responded with another palm of ice-fire. A horrible scream tore from its throat as the fire ripped through its semisubstantial coat. The demon within me blazed with approval, and for a brief moment, violet flashed across my vision.
Go back to the Darkworld,
the demon in the back of my mind hissed.
That was enough for the creature, which backed off and ran, scattering shadows like torn pages.
I looked up to see Leo, outlined in flame, face down another shadow-beast. It stood like a living shadow, several times the height of a person and with the mad, roving eyes of a wild beast.
But it was afraid of the flames. Leo blazed all over, and the creature cringed away. A hiss crept between its jagged teeth as it turned its purple-red eyes on me.
I was ready. The ice on my hands coalesced into a glittering dagger, and I stabbed wildly at the creature as it lunged at me.
Burn,
whispered the demon inside me, and the icy weapon met shadowy flesh.
As it touched the shadow-beast, the dagger melted, its form becoming flame-like, and the Darkworld bit deeper into my skin. The beast howled, the ice-fire searing its flank. It broke apart
,
pieces of its shadowy skin falling to the ground, and it leapt through a hole in the universe, leaving the alleyway deserted.
Deserted except for the body on the ground, and the figure crouching over it.
My feet skidded, and my stomach lurched as I realised I was treading in blood. Lots of it.
Howard lay on his back, his arms flung wide, unmoving. Berenice knelt at his side, shaking with sobs. I’d never seen her cry before. She had her arms over Howard’s body, as though trying to protect him.
Don’t let him be dead
, I thought desperately. But he
looked
dead―his face and chest were crisscrossed with deep lacerations, and my insides twisted when I realised I could see
bone
poking through one of the face wounds. His eyes were closed.
“He’s… alive,” Berenice choked. “I didn’t know what to do―we need a healer.”
“The fortune-teller?” I said. “Or the hospital? But they’d ask too many questions…”
Berenice glared at me through red-rimmed eyes. “How’re we going to move him to Blackstone, genius?”
“Magical concealment,” said Leo. “Influence. The three of us could carry him.”
“You’re shitting me,” said Berenice. “It’ll never work. Someone would know something was up.”
“Well, you’re the one who called me. If you’ve got a better idea, why’d you bother?”
“Leo!” I said. Why were they wasting time bickering when Howard might be
dying
?
“Look, we could try the hospital, but Ash is right. These are Darkworld-inflicted wounds. They aren’t like regular injuries. The fortune-teller’s the best person to go to.”
“Okay,” said Berenice. “You’d better be ready with some serious Influence.”
Leo smiled. “Been saving it up.”
Berenice was so shaky she could barely support her own weight, let alone Howard’s, but she wrapped her arms around his waist. Leo joined her, and I felt an irrational spike of jealousy when he put his arms around her to support her.
“Little help, Ash?” Leo grunted. Even between them they couldn’t carry Howard’s bulk.
“Sure,” I said, awkwardly positioning myself next to Leo with Howard’s arm draped around my shoulder. A faint groan escaped him. He
was
alive.
I wondered how in hell we were going to get him onto a bus.
Then a hole in the Darkworld opened in front of us. A familiar chill rushed through me as I met the eyes of the creature on the other side.
A demon.
“
Ashlyn.”
The familiar voice, devoid of any emotion. All demons sounded the same to me―sinister, otherworldly, and beyond life or death.
“What?” I said tonelessly.
“I can help you.”
“The hell you can,” I muttered. “You won’t get me that easily.”
“Not all of us are your enemies.”
“Doesn’t mean I trust you,” I said, and alarm flickered as I felt the demon respond inside me. I pushed
Go back to the Darkworld,
the demon in the back of my mind hissed.
That was enough for the creature, which backed off and ran, scattering shadows like torn pages.
I looked up to see Leo, outlined in flame, face down another shadow-beast. It stood like a living shadow, several times the height of a person and with the mad, roving eyes of a wild beast.
But it was afraid of the flames. Leo blazed all over, and the creature cringed away. A hiss crept between its jagged teeth as it turned its purple-red eyes on me.
I was ready. The ice on my hands coalesced into a glittering dagger, and I stabbed wildly at the creature as it lunged at me.
Burn,
whispered the demon inside me, and the icy weapon met shadowy flesh.
As it touched the shadow-beast, the dagger melted, its form becoming flame-like, and the Darkworld bit deeper into my skin. The beast howled, the ice-fire searing its flank. It broke apart
,
pieces of its shadowy skin falling to the ground, and it leapt through a hole in the universe, leaving the alleyway deserted.
Deserted except for the body on the ground, and the figure crouching over it.
My feet skidded, and my stomach lurched as I realised I was treading in blood. Lots of it.
Howard lay on his back, his arms flung wide, unmoving. Berenice knelt at his side, shaking with sobs. I’d never seen her cry before. She had her arms over Howard’s body, as though trying to protect him.
Don’t let him be dead
, I thought desperately. But he
looked
dead―his face and chest were crisscrossed with deep lacerations, and my insides twisted when I realised I could see
bone
poking through one of the face wounds. His eyes were closed.
“He’s… alive,” Berenice choked. “I didn’t know what to do―we need a healer.”
“The fortune-teller?” I said. “Or the hospital? But they’d ask too many questions…”
Berenice glared at me through red-rimmed eyes. “How’re we going to move him to Blackstone, genius?”
“Magical concealment,” said Leo. “Influence. The three of us could carry him.”
“You’re shitting me,” said Berenice. “It’ll never work. Someone would know something was up.”
“Well, you’re the one who called me. If you’ve got a better idea, why’d you bother?”
“Leo!” I said. Why were they wasting time bickering when Howard might be
dying
?
“Look, we could try the hospital, but Ash is right. These are Darkworld-inflicted wounds. They aren’t like regular injuries. The fortune-teller’s the best person to go to.”
“Okay,” said Berenice. “You’d better be ready with some serious Influence.”
Leo smiled. “Been saving it up.”
Berenice was so shaky she could barely support her own weight, let alone Howard’s, but she wrapped her arms around his waist. Leo joined her, and I felt an irrational spike of jealousy when he put his arms around her to support her.
“Little help, Ash?” Leo grunted. Even between them they couldn’t carry Howard’s bulk.
“Sure,” I said, awkwardly positioning myself next to Leo with Howard’s arm draped around my shoulder. A faint groan escaped him. He
was
alive.
I wondered how in hell we were going to get him onto a bus.
Then a hole in the Darkworld opened in front of us. A familiar chill rushed through me as I met the eyes of the creature on the other side.
A demon.
“
Ashlyn.”
The familiar voice, devoid of any emotion. All demons sounded the same to me―sinister, otherworldly, and beyond life or death.
“What?” I said tonelessly.
“I can help you.”
“The hell you can,” I muttered. “You won’t get me that easily.”
“Not all of us are your enemies.”
“Doesn’t mean I trust you,” I said, and alarm flickered as I felt the demon respond inside me. I pushed
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