There was a despondent tension in the air, my guards’ moods reflecting my own. However, the practicalities of life soon took over. Shenanigans and Kerfuffle decided we should prepare to leave so we would be ready when Jamie returned, so Kerfuffle went off with Kubeck to get provisions. Shenanigans and Vaybian stood by the door, and Pyrites stayed next to me on the bed, ready to roast any would-be intruder.
When Kerfuffle and Kubeck returned weighed down with baskets and boxes – did they think we’d starve in the Overlands? – I asked Kayla to tell us what had happened to her. I was desperately hoping for some good news at last, but she hadn’t been able to find Philip at Dark Mountain.
‘I searched everywhere,’ she told me, ‘but he was gone.’
‘Could he have been hiding?’ I asked.
‘I promise you, I searched every inch of that terrible place and he wasn’t there.’ Her forehead creased into a puzzled frown. ‘There was one thing that was really odd, though: his body was gone too – the two dead Sicarii were still there, but Philip’s wasn’t.’
I passed this piece of information on to the others, but they were just as nonplussed. My mind was in turmoil: I was desperate to get to the Overlands to start looking for Jinx – if he was even there; I was concerned about Jamie, and where he might be; I was puzzled by the disappearance of Philip’s body and spirit, and what this might mean – and so I couldn’t settle. I worried, paced and worried some more, driving my daemon guards to distraction with my constant fidgeting.
‘Can I run you a bath, mistress?’ Shenanigans asked, making me quite sure they’d all had enough of me.
‘How can I have a bath at a time like this?’
‘There’s nothing much we can do until the Guardian returns,’ Kerfuffle said. ‘After all, the Overlands are under his jurisdiction.’
‘I know, but—’
‘Mistress?’ Shenanigans asked.
‘All right. Thank you, Shenanigans. I think I will have that bath,’ I agreed, if only to keep him happy.
‘Don’t fill it, just in case,’ Kerfuffle said. ‘We wouldn’t want you drowning if you have another turn.’
Once Shenanigans had half-filled the bathtub and Pyrites had warmed the water, I left them polishing their weaponry. Pyrites took up position guarding the bathroom door, so at least I’d have some semblance of privacy.
I sank down into the huge black stone bath that glittered and shone like the night sky and closed my eyes, trying not to think about anything at all, but as soon as I pushed one worrying thought from my mind it was instantly filled by another.
I caught a whiff of something slightly bad over the floral bath salts I had swirled into the water and it briefly crossed my mind that maybe I should get someone to look at the rather antiquated daemon plumbing, but then my mind turned to my Deathbringer.
‘Where are you, Jinx?’ I murmured to myself, and it was almost as if saying his name had summoned him, for an explosion of pain shot through me, jerking my body rigid.
My muscles had barely begun to relax when another agonising spike of flame burst inside me, followed by another, and then another. As I clung to the edge of the bath I thanked God that Shenanigans had only partly filled it. Another blast of pain had me screwing my eyes shut, but as I hauled myself up the slippery surface, I suddenly felt hands encircle my ankles and tug hard, wrenching the bath’s rim from my grasp.
I slid beneath the surface, the back of my head smashing against the marble, and when I gasped I sucked in water. For a moment I floundered, my hand hitting stone, then another spasm hit me and I knew I was sinking. Above me I saw a shadow and a hand reaching out towards me: I was going to be saved, someone was going help me – but I was wrong. I felt a pressure upon my forehead, pushing me down. The shadow loomed over me, filling my fast-fading vision.
I heard Jinx scream my name, and he began to sob – somehow, he knew I was dying. Then there was another voice, and I could hear Kayla shouting through the burble of the water filling my ears.
‘Help, please somebody help—!’ But there was no one there who could hear her; only Jinx and I could hear the dead.
Everything turned to black, but I could still feel Jinx. Overwhelming anguish blotted out any pain he was feeling, and then it was like he stopped feeling anything at all. Was he dying too? As darkness took me, I heard the whispered words, ‘You’re mine now, Deathbringer, all mine—’
—and Jinx was gone.
I felt like I was floating – maybe I was; didn’t the drowned float to the surface eventually? Darkness was replaced by golden light: the light I’d seen welcoming the dead to the other side. Then I was walking into the light, and I could hear music and laughter and all the worry washed away from me, to be replaced by contented happiness. Two figures walked through the light towards me: two men – no, angels, like Jamie.
‘Felicitations, Soulseer,’ one said, and they both smiled.
‘It is good to see you again,’ said the other, ‘but sadly for us, as we will miss your company, it’s not yet your time.’
‘I’m dead,’ I said.
They both shook their heads, still smiling. ‘You have much work to do. Both your worlds are under threat and only the Trinity can save them.’
‘But Jinx is . . .’ I paused. What was Jinx?
‘Lost,’ said the first angel, ‘and only you and his brother can find him again.’
They gestured for me to return the way I’d come and walked with me back towards the darkness.
‘Can’t I stay?’
‘What about the Deathbringer? What about the Guardian? Do you want to leave them so soon?’
He was right; I didn’t. Then I was falling, falling, falling, and darkness surrounded me.
‘Do something, please do something,’ I heard Kayla crying and there was a splash and I was being lifted.
I could see shadows above me, and cold stone on my back.
‘It’s too late,’ I heard Vaybian say.
‘No!’ Kerfuffle shouted at him and then there was pressure on my chest and lips against mine, forcing air into my lungs, then more pressure on my chest. I felt so cold. And why was it I could see only shadows?
‘Lucky, please wake up,’ Kayla said, ‘please, darling, please.’
‘Look at her,’ Vaybian said again. ‘You’re wasting your time.’
‘If you can’t say or do anything useful just get the fuck out of here,’ Kerfuffle growled.
‘Come on, mistress, come on,’ I heard Shenanigans say as someone pumped on my chest so hard I thought something might break.
Why wouldn’t they leave me alone? I just wanted to go to sleep. I wanted to go back to the warm, golden light. Wait . . . No, I couldn’t go back – there was a reason I couldn’t go back. What was it? Jinx . . . Jamie . . . And suddenly I was scared I would never see them again. I was scared I’d lost them both for ever.
‘Come on, Lucky, come on,’ Kayla was sobbing.
Suddenly my chest felt like it was about to explode and I began to choke . . . I rolled over and began to cough up bathwater until my chest felt like it was on fire.
Then someone was wrapping me in a blanket and I was being carried and laid down on something soft and warm and I must have slept.
*
Once again I woke to the sound of murmuring voices, and I so wished they’d shut up. I felt awful. My lungs and throat felt raw and every breath hurt my battered and bruised chest as it rose and fell; I could hear wheezing as I gingerly sucked in air.
I opened one eye – and quickly closed it again. Too bright. I tried again; this time peering through my eyelashes, gradually letting the light filter through until I was brave enough to open them fully. It wasn’t actually particularly bright at all. The room was full of the soft glow of torches and lamplight. There was no electricity in the Underlands and thankfully, no fluorescent or halogen lighting.
‘Mistress Lucky is awake,’ I heard Kubeck say, and the bed was suddenly surrounded by all of my guards except Jamie.
‘How are you feeling, mistress?’ Shenanigans asked.
‘Like I’ve done ten rounds with Mike Tyson,’ I replied, my voice coming out as a croaking rasp.
‘Who?’ Kerfuffle asked.
‘Never mind.’ I couldn’t be bothered to explain; my throat and head hurt too much. ‘How long—?’
‘Have you been unconscious?’ Kerfuffle finished for me.
I gave a tiny nod, but it still hurt like shit.
‘It’s coming up to lunchtime,’ he told me. So I’d been out since the previous evening.
‘Here.’ Shenanigans handed me a goblet. ‘This will ease your throat.’
I took a sip. The draught tasted a bit like honey and lemon, sweet but at the same time tart. He was right, it did make swallowing a little easier.
I risked trying to say a few words. ‘How did you realise—?’ then wished I hadn’t.
‘That you were in trouble?’ Kerfuffle again finished for me.
‘Umm.’
‘Kubeck,’ Kerfuffle said. ‘We were sitting talking and suddenly he got up and went to the bathroom door and started calling you.’
All eyes turned to Kubeck. His terracotta complexion took on a rust-coloured glow. ‘I just had this feeling,’ he said, ‘like cold fingers touching the back of my neck.’
‘I was calling them,’ Kayla said, plonking herself down beside me, ‘but they couldn’t hear me. So I tried touching them, but none of them could feel me . . .’
‘Except Kubeck,’ I murmured, remembering the first time I’d seen him, just before he was due to be executed. He had felt the touch of the spirits inhabiting the great hall and I’d thought then that he was a sensitive.
‘He shuddered at my touch – I was screaming at him to go to you and somehow he got the message.’ Kayla let out a ragged sigh. ‘You almost drowned.’
‘Thank you, Kubeck,’ I said, and his cheeks took on an even richer glow – and then a horrible thought occurred to me and my face flushed scarlet. I’d been in the bath; I’d been naked when they’d hauled me out and started to try and revive me.
I think they must have all seen from my horrified expression where my mind was going, as they all started to talk at once.
‘I’ll just go and—’
‘We’d better—’
‘Perhaps we should—?’
They all trotted off and busied themselves getting lunch, while Pyrites put his head on my lap and looked up at me with his beautiful multicoloured eyes. I gave his scales a scratch, and was rewarded with a puff of smoke and a purr from deep at the back of his throat.
Kayla started to giggle. ‘I think they’re probably as embarrassed as you are.’
I scowled at her.
‘They did cover you up as soon as they got you breathing again, but I think saving your life was more on their minds than you being buck-naked.’
‘I suppose . . .’ I wondered if I’d ever be able to look any of them in the eye again. Though I guessed Kayla was right; they were probably just as embarrassed – not that nudity worried daemons, they don’t have the same hang-ups as humans – it was more because I was their mistress.
Then something occurred to me. ‘Kayla, when I was drowning I thought I saw someone else in the room with me before you went for help.’
She gave me a funny look. ‘Who?’
‘I don’t know – I thought they were going to help me, but they pushed me under.’
‘A hallucination. No one else but me was there, until I went to get the others.’
I pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘Hallucination? It must have been, because who else could it have been?’
‘I wonder where Jamie is?’ Kayla said, changing the subject, which instantly started me worrying about something a lot more important than my guards seeing my naked body.
Then the door opened, and a little bit of light came back into my life: Jamie had returned. Unfortunately, his expression wasn’t as happy as I would have liked – but when he hurried to my side I realised why.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked, pulling me so tightly against him I couldn’t have replied had I wanted to. ‘I met Kerfuffle in the hallway – he said you almost drowned.’ Then he loosened his grip a little to look down at me.
I gave him a wan smile and he pulled me close again. ‘I should never have left you,’ he said, kissing my head. ‘I should have taken you with me.’
‘Why didn’t you?’ I rasped.
‘You sound terrible.’
‘Thanks.’
‘What happened?’
‘Amaliel,’ I whispered. ‘I heard him tell Jinx he was his.’
Jamie gave a shake of his head. ‘He’ll never break Jinx.’
‘But what if he binds him?’
We both sat in silence thinking about it, neither wanting to meet the other’s eye. Then something occurred to me and I suddenly felt almost as cold as when I thought I was dying.
‘Jamie, Jinx thinks I’m dead,’ I told him. ‘I was drowning and I heard him scream my name and then . . . then I thought maybe he was dying too because suddenly he wasn’t feeling anything at all.’
Jamie’s expression was bleak. ‘If Jinx thinks you’re dead . . . If I thought you were dead . . .’ He gripped hold of my hand. ‘If I was in Jinx’s position and thought you were dead I might not have the strength to keep on fighting.’
I felt sick with worry. If Amaliel had really broken Jinx and bound his spirit, my world was in serious danger – it might no longer be my home, but I still cared about what happened to it and the billions of people who lived there. Then there was Jinx – I couldn’t bear to think of him so badly damaged that he would be forced to do Amaliel’s bidding. If Amaliel had managed to do that to him, would he ever be able to recover? If he killed innocent people, I wasn’t even sure he could.
‘I still don’t understand how Amaliel captured Jinx,’ I said. ‘It doesn’t make any sense.’
Shenanigans gave a little cough. ‘Ah, well, we think we may have solved that one,’ he said.
Kubeck stepped towards us, Amaliel’s little book open in his hand. ‘I thought I’d have another try at working out Amaliel’s code,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t having much luck, until I found this.’
Jamie took the book from him and scanned the page. ‘No, no, no! This cannot be—’
‘What?’ I asked in alarm and he handed the book to me. Five words were scrawled across the paper: ‘Malake ha-Mawet Jin Xanthe – what does this mean?’
Jamie’s complexion was ashen. He got up and started to pace.
‘It’s the Deathbringer’s name,’ Kerfuffle said.
I could tell this was important, but I was none the wiser.
Jamie saw my confusion. ‘When a human summons a daemon, they have no control unless they have his or her full daemonic name, and we do not give them out lightly. No one other than Jinx would know it – even I didn’t know . . .’ Jamie stopped his pacing and stared into the air.
‘Well obviously someone does know his name,’ Vaybian said, equally grim. ‘I wonder who that could be?’
And I wondered what exactly he was getting at.
Jamie’s expression said it all. ‘You know nothing,’ he snapped, but Vaybian just shrugged.
Kerfuffle and Shenanigans looked at each other, then, ever practical, started handing around plates piled with food.
I wanted to ask Jamie for an explanation, but Shenanigans had already started to tell him about Philip’s disappearance. He had no answers either.
‘So we’ve still got to go to the Overlands?’ Kerfuffle’s mouth was full of bread and cheese.
‘Isn’t it a job for the Guardians?’ Vaybian said, and he couldn’t quite hide a sneer as Jamie favoured him with another very dark look.
‘It’s probably for the best if they don’t get involved,’ Shenanigans said. There was something about the tone of his voice, the worried look that he cast my way, that made me nervous.
I opened my mouth, but Jamie turned to face me, his eyes meeting mine, and for a moment they were all I could see. ‘There’s nothing to worry about, Lucky. Everything’s going to be all right.’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Of course it—’ No, it wouldn’t! What was I thinking? In a flash I knew exactly what I was thinking: I was thinking whatever Jamie wanted me to.
I jumped to my feet. ‘What did you do? What did you just do?’
‘Do? I didn’t do anything. Sit down and have something to eat. Low blood sugar is making you cranky.’
‘Cranky! I’ll give you bloody cranky! You were mesmerising me!’ Then it began to all fall in place. ‘You’ve done this before – this is how you got me to invite you into my home.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I knew it – I knew you’d done something, but I just couldn’t believe it. I trusted you.’
‘Actually, you didn’t trust him at all,’ Kayla pointed out. ‘He lied to you all the time.’
‘Keep out of this, Kayla; I still haven’t forgotten about all the lies you told me.’
‘That was different—’
I ignored her and turned on Jamie again. ‘What is it you’re hiding from me this time? I know there’s something.’
Jamie glared at Vaybian. ‘I’m never going to forgive you for this.’ His voice was low and dangerous.
‘Do you think I care? Anyway, I have a feeling it’s not you who needs to do the forgiving.’ He looked pointedly at me.
‘I just don’t want you to worry unnecessarily,’ Jamie started. ‘You’ve been through a lot—’
‘You’ve just told me one of the men I love is about to be forced to single-handedly destroy my world and now you say you don’t want me to worry? Bollocks! You’re talking absolute bollocks.’ I pulled away from him and rounded on Vaybian. ‘What did you mean about the Guardians getting involved?’
‘Ask your lover,’ Vaybian said.
‘You are such an arse sometimes,’ Kayla said, and I was sorry he couldn’t hear her.
I turned to Shenanigans. He at least would tell me the truth. ‘What did you mean about it probably being better the Guardians didn’t get involved?’
His lips turned down and he glanced at Jamie then at me.
‘It’s all right,’ Jamie said, ‘I’ll tell her.’
He took me by the hand and led me away from the others. I went with him, but it wasn’t with good grace.
‘Sit, please,’ he said.
‘I’m not a bloody dog.’ I glared at him for a few moments, then sank down on the bed.
He dropped down beside me. ‘Lucky, you know I would never deliberately hurt you—’
‘Every time I think I know you, every time I think I can really trust you, you either lie to me or keep things from me,’ I whispered. ‘Now you’ve started messing with my head.’
‘I thought Daltas was a manipulative shit, but at least he never mind-fucked me,’ Kayla muttered.
I rounded on her. ‘You stay out of this,’ I cried. ‘This is between Jamie and me.’
‘All right, all right, don’t get your knickers in a twist!’ She wafted off to sit next to Vaybian, who was looking entirely too pleased with himself.
‘Has she gone?’ Jamie asked.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Just tell me how it really is. Exactly how much trouble are we really in?’
‘You know who I am? What I am?’
‘You’re the Guardian – you said you were like the border patrol between the Overlands and Underlands.’
‘I maintain the equilibrium. If there’s daemon interference in the Overlands, I find out who, what, where and why, then I sort it out.’
‘I get it.’
‘I don’t do all this alone. I have what you might call assistants.’
‘Jinx told me: you’re the Guardian, but there’re others.’
Jamie tried to take hold of my hand, but I snatched it away and crossed my arms. His expression was so troubled it was seriously scaring me.
‘My role – the role of the Guardians as a collective – is to ensure the Overlands are kept safe from daemon activity. If Amaliel intends using Jinx as a weapon against mankind, the other Guardians and I will have no choice but to do our job.’
‘Jamie—’
‘We’ll have to go to the Overlands, find Jinx and stop him.’
‘That’s exactly what we’re intending to do,’ I told him. ‘We’re going to find him, stop him and make him better again.’
‘We might not have the time, though. Lucky, if Jinx, one of the most powerful of all daemons, unleashes himself upon the Overlands, my kind will have only one objective: to stop him, whatever the cost. We won’t be going to the Overlands to save him – we’ll be going there to destroy him.’
‘No . . .’ I could barely speak.
‘We can’t risk a whole world of humans for one daemon—’
‘I thought we – the three of us – we were meant to be . . . I thought we belonged together—’
‘We were and we did, but if what we believe is true, we have to do what’s right.’
‘Even if it means killing Jinx?’
‘What is it you don’t understand?’ Jamie asked, looking at me as if I was the one being unreasonable. ‘Jinx has the potential to wipe out every single man, woman and child in the Overlands in a matter of . . . I don’t know – months, weeks, maybe even days; this has never happened before. Think of the worst apocalyptic scenario you’ve ever read about, the most terrifying movie you’ve ever seen – that is a pale imitation of what will happen to your world if Jinx goes rogue.’
‘Now you start calling the Overlands my world,’ I said as a wave of despondency swept over me. Jamie was right: we did have to stop Jinx before he did any damage, for once done, it could never be undone. Then there was what it would do to Jinx: if he killed hundreds or thousands of people, would he want to live even if we could save him?
‘We leave now,’ I said getting to my feet. ‘We leave now and we find him before it’s too late.’
‘We have forty-eight hours,’ Jamie said.
‘What?’
‘And that’s only if he doesn’t do anything before then.’
‘What are you talking about?’ I said, staring down at him.
My other guards were all openly watching us now. Jamie stood. ‘We’ve been given forty-eight hours.’
‘Given by whom?’
He gave me one of those patient looks that drive me so mad. ‘By the Veteribus: those who set me and Jinx our tasks.’
‘Is that where you’ve been?’
He hesitated, then said, ‘Yes.’
‘You mean you’ve been telling tales to your boss about Jinx?’
His cheeks flushed pink. ‘It wasn’t like that—’
‘So what was it like, Jamie?’
‘I thought they could help us find him.’
‘And have they?’
His shoulders slumped. ‘No,’ he admitted. ‘I should never have approached them.’
‘Great,’ I said, ‘so what happens if we don’t get him back within forty-eight hours?’
‘The Guardians and I take over.’
‘Whoa! You mean we could be on the verge of saving Jinx and all because the clock ticks a few minutes over your deadline, you and your mates will swoop in and kill him?’
‘I’ll be with you – helping you.’
‘Right, so how exactly will that work? When our forty-eight hours are up, whose side will you be on then?’
‘It’s not about sides, Lucky – it’s about doing what’s right.’
‘So it’ll be right to kill Jinx simply because the clock’s ticked a few extra tocks, even though at that point he mightn’t have done anything wrong? I don’t think so,’ I added. ‘Is this why you tried to mesmerise me? Because you knew I would never agree to this?’
‘There’s nothing for you to agree to,’ Jamie said, his expression grim and uncompromising. ‘It’s been decided.’
‘Not by me it hasn’t.’
‘You have no say in it.’
‘Oh fuck,’ I heard one of my guards murmur.
I swung around to face them. ‘Right,’ I said, ‘I’m going to the Overlands to find Jinx. You can come or not; it’s up to you.’
Kerfuffle and Shenanigans exchanged a look, as if they were having some unspoken conversation. Kerfuffle bobbed his head and Shenanigans turned to me. ‘We will accompany you to the Overlands, mistress,’ he said.
‘I must admit the Deathbringer has grown on me over the past few weeks,’ Kerfuffle added.
‘I too will join you on this venture,’ Kubeck said.
‘Why not?’ Vaybian said. ‘If I hang around here for too long Baltheza will probably get it into his head to have me executed for something.’
‘I’ll come,’ Kayla said. ‘It’ll be nice to go back and see some of our old haunts again – if you’ll excuse the expression.’
Pyrites pushed his head up under my hand and purred. ‘Sorry, boy,’ I said reluctantly, ‘but I don’t think I can take even a very small drakon into my world.’
‘Don’t you worry about Pyrites,’ Shenanigans said. ‘He can fit in just the same as we can.’
‘And what about me?’ Jamie asked.
‘What about you?’
‘Do you trust me to come with you to help find Jinx?’
‘It depends what you intend to do to him once we find him.’
Jamie looked deeply into my eyes. ‘I love you—’ he started.
‘You sure have picked your moment to tell me that,’ I muttered.
He continued, ‘I love you, and because I love you, I swear that I’ll not harm Jinx if he can be stopped before he hurts anyone.’
‘Even if our forty-eight hours are up?’
‘Even then, if we can find him before the other Guardians and stop him.’
‘Will the other Guardians be looking for him?’
‘Not yet, but if I haven’t brought him back in two days, they will.’
‘What about Amaliel?’ Shenanigans asked. ‘What if we find him first?’
‘He dies,’ Jamie said, ‘and that is not negotiable.’
‘That’s fine by me,’ I said.
‘If he was on fire I wouldn’t piss on him to put him out,’ Kerfuffle said.
‘At least that’s something we’re all agreed on,’ Vaybian said as Pyrites puffed very warm grey smoke.
‘Can you still feel Jinx?’ Kayla asked me as we started collecting our things together.
‘Not since I nearly drowned.’
‘It’s strange you should be connected to him in such a way.’
‘I can’t explain it either,’ I muttered.
‘There’s not much here that we can take with us,’ I heard Jamie say, distracting me.
‘No weapons?’ Vaybian asked.
‘If you started wandering around the Overlands with that’ – Kerfuffle indicated Vaybian’s sword – ‘strapped to your hips, you’d pretty quickly end up arrested or dead.’
‘Then what do we use to defend ourselves?’
‘We’ll worry about that when we get there,’ Shenanigans said. ‘Humans on the whole won’t be a problem. It’s Amaliel and his Sicarii we need to worry about.’
‘And the Deathbringer,’ Kerfuffle said. ‘If he’s dancing to Amaliel’s tune we may well all be mouldering corpses within moments of our first encounter.’
‘Jinx wouldn’t hurt us,’ I said, but the sympathetic looks I was getting suggested they thought differently.
‘How are we going to do this?’ Vaybian asked.
‘Have you ever been to the Overlands before?’ Kerfuffle asked, and when Vaybian shook his head, ‘it’s probably best you follow us. Do what we do and you’ll be fine.’
‘I didn’t think daemons could travel between the worlds without being called,’ I said.
‘I gained access years ago, and Shenanigans was given access by Lady Kayla. The Guardian can go wherever he likes, it’s part of his job. So when he gets to the Overlands, he will call for Vaybian, Kubeck and Pyrites, and we will cross with them to show them the way.’
‘It will take a bit of time,’ Shenanigans said. ‘Lesser daemons can only travel to the Overlands in pairs, and only so many in any one duration.’
‘It’s a precaution against a daemon attack on the Overlands,’ Kerfuffle explained.
I supposed it made sense, but it was wasting time we didn’t have. ‘I bet Amaliel has managed to spirit a load of his freaky followers over there,’ I grumbled.
‘But he’s probably been planning this for a very long time,’ Kerfuffle pointed out.
‘Right,’ Jamie said, ‘let’s get going.’ He marched over to the huge walk-in wardrobe and pulled open the door. Gone were all the beautiful dresses of silk and velvet, the endless rows of shoes and boots. Instead, the door framed pitch-black nothingness, and it looked as scary as hell.
‘I’ll never get used to this,’ I said as Jamie wrapped an arm around me.
‘Ready?’ he said, and although I had nowhere near forgiven him I couldn’t deny that when he held me, I always felt safe.
‘As I ever will be,’ I replied, and he stepped into the darkness and we were falling with the wind whistling past our ears until we were standing outside in the gloom of an inclement afternoon with rain pattering down on our faces.
‘It’s always raining when I arrive in your world,’ Jamie said with a shake of his wings, then they were gone and he was wearing jeans and hoodie. ‘Go inside – I’ll be just a moment.’
I looked around me, surprised by the familiar surroundings: the front garden of my little cottage. If this was unexpected, the yellow and black police tape draped across my front door had me totally flummoxed.
‘What the—?’
‘Probably best to leave that be,’ Jamie said as I reached out to touch the fluttering plastic.
With a sigh I bent down to search for my spare key. The police obviously hadn’t discovered it: my fingertips found the square piece of slate that marked the spot and used it to scrape the earth away and, to my relief, I heard the crackle of the plastic bag and felt its weight. I pulled it from the soil.
I opened the front door and ducked under the tape, then held my breath as I clicked on the light. At least I hadn’t been disconnected.
‘Home sweet home,’ I heard a voice say behind me and I spun round.
‘Kayla? How did you get here so quickly?’
‘I just followed you – I guess now I really am a ghost, the usual rules don’t apply. What’s happened here?’ She squinted at the small table in the hall. There were dirty grey smudges on the varnish.
‘You’ve seen enough telly—’
‘Fingerprint powder?’
More grey dust marked the kitchen worktops and table; a cupboard had been left slightly ajar, a drawer not quite closed.
‘I hope you haven’t got a criminal record,’ I called to Jamie as he appeared in the doorway.
‘Someone obviously missed you.’
‘I’d rather they hadn’t – now I’ve probably got a lot of explaining to do.’
‘Not if no one realises you’re back.’
I opened the fridge door – and slammed it shut it, wrinkling my nose at the stench of rotting food. Luckily Kerfuffle and Kubeck had brought supplies.
‘If we have to buy more provisions and petrol over the next few days, we’ll need money, so I’ll have to use my credit card . . .’
‘If the police haven’t taken it,’ Kayla said.
She had a point, but like the hidden key, I had an emergency card stashed away, just in case I was ever robbed or mugged. I liked to be prepared for all eventualities.
I padded upstairs to my office, and stopped dead in the doorway. ‘Oh crap!’
‘Problem?’ Jamie appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
‘They’ve only gone and taken my PC and laptop,’ I called back.
‘Will you need them?’
‘I was going to google me to find out if I’ve been mentioned in the news or anything. And I was going to look for unnatural natural disasters . . .’
‘If you can find your credit card, maybe you should get a new laptop.’
‘I’m not made of money—’
‘And they’ve probably stopped all your cards anyway, or put a watch on them,’ Kayla supplied.
‘Not if they don’t know I’ve got it,’ I said, pulling out the bottom drawer of my desk and running my fingers along the underside. ‘Here we go!’ And hey presto, I had a card.
I ran downstairs to find Jamie. ‘Remember, you can probably only get away with using it once, so buy what you have to, and then try drawing out cash.’
‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘I don’t want you getting yourself arrested.’
‘He’ll be all right,’ Kayla said with a sniff. ‘There’s a reason he can mesmerise people.’
Within an hour my kitchen was overflowing with daemons. Shenanigans and Kubeck were so big they took up most of the space – and neither Jamie nor Vaybian were what I’d call small. Despite the circumstances, I had to stifle a slightly hysterical giggle as I looked at them all. If the police had walked in at that moment, they’d’ve had a blue fit, and doubtless arrested everyone on sight.
‘What?’ Jamie asked. He at least looked human.
‘I was just thinking what the police would say if they walked in and saw you all!’
‘I think you should make that all of us, mistress,’ Shenanigans said, and I looked down to see that my hands were still shimmering pink.
I lifted a strand of my mahogany and aubergine hair and gave him a rueful smile. ‘You’re right. I think I’d have more to explain than just having disappeared for a few weeks.’
‘You’ve got to think yourself human,’ Jamie said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Concentrate on looking like you did before: you covered yourself in a disguise without even knowing you were doing it, so it shouldn’t be difficult to do so again.’
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and tried to think of how I had once looked. Even after such a short time it was hard. The human me had shoulder-length dark chestnut hair, and that me definitely didn’t have violet and garnet eyes, just boring old hazel. Pointed maroon fingernails were also a no-no – although they’d probably pass as manicured if I needed them to. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t really want to be that person any more. I quite liked the daemon me.
I heard Jamie chuckle, and when my eyes snapped open he was grinning at me. ‘It shouldn’t be that hard.’
I didn’t need to look in a mirror to know I hadn’t changed. ‘Won’t I need my daemon strength if we’re to take on Amaliel?’
‘Now you know what you are and what you’re capable of, I think you’ll find your human persona will just be a façade, like when Shenanigans and Kerfuffle change.’
‘It’s easy, mistress,’ Shenanigans said, the air about him shimmered and gone were my two daemon friends. Instead, I was looking at a tall man of about six foot four in a dark suit looking like a Mafioso hit man and a short elderly gentleman, similarly dressed, who could have been his diminutive crime lord boss.
‘They make you look underdressed,’ I remarked to Jamie.
‘Whatever makes them feel comfortable.’
‘You have a go,’ Kerfuffle said to Kubeck.
Kubeck looked him up and down, then with a slight disturbance of air he too shrank to a more reasonable six foot or so. His skin took on a slightly olive tinge, while his hair, which remained short and curly, turned chestnut. He too was dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie.
‘Your turn,’ Kerfuffle said to Vaybian.
‘This I must see,’ Kayla giggled, and I had to admit I was interested to see how her green captain would look in human form.
The result wasn’t half bad. Obviously he was no longer green, and he’d lost the twisted ivory horn from just above his hairline, but otherwise he was pretty much the same: his hair, tied in a ponytail, was now a long, glossy black and his skin was tanned. He looked a bit like a Native American and had opted for the more casual option of jeans, T-shirt and a hoodie.
‘Wow,’ Kayla said as she slowly circled him, licking her lips like the cat who got the cream.
‘Where’s Pyrites?’ I asked, suddenly noticing my little drakon was missing, then I felt something warm and furry rub up against my legs. ‘Pyrites?’ Crouching down, I found a small black, white and tan Jack Russell terrier. Pyrites hopped onto his back legs and dropped his paws onto my knee. I picked him up and he turned in my arms to give my face a good licking. His unreserved love made me feel a damn sight better than I had been.
‘Pyrites,’ Jamie said, and my drakon swivelled to look at him, ‘you’re here to guard Lucky – and under no circumstances are you to take to wing during the hours of daylight. Do you understand?’ Pyrites made a grumbling sound, and when he said firmly, ‘I mean it!’ my drakon barked.
Jamie obviously took this as a yes. Then his attention turned to Shenanigans and Kerfuffle. ‘And remember, no humans are to be harmed.’
‘What are you looking at us for?’ Kerfuffle grumbled, glowering up at Jamie.
‘You know very well why.’
My smallest guard grunted. ‘We have been charged with protecting Mistress Lucky and protect her we will and you’d be lying if you said you’d have it any other way.’
Jamie’s own frown softened. ‘All right, but only use reasonable force.’
Neither guard replied. Jamie obviously took that as a yes as well, as he smiled at me and said, ‘If you give me the card I’ll go and get some petrol and any other stuff we might need.’
‘All right,’ I said, and told him my PIN number. ‘I think we probably have enough food for the moment.’
‘Oh, there’s another thing,’ Jamie added. ‘You’re not overly attached to your car, are you?’
I gave him a puzzled look. ‘Why?’
‘We’re going to need something bigger.’ He gestured around the room at the others.
‘I guess not,’ I said with a sigh. ‘All the paperwork is in the filing cabinet in my office – under “V” for “vehicles”.’
‘Right, I’ll just pop upstairs, then we’ll be off.’
*
I couldn’t help but think what an odd pair Jamie and Kerfuffle looked as they walked down the path to where my car was parked. Then I panicked – would it be there? My keys had been on the hallway table, but what if the police had taken it?
They didn’t immediately return, so I was hopeful they’d found it. Back in the kitchen, Shenanigans had already emptied most of the contents of my fridge into a bin bag being held open by an unsmiling Vaybian, and Kubeck was scrubbing the worktops.
I left them to it and wandered out into the hall to check the answering machine. There were only six missed messages: two from Philip Conrad’s office and four from the police; the last was the day before yesterday, so the search must have happened some time over the last forty-eight hours. There was nothing of interest in the pile of post the police had kindly stacked on the hallway table, but several envelopes had been opened, so they might have taken some away with them. Most of my important correspondence came by e-mail these days and I wasn’t going to be able to check my account any time soon, there was no point worrying about it. Rather than sit and wait and slowly go mad, I fetched a duster and some furniture polish and started cleaning up.
‘Shouldn’t you leave that?’ Kayla asked as I set to work in the living room.
‘It looks terrible.’
‘The police will notice if they come back.’
I pulled a face at her. ‘I think it’s a bloody disgrace that they didn’t clean up after themselves in the first place.’
I had more or less finished by the time Jamie and Kerfuffle returned, laden down with carrier bags; Shenanigans was preparing a quick meal.
‘Here,’ Jamie said, handing me a newspaper, ‘I thought you might like to see this.’
I sat down at the kitchen table and unfolded the paper to find my own face staring up at me from the front page. It was the picture from the back cover of my last book, and not the most flattering. My publisher had wanted me to have a serious, academic demeanour, but I just looked stern and school-marmish.
The piece wasn’t very long, but it explained the police tape: it turned out no one had seen fit to report Philip or his two goons missing for more than two weeks, and bearing in mind his wife had been murdered and his daughter abducted, that made no sense at all. It did explain Jamie’s emphatic instructions to Shenanigans and Kerfuffle; I never did find out what they’d done to Philip’s bodyguards. When someone finally did report him missing, the police discovered that the last time he and his companions had been seen was at a golf club with a mysterious woman and three other men. Further investigations by the boys in blue led them to the dinner I’d had with him at The Riverview – but by the time they’d discovered this, I’d already returned to the Underlands.
When I turned the page to read the rest of the story, I found out why no one had reported him missing: he’d told his staff he was going on holiday for a couple of weeks, no doubt to enjoy whatever he had been promised for betraying me, so no one took his disappearance seriously until he didn’t show up at his office for what was in fact eighteen days after he’d been taken.
At first the police had wanted to question me because I was probably the last person to see Philip before he’d disappeared; now, according to the report, I was a possible victim to whatever fate had befallen Philip.
‘This is a bit of a mess,’ I said when I finished reading.
‘I think it’s best if we move on from here first thing tomorrow,’ Jamie said. ‘The last thing we need right now is for you to be taken in for questioning. It would waste time we don’t have.’
‘We’ve already wasted several hours,’ I said, starting to panic all over again: we’d been cleaning and shopping while we were counting down to Jinx’s possible demise.
‘No, we’ve been preparing.’ Jamie gestured with his head to Kerfuffle who trotted off, only to return with a couple more bags from the hall. ‘This will help us keep an eye on news of any natural or unnatural disasters, plagues or pestilence,’ Jamie said, taking a box out of the bag and placing it on the table in front of me: a tablet. I’d always wanted one, but I’d thought it a luxury I could do without.
He dug out six smaller boxes: new mobile phones. ‘So we can keep in touch if we need to separate,’ he told us.
‘But—’ Shenanigans started to say.
‘No buts; when in the Overlands we do what they do.’
‘We got on well enough without this newfangled technology before,’ Kerfuffle grumbled.
‘Before your most recent visit to protect Lucky, when was the last time you visited the Overlands?’
Kerfuffle frowned at him.
‘Did they even have cars?’
‘It wasn’t that long ago . . .’
‘Well, things have moved on, and if you don’t think Amaliel and his people will be using today’s technology, you’ll be mistaken. Remember, he’s been using a human conduit, and if he or she is anything like Philip Conrad, they’re going to be pretty powerful.’
With that happy thought in mind, we put all the devices on charge and sat down to dinner. There wasn’t much room around my kitchen table, so we moved into the living room and sat on the floor like we would have done at home – which shocked me: I was thinking of the Underlands as home now.
‘Hadn’t you better try to at least look human?’ Jamie said to me. ‘Just in case someone comes to the door?’
I closed my eyes and tried to remember what I’d looked like before. ‘It’s not working.’
‘Try harder,’ Jamie said with a laugh.
I wrinkled my brow and concentrated very, very hard.
‘It’s still not working,’ I grumbled.
‘You’re still not trying,’ he said in a singsong voice.
I gritted my teeth, and the picture of me on the front page flashed into my head, the air about me gave a little quiver and with a shudder I felt myself change. I looked down at my hands. Yep: all human.
‘What now?’ I asked.
‘We get a couple of hours’ sleep and set off before it gets light. The fewer people who see us leave the village the better.’
‘Did you manage to get us a bigger car?’ I said suddenly; I’d completely forgotten about that, until the memory popped into my head of poor Shenanigans folding himself almost double to get in the back of my little Ford Fiesta.
‘Yep. It’s probably not your usual cup of tea, but it’ll do for the time being.’ Jamie gave me what he obviously thought was a winsome smile, and Kerfuffle started to giggle, which was a disconcerting sound at the best of times. ‘You’ve still got a Ford.’
‘Will it be big enough?’
He nodded. ‘For all of us, and Jinx when we get him back.’
‘We will get him back, won’t—?’ And once again I was struggling to breathe – it felt like I was drowning in the bath again. I was gasping for air, but my mouth was opening and nothing was happening.
‘Lucky!’
‘Mistress, what’s wrong?’
I got up onto my knees, my hands to my throat, still unable to catch my breath. I could sense Jinx was still trying to fight Amaliel, but his mind was in turmoil. I could feel his desperation, his panic, his fear that he had no control. He couldn’t draw breath, not because he was choking or being smothered, but because Amaliel wasn’t allowing him to breathe. He was showing Jinx how powerless he was, even over his own bodily functions.
Then as we both slipped into unconsciousness, Jinx gasped a word, an image flashed into my head and we could both breathe again.