Called by Darkness

by Sean Fletcher

  “Spread out,” she said. Her acolytes fanned out and slipped in amongst the few Supes who still lingered at this early hour. The bar was nearly empty. The dance floor had no one on it except for a gangly kid mopping up remnants of the night’s reverie. He shoved his mop against the floor, head down, making wide circles until the mop hit her shoe and bounced off.

  “What the—oh!” His eyes widened when he looked up. “Where’d you come from?”

  Kasia stared at him. The kid backed up a step. “I m-mean, my bad, ma’am.”

  “It’s fine. No harm done.”

  She smiled, but the boy only shrank back further. “N-not trying to rush you, but the club’s closing. The Duke wants everyone out before dawn.”

  “I won’t be long.”

  “B-but—”

  Kasia put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. The darkness inside her stirred, but she quieted it. No need for unnecessary bloodshed. There’d be plenty of that to come. “Be more careful next time, won’t you?”

  She left him stuttering as she crossed the dance floor and took the stairs toward the Duke’s glass box.

  “Freeze.”

  The word was spoken the moment Kasia stepped onto the landing. Her body involuntarily froze, but her eyes could still move. She watched the two women snake out of the shadows, their blood red lips twisted in a smile.

  “What a bold one this is, sister,” one said.

  “To think, she believes she can just saunter up to our master, without so much as an invitation!” cackled the other.

  “Stand up.”

  Kasia’s body straightened as the silver tongues circled her. They brushed gentle fingers over her cheek, almost lovingly.

  “What should we have you do?” one asked. “Pluck out your eyes and eat them?”

  “Gut yourself like a fish?”

  “Break your fingers one by one? Tell us, what will it be?”

  “Greubel,” Kasia said.

  The silver tongues didn’t even have time to scream before Greubel pounced from behind her, his claws dragging the two women into the darkness.

  Then they screamed.

  There was the sound of ripping flesh. The silver tongues’ cries abruptly cut off. Kasia could move again, and she rubbed at a spot on her jacket where one of the Silver Tongue’s lipstick had smeared. Greubel appeared beside her, wiping his mouth now stained red.

  “Get a napkin,” Kasia said. “I can take it from here.”

  Greubel obediently nodded and left her.

  “What’s going on?” The Duke said when Kasia stepped into his room. “Brielle? Dana—”

  He swiveled in his chair. If it was possible, his skullish face morphed into an expression that might have been surprise. “I see.”

  He raised his fingers and snapped.

  The demon-kin was fast, Kasia would give him that. She barely had time to duck before a fist strong enough to shatter her jaw swung right past her head. The darkness inside her stirred again and this time she let some of it free.

  The demon-kin swung around again but the shadows leapt to Kasia’s command, wrapping around his arms and legs, holding him still. The demon-kin thrashed in his bonds, but the shadows continued encasing him, covering every inch. Kasia tightened her fist and the shadows squeezed until his struggling ceased.

  She turned to the Duke, who’d watched the entire thing. He looked at where his once-alive demon-kin had stood, then outside where, she guessed, he was imagining what had happened to his silver tongues. “I see. You don’t happen to be looking for employment, do you?”

  “Sadly, no,” Kasia said. “Information.”

  The Duke leaned easily back in his chair, slipping into the same casual control she assumed he held over all his clients. “That I have. For a price.”

  Kasia smiled. Then she lunged forward, the darkness allowing her to wrap her fingers around his neck and squeeze until he let out a gasp of pain as bits of his body began to dissolve, the shadows picking it apart a little at a time.

  “How’s this for a price?”

  “Im-impossible!”

  She squeezed harder.

  “All right! All right!”

  Kasia loosened her grip, but only slightly. The Duke tried to relax. The parts of his non-physical body that had begun to disappear slowly regained some of their permanence. “I know when I’m bested. What do you want to know?”

  “Where is the Cursed One?”

  The Duke gave a gurgling laugh. “You could have picked an easier question. No one knows for certain—ack!”

  The darkness in her demanded to be fed, but she kept it in check. Barely. The Duke could still be useful. For now. “Don’t make me ask again.”

  The Duke gave up clawing at her hand. “Why do you need the Cursed One?”

  Kasia tilted her head, as though the answer was obvious. Why else would she need it? What had she been trying to do every moment since that day? “To destroy the Academy of Magic. To bring an end to everything they love.”

  Her fist tightened. This time she couldn’t stop the voices rising inside her, filling her mind, giving her strength. “I’ll ask one more time: where is the Cursed One?”

  The Duke just looked at her in horror. “You’re—you’re a monster!”

  Kasia smiled.

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  * * *

  Don’t let the adventure stop! Turn the page for the exclusive first two chapters of Book Two: The Cursed One

  The hunt for the Cursed One is on…

  * * *

  I thought I could catch a break. After my near-death encounter with the psychotic leader of the Society, Kasia Armani, and still dealing with the Dark Prince trying to possess my body, I should be on the first flight out to a resort island.

  * * *

  Too bad the universe has other plans.

  * * *

  Reports of an ancient, legendary being called the Cursed One are popping up all over the world. According to Fae myth, whoever manages to find and possess this being will gain unbelievable power. Nearly unstoppable power. Power to do incredible good…or evil.

  * * *

  Naturally, Kasia wants it. And I can’t let that happen.

  * * *

  It’s up to me, Asher, and my friends from the Academy to find it first. But with those closest to me harboring dangerous secrets of their own—and my crazy heart telling me it wants Asher as more than a friend—this journey may be the hardest one I’ve ever taken.

  * * *

  It could also be the deadliest.

  Chapter 1

  * * *

  When performing practical hours for the New York Academy of Magic, there’s typically a right way to slay monsters, and a wrong one.

  Take a good guess which I’m usually best at.

  I barely managed to dive aside as the boar charged past, smashing into the rock behind me and obliterated it. I glanced at the dusty remnants. A second later and that could have been me.

  “You’re going to have to move faster than that!” Asher yelled from over my shoulder. He was a near-blur of movement, taking on three of the massive boars by himself with a combination of perfectly executed sword techniques and spells that kept Porky and friends at bay. His golden hair stayed perfectly in place as he whirled, muscles bunching and flexing almost like the statue of a god that wouldn’t be out of place here in Greece. Basically, he looked perfect.

  Ugh.

  “Focus on your own fight and keep out of mine!” I snapped back.

  I caught Asher smirking before I turned back to my own collection of soon-to-be-bacon. The boar that’d nearly pulverized me had been joined by a couple more, each nearly as big as a cow, looming above the dusty, olive tree-strewn mountainside we’d tracked them to. Kalamata, Greece (yeah, like the olive, as if I hadn’t heard that joke from my classmates a million times before I left), was full of a lot of things: water so blue it was criminal. Sand so
white you went blind staring at it.

  Also, a giant boar problem out of the wazoo.

  But Skylar, I hear you saying, they’re just boars, how much trouble can they be?

  See, these boars were the great, great, great grand pigs of the Calydonian boar. The one from all the legends. The meanest, toughest pig around. Which was why Asher and I were up here duking it out in the foothills instead of down at the resort soaking our feet in the surf and sipping sweet tea.

  The boar on my right stomped the dirt so hard the ground shook. I dropped my left foot back, centering myself, waiting until the exact second it charged.

  The boar took off. I kneeled and slammed my hand into the dirt.

  “Humak!”

  The magic stirring in my veins answered. It rushed outward toward my hand, flowing through my fingers and sparking as it released into the ground.

  A miniature chasm split before me. The boar’s front feet caught and it went down hard, squealing all the way. I lunged, driving Valkyrie, my three-foot long, magic-powered blade through the weakest point of its hide.

  The boar squealed once more before disintegrating into dust. I stumbled as I found myself leaning into air where its body had once been.

  “What the heck?”

  “Yeah, they do that,” Asher called.

  I shot him a glare. “Maybe tell me next time?”

  “And miss the look on your face? Never.”

  The next boar charged and I danced aside, unable to keep myself from grinning. A lot had changed between Asher and me in the three months since we’d started advanced classes at the Academy. For one, we didn’t hate each other anymore (though near-constant annoyance was alive and well, trust me). We’d grown closer, not just as partners, but as friends. We were more in sync. We communicated.

  Except, apparently, when it came to the magically-dissolving properties of Greek boars.

  I shoved strands of my black-ish, silver-ish hair out of my eyes. The last two boars squared off to run me down. Asher was nearly done fighting his. We’d driven the pests away from the ignorant Norms below and up here into the hills around Kalamata. With any luck we’d be done before lunch.

  “Spectra!”

  My stun spell nailed the nearest charging boar right in the snout and it practically collapsed at my feet. I plunged Valkyrie into it but forgot how fast these suckers were.

  “Watch ou—”

  Asher’s shout came too late. The second boar used my momentary distraction to careen in from my blind spot. I tried twisting out of the way but still felt one of its tusks tear through my jacket and slice a shallow cut across my ribs. Fire raced up my body. I went down hard as a couple hundred pounds of beast charged past.

  “Skylar!”

  “Fine!” I bit out. “Just a flesh wound!”

  Asher tried rushing over to help, but his couple remaining boars penned him in. I shoved myself to my feet. As great as it was having someone so strong and caring as a partner, I couldn’t rely on him all the time. If I couldn’t take one stupid boar…

  “You’ve grown careless without me.”

  My heartbeat thumped louder in my ears. All outside noises briefly dulled as the voice echoed in my mind, wormed its way into my thoughts.

  “They wouldn’t stand a chance with our combined strength,” the Dark Prince said.

  I squeezed my eyes shut so hard I saw white spots. I was in control. I was fine. He didn’t have any power over me.

  And yet I still felt my mind slowly slipping into that cool, shadowy place inside where the Prince lived. He’d been quiet since I’d nearly lost control of his power during my last battle with Kasia. After that I swore I wouldn’t use him.

  I couldn’t break that promise now. If I did, the curse…

  No. I couldn’t think about that.

  “Let me give you more power than you could ever—”

  “No thanks.” I threw up a mental wall between me and him, cutting off his strengthening hold. “Go play solitaire and shut up.”

  The Prince’s sudden surge of rage rushed through me so fast it briefly overwhelmed my defenses. The edges of my vision turned red. Everything was mine to hurt, to maim, to kill…

  “Soon, then,” the Prince whispered. “Soon.”

  “Never,” I hissed.

  And just like that I was back to myself.

  Right as the final boar charged.

  “Defendi!”

  The boar collided with my conjured shield, the force of his blow throwing me back. I cast a slicing spell as I hit the ground, but it glanced off the boar’s thick hide, not slowing it one bit. I hurled Valkyrie. The blade actually flew straight, the tip puncturing the boar’s shoulder. Its front legs gave out, but its momentum kept it careening my way. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact.

  “You could roll out of the way, you know.”

  I opened my eyes. Asher’s sword was sticking from the boar’s body, stopping it inches from colliding with me. He pulled the sword out and the beast poofed to dust. Asher smirked down at me, the sunlight haloing his face, and my stupid heart tripped over itself. It’d been doing that a lot lately. Mostly around him. I told myself it was just because we were getting along again and not any other reason. Because the thought of Asher and me…me and Asher…It was crazy. Insane.

  Asher held out a hand and I grudgingly took it, letting him pull me up until we were side by side. Neither of us let go for a moment, our bodies resting close to each other, the space between us almost non-existent. I had to swallow to clear my throat. I was the tallest girl in my class, but Asher still stood a head above me. We’d been in close proximity like this more and more often lately thanks to the Academy’s practical hours. With him, my mutinous thoughts went wild on a regular basis. Especially now. I’d be totally lying if I said I hadn’t thought of closing the distance between us and…

  “Skylar?”

  I jerked and looked up into his eyes; deep ocean blue flecked with a bit of gold. Eyes that were searching my face, though I wasn’t sure what for.

  “Yeah…?”

  Asher slowly broke out into a smile. He let my hand go and brushed off the layer of dirt that’d caked my shirt.

  “You hesitated.”

  “I…what?”

  “When that second boar charged I saw you freeze up. Are you…” He paused again, and this time it seemed like he was choosing his words carefully. “That’s not like you. Is something wrong?”

  I was suddenly on high alert. He’d asked me almost the exact same thing a few months ago, right after we’d fended off Kasia the first time. I’d been forced to borrow the Dark Prince’s power to defeat her and nearly lost myself in the process. Asher had arrived at the last minute, but I wasn’t sure if he’d seen me consumed by the Prince’s power. That would have been catastrophic. I couldn’t tell anyone about the Dark Prince. Not Asher, not my other friend Colson, not even Mia, my best friend. I wanted to tell them. Badly. But if I did then whatever the Dark Prince was, whatever Kasia was planning when she’d cursed me with him, could put them all in danger.

  I couldn’t bear that.

  I forced myself to grin back at Asher. “My only problem is I’m doing most of the work around here. Let’s see, I took out six of them, and you took out…” I ticked them off on my fingers. “Only four. Somebody’s slacking.”

  Asher didn’t smile back. He continued staring at me until, almost reluctantly, he sheathed his sword and took a look around, hands on his hips. “That’s how it’s going to be, huh?”

  My chest tightened. “What do you mean?”

  “You completely miscounted. I took out eight to your six. Means you’re two behind.”

  I let out a silent breath. Not that I felt much better. I might have gotten away with lying to him again, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand it. Emotionally or physically. If I kept having to hold my breath every time I thought he was growing suspicious then I might as well start wearing a corset.

  “Skylar.�
�� Asher knelt beside the mound of dirt that the last boar had turned into. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

  The tightness in my chest was back. I crossed my arms. “Of course I know that.”

  “Hmm…” He looked up at me, then back to the ground. “I know we had a…rough start to the year—”

  “You mean the last few years,” I pointed out.

  Asher let out a sigh like a man under serious duress. “I said I was sorry. Anyway, I just wanted to remind you in case you forgot.”

  I slowly let myself relax. He wasn’t attacking me. He was genuinely trying to make sure I was doing okay. And I appreciated that. More than he knew. “Thanks, Asher. I just have a lot on my mind and—”

  A loud squeal cut me off. Asher and I whirled in time to see two more boars we’d somehow missed race off. One split toward Kalamata while another took a narrow path between the mountains, soon vanishing between the trunks of scraggly trees. I groaned.

  “I’ll rock paper scissors you for which one I get,” Asher said, holding out his hand. I waved it aside with a sigh.

  “I’ll take the mountain one.”

  “Shame. When I’m done, I’ll be thinking of you as I soak my feet in the pool.”

  “Ha ha. Try not to do anything too stupid.”

  “I’d say the same, but that would mean you couldn’t do anything.”

  I gritted my teeth as Asher laughed and jogged off after his boar. That left me Fugitive #2, Mr. Soon-to-Be-Skewered. I stopped channeling my magic through Valkyrie, sheathed the blade-less hilt, and took off after it.

  I couldn’t complain much. As un-fun as this mission was, it was a nice distraction from most of the Academy classes. Not that anything at the Academy was boring, but it was nice to get out and stretch my legs. In Greece. With giant pigs.