Keeper of the Realms: Crow's Revenge (Book 1) (14 page)

Her parents …

Charlie did her best to fight the wave of bleakness that threatened to overwhelm her but it was no use. The horrendous truth of the matter was simply too powerful to deny. She and her family were in dire trouble. How was she ever going to free her parents from Bane’s nightmare? And her grandma, was she really safe back home? Could Mr Crow be trusted? She felt viciously torn between responsibilities. Should she try to make her way home to look after her gran or should she stay strong and push forward to … well, to do whatever could possibly be done for her parents?

She could feel tears pooling beneath her eyelids. Crossing the room, she threw herself on to the welcoming plumpness of her mattress and pulled the covers over her head. Finally
she allowed the tears to fall free and trickle across her cheeks.

With no one watching, she could afford to show her true feelings. Yet buried beneath the turbulent waves of emotion a slow rage and anger began to smoulder as she considered the damage that Bane and Mr Crow had done to her family.

They had a lot to answer for.

But before she could mull things over any further fatigue took over and she tumbled into a deep, deep sleep.

16

A Moonlit Chase

Night-time brought darkness to Sylvaris and Deepforest. Far beneath the city in the matted and leaf-littered undergrowth of Deepforest the soil began to tremble and gently ripple. The tremors grew in strength and ferocity. A great creaking and cracking noise thundered through the forest, frightening nocturnal creatures and scaring sleeping birds into flight. The ground began to tear and rupture. With a final groan, the surface split asunder to form a crevasse that led into the bowels of the earth.

Slowly and cautiously, the blackness within the fissure began to pulse and move as a shadow detached itself and slunk over the crevasse’s rim to sniff at the air. It was soon followed by another shadow, then another … and another. Eventually eleven of the colourless entities crawled and slunk around, pawing at the air and scratching at the soil.

As one, the eleven Shades turned to stare up at Sylvaris far, far above them. The largest of the pack turned and addressed the others. ‘She is somewhere up there. Come, we must do the master’s bidding.’

The largest Shade took point and led the way as they darted between the tree trunks towards the broad base of
one of Sylvaris’s many towers. Gripping on to the sides with clawed talons, they swiftly climbed upward and into the city. Jumping noiselessly on to one of the sweeping bridges, the Shades paused to sniff and lick at the air, testing and tasting for the scent of the Human girl.

There it was, the scent that they wanted. Snuffling and snarling, they crept deeper into the sleeping city until at last they had the Willow Tower in their sights. Jumping the gap from bridge to tower, they slunk through an open window and silently entered the building.

The girl was so close they could almost taste her blood, almost sense the beating of her Human heart. Lashing themselves in eager anticipation, they burst up the final flight of stairs. As the bloodlust took over, they began to hiss and cackle with excitement. The girl would be theirs …

With a start Charlie awoke from a terrible dream. Her brow was slick with sweat and her stomach churned from the memory of it. Even now faint flashes of her grandmother trapped at home with Mr Crow, Bane and a pack of Shades fizzled across her sleep-befuddled mind.

A shadow moved beneath the door.

‘Jensen, is that you? Salixia?’ Then she realized that she could still hear the hiss and spine-chilling scream of the Shades from her dream. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t still asleep. ‘Ow!’

She rubbed furiously at the blotchy mark on her skin.
Well, if it hurts
, thought Charlie with a puzzled frown,
then I can’t be dreaming.
But if she could hear Shades while she was awake, then that meant …

The door began to rattle and bang. Shadowy black tendrils eased under the door as it started to buckle and bend, losing its shape. Finally it exploded from its hinges as fierce guttural cries filled the room. With shark-like grace, the Shades streamed into Charlie’s bedroom. Howling and hissing, they swept across the floor and poured on to her bed, eager for blood.

She wasn’t there.

Screaming their fury and frustration, they scrambled around the room, searching for any sign of her. They sniffed and scratched at the carpets, tore at the panelled walls and overturned wardrobes, tables, chairs and closets.

It was the flutter of curtains in the breeze that gave away the girl’s escape route. Snarling, they scampered out on to the balcony, screaming in triumph when they saw their prey.

Charlie took one look at the shadowy, hungry mass that streamed towards her and, swallowing her fear, jumped. Arms outstretched, she barely reached the woodwork of the neighbouring balcony. Her fingers scrabbled for purchase and her hips slammed heavily against the railing. She gasped in relief as she secured a handhold. Ignoring the pain and the tears that leaked from her eyes, she pulled herself up and over to drop breathlessly on the other side. She then scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide in sheer horror when she saw the Shades scuttling across the wall in a lizard-like fashion.

Quickly she tried the door that led into the neighbouring tower but it was bolted from the inside. Spinning around, she hurriedly took stock of her options.

There weren’t many.

‘Blast, blast, blast, BLAST!’ she spat.

The fetid, cold, corpse-like breath of a Shade on her shoulders told her that she had run out of time. Gulping in a huge lungful of cold night air, she took aim, bent her legs and jumped.

‘Oof!’

The smooth wooden plumbing that ran down the side of the tower knocked the wind out of her, but she held tight and began to slide down the drain like a fireman on a pole. Faster and faster she descended, the windows of the tower blurring past. As she got to the bottom she closed her eyes tight and, sucking up all her courage, she kicked off and leaped away from the building.

‘Ouch!’

Dusting herself off, she scrambled to her feet. In her opinion, her rough landing on to the bridge should have been a lot more graceful. She’d be sure to talk to Kelko about her K’Changa training. Maybe it had something in it that would help with falling and hopefully include some advice to prevent her from landing on her bottom.

The screech and shrieks of the pursuing Shades soon had her focused and running down the bridge.

‘Help! Help me!’ she hollered as loud as she could. ‘Help!’

But no one appeared to hear and Charlie soon shut up.
Screaming seems to work well for people in the movies
, she thought as she raced along the roads of Sylvaris,
but not so well in real life
. Putting her head down, she concentrated on pushing her legs as fast as she could. It seemed a wiser option than just screaming like a little girl.

Unsure where to go, she headed towards the tower of the
Jade Circle. Surely there would be someone there who could help. She’d even put up with the obnoxious Delightful Brothers if it meant she was safe.

Glancing back, she caught sight of the Shades leaping from Jensen’s tower and on to the bridge. They quickly gave chase and, to Charlie’s horror, soon began to narrow the distance between them and her.

She really began to panic. Looking from side to side, she hunted for any means of escape.

Any. Means. Of. Escape.

Running close to the bridge’s edge, she looked over the side. Nothing. Veering over to the other side, she again peered over. There! Another bridge, graceful and sleek in the pale moonlight and not too far away. Could she make the jump?

She’d have to.

Backing up a couple of paces, she dug her nails deep into her palm, then sprinted as hard as she could and leaped …

To her astonishment, she made it! She cleared the gap easily! Laughing with unexpected pleasure, she turned to see the Shades gathering at the other bridge’s edge. They weren’t able to make the jump. Hissing, spitting and snarling their fury, they hurried off to find another way over.

Charlie grinned, her teeth shining in the pale moonlight. She didn’t know how she’d made such a mammoth jump, but she had! And with the head start she’d just given herself, she’d be able to make it to the tower of the Jade Circle ahead of the Shades easily.

Smirking, Charlie trotted off down the bridge, but as she crested the peak and stared down the other side of the curved bridge she almost choked.

The bridge she was standing on wasn’t finished!

It came to a halt and ended a good stone’s throw before it reached the streets on the other side of the gap. The Torn Bridge! She should have realized!

Gaping foolishly, Charlie turned to sprint back the other way. Maybe she could make it before the Shades caught up. Maybe! Arms pumping and legs pistoning, she practically flew back the way she’d come, but as she reached the bridge’s crescent she stumbled to a halt.

She could see the Shades starting up the other end of the bridge. She was trapped! Her earlier bravado disappeared in a puff of fear. Frantically she stared around for any way out, but there was nothing.

Maybe
, thought Charlie,
now would be a good time to start screaming again.

‘Help! Help! Helpppppppppp!’ she cried, as loud as she could. Surely someone would hear her, surely someone would wake up. ‘Help! Help! Oh! Please! Help! Someone, anyone, HELP!’

The pendant hanging around her neck suddenly began to vibrate. It grew warm, then hot, as a thick beam of light abruptly shot out from where it hung beneath her shirt and speared out into the night sky. Charlie was so shocked that she just stood there, foolishly staring at her pendant, the threat of immediate danger temporarily forgotten.

‘It’s never done that before …’ she muttered in wonder.

Shrill screams and echoing shrieks snapped her attention back to the present and she sprinted for the torn and broken end of the bridge. It was her only choice.

The Shades were so very, very near.

But when she reached the end of the bridge, what then? She felt goosebumps running up and down her back – she really, really didn’t want to die.

‘Blast, blast, blast!’ she swore through clenched teeth. The pendant had stopped its strange glow and now hung about her neck as though nothing had happened.

‘Young Keeper!’ cried a strong, lion-like voice from above. ‘Hold on, I’m coming!’

Charlie slid to a halt and gasped as she saw a figure leap from a nearby tower to float softly towards her.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. The distances were huge … surely no one could make such a jump. The approaching figure was covered in a dark robe that flapped behind him in the night air and for a brief second, backlit by the crescent moon, he looked like a great bird flying through the air towards her.

Lightly and almost soundlessly, the mysterious figure landed beside her. A soft hood covered his head and it crossed Charlie’s mind that she had been whisked back in time to another place so that now she stood next to a medieval monk. Stranger things had happened to her recently, she had to admit.

‘Stand behind me,’ commanded the stranger as he turned to face back down the bridge.

The Shades came bubbling over the bridge’s crescent like a black wave, their eager, bloodthirsty cries turning the air thick and sour as they shot venomously forward.

‘BACK!’ cried the hooded stranger, punching his hands forward in a clawing motion. A thick rippling wave of
golden light gushed from his fingers to push at the Shades. ‘Get you back!’

The Shades screamed and tore at the beam but it held them fast. To Charlie’s unbelieving eyes, it appeared as though they were fighting a gluey, impenetrable torrent of light that simply could not be broken. Her mouth hinged open and all she could utter was a little ‘Oh!’

‘You foul creatures, how dare you enter Sylvaris with your rotten stink?’ growled the stranger with his booming voice. ‘Get you gone from here! I will not abide it! Be gone!’

Arms outstretched, he braced himself as the light trapped the Shades, holding them fast. Straining, he began to walk forward, step by step, pushing the writhing and furiously spitting creatures backwards. ‘Be gone, I said!’ And with a last thunderous push, he heaved them off the side of the bridge.

Charlie rushed to the edge just in time to glimpse the still-screaming Shades as they plummeted towards the Deep-forest canopy far below. She breathed a deep sigh of relief before turning to stare at the monk-like figure that stood next to her.

‘Oh, my days!’ she said, grabbing his arm as amazement overcame her fright. ‘That was awesome! Totally and completely awesome!’

The stranger peered over the edge of the bridge, the light from his hands completely gone.

‘Hey, don’t I know you?’ continued Charlie, now she was looking at him properly. ‘Aren’t you from the Jade Circle?’

‘That is correct, young Keeper,’ said the stranger, pushing back his hood to reveal an old, wise-looking face. ‘I am
indeed from the Jade Circle and I heard, or rather I
felt
, your cry for help.’