees, gathering my strength. “Get the hell away from me. Lying scum.”

  Sam shifted beside me. I watched as every muscle in his body tensed. “I never lied to you, Grace. As soon as I guessed. As soon as I knew. I did everything I could, but I couldn’t change anything.”

  My mind struggled to unravel his disjointed words. Sam looked away suddenly, squinting his eyes at the darkening sky. He wrapped his fingers around my wrist. “Do you know where she could be, Grace?”

  I bit my lip, frightened by the look on his face. I wanted to run into the bedroom and close the curtains. Sam tugged on my wrist again. A memory shook free from my addled subconscious. Urgency sent a flush of energy through my veins, and I shoved myself off the ground.

  I sprinted out the gate, pebbles flying under my feet. Sam caught up, and I pushed myself harder, reveling in the lactic acid burning my calves as we skidded down the stone steps that led to the strand, and along the cliff face.

  Dawn and I had found the cave during her Famous Five stage. She was sure that it was a smugglers hideout. Somewhere to hide precious treasures. I eyed the tide as I slithered over the rocks, Sam close behind me. Dawn was sitting just inside the cave, her dinosaur blanket wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. She waved at me and my heart quivered.

  “You said it would always be our hiding spot. I knew you would come.” Dawn’s voice was weak.

  I swallowed my sadness and sat down beside her. “What are you doing here, mo chroí? Your mom and Eve are worried sick.”

  Dawn didn’t answer. She slipped her tiny hand into mine. “It’s not working. The binding. Not the way it works for you and Mom. Whatever is inside me. It wants to get out.” She patted the rock. “I had to say goodbye.” I squeezed her fingers, pulling her closer. I didn’t trust myself to speak. She looked up into my face. “I heard you all talking. You should let them take me. Leave me with Cain. Then you’ll be safe.”

  I grabbed her other hand. “We will never leave you, Dawnie. Never. I don’t want any life where we aren’t together. We’re family.”

  Dawn smiled at me, her eyes sliding over my shoulder onto Sam’s face. A look passed between them, a secret shared. Dawn opened her mouth to speak but instead she began to shake in my arms. Darkness settled over my heart like a cloak. “Shhh, it’s okay, Dawn. Stay with me.”

  She opened her eyes wide and dug her fingers into my skin, her voice was a whisper. I stared at Sam in horror as we both processed her words. The Spirits. They’re coming.

  Sam closed the gap between us in a single leap. He picked Dawn up with his left arm and cradled her against his chest. In his right hand, Sam held a lump of metal, shaped like the handle of a sword. He bent his neck so his face was only inches from mine. “Stay with me, Grace. Don’t fall behind, don’t get distracted. No matter what you feel, you have to stay by my side.”

  Then he ran.

  He kept his head low, feet flying over the rough ground with ease. I mirrored his every move, matching him step for step. Sam stopped at the base of the stone staircase. I could hear voices on the lane above, calling our names. Sam put his finger against my lips. My skin tingled under his touch. He whispered into my ear. “Can you carry Dawn up the stairs. I need my hands.”

  I nodded, taking Dawn in my arms and resting her head in the crook of my neck. My chest pounded. Sam crept up the steps, beckoning me to follow him, keeping low.

  From this angle, I could see the entrance to Hidden Cottage. Eve was standing inside the gate, clutching her wooden box. Cain and Elijah were standing on the road, holding metal handles like Sam’s. Cat was tucked behind Cain, her lips were moving but I could hear no words. Jasmine was standing furthest from the steps, plucking the air with her fingers as if she was playing an invisible harp. I narrowed my gaze on her in confusion.

  Sam motioned for me to stay down before sprinting across the road to fall into formation with Cain and Elijah. He tipped his head towards Dawn and me. Cain and Elijah swiveled to look at us, relief flooding their faces. Cat flung herself across the tarmac, wrapping her body around us. I looked over at the gate, expecting to catch Eve’s eye but she had vanished.

  Sam spoke in a low voice. “Jasmine. Dawn sensed the Spirit Demons coming. She could be right, I thought I felt them too. You need to get us out. You Open a slip and get us back to Shadow Hall.”

  I bit down on my fist as the bitter taste of bile filled my mouth. Jasmine moved a step to the right, running her fingers through the air. Her eyebrows were pulled together, and her jaw was clenched. She pinched the air in front of her face and gave a grunt of satisfaction, peeling the air back with her hand. For a moment the space in front of her shivered and I could see the world shifting, but when I blinked the sensation was gone, leaving behind nagging déjà vu. The whisper of a secret hidden from my bound perception of reality.

  Cain hissed and thrust himself in front of our huddle, his eyes fixed on the sky above our heads. Elijah exhaled, raising the metal handle in front of his face. Cat let out a whimper. I held onto her with my free hand, turning my head wildly even though I knew I couldn’t see what was coming because of my binding. Sam fixed me with a stare. “Stay down, Grace.”

  I closed my eyes. Cat’s nails dug into my back as she pleaded for somebody to help us. I could hear Sam and Elijah chanting. Jasmine’s voice rang out. “Now, Cain. Get them through the slip.”

  Cain dragged us off the step and pushed us toward Jasmine. Elijah grabbed Dawn in his arms. I spun around, Sam was still chanting, one arm raised above his head. Cain was ushering us away from him, over to Jasmine’s mysterious slip.

  “Where’s Eve?” I scanned the garden, shrugging off Cain’s hands. “Eve, Eve!” My eyes found her, pressed against the trunk of one of the ancient oaks. I screamed her name again, but she didn’t move. She was frozen, transfixed by whatever I couldn’t see in the air above Sam’s head.

  Cain wrapped his arm around my waist, trying to restrain me but I snapped my body forward and dug my feet into the ground, unbalancing him so he released his hold. I wouldn’t leave Eve behind. I dashed past Cain and swerved around Sam, trying to reach the gate.

  Sam screamed my name, his voice so raw I spun around to face him. Eve had moved, barreling down the hill. Both of them were yelling at me to get down, but I had turned to stone, petrified by the terror written on their faces. Sam wrenched his hand down and threw himself forward. His face was the last thing I saw before the world exploded.

  Chapter Eight

  I was drowning. My lungs ached as I writhed against the pull of the tide. I forced my eyes open, but the glare blinded me, piercing my brain with jets of emerald and gold. Tentacles of pure light that coiled around my body and crushed my soul. I opened my mouth to scream, but a flood of color choked me, forcing its way inside my veins and molding me into something new.

  I jolted upright, my chest heaving as I took a shuddering breath. My lungs were burning, and my skin was on fire. The clothes I was wearing were not my own. I yanked at the bed sheet, attempting to cover the light cotton nightdress. My nerves tingled. I
was hyper-aware that I wasn’t alone, but my vision struggled to adjust to the bright light.

  “Sleeping Beauty, awake at last. You had them all worried.” The figure stood up, moving closer to the bed. I shaded my eyes.

  “Blinding you with my good looks? I get that a lot. I welcome reviews and ratings out of ten.” I chanced another glance in his direction, squinting. Golden hair, tanned skin and eyelashes longer than my own. On a scale of good looks from one to ten then this guy was an eleven, maybe even a twelve.

  “You must be Lucas,” I said.

  His face split into a broad grin. “My reputation precedes me.”

  “Yeah, Jasmine said her best friend was delusional.”

  Lucas raised a shaped eyebrow. “Poor Jasmine, always confusing the phrase ‘delusional’ with ‘devilishly handsome.' It’s the ‘d’ that gets her.” I laughed, and he gave a little bow. “Right, now that the introductions are over I better scoot down and tell the others you’re up. There’s a replacement mobile phone in the drawer, you’re only permitted to contact people who are resident at Shadow Hall, no outsiders. Sorry. Clothes are in the closet. I just bought you the same sort of stuff you were wearing when you got here, so it’s all pretty hideous.”

  I snorted. “Thanks a million for that little style affirmation.” I rubbed my finger over my arm, pressing on the small red puncture marks.

  Lucas nodded at them. “Blood tests and IV fluids. Emmanuel took you off the drip this morning, he knew you were coming round.”

  “How long was I unconscious?” I massaged my temples, trying to clear my head.

  “It’s been twenty days,” Lucas said.

  I gaped at him. “That can't be right.”

  Lucas shrugged. “Cain said that when your bond was severed it was like a nuclear explosion. Your mom is packing some serious juice.”

  I blinked at him, opening and closing my mouth like a goldfish. I had a hundred questions but all that came out was, “She’s not my mom.” My voice was a high-pinched whimper.

  Lucas stepped back into the room, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, you’re going to be all right. You’re safe here.”

  I pressed my lips together and let my hair fall over my face. He backed away and left the room, closing the door gently.

  My legs trembled as I walked across the cold wooden floorboards. Lucas hadn’t been kidding about the clothes. Several outfits hung inside the large oak wardrobe, each almost a replica of what I had last worn.

  I pulled on a pair of jeans and a top. The denim hung from my hips, and the tank top was baggy, falling down at the front to reveal the marked skin on my chest. I took it off and turned it back to front so the low scoop was at the back and my chest was covered. Lucas had even found me a pair of silver pumps. Brandon always called me twinkle toes when I wore my silver shoes.

  I sank down on the bed, digging my toes into the sheepskin rug at my feet. Brandon. Twenty days. He must have thought I’d bailed on him, and I couldn’t even text him to explain. To say goodbye. And thanks. The Leaving Cert Exams were over. Two years of study for the state exams and I’d missed them. No university for me in October. I wondered had the others sat the exams, or was that just another part of the lie. Maybe they had already sat their Leaving Cert ten times. Would explain how Sam managed to smash every assignment without taking a single note. I shoved my feet into the shoes as the door flung open.

  “Grace!” Cat hurled herself at me and knocked me back onto the hard mattress. She pulled at my face, examining my eyes. “Are you all right? Emmanuel said you would be all right. Are you sore? Damn it, Grace. You bloody scared us.”

  I sat up and nudged her away, aware of Cain, Jasmine, and Elijah watching us from the doorway. Lucas was lounging against the wall, pretending to examine his shoes. I suppressed the dropping feeling of disappointment in my abdomen. Sam wasn’t with them.

  “I’m fine, Cat. I feel totally normal.”

  Cain’s mouth tightened. “You don’t feel different at all? No change?”

  A memory of the suffocating dream tugged at my brain. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my back to him, my nightmares weren’t something I wanted to analyze with Cain and the secret squad.

  “Is Dawn all right, Cat? Where’s Eve? She came with us, didn’t she?” I asked.

  Cat settled herself into a crossed legged pose on the bed to answer my questions. “Eve was with you all morning, she just went back to our quarters before you woke.”

  “And Dawn? Is she better?” I cut my eyes in Cain’s direction. “They said they could help her.”

  Cat picked at the duvet cover. “She wasn’t well after the Spirit attack, Grace. It was bad. We had to break her binding.”

  I crossed my arms.

  “Shadow Hall is protected, Grace, nobody can find us here. Dawn is happy that her powers are unbound.” Cat kept her eyes on the bed as she spoke, plucking at a stray thread.

  I closed my hand over hers. “But?”

  Cat exchanged a look with Cain, waiting for him to nod before she answered. I forced myself to swallow the knot of frustration lodged in my throat. “But she’s still having the seizures, Grace.”

  My nails had grown long while I had been unconscious. I scratched my wrist. “Are they better than before?”

  Cat bit her lip. “Worse.” When she spoke again her voice was so low I had to lean close to hear her. “It’s not perfect, Grace, but there are people that want to help us. We aren’t alone.”

  She slid off the bed and kissed the crown of my head. “Dawn’s in class with the other kids, but she’ll be so excited to see you.” Cat’s grin lit up her delicate features. “She’s been telling everyone all week that you were going to wake today. She’ll be insufferable now that she was right.”

  Elijah called my name. I ignored him until Cat poked me in the ribs. Great. Everyone had obviously kissed and made up while I was snoring.

  I folded my arms. “Hello, Elijah. Jasmine.”

  There was still no sign of Sam. Jasmine pushed a dark curl off her face. “Grace, Peter asked us to see you to your quarters.”

  Cat rested her hand on the small of Cain’s back, propelling him out the door. “Gracie, we have to get back to the magic room, but I will see you at lunch.”

  She paused at the door. “Eve has been really worried about you.”

  I yanked the tip of my thumbnail free and gripped it between my front teeth like a secret. “Yep, sure, Cat. Thanks.”

  Cat disappeared down the corridor with Cain, leaving me with Lucas and my fake friends.

  Chapter Nine

  “This is awkward, right? Tense. Very, very tense.” Lucas grinned, displaying a straight set of bottom teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jasmine shooting him a death stare.

  Lucas smirked, and clapped his hand together like an entertainer at a kid’s birthday party. “Okay, folks. Let’s get this show on the road.” He linked my arm and dragged me out the door with Jasmine and Elijah trailing behind us.

  I had only seen Shadow Hall once, when Cat had taken us to Silver Strand to go swimming. The house was an imposing eighteenth-century mansion, perched on a cliff top overlooking the savage beauty of the Atlantic coast. It was surreal to find myself walking its corridors. I felt like I was wearing somebody else’s skin.

  Intricate plasterwork edged the ceiling above our heads, drawing my eye down the corridor towards a large window. Lucas took a left turn, leading us down a short set of stairs and onto a mezzanine level. I stopped short. The polished wood and detailed silk wallpaper in the corridor had given way to metal and glass. Lucas gave me a sly smile. “Not what you expected?”

  I shook my head, leaning over the balcony. We were looking down into the core of the building from the third story. The center of the house had been knocked into a single open plan space, leaving a maze of rooms and corridors around the perimeter intact. It was a feat of structural engineering. A new age center, inside an antique shell.

  The va
st hall on the ground floor appeared to be some sort of a gymnasium. My eyes were drawn to a large circle carved into the floor. I squinted as the carving blurred and trembled, and suddenly the air felt warmer, heavy with moisture. I blinked, and space below was transformed into a rainforest.

  A girl with long blonde hair dangled from the ceiling on a vine. She swung herself across the width of the building and dropped steadily onto a thick branch. She raised her head as a high pitched shriek filled the air and stepped forward, dropping thirty feet into the creeping undergrowth. Perspex scratched my midriff as I stretched further over the barrier to watch her land.

  The blonde tumbled as she hit the floor, finding her feet with ease and snatching a chunk of metal from the undergrowth. She raised it above her head in a victory salute and the jungle melted away leaving us staring once again at the immaculate gymnasium. “That was incredible. How the hell did that work? Was it some sort of projection? But she was swinging on that vine. And there’s no vine!”

  Jasmine rested her elbows on a smooth aluminum railing and smiled. “Welcome to the wonderful world of magic users.”

  I turned away from Jasmine without returning her smile and scanned the group of people down below. A tall, dark lady walked into the center of the hall and nodded to the blonde girl. “Nicely done, Megan. Perfect execution.”

  I groaned. Megan. Of course.

  Lucas laughed. “Another member of the Megan fan club?” I felt my cheeks coloring. He grinned. “Come on, we need to get you back to quarters. Big man’s orders.”

  I followed him, looking back over the balcony. I wondered was that the only scene it could create or were there infinite possibilities. Jasmine had fallen into step with Lucas. Elijah paused to stare at a man watching us from the opposite balcony. The man nodded and saluted us with his cane.

  Lucas appeared by my side again. “Keep up, new girl, or I’m going to be forced to attach you to one of those toddler leashes.”