by Lorna Reid
Through the dust and the haze of magic, the room was absolute chaos. More guards poured into the hall to bolster the defence, and the Darklander attacks intensified.
Jen’s magic took out two enemies who were armed with belts of the explosive metal spheres, and without missing a beat she hurled a blade into the neck of a woman who tried to rush them.
‘Jack!’ shouted Peter, locking hilts with a soldier and glancing over his shoulder.
Russell rubbed dust from his eyes and spluttered, spinning to look for his father. He saw him turning as he searched for Russell. Jack was caught off guard by two Darklanders. One of them hit him hard in the face and pinned him to the table they’d been sheltering under not long before, sending his sword clattering to the ground. The second man raised his weapon while Jack fought viciously beneath him.
‘Jack!’ screamed Peter, kneeing his opponent and swiftly despatching him. Russell darted in terror to help his father. Danny hurled a chunk of rock, which smacked one man in the head, momentarily stunning him.
‘Dad!’ Russell slid his dagger across the polished wood, begging it to not slide off. Jack grabbed it and buried it in the neck of his disoriented attacker, and then felled the other with a handful of purple magic to the face.
He slid the dagger back to Russell, who stared mortified at the blood, first on the blade, but mostly trickling down his father’s face and neck from a bloody nose and a gash on his head.
Jack made his way back toward him. ‘Go with Thom, now.’ He pushed him to Thom and then ran in the direction the Reaper had gone.
Russell could hear the creature among the chaos of battle. He ran, but not to Thom. He took off after his father, skidding on fragments of wood and stone, batting at the haze of plaster and dust that was making his chest tight, while his skin tingled with the magic-laden atmosphere.
He raced through several smaller rooms devastated by the fight and littered with bodies. He fought to shut off his mind to the gruesome comet trail left behind by the Reaper and carried on, down a set of stairs and through a long room whose gated entrance had been ripped from the stone.
There were footfalls behind him and Katrina caught up, grabbing his elbow and shooting him a humourless smile. He was glad of her company.
Another collapsing ceiling had them veer off into a side room, and from there he lost his father; only the sound of a ferocious fight and the occasional nightmare howl kept him going vaguely the right way. Russell had no idea where the others were, or if Thom, Jen, and Pete were behind them, but he kept going – if he stopped now, he would throw away his only chance. Isa’s only chance.
They halted in a wide, arched doorway and stared into a chamber partially lined with shelves full of books and small boxes where a pitched battle was taking place. In the centre of the room, at the heart of the battle, was a stone pedestal surrounded by a cocoon of warm yellow light.
‘What’s that?’ breathed Katrina as they sheltered by a cabinet, which was missing one door and its top half.
‘I think it’s the Crowmount fragment,’ said Russell, shifting in the debris of wood shards and fallen masonry. He looked around, feeling desperation start to fuse with the fear. Where was his father? Where was Isa? There was a roar from the far side of the room and a group of soldiers tumbled away from a burst of flame.
A bolt of blue energy hit the creature in the chest and it roared in pain, enraged to further destructive fury as the defenders tried desperately to keep it from the crystal fragment.
The Reaper gored two guards and clawed another’s face, making Russell’s stomach heave until he gagged. He looked away from the bloodied mess that tumbled to the floor at the clawed feet and heard a voice.
‘You shouldn’t be here! I can’t believe you’re here!’
Russell turned and his heart crashed into his breastbone. Isa shot him a grim smile and smacked his arm as she dashed past and came to the rescue of a young guard who was being beaten back by a huge soldier.
She duelled the man in a blur of steel, leaping over his low sweep and felling him before wading fearlessly into her next fight. Russell stared, horrified and mesmerised, watching the expert swings and sweeps of her sword and the glitter of gold thread in her braids that jarred his eyes in the melee.
It had happened so fast that he never got a chance to say anything, and now how was he supposed to get her away? How could they have not had time?
‘Isa!’ someone yelled. He saw his father across the chamber. She hadn’t heard him and he shouted again.
Danny and Poppy burst through another doorway and were immediately swept into a corner by Thom and Jen, who were hot on their heels. The two walled them in with a dome of magic and joined the defence, keeping eyes on the Reaper and the fragment. With the zipping magic and crashing of blades, armour, fists, and the occasional projectile weapon, it was a grim soup.
An intense shimmer of light from the pedestal snatched their attention and the cocoon began to spit and crack. Enemy mages had gathered around it in a glow of magic while their soldiers once again protected them from harm.
Isa broke through their defence and tackled one mage while Thom and Jen skidded across the mess of boxes and papers on the floor and joined Jack. The three of them hurled a combined energy spike, blasting four soldiers and a brace of mages to the ground.
The three of them locked swords with the fighters, frantically trying to break the circle and stop the magic, but they were all too late. There was a splintering crack and a rush of air as the light sucked inwards and vanished, leaving a wisp of blue smoke and the lone fragment, unguarded on its velvet pad.
A screaming roar issued from the Reaper’s mouth and it strode toward the pedestal. Mages and soldiers redoubled their efforts, clashing with enemies and battling to stop it.
Before the thing could reach the fragment, Isa snatched up a chunk of fallen stone and flung it at the pedestal. It thunked into the top and sent the precious crystal skittering across the floor to be lost in a mess of boxes and their bright, powdery contents.
Russell was running, even as the Reaper turned. He crashed into Isa, knocking her to the floor as a clawed hand sailed over their heads. The sounds in the room sank to a murky buzz, and his limbs moved like they were stuck in quicksand.
Russell looked down into Isa’s face – the bright eyes, the bloodied nose, the smeared gold makeup on beautiful dark skin. He felt her breath on his face and heard her ragged breathing as the adrenalin charged through her.
She smiled, and through his tears he smiled back. And then he was ripped upwards, his cloak clasp closing around his throat, choking him until it gave way and he crashed to the ground.
Above him, the Reaper raised its sword. Isa sprang to her feet and slashed her blade across its torso. It dropped its weapon and roared. Russell’s scream spilled from his mouth as the Reaper spun and lashed out furiously, sweeping Isa away like a leaf. It had taken bare seconds.
Isa smashed against the wall, her head cracking against the plaster. In what seemed like a moment that hung forever on the edge of a terrible chasm, she tumbled to the floor and lay still, her broken sword clattering beside her with a cruel ring.
Russell’s body trembled and his limbs became jelly, even as his chest heaved in racking sobs. A magical flame knocked the Reaper back, making it howl in pain, and Thom lashed out again, sending magic shrieking through the air, his body surrounded by a swirl of colour as the creature writhed under the sustained onslaught.
One of the allied fighters ran to Isa and gently touched her. He turned to look at Russell’s father across the room and shook his head. The world darkened. Russell saw the tears on his father’s face and allowed his eyes to close as he buried his face in his hands and crumpled into a ball.
*
A Darklander ran at Thom with a spear; Danny tore from Poppy’s side and burst through the magical shield. He crashed into the soldier, sending his weapon clattering to the floor, and punched into him. Rushing to grab his son, Peter cro
ssed swords with a cloaked man also trying to reach Thom. Jack deflected a bolt of green energy aimed at Danny and pulled him back, knocking the spear man out with the pommel of his sword.
‘Stay here. I need to get Russell,’ Jack said.
‘What about Isa?’ said Danny.
When Jack shook his head, his stomach dropped away and his legs buckled.
Jack ran and scooped up his son. Russell’s body was limp, but as far as Danny could see he was unhurt. Jack shielded them with a dome of purple magic until he sat Russell in an alcove and sealed him in, standing with his back to his son while rejoining the fight.
Danny saw Katrina peer out from behind the cabinet across the room. Seeing another enemy move in on Thom, she unsheathed her dagger and ran to help. She sliced awkwardly at the attacker’s leg. Thom spun to finish him off and shot Katrina a grateful grin. He pulled her close behind him, into a shield of energy, then turned his full attention back to the creature.
With the distraction of the Reaper and the blaze of battle, the fragment had lain mostly forgotten beneath the debris on the floor, with herbs, spices, and other odd ingredients joining the plaster and rubble in masking it. A few figures finally managed to extricate themselves from the fight and began scrabbling and hunting.
It seemed Poppy hadn’t forgotten it either – or missed where it had landed – and she tore across the room and snatched the crystal from the mess of boxes and plaster in the corner before darting through the nearest doorway. Danny blinked, not believing his eyes; Isa’s death was still burning a hole through his mind and he struggled to absorb what he thought he had just seen. Was Poppy mad?
Danny hurled himself after her, hugging the outside of the room, avoiding fights and ducking at the sound of magic whistling overhead while Jack and everyone else battled on.
Chapter 26
◊
KATRINA SAW DANNY RUN after Poppy and lurched after them, but Thom grabbed her wrist and swung her back. ‘No,’ he said.
‘You’re going nowhere, any of you,’ shouted Peter, wiping sweat from his brow with a bloody hand and tossing away a broken sword. ‘Where are the others?’ Before she could answer, Peter tackled a soldier charging at Thom and crashed to the floor with him, punching down and smacking the man’s head back on the floor.
Flame and fizzing energy surrounded the Reaper as it writhed and roared, hurling its own magic, which Thom deflected. Reinforcements allowed Jack and other mages to join in the attack, while the Darklanders doubled their efforts to stop them. More enemy fighters were scrabbling among the debris, hunting for the fragment.
Katrina had imagined being in battles, but it wasn’t like this. In videogames, enemies waited to attack. This brutal reality was different, and it was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
The Reaper hurled its sword at Thom, making him duck. His concentration wavered and a surge of the creature’s magic tore through the air, shattering Thom’s hold and sending him and Jack flying to the ground. They’d kicked the ultimate beehive.
Katrina didn’t know what to do as it advanced, and held her dagger in both hands – which bobbed and twirled, she was trembling that much.
A bolt of silver light struck the creature in the chest, throwing it back against the empty pedestal, and she looked round to see her mother pouring magic at it, the energy swirling from her hands, lighting her face and hair. Katrina’s heart soared and she didn’t know whether she cried or laughed.
Peter had found another sword and finished his fight before hurling it through the air like a javelin, piercing the creature in the side. Its screaming roar froze her blood as it howled and struggled against the snaking, persistent magic. Thom and Jack struggled to their feet.
*
When Poppy had seen her chance to grab the fragment, she had taken it. She didn’t know why or what she was going to do once she did, but the urgency filled her. The need to protect the thing her father had given his life for became all that mattered, especially in the wake of Isa’s death.
She had darted out in the confusion and snatched the fragment from the floor, plunging through the nearest unblocked doorway and dreading that a fireball or a blade would hit her in the back at any moment.
Poppy skidded round a corner on a rug, and someone grabbed her arm and steadied her. ‘Nice one,’ said Danny. She flashed him a nervous grin and they raced through another room, glancing behind them. To her horror, two men were in pursuit.
Danny wrenched open a door and they darted into a room, pausing to pull the heavy bar across the door. ‘Where now?’ he breathed. Poppy pointed to a small stairwell and they clattered down it as the door splintered inwards. They emerged in a long room, lined with ledgers and books that were tucked neatly onto dark wooden shelves.
‘That thing, do you think it will come after us?’ Poppy breathed. Danny didn’t answer. He just looked at her and, by mutual agreement, they picked up speed. Not soon enough. A stinging blow hit them both square in the back and they crashed to the floor. The crystal fragment clattered over the stone and Poppy dragged herself forward to try and retrieve it, her body aching.
A black boot smashed down on her fingers, making her cry out, and a man with short white hair stooped to grab the crystal. He dragged her to her feet while Danny kicked viciously at his captor – a heavy-set man with a thick red scar slashed across his face. Danny froze when the man pressed a blade into the hollow of his throat.
‘Like to kick, don’t you, boy?’ said the white-haired man. ‘You won’t be able to when I break both your legs.’ He wrestled Poppy into a headlock with one thick arm. ‘As for you … how dare you think you can lay your hands on this.’ He turned the fragment in the light, seeming to savour its every jagged facet.
‘It is ours. My master’s right, his freedom, his power.’
‘It’s not his,’ Poppy snarled up at him.
The man tucked the fragment into his pocket and drew a small dagger from his belt. He spun her round and seized her by the hair, twisting her closer and trailing the blade lazily down her neck. The icy metal chilled her blood as much as his pale, cruel eyes, which danced with triumphant malice.
‘He was given the land by the Allies when they turned tail and ran. He wants its soul back.’
‘They’ll kill the Reaper,’ she hissed, ‘and you’ll lose your best chance.’ Both men laughed.
‘The Reaper has been waiting in the Darklands too long. It will be his tool. It won’t be killed,’ her captor sneered.
‘Nothing can leave the Darklands. You’re lying,’ breathed Poppy. ‘There’s no way out of there, so you expect us to believe that’s where you got the Reaper?’ She glanced at Danny and registered the sudden jolt of realisation in his eyes. If that thing got out, she thought, then maybe someone else could, too – like Danny’s mother. Maybe the bastard will gloat and tell us, she thought. He seemed the type who loved the sound of his own voice.
‘The magic was set before the Darklands were sealed, stupid child. It meant we could connect to it in order to open a portal and raise the Reaper, to bring it here. Old magic, too much for meddling children to comprehend.’ He frowned and peered into Poppy’s face. ‘Your eyes are so familiar …’
‘Kennan, stop playing with them,’ growled Danny’s captor as Danny tried to pull away from the blade.
Kennan shook himself. ‘Yes, let’s press on.’ He paused a moment and scowled at Danny. ‘Your face also looks familiar. I could swear I’ve seen you before.’ He shrugged. ‘Well, now you can learn what real pain is.’
A jagged tangle of red lines snaked out of thin air and melted over Danny’s body. He yelled and writhed in pain, trying to pull away, but was held tightly. It looked like fine, hot wire was vanishing into his skin, and Poppy wriggled in Kennan’s grip, helpless.
Danny screamed, and amid Poppy’s sheer terror and desperation, she felt a new energy spark to life in the pit of her stomach. It built swiftly, seeping through her veins and intensifying. A realisation dawned and s
he pulled at it, drawing and willing it, forcing the lazy, heavy feeling to uncoil for the first time, and, not knowing what she was doing, she yanked at it and punched back full force into Kennan’s head.
Water magic burst from her fist, and the man was thrown back in the blue glow, hitting his head on a table before he slumped to the floor. The red lines vanished and Danny’s captor slackened his grip in surprise. Danny thumped his elbow into the scarred man’s stomach and throat, causing him to stagger.
Poppy picked up a large book and Danny ducked as she slammed it into the man’s face, flattening his nose with a sick crunch. Poppy grabbed the crystal fragment from Kennan’s pocket as Danny delivered a powerful shove that sent his now-screeching captor stumbling back over a footstool and crashing to the floor. Danny turned and delivered a quick, vicious kick to Kennan’s unconscious body before they ran for the door.
‘You okay?’ Poppy puffed as they hared back up the stairs.
‘My body feels like it’s on fire. I can still feel those things.’
They stumbled down passages and round corners, ending up in a deserted room where bodies and debris were scattered over the floor. The battle had either moved on or was winding down.
‘We need to get this to Jack,’ she said, ‘or someone else will come after it. I just wanted to get it out of that room – I saw that bastard Kennan was looking for it.’
‘Well, we took care of him. Prick,’ Danny muttered. ‘This way. It’s where the most noise is coming from.’ He grabbed her arm and they stumbled from one wrecked room to another, following the sound of fighting until they stopped on the threshold of a large room that appeared to be connected to the fragment chamber beyond by a low archway.
The enemy had been driven back into this smaller but similar chamber, and there were still small pockets of fighting, with running battles visible through distant doorways. Most of the enemy soldiers were trying to protect the Reaper, and many of them were attempting to target the mages – Thom, Jen, and others – who were concentrating their magic on it as best they could while under attack.
