Fear's Touch: A Darkworld Novella (The Darkworld Series) (6 page)

“Jesus, the two of you should get together,” said Cyrus, shaking his head.

“
What?”
said Howard, looking incredulously at Berenice, who looked equally stunned. “Me with
her?”

“Oh, that’s lovely,” snarled Berenice, standing up. “What a fucking waste of time. Cheers.”

And before anyone could say another word, she stormed off.

“That,” said Cyrus, “is why I suck at diplomacy. Please excuse me while I drink myself into a stupor.”

“It’s not your fault they’re so prickly,” I said. “Don’t ask me what Berenice’s problem is, I’ve lived with her a week and don’t have a clue.”

“Well, at least it’s not just me,” said Cyrus. “Say, you seem like a nice, reasonable human being.”

“That’s the weirdest compliment anyone’s ever given me,” I said.

“Are we done with the introductions? Because I have other things I could be doing right now,” Howard said.

“Yeah, okay, okay,” said Cyrus. “I was thinking we could set up some kind of meeting. Like, a student society.”

Howard snorted. “Yeah. There’s already a Harry Potter society.”

“It’s not a joke, Howard,” said Cyrus.

“What for?” I asked. “Don’t get me wrong, you seem nice and everything, but I kinda wanted a different university experience to
this.
Monsters and creepy-ass guys in blue uniforms? No thanks.”

“I know it sucks,” said Cyrus. “So…were your parents in the Venantium? Or—sorry, I shouldn’t nose around.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Yeah, they were, but they got out. They didn’t register me, so I knew this might happen, but I wanted to go to uni, and this was the only place I got in.”

God, I sounded like I was reading off a notecard.

Cyrus nodded. “Like I said, you don’t have to get involved in this at all. But, tell you what, I’ll give you my number. If anything…
weird
happens, just let me know.”

“Sure.” I pulled out my phone and punched his number in as he recited it. Putting my phone away, I saw the note Berenice had left on the table flutter to the ground.

“You said something about a history lesson?” I said.

Howard snorted. “Don’t tell me you’ve not heard about the Blackstones. Even the locals know that one.”

I thought back to one of many talks with my parents. “Maybe…they said this was where the demon wars started?”

“Yeah,” said Cyrus. “They started because someone summoned a demon. Only thing is, they couldn’t get rid of it, and once it possessed them, it wasn’t enough. It went on a killing spree, and finally got one of its hosts to summon a bunch of its friends.”

“Then they battled the Venantium and lost. Big deal,” said Howard.

“Yeah, but it’s still important for new magic-users to know. I didn’t mean to lecture you,” he added to me, “but it’s why those
venators
are so persistent. This place attracts magic-users, anyone sensitive to the Darkworld. If it wasn’t for all the barriers, it’d be swarming with shadow-beasts and other nasties. Point being, they suspect anyone who isn’t affiliated with them. Demons want nothing more than to get into our world, and they’ll say anything to get you to make a contract with them. They’re crafty, and they target people like us, new sorcerers.”

“Yeah, but the
venators
are the real bastards,” said Howard. “They act like the only choices are to join them or turn rogue and summon a demonic army. Like anyone’s stupid enough to do that.”

“You’d be surprised,” muttered Cyrus. “Like I said, my guardian works for them,” he added to me. “He’s really high up—well, he used to be. But he’s one of the fair ones. I had the option to register at eighteen, same as everyone, but I decided not to. I want to leave here and travel, not be tied to them for life.”

“Fair enough,” I said.
Guardian?
Naturally, the first thing I wondered was what had happened to his parents, but I didn’t want to pry. He wasn’t as touchy as Howard, of course, but I hadn’t expected to share so much of my
own
life with someone I’d just met.

“Anyway,” said Cyrus. “You up for the group idea? I could get us a place somewhere to hang out. Somewhere we could use magic without the
venators
coming down on us.”

“You could?” I said, disarmed.

“Influence,” he said. “I know it’s not technically legal, but…you know what Influence is, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. My parents taught me, but I’ve never really got the hang of it.”

“I could teach you, if you like. Howard, too. That way if you want to set things on fire, no one would notice.”

“Is that right?” said Howard, looking mildly interested now. “Huh. Maybe this isn’t such a waste of time.”

“Well, this is an improvement!” said Cyrus. “That other girl—Berenice? She’s welcome to come along, too. You said she was your flatmate, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I can ask her.”

“Sure. Just tell her to stay away from Jude. I know she probably wouldn’t listen to you, but he’s bad news.”

I nodded. That I believed.

“Right. You both have Wednesday afternoons off, right? I’ll try to get somewhere secured for then.”

“Cool,” I said and then wondered at what point I’d agreed to this. Did I even
want
to step any further into the crazy? I think part of me was still hanging onto the small, ridiculous hope that one day my parents would turn around and tell me it was all a big joke, some kind of elaborate prank everyone I knew had decided to pull on me at once. Which, given I’d seen demons and that shadow-beast, was stupid beyond belief.

But now I found myself nodding, telling Cyrus I’d pass on the information of the meeting to Berenice when I saw her. We parted ways outside the pub, him to go and meet friends, me to get the bus back to campus on my own, like a loner.

I sat in the back of the bus as it rattled its way down the road, irritating voices in my head debating whether this was really a good idea, and another voice telling me I was crazy. I’d been here what, a week? And now I was giving up normality for a chance to talk to someone about sorcery and demons without people thinking I was batshit insane. I looked morosely around at the other students, laughing and talking about totally trivial stuff.

Did I really
want
to be here? At university? Lectures hadn’t exactly been stimulating so far, and though I’d hung out with a bunch of people, I couldn’t really call any of them friends.

What was the matter with me? Before the crazy, I’d never even thought about this crap. People liked me. I was a laugh. I wasn’t normally so damned
serious.

Quit it,
I told myself, resolving to get back to the flat, change into something sexy, and go out and have a good time.

It didn’t quite work out like that.

idnight in Redthorne. The dull washed-out look it usually had was replaced by bright lights and the sounds of people having a good time. The town came to life at night, and it seemed the least likely place for something supernatural to happen. Even in a night club called Satan’s Pit.

To my surprise, I’d actually managed to coax Berenice to come out with the rest of our flat. She wasn’t particularly chatty, but given that the pounding music meant you could only really communicate via frantic gesturing, no one noticed except me. At least until someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“What?” I said, my voice not even audible to my own ears.

I turned and found myself face-to-face with Biker Guy.

He said something unintelligible.

“What?” I said again, louder, and he pulled me into a dance.

Okay, he wasn’t on duty tonight. In fact, though he wore a smart suit, it wasn’t the blue uniform of the Venantium. Shrugging off the brief suspicion that he must have picked me out for a reason, I pulled out my best moves, ignoring the dagger-stares from Berenice.
What?
If she wanted to hang out with creepy Jude, then I was entitled to a dance with Biker Guy.

But she wouldn’t stop glaring, and finally came over and pulled me away.

“What the hell?” I said.

She gestured toward the stairs, indicating she wanted to talk upstairs.
Oh, for heavens’ sake.
I made to move back over to Biker Guy, but she pulled at my arm urgently, making frantic gestures.

“Oh, all right, then!”

I somehow managed to communicate with Biker Guy that I was going outside. He seemed cool with it, merely nodding. Annoyed to be cheated of my dance, I strode up the rickety stairs to the club’s entrance—yeah, the actual night club was in the basement—and turned to hiss at Berenice. “What?”

“I think there’s one of them around,” she whispered back, looking around frantically. “Can’t you feel it?”

“Feel what?” A shadow-beast? Maybe the alcohol dulled my connection to the Darkworld, but I sure as hell couldn’t feel anything. At least, I didn’t think so. I rubbed my arms, goose bumps springing up as someone opened the door outside and let in a gust of wind.

“I’m not joking. I think there’s one of them out there.”

Berenice made for the door.

“Hey, wait!” I rushed after her. “Look, even if there
is”
—I dropped my voice in case anyone was listening in—“why do you want to go after it?”

“It’s after me,” she muttered, half to herself. “I have to kill it. It’s the only way.”

“Oh…kay.” Had someone spiked her drink? Maybe I ought to have kept a closer eye on her, but she hadn’t been
acting
crazy. Not until now.

Berenice shoved past the line of people waiting to show their ID’s at the entrance and ran out into the street. I followed, shivering as the cold wind bit at my exposed arms and legs. My hand strayed to the small bag on my shoulder where I’d stashed the Japanese fan, and I looked up and down the road.

Berenice had crossed to the other side and was heading for an alleyway.
Seriously? What the hel— is she
looking
for trouble?

No way was I letting her run off alone. Cursing, I ran as fast as I could in my heels and entered the alley just as she turned a corner at the end.

What’s with the cat-and-mouse chase?

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I reacted instinctively, ramming my elbow into his face.

“Hey…what the hell?”

I swung to face my attacker—Biker Guy, who now had a hand pressed to his bloody nose.

“Ah!” I said, panicking. Great, I’d assaulted one of the Magic Police. And Berenice was still AWOL. Losing my head completely, I yelled an apology over my shoulder and pelted after her.

Shadows broke away from the walls of the alley, surging upon me as I turned the corner. I stopped dead, shivers racing up and down my arms. Suddenly, I couldn’t see a thing for the shadows, which were more like thick fog than anything.

“Berenice,” I shouted.

No response. I inched forward, hands outstretched, hoping I wouldn’t trip. Shadows folded around me.

Then a sudden, bright light pierced the gloom.

“You’re a magic-user, aren’t you?” said a thick voice.

I nearly jumped out my skin. Pulling out the fan, I spun around and collided with Biker Guy again, whose nose was still dripping blood. A globe of white light hovered above his head.

“Oh…crap,” I said.
Light!
I thought, pulling on my connection to the Darkworld. With all the shadows around me, I connected in an instant, coldness flooding me. A light identical to Biker Guy’s winked into existence, trembling in mid-air.