Starlight & Shadows: A Limited Edition Academy Collection by Laura Greenwood, Arizona Tape, Juliana Haygert, Kat Parrish, Ashley McLeo, L.C. Mawson, Leigh Kelsey, Bre Lockhart, Zelda Knight

by Laura Greenwood

I watched his wide back and the muscles of his shoulders imprinted on the white t-shirt, trying to focus my thoughts only on how great he looked and how I wished we could go back to the flirting we had going on at the beginning of the year.

  Though I had no idea why he was in Chasseur Ville this weekend—sometimes, students got passes to spend the weekend with family, and I was guessing that since he was a great student, Sam probably got lots of those—I was glad he was here. It had been nice to see him, to hear his words.

  When he turned a corner, I stared at the display window once more. Once again, my hand went to where my necklace should have been.

  I gasped as an idea bloomed in my mind—I might have a way to track the demon!

  Chapter Seven

  The palms of my hands sweated. I hid them behind my back, hoping Harper didn’t notice my nervousness. Actually, it was excitement. I might not have started these demon parties, but I had been part of them. I was somewhat guilty that now there was a higher demon on the loose.

  “Come on,” Harper said as we walked from the underground garage to the Iris building in the academy. “She’ll meet us in the library.”

  I nodded and wiped my hands on my jeans.

  After talking to Sam, I realized that maybe there was a way to track Zhorgul. He had taken my necklace. If we tracked the necklace, we would find him. But I didn’t know any tracking spells. Fortunately, I had been outside Harper’s store, and from the stories I had heard about Zhorgul, she and Professor Claire had dabbled in spells.

  So, despite how crazy all of it sounded in my head, I entered the store and talked to Harper. I explained to her about the demon—of course she knew about it—and my idea for tracking it. She instantly asked her assistant to man the store, and called Professor Claire, who was still at the academy.

  As Harper drove us back to the academy, I got a few texts from Doreen wondering where I was and when I would be back. Dinner was about to be served and we were supposed to dine as a family. I didn’t reply to her. I didn’t know what to tell her. I was going to be late for dinner, but I didn’t want to tell her why.

  Harper and I entered the library in the Iris building. It was dark and quiet, and the empty desks looked rather creepy under the faint light that came from the lamps outside.

  Harper stopped at the door of the restricted section, unlocked it with a key I didn’t see her grabbing, and we went in. The lights were on in this part of the library, and I felt a little disappointed that it looked like the rest of the library with the desks and shelves, though I knew darker and more dangerous books were kept here.

  We found Professor Claire leaning over a long desk in the middle of the room, several books open and spread around her.

  She noticed our presence and looked up. “There you are.” She gestured to the books. “After your call, I came directly here and have been looking for tracking spells.”

  “Did you find anything?” Harper asked, approaching her partner. She put a hand on Professor Claire’s back and they shared a small smile.

  “Not yet, but I think I’m getting closer.” She pointed to the chairs. “Sit and help me. We’re looking for a specific spell.”

  More excited than I had ever seen her in class when talking about the history of demon hunters and demons, Professor Claire showed us several spells in different books.

  I sat down with them and grabbed a book, my mind split between the task at hand, and the couple standing beside me. I saw their interaction firsthand. Professor Claire poured over the books, talking rapidly about kinds of spells and ingredients needed, while Harper observed what was easy or wasn’t, and what would require time they didn’t have.

  After a while, Professor Claire pulled out a stack of blank paper and a pen. “I think I’ll need to write a spell myself. Harper, will you help me?”

  “Of course.” Harper scooted her chair closer to the professor’s.

  Something in me swelled. I was with Professor Claire and Harper, going over books to help us fight a higher demon. It felt like I could have helped them during the Underworld War.

  This was almost as exciting as covertly summoning demons.

  It didn’t take long for them to come up with something.

  Professor Claire held up the paper with her made-up spell. “I think this is it.” She glanced at me. “Since the necklace is yours, we’ll need your help. Are you ready?”

  I hesitated for a millisecond because I was afraid. Not of the demon, but of messing things up. “Of course,” I said, nodding.

  Professor Claire smiled, looking chipper, despite the situation. “Great. But first, we’ll need reinforcement.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Chapter Eight

  While Professor Claire called for reinforcements, I went to my bedroom and changed into my combat training clothes—black thermal tee, black tactical pants, and boots. I wasn’t sure exactly what I would be doing, what part I would take in the spell, but Professor Claire said better to be safe than sorry. And she was one to know with her history, and Harper’s, in the Underworld War.

  I tied my hair up in a ponytail, laced up my boots, and went to where we had agreed: the underground garage.

  It was Saturday night after the incident at the academy—it was dark and mostly empty; it felt eerie. I braced myself as I walked down the stairs, waiting for a demon, or even a ghost to sneak up on me.

  However, I only saw a couple of guards, and they didn’t even bother with me since Professor Claire had warned them I would be on campus tonight.

  I descended the stairs and halted two steps later.

  Beside Professor Claire and Harper were two demon hunters, leaning against a sleek black jeep—my sister Doreen and another young woman.

  “Hi, there,” she said with a soft smile. “I’m Erin—“

  “Erin Belmont,” I finished for her.

  The famous Erin Belmont, half-demon, daughter of former King Brikan, and princess of the underworld was standing right in front of me.

  She was as beautiful as I had heard; she had fair skin, long luscious black hair, and bright golden eyes. I knew she was young, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old and she graduated from the academy a year ago. And yet, in this one year, she had accomplished so much, captured so many higher level demons, and negotiated peace with other supernaturals. She was a legend.

  “Yes, that’s me,” she said. “Pleased to finally meet you.”

  I frowned. Was she pleased to meet me? Why? I bet she had never heard of me before Thursday.

  “All right, how about we start this party so we can be done with it soon?” Doreen said, her voice as hard as stone.

  “Sure,” Professor Claire said. She explained that she tried to find a spell to track the demon through my necklace, but since the necklace was gone, they couldn’t find anything. Until I told them Doreen had an identical necklace to mine, given by our mother. Reluctantly, Doreen handed the necklace to Harper.

  “Don’t worry,” Harper said, closing her hand around the necklace.” I’ll cast the spell and then you can put it back on.” She closed her eyes and recited a spell in a hush. A minute later, she opened her hand. “You can take it back. Put it on and it’ll lead you to the demon.”

  Doreen didn’t hesitate. She clasped the necklace around her neck again and instantly, the pendant on the chain lifted, pointing toward the exit of the garage. “I think it’s working.”

  “As it should,” Harper said with a smile. The stories about her said she had found out she was half-witch while at the academy, which was kind of late for a witch, but that didn’t stop her from being a powerful witch.

  “You should go,” Professor Claire said, gesturing toward the car.

  “Right,” Erin said. “The sooner we go, the sooner we stop this demon.” With a smile, she embraced Professor Claire.

  Doreen stepped into my line of sight. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “But—“

  “But I know I can’t ask t
hat of you,” she continued. “I know you feel responsible, and you’re the one who figured out a way to track the demon. I’ll let you come, but on one condition.”

  I crossed my arms. Here it was. Knowing her, she would ask me to stay in the car and watch everything from afar. “What?”

  “Be careful, try to remember your training, stay close to me at all times, and yield this with pride.” She turned her palms up between us, and a Dawnblade appeared in her hands.

  I frowned. “Your sword? Why?”

  She shook her head. “No, not mine. Our mother’s.”

  My eyes widened. “But … you still have her sword?”

  “Sometimes a demon hunter dies, but the Dawnblade remains. Our father was keeping it. I borrowed it for this occasion.” She handed me the Dawnblade. “I think she would like you to have it until you can make your own.”

  With trembling hands, I took the Dawnblade from her—a long, black blade with a greenish-dark glow. It was lighter than I thought, and the hilt was smooth, easy to grip.

  “Hm, how do I make it disappear?” I asked.

  “You can’t do it until you have your own,” Doreen explained. “So for now, I’ll do it for you.” She touched the blade and the sword disappeared. “I’ll make it come back when we find the demon.”

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  Doreen dismissed me and headed to the car.

  Behind us, Harper had also hugged Erin and the three of them chatted happily, like the best friends they were. It was odd seeing them like this. I knew they were all young, but from the tales I had heard, I also knew they were experienced and capable. Their souls might have the weight of a five-hundred-year old.

  Erin said goodbye once more, then joined us in the car. She took the wheel while Doreen’s necklace led the way. The drive was short but full of turns, and led onto narrow and bumpy roads. I thought we would either get stuck in mud, or fall off a cliff. But the necklace never failed—it kept pointing to the horizon, like a magical GPS.

  Finally, the necklace lowered, as if the magic on it was gone, when we arrived near a small hill outside of a town, not even an hour from the academy.

  Erin stopped the car a good way from the hill. She glanced, though it was too dark to see anything past the car’s light. “Zhorgul is supposed to be around here?”

  “That’s what I would assume from the necklace,” Doreen said. “It’s close to the academy. I wonder how we hadn’t found it yet.”

  “It must have some kind of cloaking enchantment,” Erin suggested. “But it couldn’t fool Harper’s spell.” She glanced at me, then at Doreen. “Let’s go find us a demon.”

  She opened the car’s door and stepped out. Doreen and I followed her. Doreen was as composed as Erin, used to being in the fray and fighting demons. I wasn’t. My heart beat faster, and every little chittering critter and faint snap of tree branch made me gasp.

  If the two experience demon hunters noticed my reaction, they pretended they didn’t, which was fine by me.

  Doreen and Erin summoned their Dawnblades, and Doreen gave me our mother’s. I gripped it tight, as if it could pass some strength to me.

  Slowly, Doreen and Erin walked closer to the hill, with soft steps I couldn’t even hear. And I trailed behind them, the Dawnblade ready by my side.

  As we rounded the hill, we saw some faint rays of light coming from the side. The light flickered a little stronger as we approached it, soon revealing the mouth of a cave.

  “I bet the demon is inside,” Erin whispered. She glanced at us. “Ready?”

  Doreen nodded. I gulped, then nodded.

  As the two of them stalked toward the cave’s entrance, I took a second to breathe deeply and calm my nerves. This was different from being in the basement and summoning imps. This was an actual hunt, and we were about to face a higher demon by ourselves. In a way, this was more exhilarating, but it also felt more real. More dangerous.

  I rolled my shoulders, trying to relieve some tension, and followed the two demon hunters to the mouth of the cave.

  We spied inside. There it was. Zhorgul stood close to the back wall of the wide cave, its big, red figure hulking over a small pile of loot—along the rough wall were a few books, a brush, a silver framed mirror, a golden lamp, a blunt sword, and other trinkets and items. Were all of these items magical?

  I didn’t have time to wonder. Black smoke enveloped Erin’s hands and she charged inside the cave, her Dawnblade ready. Doreen charged in with her, both of them gunning for the demon.

  Zhorgul reacted instantly. He turned, abandoning his trinkets, and met them halfway.

  Frozen at the entrance of the cave, I gripped the Dawnblade’s hilt tighter and watched as the two demon hunters fought the higher demon. Being a half-demon, Erin used her darkfire along with her sword, hurting the demon a little easier.

  Despite the perilous situation, the fight looked like a synchronized dance of complicated steps and swords, an enchanting concert. I was in awe of the sight in front of me.

  Erin and Doreen were two really badasses demon hunters.

  Darkfire enveloped one of the demon’s arms, and he jerked, trying to get away. Erin used the darkfire like a rope and pulled the demon to her. When it came, she was ready with her Dawnblade. She swiped it wide, cutting a nasty line across the demon’s chest.

  The demon roared in pain, and I almost brought my hands up to cover my ears.

  The demon pushed Erin back with two fists. She skidded several feet, landing on her knees. Doreen went for it, but the demon punched her.

  Then it ran.

  Toward the exit.

  Directly to me.

  Fear gripped my gut, but the Dawnblade slipped from my hands. I tried focusing on my training, on what I had learned so far, on the badass juice going around this cave, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything.

  “Kayleen!”

  That yell, that name, that voice snapped me out of it.

  I raised the Dawnblade and spread my feet apart, the left one a little in front of the right one, my weight distributed between my legs, my stance stronger.

  Zhorgul came running, charging like a bull, but I held my ground. I counted the seconds, ready for it. When the demon was two steps from me, and with enough momentum to not stop, I took a half step back and raised the Dawnblade, pointing the blade right at its chest.

  The force of the impact drew me several steps back, but I held firm, my feet dragging dirt on the rough ground. The sound of the blade cutting through thick skin curled my toes. The roar of the demon and its nasty odor washing over me made me scrunch my nose in disgust. Its weight leaned over me, and I thought I would buckle underneath it, but I resisted it for as long as I could.

  “Hold on!” Erin shouted. She ran around the demon and me, dropping a dark powder on the ground, creating a circle, my feet purposely outside of it.

  Doreen came to our side as Erin chanted an incantation. Then, she dipped her Dawnblade in that same black powder and drew a thin line over the demon’s arm.

  The demon roared again, but it stopped as the demon exploded in dark ashes. The Dawnblade in my hand dropped to the ground and I lost my balance, almost falling forward.

  Doreen wrapped her hand around my bicep and pulled me back. “I’ve got you.”

  I glanced at her and saw an unusual sight. She was smiling. A soft, closed mouth smile, but it was there. I hadn’t seen Doreen smiling in a long, long time.

  “You did well,” she said, surprising me.

  “Great?” Erin asked with a scoff. “You did great. Did you know most students run away when facing a demon for the first time? You just started and you held your ground. Against a higher demon, no less.” She patted my shoulder. “You’re a badass.”

  Erin Belmont called me badass. I needed this recorded for future reference.

  “Erin is right,” Doreen continued. “You’ll be a great demon hunter one day.”

  I smiled at my sister, still amused by the unexpected comp
liments.

  Suddenly, I felt part of the inner crowd. Like I actually belonged here, in the demon hunting world, and was doing some good. So that was how it felt to be them, to always do good and risk their lives for the greater good.

  In a way, this was more exhilarating than sneaking out at night and summoning demons.

  I really liked this.

  Erin walked to the back of the cave, where all the trinkets were piled up. “Now that the demon is gone, we need to take all of these and make sure nothing here is dangerous before returning them to their owners.”

  Which reminded me …

  I handed my mother’s sword to Doreen and went to the back of the cave with Erin. “I need to find my necklace.”

  It wasn’t hard to find since it was hanging from one corner of the silver framed mirror. I picked it up and laid it on my open palm. “Zhorgul only takes magical trinkets, which means, somehow, this necklace is magical.”

  Doreen came to stand by my side. “What do you mean?”

  Erin joined us. She put a hand over mine. “There’s magic here all right.” She turned the pendant in my hand and pressed her thumb and her index fingers on the side. A small puff of black magic surrounded it, then it was gone. But the pendant in my hand started glowing.

  “Dear Kayleen,” a voice echoed in the cave. I glanced around, but there was no one else.

  “Mother?” Doreen asked in a low voice.

  I stared back at the pendant. “My daughter. You are our little rebel girl, and you’re quite a handful, but I love you dearly. I wouldn’t change anything about you. I know someday you’ll be a great woman in your own way, even if you decide to take a different path from the rest of our family, and I’ll be damn proud of you, no matter what you choose. Just be yourself and be happy. That’s all I want for you. I love you, sweetheart. Stay safe.”

  Tears rolled down my cheeks as I cradled the necklace like a precious baby. I couldn’t believe it. The necklace wasn’t magical, but it was hiding a magical message. All this time, and I had no idea.

  “Wow,” Doreen muttered. She pulled her necklace and handed it to Erin. “Does mine do the same?”