The Midnight Gate (35 page)

“You're joking!” Steve's eyes were wide.

“No. It was a misjudgment on my part. A disaster. It won't be allowed to happen again.”

She marched off once more, to the far end of the hall, through the hidden door and into her office. Belladonna and Steve followed, their minds racing.

“The Empress of the Dark Spaces was originally just human? Like me and Belladonna?”

“Well, not really like you, Evans. But yes. Her character, however, was not all that we had hoped.”

“No duh!”

“But how can we…” began Belladonna.

“Yes, how can we defeat her when she's a Spellbinder as well?” said Steve. “And shouldn't you have picked someone older?”

“Of course. But I was sure the Empress was safe for a few more years, a decade at least, and that would have given us time, you see. But that wretched necromancer ruined everything.”

“Doctor Ashe?”

“Yes.”

“But we stopped him,” said Belladonna. “And the Hunt carried him off.”

“Yes, well done, by the way. But the thing is, he weakened the boundary between the worlds and the Dark Spaces and created a hole. A small hole, no more than a pinprick, but that is all it takes, isn't it? One area of weakness. We had known it was coming; that's why we decided to select a new Spellbinder, but we didn't know about Ashe. His plan to bring the Empress back may have failed, but he succeeded in accelerating events and making the Empress's escape all but inevitable.”

“But why does she want to return?”

“It doesn't matter. We will defeat her again. In any case, to do what she wants, she would need to find all nine Nomials. You have already found two of them, and without those she cannot succeed. All we need to do now is prevent her from wreaking any more havoc in your world and ensure that she is never again able to even contemplate escaping from the Dark Spaces.”

She tapped her staff lightly on the ground and the Queen of the Abyss fell away from her like dust, leaving the familiar figure of Miss Parker in her ill-fitting navy blue suit. She returned the lacrosse stick to its frame and sat down at her desk.

“But that's just stupid!” said Steve.

Miss Parker turned around. “I beg your pardon? Are you suggesting that you, a mere human child, have more insight on this matter than I, the Queen of the Abyss, who has lived since time began?”

“Um … well, yes, actually.”

Miss Parker looked him up and down, then turned back to her desk and removed some paper from a drawer.

“The thing is,” said Steve, “the Nomials are just in Mrs. Jay's desk drawer. Anyone could get them. I mean, I could probably do it and I'm no master thief or anything. And, honestly, in films whenever there's a secret place that can't be found and the world would be destroyed if it
was
found, the bad guys
always
find it.”

“This is real life, Mr. Evans. Real life is not like films.”

“Actually, it kind of is,” said Steve. “Well, so far, anyway.”

“I think he's right,” said Belladonna.

“No, he is not,” said Miss Parker. She looked from one to the other, then seemed to relent. “You are right about tonight, though. There are dark times ahead and it would be foolish to risk the Spellbinder at such an early stage. Without you they cannot open a portal.”

“Tonight? But the Day of Crows is tomorrow!”

“It is the eve that is important. And tomorrow begins at midnight. Here are notes excusing you from classes for the rest of the day. Mr. Evans, I suggest you take Miss Johnson to your home and stay there until tomorrow. At three o'clock tomorrow morning, the veil between the Worlds will be little more than smoke. That is when she will try to ride the Darkness in. If you are not there, Miss Johnson, they will have to wait. I'll send someone else to deal with the Proctors. By tomorrow morning, Shady Gardens will have vanished once more and we will have bought one more year in which to prepare you both.”

Belladonna took her note. Steve reached for his, but as he did so, he started to cough again and this time, in addition to the wisp of smoke, a few sparks flew from his mouth and ignited the note.

“What on earth…!?” Miss Parker blew the flames out. “Have you been drinking dragon milk?”

“Um … Just a bit. A taste.”

“Have you no sense at all? I despair, I really do. To think the fate of the Nine Worlds depends on you two! Go. Now. Get out of my sight.”

“Why can't
you
do it?” asked Steve, not moving. “I mean, you're the ruler of the Land of the Dead. Why can't you just go out there and stop them?”

“I cannot leave my domain.”

“But you can be here in school and this isn't the Land of the Dead.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“Well … because … it isn't … is it?”

“It is both of the Living and of the Dead. We created it for a purpose, but I cannot go beyond its doors.”

She pulled a stack of exercise books toward her, opened the first, and began marking. Belladonna and Steve glanced at each other, then walked to the door.

“Miss Parker?” said Belladonna, turning back.

“Yes?”

“Would you have let the manticore or the Keres actually kill us?”

“Of course. There's no point in tests if you don't adhere to the results, is there? I had to know whether you were worthy. Now get off with you; I have work to do.”

Steve stepped out onto the science lab landing at school, but as Belladonna followed, she suddenly felt a searing pain in her left temple. It was more than a headache, greater than anything she had ever felt. She raised a hand to her head, but even as she did so, she felt herself stumble. Steve looked back, then leapt forward to catch her just before she hit the ground.

“Belladonna!”

“Owww.” Belladonna slowly opened her eyes. The pain wasn't as intense, but it was still more than anything she'd ever felt.

“Are you alright?” said Elsie, suddenly manifesting behind Steve's shoulder and peering into Belladonna's face. “You look awfully pale.”

“And that's really something, coming from a ghost,” grinned Steve, clearly relieved.

Belladonna smiled weakly and scrambled to her feet.

“I'm fine.”

“You really don't look fine,” said Steve.

“Don't make a fuss,” said Belladonna, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Let's go.”

They started downstairs and Elsie disappeared, only to reappear at the bottom.

“Let's go? Let's go where? What's happening? What was the House of Ashes like? Come on, I'm falling behind! Did you find the Queen of the Abyss? What did she say about the coins? And how did you end up back here?”

“Well, there were—” began Belladonna.

“Wait,” said Steve, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he looked at Elsie. “Did you know about Miss Parker?”

“Know what about Miss Parker?” asked Elsie, all wide-eyed Edwardian innocence.

“That she was the Queen of the Abyss.”

“You're joking! Miss Parker? The one with the dreadful suits and the positively criminal haircut?”

“Yes.”

“She was here all the time?”

“Yup.”

“Then why did you have to go through all that palaver with the lift and the drive and the House of Ashes and…”

“… and guardians. There were seven guardians in the House of Ashes and at least three of them tried to kill us. And all the time, we could've just gone upstairs and pressed the buzzer.”

“She said it was a test,” said Belladonna. “She had to know if we were ‘worthy.'”

“Could you have died?” asked Elsie.

Steve nodded. Elsie thought about this for a moment and then smiled, her eyes sparkling.

“That is absolutely topping!” she gushed. “It's like something out of an adventure story. Did you have to use the plastic ruler thing? I wish I'd been there!”

Steve rolled his eyes, then suddenly coughed again. More smoke and a few more sparks.

“Crikey!” said Elsie. “Is that from dragon milk?”

Steve nodded. “Yes. My throat's really raspy.” He noticed Belladonna's expression and shrugged. “I know, I know … it's my own fault. But, you know, if you don't try new things, you'll never learn anything.”

“There's a bit of a difference between trying a vindaloo or duck-web soup and slurping down dragon milk,” pointed out Belladonna.

“But not much. Duck-web soup? What on earth is that?”

“Never mind. Come on, let's get out of here.”

“Where?” said Elsie. “What's happening? You still haven't told me what's going on.”

“Miss Parker … the Queen of the Abyss … she told us to just hide out until after the Day of Crows. She said they can't bring the Empress through without me there to say the Words.”

“But … what about the Proctors? They're still your foster parents.”

“She said she'd send someone else to deal with them,” explained Steve.

Elsie looked from one to the other. “Did she tell you what to do with the coins if it doesn't work?”

“No.”

“Well, that doesn't sound right.” For once Elsie seemed genuinely worried. “There should always be a plan B. Look … why don't you take the rug. Please.”

“But…”

“I'll see what I can find out … just in case. I mean, I'm sure it'll be alright. But I'll see what I can find out. So take the rug, in case I need to find you.”

“Okay, but…”

“No. Promise me.”

“We promise,” said Belladonna.

Elsie nodded and watched as Steve got the old piece of carpet from its tray inside the front door and rolled it up.

“Good luck,” she said and vanished.

“Right,” said Steve. “I think we should go the back way through the park and stay off the streets as much as possible.”

Belladonna nodded and followed him through the school, out the back door, and down to the park gate.

“Belladonna?” he said, pushing the gate open.

“Yes?”

“You won't tell anybody about this, will you?”

“About what?”

“About staying at mine.”

“Oh, criminy. Right, like I'm going to go back to school and brag about staying at your house. I don't think.”

Steve grinned, clearly relieved, and they made their way across the small park, striding through the wet grass and pausing only once—to watch the ducks in the lake.

Belladonna breathed in the wintry air. It was still overcast and cold but seemed positively springlike in comparison to the gloom of the House of Ashes.

“I'm thinking about trying out for the under-15s,” said Steve.

“Football?”

“No, tiddlywinks. Of course football! D'you think it'll be okay?”

“Why wouldn't it be?”

“Well, with practices and everything. D'you think I'll be able to do that and … you know, save the world from time to time?”

Belladonna grinned. “Maybe you'll need a special permission note from the Queen of the Dead.”

Steve laughed as they left the park and started walking up Spicer Street.

“You live here?” asked Belladonna. “I always thought you lived above the shop.”

“Eugh. That would be depressing. Though my Dad spends so much time there, he might as well. No, we live up at the top here. It's a bit of a walk, I'm afraid. I don't usually go this way. It's faster to go by town.”

“That's okay.”

Belladonna gazed up at the mottled gray sky and considered the events of the past few days. It had been a surprise discovering that Miss Parker was actually the Queen of the Abyss, but it made her feel safer. Just knowing that she was at the school, right there where they could speak to her whenever they wanted, seemed to make everything a bit more manageable. She felt less alone, less stranded with a role she didn't truly understand and a responsibility she was only beginning to appreciate. But now Miss Parker was going to fix everything, and once the Day of Crows had passed, she felt confident that her grandmother would return and she'd be able to go back to living at home with her parents. She smiled to herself and tucked her hair behind her ears. There were the first glimmerings of green on the branches of the trees along the road, and in the afternoon quiet she could hear birds singing and courting as they sensed spring in the air.

She didn't hear the car at all.

It was just suddenly there, screeching to a halt in front of them.

“Belladonna! Run!” Steve dropped his bag and reached for the ruler, but before he could get his hand on it, Mr. Proctor was out of the car and hit him hard across the face. Steve staggered backward and stumbled, dazed, to the pavement.

Belladonna tried to run, but it was no good. Mr. Proctor grabbed her and threw her into the back of the car, jumping in after her and slamming the door as Mrs. Proctor turned the wheel and sped away.

“Stupid girl,” spat Mr. Proctor, grabbing her backpack and throwing it out of the window.

Mrs. Proctor reached back.

“Give me her hand!”

Belladonna struggled as Mr. Proctor tried to force her arm toward his wife's hand.

“No! Leave me alone!”

He slapped her hard once and thrust her wrist into Mrs. Proctor's grasp.

Belladonna gasped, suddenly breathless as the cold grip sapped her strength. She twisted and strained to see out of the back window. She could just make out Steve in the distance, scrambling to his feet, the sword in his hand. Then she began to feel the darkness enveloping her, and felt herself slipping away.

She knew that he would go back. That he would get Elsie and that they would try their best. But there was nothing they could do. Only the Nine Nobles could stop the stones, stop the Shadow People, and stop the Empress. And Steve only had eight.