Mary felt a sudden pulse of dark energy surge beneath her, like the bow of a shockwave roaring under her feet. She fell to her knees, her heart hammering in her chest. With a trembling hand, she reached out for the black dog. The animal came close and rubbed its muzzle up against her shoulder, a look of incomprehension filling its glistening eyes.
‘It came from there,’ she said, raising her head in the direction of Cannon Street. She felt a strange feeling prickle over her skin, as if spiders were running up and down her back.
‘He’s here, I can feel him’ she gasped with taut urgency. ‘The Dark King.’
Just at that moment, the Monument’s shadow fell across her face.