Walking Shadow (The Darkworld Series Book 2) by Emma L. Adams

into the darkness, but instead a dark hole in the ground greeted us, like an open grave.
    “You have to jump in,” said Leo. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt or anything. It’s only a mind trick.”
    That didn’t make me any more prepared to jump into a freaking
grave.
It reinforced my private fear that I wasn’t going to come back.
    Shit. I’m not ready for this.
    Leo gave me a hug, a move that startled both Claudia and me. An unexpected rush of warmth ran through me, a brief respite from the choking fear that tightened around me.
    Then he let go. “Hope you come back,” he said.
    “Me too,” I said, not quite managing a smile.
    Then, her face set, though her eyes told a different story, Claudia grabbed me by the arm and pulled me after her. A scream escaped my mouth as we dropped into the grave.



y own yell echoed in my ears, cut off in a squeak of surprise as we landed. The fall only lasted a second, but it was enough to completely shake me up. I lay with my face on the ground, and it took a moment to process that there wasn’t cold stone beneath me, but thick carpet.
    “You okay, Ash?” said Claudia from somewhere nearby.
    I got to my feet, looking around me in growing bafflement. This might have been the entrance hall to a posh hotel, not an underground organisation. The carpets were a deep blood red, and ran the length of the hall, up to a pair of heavy iron doors. Marble pillars stood at intervals, rising to support the dome-shaped ceiling. The walls were glossy black and embellished by paintings that reminded me of the religious-themed pictures at the Art Gallery above ground, depicting Miltonic scenes of sinners confronted by the monsters of the underworld. These were juxtaposed with paintings of actual demons, shadow-beasts, and harpies.
    Blue flames shone from old-fashioned brackets, casting eerie reflections on the glass picture-frames and making the eyes of the demons flicker creepily. This was enough to stopper my awe and strike cold fear into my heart once again. We stood in the place where humans resisted the demons. They showed no mercy to anyone they thought might have a connection to them.
    I turned on the spot, looking for a way out. Several other doors were set in the walls, beneath elaborately carved archways. Above each perched a hideous bird-crone creature with black feathers, a harpy. The memory of talons slicing through my arms made me shudder, and I hugged my arms tight to myself, resisting the urge to hold the pendant. I’d tucked it inside my jacket, and a sudden thought gripped me. What if someone recognised it as a demon heart?
    Don’t think,
I told myself, as panic stoppered my throat again. I began to shake uncontrollably.
    It was so quiet I’d thought we were alone, so Claudia’s sharp intake of breath gave me a start.
    “You,” she said, in tones of disgust.
    I turned to see a sharp-faced youth standing over us, scowling heavily. He had thick dark hair and equally thick eyebrows. The effect was that his features looked as though they had been etched on his face in black marker pen. He couldn’t be older than we were, yet he regarded us in a way that suggested we were scum beneath his feet.
    “Me,” he said. “I’d be a bit more respectful of Mr Priestley when he arrives.”
    “You slick bastard,” said Claudia, through gritted teeth. “Are you their front-boy now?”
    “I have duties,” said the boy haughtily. “I’m supposed to make sure you don’t attempt to escape.”
    “Like we’d try it.” I could almost feel the animosity coming from Claudia in waves. She and this guy clearly had some kind of history.
    “Come on. I’m meant to take you
downstairs.
” He placed a delicate emphasis on the last word, and there was a twisted smile behind it.
    Downstairs turned out to be through one of the arched doorways. A passageway sloped downward in a manner similar to the tunnels leading to the library, and the walls and floor were stone and seemed to exude