Descent

  Altor gave her a withering laugh, his eyes flashing.

  ‘Charm? I had no idea I possessed such a thing.’

  ‘You have more charm than anyone I’ve ever met. But instead of using it you prefer to manipulate people into doing what you want.’

  Altor tilted his head. ‘Charm is obvious; so is the way people react to it. True personality arises when one is frightened or uncomfortable. It pleases me to see this.’

  ‘You play with people like they are toys.’

  ‘What else are they to a prince?’ he asked softly.

  Satine shook her head. She knew his arrogance was mostly an act, that he didn’t actually see himself as any better than his people. But she also knew Altor would say anything at all if he thought it would get a reaction.

  He laughed. ‘Mother, you are no fun. If you won’t come with me I will have to find someone who will. Maybe our new guests would enjoy an evening ale.’ The tone was soft, his eyes watching her closely. Sometimes the dark intelligence in those eyes startled her. Traitorous thoughts crept into the furthest corners of her soul, making her wonder what he could be capable of, what he desired. But no matter how wary she might be, Satine could never fear her own son.

  ‘What new guests?’

  Altor idly picked at a fingernail.

  Just then Satine spotted something on his arm. ‘Altor! Is that blood? What happened to you?’

  He flashed an indulgent smile. ‘The last of the six Strangers have arrived.’

  ‘What?’ Satine stood up so fast her chair flew to the ground. ‘You think to tell me this last? Altor, in all the gods’ names, what is wrong with you?’

  ‘It slipped my mind,’ he offered.

  Satine shook her head in exasperation and swept from the room. ‘Where are they?’

  ‘Waiting for you in the entrance hall. And they might be a little upset.’

  ‘Why? Because of the crossing?’

  ‘No,’ he answered slowly. ‘I found them outside, Mother. And look at how dark it is.’

  Satine turned cold. ‘Oh gods,’ she whispered, and broke into a run.

  Images from last night’s dreams intruded on his focus, and as a result Harry sent his last arrow just shy of the bullseye. He breathed out slowly, trying to force the pictures from his mind. Angels. Again. But these were different to the one he’d dreamt about so long ago, the angel dream that he and his friends had shared. These were dark, and violent. Black wings covered in blood fluttered through his vision every night, waking him in a cold sweat, leaving him exhausted and unsettled. But there wasn’t time to focus on dreams. Not when there were real creatures that needed killing. Not when Harry spent all his time training to kill them.

  Archery wasn’t the only thing Harry had been learning. With nothing to define him except the legend that shaped the very way people looked at him, he had a great deal of time on his hands. Time for horse riding, weaponry, teaching himself about Paragor’s history, and searching, always searching, for a way home. He didn’t know if he would take that way home, or even if he could after everything they’d been through, but he knew the others would want the option. There was a difference between choosing this life and being trapped here. It was a dangerous prison of Harry’s own making, and even though no one on Earth could possibly miss the nobody he’d been there, those kinds of thoughts could drive a guy crazy.

  Harry walked to the end of the training room to retrieve his arrows. Something about this night always made him miss his friends more than usual. It was the anniversary of the war. Sometimes he wished he lived in Amalia with Anna and Luca, but he felt a connection with Burmia, the place he’d first crossed to, and couldn’t imagine leaving Satine and Altor.

  He shot another ten arrows, but as he went to retrieve them he felt a familiar jolt to his senses and froze.

  Harry, are you there? Luca whispered in his mind, like a gentle nudge on his brain.

  Yes, I’m here, Harry replied.

  Accolon wants Satine to know he’s planning a trip to Burmia.

  Why? Luca—what is it this time?

  Luca hesitated. Stupidity and jealousy, again.

  Harry sighed. What are we going to do about this?

  There was a long silence. Relay the message to Satine. Have to go.

  The breaking of the mind-link was clumsy and painful, which was unusual for Luca, usually so fluid with everything he did.

  Harry sat down heavily and massaged his temples, trying to rid himself of the headache such a disconnection created.

  When the four Strangers had merged to fight Leostrial, a strange link had been formed, a conduit for their thoughts if they chose to share them. Each one of them had a different texture, a different feel. Harry often had trouble explaining that bit, so the three of them had decided to call it their mind-voice. Anna’s was a brilliant yellow shining thing, always loud on approach, but never painful. Luca’s had always been darker—a snaking embodiment that crept inside Harry’s mind unexpectedly, stealthy and strong and gentle. In the beginning it had been a turquoise blue, but as the days and months passed, it had grown much darker. Harry didn’t know what caused this, but neither of his friends would speak to him about it.

  Tiring of practice, Harry walked from the training room and out onto one of the balconies that wrapped around the southern side of the castle. There he dawdled, unsure why he felt so out of sorts. He couldn’t stop thinking about the dreams. Resting his elbows on the railing, he gazed out onto the plain beyond. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and Harry shivered, casting a wary glance into the sky.

  His eyes caught something and he gasped. There were people out there! On the plains. At night. Harry’s heart began to pound in horror as he broke into a run.

  ‘What’s going on, man?’ Jack asked. He and Mia were both shivering in their t-shirts and shorts, the temperature having dropped dramatically with the sun. Neither had any idea what was happening, but both sensed danger in the air. The boy, Altor, was walking as quickly as humanly possible, and Mia could see that he was itching to get back onto his horse.

  ‘I’ll explain when we’re safe,’ he snapped, shooting them a hard glance.

  ‘Well, can you at least tell us how you know who we are?’ Jack asked.

  ‘I’ll leave that to my mother, Jack. I’m hardly the person to be answering things of any importance.’

  Mia realised with a jolt that they hadn’t told Altor Jack’s name. ‘What does that mean? Who are you?’

  ‘I told you,’ he sighed. ‘I’m no one.’

  ‘That’s a stupid thing to say,’ Mia muttered. ‘Everyone’s someone.’

  Altor laughed softly and turned back to look at her. ‘Get used to disappointment, precious. It’ll be a friend of yours here.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Tell me,’ he said, changing the subject. ‘What is it you are here to accomplish?’

  Jack looked at Mia, bewildered. ‘I dunno. We didn’t even believe the portal was real until we dove through.’

  ‘Hasty actions, don’t you think? Walk faster.’

  Jack stumbled slightly as he picked up his pace. ‘If the company’s all like this then I’m regretting it already.’

  Altor shot them a dark grin over his shoulder. ‘The lad has a spine!’

  ‘What’s your problem?’ Mia snapped. ‘Have we done something wrong?’

  ‘Like I said. You’re late. And you’re walking too slowly. I’m about ready to leave you behind.’

  ‘What,’ Mia exclaimed, ‘are we rushing for?’

  Altor didn’t reply, his eyes scanning the sky constantly. The city walls were still quite a distance away.

  ‘Have there been others like us?’ Jack asked breathlessly. ‘To cross through?’

  ‘Strangers, we call you. Indeed there have.’ There was a kind of malicious amusement in his voice. Mia was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable.

  ‘And they weren’t able to go home?’ Jack pressed.

/>   ‘Like I said, there is no way back.’

  Jack looked at Mia. ‘We’ll find a way,’ he said softly.

  ‘I would love to see you try,’ Altor interrupted.

  Mia scowled. ‘We’re prisoners then? Is that it?’

  ‘Not at all. You are free to do as you please. I just find it amusing that you neglect to listen to me and come to your own conclusions.’

  ‘We don’t even know who you are! Why should we believe anything you say? Why should we even be following you?’ Jack snapped.

  Altor stopped walking and turned to look at them.

  ‘Well, for a start, I’m all you have right now. But if that won’t do, please feel free to head off on your own. I’d love to see how you fair in the wilderness of Lapis Matyr.’ He paused a moment, then shook his head. ‘You’ve got no idea what you’re up against.’

  Something cold sliced into Mia’s heart, and she felt, for the first time in her life, the icy stab of true fear.

  Altor smiled grimly at their expressions. ‘Now stop talking, and start running.’ With that he turned and broke into a fast jog.

  Jack reached out and took Mia’s hand as they ran.

  The final slice of sun disappeared below the horizon and darkness crept over them. It was suddenly very cold out there on the plain.

  A change occurred then, something deeply instinctual and terrifying, something that Mia couldn’t even come close to naming. It was as if the air grew full of static, prickling her skin, and the sky darkened deeply in the blink of an eye. Mia faltered as she looked up and gave a cry.

  There, swarming out of the darkness, were winged creatures of shadow, infinitely terrifying, swooping down towards them where they stood unprotected on the plain.

  Altor swore loudly and drew his bow, notching an arrow to it in one fluid motion. He let it loose, and Mia watched the arrow fly into the sky and sink into one of the creatures, which vanished before their eyes. She couldn’t make out what they were—they seemed to be just shadows—but the fear they created was bewildering.

  ‘What the hell?’ Jack cried, diving to the ground and scraping his knees on the wintry grass. Mia screamed as one of the creatures flew straight at her and raked its talons through her hair. She fell to the ground beside Jack and shielded her head, her heart near to beating out of her chest.

  ‘Get behind the horse!’ Altor barked. He was firing steadily and skilfully into the swarm, killing with every arrow. Mia and Jack dragged themselves over to the grey horse and tried to take cover behind it. ‘Crawl underneath it!’ the boy shouted at them. ‘He won’t let any harm come to you.’

  Climbing underneath an enormous animal didn’t seem like a particularly good plan, but Mia did as she was told, adrenalin making it surprisingly easy to focus. She saw Altor draw his sword and slash at the beasts as they descended upon him. And so she saw something she would never, for the rest of her life, forget. He had seemed so young—too young to be so dark. But the courage, the fury inside this boy as he fought the monsters was indescribable. He moved with a deep, deadly knowledge of exactly what he needed to do, and a lack of fear that Mia herself could not even contemplate.

  Altor ducked and dived and sliced through the air, and soon all the creatures were gone and the sky was empty once more.

  ‘Quickly,’ he rasped, and they scrambled out from under the horse. ‘Run!’

  They didn’t need to be told twice.

  ‘What were those things?’ Jack shouted as they ran.

  ‘Valkyries,’ Altor snarled, his lip curling with hatred. ‘Creatures of darkness that emerge at night. We have to get to the city—there could be more on their way.’

  ‘Why were you out so close to night then?’ Mia breathed, her eyes wide.

  To which Altor threw her a reckless grin. ‘I like a bit of danger,’ he said, making her shiver once more.

  Altor seemed to think of something and he stopped. ‘Take this,’ he said, holding out the reigns of his horse to Jack. ‘Get Mia to safety. Just ride straight to the castle; there is a gate directly in front of us.’

  ‘What about you?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Just do it,’ Altor snapped.

  Jack pulled himself awkwardly onto the horse and reached down for Mia’s hand.

  Altor moved to take her around the waist, lifting her with surprising ease. ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ she told him, surprising herself.

  The boy with a whole world of darkness in his eyes merely grinned. ‘I’ll be right behind you—I’m not about to miss my chance to get acquainted with a mighty Stranger, and a pretty one like you at that.’ Then he slapped the horse’s behind and it charged off in the direction of the castle, carrying them along with it.

  As they approached the walled city, it became clear that there was something undefinable surrounding it.

  ‘What is that?’ Mia wondered, peering upwards. Sailing over the entire city were tiny threads shimmering in the moonlight, thousands of them attached to the ground around the outside of the wall, making an almost invisible dome around everything inside.

  As they drew nearer to the gate it suddenly opened and a figure on horseback charged out onto the plains, riding at a headlong gallop towards them.

  The rider, a young man, reined his horse up hard as he reached their side.

  ‘Thank Christ you’re okay!’ he exclaimed, a mixture of fierce worry and joy etched into his face.

  Mia blinked, then squealed in disbelief. It was Harry! But he looked so different! He had a beard and had somehow developed a muscled, barrel chest. He reached across the gap between their horses to take them both in a frantic hug, clutching at them as though he hadn’t seen them just half an hour before.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ Jack snapped.

  ‘Where’s Altor?’ Harry asked, looking at the horse they were riding.

  ‘Back on the plain—he sent us ahead,’ Mia explained quickly.

  ‘Oh no!’ Harry gasped, turning his horse with only his knees. ‘Get under the protectors,’ he told them, pointing at the shimmering threads. ‘Wait there for me.’

  Then he kicked his mount forward and sped off into the darkness. Jack moved their grey horse awkwardly through one of the gaps in the threads so that they were standing under the dome. It didn’t seem like the threads would offer much protection if they’d been able to walk straight through.

  It seemed an age before the two boys emerged.

  Harry was standing up in the saddle, firing arrows into the sky where another swarm of Valkyries were attacking. Altor was sitting backwards behind Harry, doing the same thing. Mia watched, stunned by the skill of them both as they rode, neither using their hands to stay atop the mount. Mia had the feeling that they’d both done this many times before.

  But it was Harry riding that horse and firing those arrows. None of it made any sense. Mia started to feel a little light-headed.

  The boys galloped towards them and then careened under the threads, pulling the horse to a wild stop. Mia looked back into the sky to see the Valkyries charge towards them. She braced herself for another attack, but the creatures in the sky pummelled into the shimmering mesh and bounced straight off. A few of the shadowy monsters tried getting through, but they clearly couldn’t cross the boundary, and after a while they vanished into the air once more.

  Harry turned in the saddle and bumped knuckles with Altor, who grinned wolfishly at him. They both dismounted the excited horse, then Harry threw himself on top of Mia, this time holding her for a long time. She was taken aback by the yearning in his grip, and by the way his body had changed so much. It felt like she was hugging a real, grown-up man. After a while Harry moved to embrace Jack, and the shorter boy endured the hug for a few moments before pushing his friend away. ‘Get it together, dude,’ he muttered. ‘We’re fine.’

  Harry just grinned, and then he started to laugh, looking back and forward between his friends. There was a light to his eyes that Mia had never seen before, and his smile seemed bright i
n a completely new way.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she asked again. ‘What’s happened to you?’

  ‘A lot,’ he said simply. ‘Where have you been? And why do you still look seventeen?’

  Jack laughed. ‘What are you talking about, man? Where did you come through the portal?’ Jack paused and looked him up and down. ‘And how did you get changed into those weird clothes so fast? And how come you’ve suddenly got muscles? And a beard? And you’re not overweight anymore! What the hell is going on?’

  Harry blinked, staring at them. Then his eyes widened and he took a step back.

  ‘Did you just get here?’

  ‘Of course we did, Harry you dope!’ Jack said.

  Altor watched, his expression unreadable.

  Harry shook his head. ‘I’ll explain when we get inside—you two look blue from cold.’

  Nodding gratefully, Jack and Mia followed Harry and Altor through the iron gates, the guards nodding respectfully as they passed. A narrow cobbled street led to the huge castle. Altor led them through a smaller gate and into the castle grounds. The grass was very green and well kept, as were the gardens.

  Harry had his arm around Mia, and kept looking between her and Jack with a goofy grin, making her wonder if he’d finally lost his mind.

  A young boy, dressed in dirty tights and a loose-fitting shirt, led Altor’s horse away.

  Inside the huge stone building was a dark hallway.

  ‘I’m bringing you this way so that nobody sees us,’ Altor explained.

  ‘Are we allowed to be in here?’ Mia asked nervously.

  He smiled. ‘I hope so, as the queen’s guards have a bad reputation for unprovoked acts of violence.’

  ‘Great,’ Jack muttered. ‘We’ve been picked up by a thrill-seeking criminal.’

  Harry chuckled, but didn’t bother explaining. Mia had a feeling there was going to be a lot to explain.

  Fiery torches hung on the walls, and she was suddenly nervous—torches probably meant no electricity.

  It was not long before the hallway opened up into a large room, adorned with velvet curtains and piles of cushions. One entire wall was a huge set of glass doors that led outside onto a long stretch of front steps—the entrance to the castle. From this angle, Mia could clearly see the moon. She blinked, thinking that her vision must be blurred, then nearly fainted as she realised that there were two moons. For some reason, this simple but enormous difference was what shocked her the most. She sank into a chair and closed her eyes.