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

by L. C. Hibbett

  “It was nothing, Lucas, just a lucky hunch, but I am really glad everyone is okay.” I felt myself melting under the heat of every eye in the room. Lucas reached a hand out to pull me closer to him, and I shrank away from him, away from the spotlight.

  Sam stepped between us, shielding me from the growing audience. “Has anyone said what happened, Luc? Did they have any warning? How were the wards broken? Your mom’s barrier magic is flawless, it makes no sense.”

  Luc shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything, Sam, I’m sorry. I don’t understand how this could have happened either. Spirit Demon’s attacking two cell headquarters silumntaneously? It’s almost as of they orchestrated it, but that’s impossible. They’re just soul leeches. Emmanuel is holding a conference with all the adults from the New York cell in the dining hall in a few minutes, I’ll try and find out more after that.”

  Sam balled his hands into fists at his side. “What’s Emmanuel waiting for? He should have called a meeting the second everyone was conscious. There have been more Spirit attacks this year than they have been in the past century. Something isn’t right. There has to be some clues.”

  Elijah flattened his knuckles into the wall. “It’s not like Emmanuel to delay an investigation. Where is he now? What could be more urgent than figuring out how the cell was breached?”

  I pretended to study a mark on the floor, exhaling in relief when I heard Deirdre’s voice.

  “Practice that and only that, understood, boys? No more experimenting.” Deirdre propped the door between the two classrooms open with a brick-sized book and shouted in my direction. “Jasmine, Grace. Over here please ladies.”

  The odor of singed hair wafted in from the other room, and Elijah and Sam snickered. Jasmine cast the side-eye in their direction. “Neither of you open your mouths.”

  Elijah shook with laughter and Sam’s face contorted. Lucas tilted his head to the side in a show of mock innocence. “Is this about the time when Jasmine attempted to give herself a magical bikini line trim?”

  “Oh, my God. You guys are absolute assholes. I hate you.” Jasmine’s face was puce. I covered a smirk with my hand and followed her over to Deirdre.

  “Right, ladies, we need to make a start on this training,” Deirdre paused, peering at Jasmine, “Are you okay, Jasmine? I thought you could work with Grace since Lydia isn’t here but I can get Megan to partner with her if you aren’t feeling up to it?”

  “No!” We said in unison, and I smiled gratefully at Jasmine.

  Deirdre tipped her head. “Fine. Jasmine, could you please go and supervise that pair of thugs next door. I’ll call you when we are ready.”

  She focused her attention on me as Jasmine disappeared through the door, pushing her thick brown hair back from her face. “Jabol tells me that you haven’t been having much luck with your magic, you hadn’t felt it stirring before last night?”

  I blushed. “Honestly, I don’t think it was even magic last night. It was just like a lucky feeling. I didn’t actually do anything.”

  Deirdre’s lips curved upwards. “What is magic, Grace?”

  My brow creased. “It’s healing people, and making storms, and controlling light. It’s magic.”

  Deirdre spread her fingers wide and closed her eyes. The air in front of her began to shimmer and glow. She twisted her wrist, and the bright cloud became a miniscule tornado, spinning around my head like a cartoon Tasmanian devil.

  Deirdre slapped her hands together, and the little storm vanished without a trace. “Magic is the manipulation of the physical world without physical interaction, Grace. Angels, Demons, and those of mixed blood have the potential to shape the natural world.”

  “Why didn’t you open the drapes with magic?” I blurted out the question, already regretting it as the words left my lips. “Sorry, that’s stupid.”

  Deirdre smiled. “No, it’s a fair question. I have no power over inanimate objects. I can control the elements, so I suppose I could have used the force of the air to shift them open, but it was far quicker to make use of the physical labor on hand. There are Demons who can transport objects, and people, through space instaneously. It’s not a skill that Angels possess.”

  “So magic can tear holes in space and sew them up again, but it can’t move a chair. Crazy.” I bit my thumbnail. “But what about the way those people were hiding last night? There was a wall. They couldn’t have built it while the attack was happening, it had to have been magically created.”

  Deirdre tapped my forehead. “The wall only existed in your head. The boy used magic to create a barricade, not of bricks and mortar, but of mental perception.”

  My eyes widened. “That little boy is a mind-breaker? How did he get that power? I thought only the High Council could do that.”

  “Oscar isn’t a mind-breaker, Grace. The mind is a natural phenomenon. There are some skilled magic users who have the ability to manipulate another person's perception of reality. Mind-breakers can shape the very core of a person's mental state, it’s not the same.”

  I shook my head, trying to wrap my brain around the concept of mind bending magic. “He must be very talented kid.”

  “Gifted. To have blocked Jasmine out is remarkable. I suspect that Oscar’s talent might even surpass my own in this area, and I’ve never met anyone who has greater ability to shape perception than I do.” My eyebrows twitched at Deirdre’s show of confidence.

  She grinned. “My family are descended directly from one of the Elder Council. Our power is strong, and mine is exceptional even for a direct line Angel. If I hadn’t been born into a family of Shadow Children, then I would have been a Council member or a Guardian.” Her tone was neutral, as though she was reporting a commonly accepted fact.

  “Would you have rathered that?” I asked.

  Deirdre twisted her wedding ring around her finger. “It might have been a better life for me. Being a Shadow Children isn’t an easy path, Grace. Righteousness won’t keep you warm on a lonely night.”

  I dragged my foot along the floor in a rough circle, taken aback by her candor. I hadn’t thought about the sacrifices the Shadow Children were making by chosing this path. To protect the hunted. To protect me. Just like Eve. Guilt settled over me like shroud. I tried to bring my attention back to the magic lesson, shutting away the blackness sitting in the base of my stomach. “So what about what I did last night? What kind of magic was that? Was I just lucky?”

  “Generally breaking through a mental barrier takes a considerable amount of mental and magical skill. The wall is only as strong as the person who has created it, but Jasmine said the wall was inpenetrable. Jasmine is incedibly talented at finding crevices in the magical fabric, that’s what makes her such a gifted gatekeeper. But you found a crack, even when she couldn’t. How?” Deirdre’s face was flushed as she stared at me intently.

  I screwed my eyes up, embarrassed. “Ever since my binding was opened I have had these flashes of colour,and light. In the back of my mind. It sort of guided me to him. I just, sort of, felt him with it. Sensed him, I guess? Like I knew we weren’t alone, and I reached out with my mind. Or my soul?” I blushed. “Sorry, I sound like an idiot. I don’t really know what happened. I just knew there was somebody there and tried to find them with my heart, or my energy. It’s stupid. It was probably a total coincidence.”

  “You felt him? His energy? And you sought him out, just with your mind? Can you do it now? Close your eyes and shut out the pysical world. Tell me who you can sense. Beyond this room. Try and stretch yourself.” Deirdre gripped my wrists, her eyes flashing.

  I closed my eyes and did as she asked. At first I felt nothing. My ears were full of the chatter in the room and the smell of singed hair floating in from next door. I tried to push myself further, imagining my energy crawling along the corrridor, clinging to the wall. I ran straight into three surges of energy. There was friction between them, a blaze of color powerful enough to jolt me back into my own mind. I gasped. “Eve, Emmanuel, a
nd Peter. They’re on their way here.”

  On cue, there was a knock at the classroom door and Emmanuel entered the room, followed by Eve and Peter.

  “Good morning.” The noise level dropped instantaneously, and every head in the room swiveled towards the Master. Emmanuel raised his bony hand into the air. “Continue with your practice, please. Everything is under control, there is no indication that Shadow Hall is under any risk of a repeat attack. We are simply here to see how well our newest student is mastering her magic.”

  Deirdre’s eyes widened. She let go of my arms and looked out of the window, muttering to herself. “A Seeker? Impossible.” Her eyes darted back to my face. “Grace, keep this between us for now, how you found Oscar. I need to do some research. Focus on your other magic, the important stuff. Spirit Blade. Slips. Leave this alone, for now, okay?”

  I nodded, aware of Emmanuel and Eve making their way over to us, Peter coming behind them. Deirdre turned a bright smile on them. “You’re just in time, Master, we were almost ready to begin our lesson.”

  Emmanuel nodded his approval to Deirdre, and she reached out for my hands again. She pulled a feather from her apron pocket and placed it on my outstretched palm. “Grace, I want you to feel the energy in the air around your hand. Reach out for the air and wrap it around your thoughts, pushing it under the feather and lifting it.”

  She placed a feather on the back of her own wrist and stared at it. It soared into the air, dancing on an imperceptible breeze. I narrowed my eyes at the palm of my hand, aware that every face in the room was turned in my direction. The room was silent.

  Exhaling I closed my eyes and tried to reach out for the air. My mind shuddered like a rundown engine. I peeked out from under my lashes. The feather hadn’t moved. Pursing my lips, I tried again and again, desperately trying to connect with the energy around me but nothing happened. Peter’s cane scraped along the wooden floor as he exited without a word. My cheeks burned.

  Emmanuel coughed. “Deirdre, I am afraid I must draw you away from this lesson. We are about to begin the conference with the New York cell members, and Peter has requested that you attend as his representative. He is investigating a theory of his own regarding the Spirit activity.”

  He inclined his head in my direction before leaving. Eve shot me a sympathetic glance as she walked ahead of him.

  “We’ll try again tomorrow, Grace. Just remember to leave that other thing alone, this way is better for you. Concentrate on the feather, we can worry about how you broke that barrier later.” Deirdre closed my fingers around the feather and turned her attention to my classmates. “Sam and Megan, would you close up the magic rooms for me, please. It looks like you guys have the afternoon off.” She winked at us and shimmied out the door after the others.

  I opened my fist and blew the feather with force, sending it floating away from me. Jasmine put her arm around my waist. “It was only a first try, Grace. Nobody could have done it first time with everybody watching.”

  Lucas smiled to himself. “Remember when Ozzie did that lesson? He split every pillow in the house apart until he was good enough to float them all in the air at once like a mini blizzard.”

  “That’s the little boy from last night? Oscar?” I asked.

  Jasmine nodded. “Yeah, Ozzie. Lucas’s little brother.”

  “Oh, sorry, Lucas. I didn’t realize.”

  Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “Well, we don’t exactly have a striking resemblance.”

  An image of the little dark-skinned boy with afro hair flashed behind my eyes. “True. You are both equally adorable, though.”

  Lucas gave a bow. “Can’t disagree with you there, lady. He thinks you're pretty awesome too. He keeps asking me to introduce him to the hot girl with the skills.”

  I covered my face with my hands. “That is, without doubt, the least accurate description of me that anyone has ever given.”

  The small white feather stood out against the aged floorboards, mocking me with its stillness. Sam held the classroom door open. “Everyone out. Please.”

  Elijah said something to him in a hushed voice and Sam tipped his head in agreement. Megan was propping the outside door open. She stepped out as I crossed the threshold, blocking my path. I steeled myself for a barrage of snide comments about my utter lack of talent. She lifted her chin. “You did well last night. Your mom too.”

  My mouth was still hanging open when the scarred oak snapped shut behind me.

  Twenty-Two

  “I still think it’s bizarre.” Lucas lay back on Jasmine’s picnic blanket, stretching his arms over his head.

  Jasmine popped another piece of popcorn into her mouth. “Of course it’s bizarre, Lucas. It’s Megan— being a decent human being. That’s like Peter not being intense. Just doesn’t happen.”

  I grinned into my orange juice as Lucas shot into a seated position. “You think she’s planning something, Jasmine?”

  Jasmine’s voice was muffled. “Affirmative, Lucas. Has to be an ulterior motive.”

  I snorted. “People, I think this may be an over-reaction, even by my standards. It was one semi-decent comment. Let’s not start busting out the surveillance equipment until she invites me to a slumber party, okay? I think we can be fairly sure she still thinks I am an utter waste of oxygen.”

  Lucas tipped his juice bottle against mine. “You make a good case, my child. Let us move on to things of far greater significance. Where the hell are we going on our afternoon off? Paris? London? Florida? My family are safe. Emmanuel is dealing with everything. My baby brother has fallen in love with an older woman. All is good. Let’s celebrate by hitting the town.”

  I gripped his knee. “Is that a joke? Not the Oscar being in love thing, Lucas, but traveling. Can we really go anywhere? Could we go to Harry Potter World?”

  Jasmine prodded me with her foot. “That’s not what it’s called, and no, we can’t. Nobody is allowed leave the grounds until further notice. Sorry, Hermione.”

  “It’s okay. It was a beautiful dream while it lasted.” I sighed, and flopped back onto a cushion of overgrown grass, inhaling the smell of the wildflowers and sunscreen. Jasmine curled up next to Lucas and drifted to sleep almost instantly. I wondered how many hours of sleep we had gotten last night.

  Thoughts and worries swarmed around inside my skull, stretching my cranium until it ached. I closed my eyes and tried to block out everything but the sun warming my face and the taste of sugar on my lips. Live in the moment. Focus on the positive. The tension in my skull ebbed away, and I let myself sink into the bed of grass.

  Sam’s presence hit me softly. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know that it was him approaching. I kept my eyelids sealed and, for just a moment, I surrendered to my childish desires, and I let myself imagine that he was here for me. That we were friends again, like we used to be. Talking about anything. Telling each other everything. Except neither of us had really be sharing ourselves at all. It hadn’t been real. My chest ached. Sam’s voice cut through my mental self-flagellation. “Emmanuel wants Grace to go to his office.”

  Lucas stirred, waking Jasmine. Sam repeated himself. “Emmanuel is looking for Grace.”

  I continued to feign sleep as he retreated, clenching my jaw tightly. Jasmine nudged my leg. “Grace, you need to go the Master’s study.”

  “I know, I heard Sam telling you guys. Even though I was lying right here too.” My body pleaded with me to ignore the request and surrender to sleep instead.

  Jasmine patted my knee. “I’ll walk you up.”

  I groaned and rolled over onto my belly before hauling myself onto my feet. “Emmanuel better have a good reason for interrupting my catnap. Wonder does he want to talk about my pathetic feather floating skills?”

  Lucas lifted his hand to shade his eyes. “Must be something important. I think Elijah is being sent to check you have lugged yourself off the ground.”

  I threw a handful of grass over his perfectly mussed hair. “Lugged? Like a pi
ece of old furniture?”

  He grinned. “If the shoe fits…”

  Jasmine waved her arm in the air, and Elijah ducked under the branches to join us. I held my hands up in surrender. “I know, I know, Eli. Emmanuel wants to see me. I’m on the way.”

  Elijah cocked an eyebrow. “What? No, I was looking for Megan. Deirdre asked me to find her. Megan’s dad and Cat need help with the kids.”

  Jasmine shrugged. “She hasn’t passed us, sorry. I’m walking in with Grace. I’ll go and help Catherine and Paul after, where are they?”

  Elijah bared his teeth. “In the art room. Cat has them working with clay. It’s not pretty.”

  Lucas stretched out. “You’re on your own, doll. May the force be with you.”

  Elijah threw himself onto the grass. “Good work, Jas. Take one for the team.”

  She smiled at them with squinted eyes. “You guys, enjoy your nap. If you decide to become decent people you could at least check in on Frank and Lydia.”

  Elijah kicked off his trainers. “Deal.” Lucas gave us a thumbs up. They were both asleep by the time myself and Jasmine got to the path.

  “What do you think he wants me for? Do you think they’ve found something bad out about last night? More attacks?” I asked, picking at my nails.

  Jasmine screwed up her face. “Probably just wants to get to know you better. Emmanuel is all about collaboration. Using people’s talents to make the whole cell more powerful, that kind of thing.”

  I bent down to pick up a wild poppy as we walked through the garden. “Best of luck to him finding my strengths. They’ve alluded me so far.” Jasmine wrinkled her nose at me but said nothing. I rubbed the silky petals between my fingers. “Jasmine, do you ever regret being a Shadow Child? Like, if you could be a regular Angel, would you?”