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

by L. C. Hibbett

  Chapter Eleven

  Sam shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Deirdre’s words were running a circuit in my mind. Bedside vigil. Whose bed? Mine? I clenched my teeth. Probably pretending he was sitting with me as an excuse to get out of class. I ground my heel into the unvarnished floorboards. “Do we need to go somewhere else?”

  Sam shook his head. “No. Emmanuel just said to show you in here.” He checked his phone. “The lunch bell should go in a few minutes.”

  I bit the nail on baby finger. “Okay.”

  Sam sat down on the window bench, his long legs stretched out in front of him. I shifted my weight onto the other foot, desperate to lighten the weight between us. “That was a pretty cool trick Jabol did. Turning into a bird.”

  Sam’s mouth quirked up on one side. “That wasn’t a trick, he’s a Shifter Demon.”

  “He’s a what now?” I narrowed my eyes.

  “A Shifter Demon, a Demon from the Shifter dimension?”

  I held my hands up and raised my eyebrows. Sam crossed his arms. “You don’t even know what a Shifter is?”

  “Of course I know what it is, Sam. I’ve watched The Vampire Diaries. So you are telling me that Jabol is some sort of a werebird?”

  Sam balled his hands into fists. “Jabol is a good man, don’t be so disrespectful. You think he wants to be trapped in this craphole of a dimension?”

  I stepped backward, biting down on my lip. “I never said Jabol wasn’t a good man. Or Demon. I was joking. I didn’t know he had been trapped anywhere.”

  Sam’s expression was incredulous. “I told you he was a Demon.” I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to elaborate on why that would mean he was trapped. “A Demon, Grace? A visitor from another realm? Nobody has escaped this dimension since the great divide? One-way ticket to Dumpseville?”

  My forehead creased as I tried to keep up with his logic.

  “I don’t believe this. How can you have no idea what a Demon is?”

  I tucked my hands into my pockets. “Eve brought me up like a Human, as much as she could. She told me about the veil, and how people without pure blood were hunted and despised, so we had to hide. I knew there were Demons, and that they were strangers in our world, and that the Spirit Demons are terrible. Beyond that she said it was pointless to dwell on a world where we weren’t welcome. Angels or Demons didn’t want us, so we didn’t need to know much about them. But Jabol seemed nice.”

  “He is nice. He’s a gentleman.” Sam shook his head. “Demons aren’t monsters, Grace, they are people who travelled here from other realms. Before the veil descended people were able to travel in and out of this realm freely. After the Great Divide something went wrong, the visitors, Demons, could still enter our realm, but once they got in they were trapped by the veil. They couldn’t leave again.”

  “They can’t get home? They just wait here until they die?” I bit my lip, thinking of Jabol’s gentle face.

  “Kind of. Their bodies are suspended in the condition they were in when they arrived, they can be killed but they don’t age and they don’t die of natural causes. Some of the Demons have been here for two thousand years, trapped in our world, unable to break through the veil and return home. The Demons only make up a small percentage of the world population, but they’re powerful because of their immortality and the range of powers they possess. The Angel Council doesn’t interfere with Demon affairs, they let them set their own rules as long as they don’t do anything that puts the veils at risk.”

  I gave a hollow smile. “And children who aren’t of pure blood are the number one crime against the veil. I see.”

  “How did you not know any of this stuff?” Sam eyes darkened and the distance between us lengthened again. “This is exactly what I was talking about. You can’t go around knowing nothing about this world. Cain doesn’t listen to goddamn sense. You need to go back to your quarters and stay there until you have learned enough to— ”

  My composure shattered, and I bolted out the door, breaking into a run when I got to the bigger classroom. Sam caught up with me just as I reached the door to the corridor. “What are you doing, Grace?”

  He tried to grab my hand but I shook him off. I lifted my chin and steadied my breathing. “I know that you don’t like me, and I know that you don’t want me here. I get it. I’m sorry that you had to do babysitting duty today, but it’s over. We’re done here. I can find my own way to the Dining Hall and then I can find my own way to the goddamn library so I can learn whatever I need to know.”

  I pushed past him, stopping at the door. “And just for the record, Sam, I don’t want to be here either. The minute it’s safe for us to get out of here we’ll be gone.”

  Sam slammed his palm against the doorframe. “You just don’t get it! If Dawn is with you then you can’t go anywhere. You won’t be safe anywhere. Things are bad out there, Grace. Fifty years ago it would have been unusual if there were two Spirit Demon attacks in an entire year. Globally. Last week alone there were three Spirit attacks on different Shadow Children cells. Something is changing. It’s not safe to be out there if they can sense your spark. Dawn would draw them like a beacon.”

  His shoulders drooped, and he met my eye squarely for the first time. My stomach tumbled. “Those Spirit Demon’s nearly had you, Grace. And you just stood there. I couldn’t get to you. If Eve didn't use the force of breaking your protection charm… Do you know what they do to their victims? They would have sucked you dry. Every trace of love, every memory, everything that gives your soul life. Left you like a dry husk, alive in body but not in spirit, until your body finally gave up all hope of your soul returning.”

  I wrapped my arms across my chest and shuddered. “I’m sorry, Sam. I wasn’t trying to put anyone in danger. I just wanted to make sure Eve wasn’t left behind. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

  Sam ran his hand through his hair, yanking at the roots. “Exactly,” his voice was charged, “you don’t know what you doing. You can’t just walk around all innocent and hopeful in this place. This isn’t the Human world, you need to be tough if you are going to survive.”

  He took a step closer to me and I froze, startled by the electricity dancing over my skin. “You don’t belong here, Grace. You and Eve should go. Leave Dawn here and go.”

  The door swung open and Deirdre peeked her head around the door. “You’re still here? Grace, Dawn has already gone on with her class. I am just closing up.”

  We followed her out, and I listened to her chatter, grateful for the relief. I nodded and smiled as she gave me a guided tour. I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder at Sam, trailing further and further behind us. By the time we got to the ground floor he was gone. The unresolved argument was bitter in my mouth. I took my disappointment and crushed it into a tiny weight to join all the other sorrows in the corners of my heart.

  The dining hall was almost full when we got there. Elijah was leaning against the wall with a huge tray of food. He grinned at me. “What took you so long? I didn’t not what food you like so I got two of everything. Where’s Sam?” Elijah didn’t wait for an answer before he started walking towards the back of the hall. I wanted to give him the cold shoulder but it was impossible to stay mad at Elijah. Especially not when he had food.

  Cat was on serving duty, wearing a huge striped apron and a hair net. She curtseyed at me from across the hall. Elijah grinned and rested his tray on an empty table to give her a clap. “The outfits are cute, right? I seriously can’t wait until Jasmine has to do serving duty. She’s going to despise the hairnet.”

  “Does everyone have to take a turn on kitchen duty?”

  Elijah rubbed his hand over his crew cut. “Pretty much. Certainpeople have assigned roles— medics, librarian, tech guys, herbologist, some of the tutors. After that, most duties are split pretty evenly and they rotate every few weeks. Everyone under the age of twenty-one is in full-time study, no jobs.”

  “But you can go out and do missions, or what
ever you call them?” I asked.

  Elijah shrugged, looking around the hall. “Adult numbers are low at the moment. Officially we shouldn’t be out on active duty unsupervised until after our twenty-first birthday, but most cells bend the rules.”

  He started walking again, nodding at different sections of the dining hall as we passed them. “Adults always sit to the front of the hall. The younger kids sit in the middle. Never get caught at those tables. It’s savage. They’ll all want to hug you and paint your nails.” Dawn waved her spoon at me eagerly as we passed, traces of chocolate pudding on her chin. I gestured at her to wipe her face, but she just laughed. I felt my coldness towards the Shadow Children begin to thaw at the sight of her grin. Dawn deserved to be happy.

  “And the tables at the back are where the senior students sit. Our group always sit in the corner table beside the window. That’s just how it is.” Elijah placed the tray on the table. “Take whatever you want.”

  “Thanks, Elijah.” I grabbed a bottle of water, a plate of chicken salad, and some fries from the tray. He grunted and threw himself onto the chair beside Lucas, attacking his food without greeting anyone else at the table. I slid into one of the empty seats, taking an awkward sip of my drink before I met Jasmine’s eyes. “Hi, Jasmine.”

  She gave my foot a gentle kick under the table. “Hi?”

  I bit my lip and then nodded. She grinned, and I felt my face cracking open. I didn’t have the energy to hold onto my anger. I reached for Jasmine’s hand and shook it. Lucas wrapped his knuckles on the table as a sign of his approval, leaning over and grabbing a carrot stick from my plate. A raven haired girl on the other side of the table snatched one of Elijah’s fries. I respected her bravery. Elijah growled at her without lifting his head. “Back off, Lydia. Eat Frank’s food”.

  She took another handful of fries before sitting back in her own seat. “Unlucky, Eli. I already cleared him out. You better eat fast, mate.” She winked at me. “I’m Lydia, by the way.”

  I waved my fingers. “Hi, I’m Grace.”

  The guy sitting beside her leaned across the table and shook my hand. “Frank. Pleasure to meet you, Grace.”

  Lucas rolled his eyes. “Oh please, can we stop pretending you didn’t know her name.” He put his hand on mine. “Grace, going to hit you with some honesty. Your family has been the talk of SH since you got here.”

  “SH?” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to get there on my own. “Ah, Shadow Hall. Cute.”

  “Thanks, I am. Anyway, bottom line, we know everything about you, right down to the color of your underwear.” Jasmine slapped him across the back of the head. Lucas held up his hands. “What? Honesty is the best policy, people. And I actually bought the underwear Grace is wearing.”

  I covered my face with my napkin, shaking my head. “Thanks for that, Lucas. I don’t feel uncomfortable at all.”

  I bared my teeth at him, and he blew me a kiss.

  Lydia leaned her elbows on the table. “Don’t worry, we aren’t all super stalkers, it’s just nobody has ever heard a story like it before. Four Demon-Born, living together for years without being caught? That just doesn’t happen.”

  I shifted awkwardly in my seat. Elijah looked up from his plate and raised his eyebrows at me questioningly. I smiled, comforted by his concern.

  Lucas groaned, looking over Frank’s broad shoulder at a group of people heading our direction. They were led by a familiar bouncy blonde. I tensed. Lucas and Jasmine pulled closer to me, like a security detail protecting me from the paparazzi.

  “Grace, we weren’t sure you were going to pull through. I heard you really messed up, throwing yourself in front of a heap of Spirit Demons? How awful.” Megan tilted her head to the side and sighed. The brunette standing beside her tittered.

  Lucas pressed his fingertips together in a steeple shape. “Run along now, Megan. Some of us are still eating. Wouldn’t want you putting anyone off their lunch.”

  Megan’s lips narrowed into a thin pink line, but she didn’t move. “I hear Dawn is the new magical prodigy. That’s nice for you guys, right? And Cain and Catherine seem to be joined at the hip. You’ve really made yourselves at home. All you need now is for your foster mother to start throwing herself at the Master.” She tipped her head towards Emmanuel and Eve. “Oh, too late, she already is.”

  I tried my best to look like I wasn’t embarrassed by her accusation and failed miserably. Lydia slammed her chair back, leaning over Frank’s lap. “Shut your trap, Megan, or I’ll shut it for you.”

  Megan rolled her eyes dismissively and took a measured step away from the table. “Whatever. I just hope your family doesn’t waste any more of our time. There are more important things to focus on.”

  She turned on her heel and marched out of the hall with her head held high. I groaned, resting my face on my arms. Lucas patted my hair. “Ignore her, that’s just the way she is.”

  Frank pulled Lydia down onto his lap. Her face was flushed. “Sorry, Megan just grinds my gears. Would it kill her to show a bit of decency and compassion once a decade?”

  I gave Lydia a grateful smile. Jasmine lifted her plate onto the tray in the middle of the table. “She’s probably terrified of Grace having as much magical power as Dawn. Megan hates anyone shifting the dynamics, and Dawn has definitely done that. She’s a firecracker.”

  “She is awesome. Have you started to feel your power yet, Grace?” Elijah asked. Everybody looked at me.

  Suffocating brightness flashed through my mind but I shoved it away. “No. Nothing. I think Dawn is the only gifted one. Maybe being talentless will make Megan like me better.”

  Lucas grinned and threw an arm over my shoulder. “You hold on to that positivity, girl. You are going to need it to get through double History.”

  Frank wailed and pretended to fling himself through the window. “Anything but double History!”

  The others all laughed and I joined in, nervously. Elijah stopped to talk to the man I had seen him watching earlier. He looked to be about Eve’s age, a slim man in his early forties. His dark hair was peppered with gray and a cane lay across his lap. I tugged at Lucas’s sleeve. “Lucas, who is Elijah talking to?”

  Lucas didn’t bother turning around before responding to my question. “Does Elijah look angry?”

  I studied Elijah’s stiff back and clenched jaw. “Yes.”

  Lucas clicked his tongue. “Then he’s talking to Peter, his uncle.”

  I glanced back again and found the older man watching me with undisguised curiosity. I swiveled forward. “He looks a bit intense.”

  Lucas smirked. “Well, I hope you like intensity, because Peter is our history tutor.”

  I risked another glance as we walked out of the hall. Peter was tapping his cane on the ground and staring straight at me.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Seriously, you're sure this is a classroom?” I turned in a full circle, taking in the cluttered floor to ceiling bookshelves and the notes littering every available surface. The sweet, musty smell of old books hung in the air. “This can’t be a classroom, guys.”

  Lucas and Jasmine cleared the loose papers from the large round table, leaving them in a precarious pile on top of an overflowing writing desk. Elijah was examining the maps on the wall, tracing lines between the pins with his fingers. His expression was unusually somber.

  Frank laughed, hugging Lydia against his chest and talking over her head. “The academic tutors take their groups in their private studies. Most of them are pretty normal, the Batcave is one of a kind.”

  He kissed Lydia on the forehead and saluted us before jogging through the door. Lydia sniggered as Frank collided with Sam in the doorway. He brushed himself off and patted Sam on the shoulder. “Sorry, man, didn’t see you there.”

  “No worries. How come you’re getting off double History?”

  Frank started walking down the corridor, answering Sam over his shoulder. “Combat session with Cain. Emmanuel’s orders. He w
ants everyone on high alert. More flashes showing up all over Europe. At least ten unexplained sources of magic in the past twenty-four hours, and two more Spirit reports. I’ll fill you in later.”

  Sam’s eyes were dark when he walked into the room. I stared at the wall, ignoring the flutter in the pit of my stomach. Lydia waved at him. “Wish I had extra combat training, I’d do anything to get out of this class.”

  Lucas dumped a bundle of papers in her lap. “Then maybe you should spend your time with Frank improving your skill with a Spirit Blade, instead of mauling each other.”

  Lydia stuck her tongue out at him and got up to deposit the paper onto the writing desk.

  “Frank is some sort of a Spirit Blade expert?” I asked.

  Lydia grinned at me. “Something like that. He is one of the strongest with the blade in the cell. Frank, Sam, Cain, Megan, Elijah, and Prya are on the elite squad. They’re the first line fighters for Spirit attacks.”

  Lucas plopped himself down at the round table that and surveyed the clear surface with satisfaction before speaking. “Frank is in a class of his own, he’s like a phantom with the Spirit Blade. Dude looks like Hercules and moves like a nymph, totally unfair. ”

  Jasmine and Lydia responded in unison. “Half-born.”

  Lydia pointed her finger at Jasmine. “Jinx.”

  They laughed. I could feel Sam’s gaze on me. Measuring my confusion and finding me lacking. I picked a book from the shelf, pretending to be absorbed in it. Eighth century ruling systems. Bad choice.

  Elijah leaned down over a row of maps spread across the floor in the opposite corner of the room and smoothed one out with his hands. Sam crouched down beside him, whispering intently. I clutched the book against my chest and sank down into a worn leather chair, glancing at Sam to check he was preoccupied before asking Lucas why a Half-Born would be better at fighting with the Spirit Blade. Lucas leaned his elbows on the table. “It’s not just blades, it could be anything. Frank’s little sister is a musical prodigy. She wrote her first concerto at seven.”