The Dying Light (Bloodwitch #1)

Charlie followed the sound of Seren’s voice towards a large chamber at the end of the corridor, Vasco at his side. As they crossed the threshold, Charlie’s eyes ranged over the ghoulish collection of blades and knives that lined the walls, glinting in the low light. A shiver of nauseous fear curled up in his stomach at the sight. He forced himself not to take a step backwards. Already, it felt as though the room was closing in on him.

‘We don’t have to stay here,’ Vasco said. ‘If you need to leave, I’ll come with you.’

‘Would you stop treating me like you think I’m about to fall apart at any second?’

At Charlie’s words, Vasco closed his eyes and walked away, raking his fingers through his hair as he went. With some effort, Charlie tried to focus his attention on what Seren, Alya and Jasmine were talking about instead. The three girls seemed to be discussing how they would go about attempting to destroy the weapons, their voices hushed. Charlie felt his body humming with tension. The whisper of their soft voices surrounded him, closing in on him, the silver blades along the walls catching his reflected fear.

He was starting to remember again.

Looking for a distraction, Charlie’s eyes were drawn to Vasco. He had approached a desk in the corner of the room and picked up a sheaf of papers. There was something about the intense look on Vasco’s face that held Charlie’s gaze. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. As Vasco rifled through the papers one by one, Charlie saw his expression darken, and watched as his pale face steadily lost what colour it still had.

‘Find anything interesting?’

Charlie’s eyes lingered on Vasco’s face as he scanned through the pages of scrawled handwritten notes. Vasco seemed drawn to particular sections of the papers, his brow furrowing as he re-read certain passages aloud, his words barely audible. Charlie noticed Vasco’s eyes widen as he came across a stack of sepia photographs that had been clipped together in a folder. His skin was gradually taking on a greenish tinge. He seemed unable to draw his gaze away from what he was seeing.

His stomach roiling, Charlie left Vasco to his thoughts. He joined Seren, Alya and Jasmine instead. The three girls were clustered around a collection of machines and devices. They appeared unremarkable at first. There was a wooden table, a stool with a pointed seat, and an iron cap amongst them. But when he examined them more closely, Charlie saw the chains, the ropes, the spikes. He backed away, his skin crawling to be so close to them.

Everything in this chamber had been designed to inflict pain – intricate and excruciating pain. It was clear that time and attention had been spent creating inventions of supreme cruelty and humiliation. Just looking at them was enough to dredge up his most recently buried memories, so Charlie returned to Vasco’s side. His breath was coming fast and shallow now.

‘Are you all right?’ Seeing how Vasco’s eyes had glazed, Charlie drew closer to him. ‘What are you reading?’

‘You can read it yourself.’ Vasco’s words came out sounding forced and oddly stiff. His knuckles had gone white, his grip so tight that the papers and photographs in his hand were shaking. ‘If you’d like to.’

Charlie shook his head. ‘Your face tells me everything I need to know.’

‘Have I been …’ Vasco’s eyes ranged over the sepia photographs, his eyes lingering on the mutilated bodies of small children, their eyes closed as if in sleep, ‘an accessory to this?’ His eyes wide, he braced a trembling hand against his forehead, covering his face as his shoulders began to shake. ‘Charlie, I … I swear I … I didn’t know –’

‘You’re a Witch Hunter,’ Jasmine said, her voice steady. ‘You must have known.’

’I didn’t know about this!’ Vasco rounded on her, looking desperate. ‘I would never have …’ He shook his head, paling further. ‘And never – never children …’

‘And so?’ Jasmine regarded him with a cool stare. ‘What are you going to do about it, Witchkiller?’

‘I’m going to make sure these children get the justice they deserve,’ Vasco said, after a long pause. A look of steel-eyed resolve had settled over his face. ‘Whoever is responsible for this, I will make sure they are punished. I’ll …’ He clenched the photographs in his fist, his head bowed. ‘I’ll give my life to make this right.’

Jasmine arched a dark eyebrow. ‘Even if that means standing up to your master?’

‘I became a soldier to protect people … to defend the people who needed me,’ Vasco said, as Jasmine walked away. His voice low enough that Charlie thought he might have been talking to himself. ‘I only ever wanted to do what was right.’

Out of the stillness, a rough sound, as though of a blunt object smashing down on metal, sounded from across the room. Both Charlie and Vasco looked over to see the three girls standing before the weapons, their arms outstretched. It looked as though they had come to an agreement as to how they would destroy the machines. By the sound of it, they were already making some progress.

‘Be careful,’ Jasmine was warning the others. ‘We need to make sure we don’t push ourselves too hard.’

Alya shook her head. ‘This is the only way,’ she said, circling the machines with a frown, as Seren flexed her fingers. ‘We have to do whatever is necessary if we’re going to get what we want.’

‘You need to think smarter than that, princess.’ Jasmine crossed her arms, following Alya’s movements with her eyes. ‘You’re only just beginning to understand your Gift, and if Seren reaches her limit it’ll be up to me to protect both of you idiots.’

Seren appeared to be readying herself, rolling her shoulders and swinging her arms. ‘She’s right,’ she said, nodding towards Alya. ‘This is our only chance. We need to make it count.’

With a sigh, Jasmine inclined her head. Her acquiescence seemed to spur them all on to do what needed to be done. Moving their arms as though swirling water – seeming to draw strength out of the very air around them – the three witches brought all their ferocity down on the weapons before them.

Their progress was slow, and Charlie stared at his bandaged hands, ashamed of his own powerlessness. Meanwhile, Vasco watched them work with unseeing eyes, his thoughts still obviously elsewhere.

With a shriek of effort, Seren sent a wall of air towards the weapons. An intense wave of heat whipped around the rest of the room, its raw power making Charlie flinch. Eventually, the floor was littered with broken machinery and twisted metal. The weapons had all been destroyed.

Picking their way through the debris, the three girls approached Charlie and Vasco. Their shoulders were heaving with exertion and sweat lined all three of their faces. Alya’s cheeks were flushed, while Jasmine’s eyes were bright. The hint of a triumphant smile was creeping across Seren’s face, although her eyes had a hollow look to them.

It was not clear who broke the silence first. It seemed as though all five of them burst into exhilarated, nervous laughter as one. At once, the spell was broken, and words started tumbling out of their mouths in joyful freefall as they began to talk loudly over one another.

‘Nice work, both of you,’ Jasmine said, grinning at Seren and Alya. ‘We make a pretty good team.’

Alya was beaming. ’That felt incredible! I can’t believe it – we actually did it!’

‘I’m glad she’s on our side,’ Vasco said, giving Seren an appreciative nod.

It was only then that Charlie looked at Seren properly. He felt his stomach do an unpleasant somersault at the sight of her pained expression. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and she was biting down on her lip so hard that she had started to draw blood. Her arms were trembling all the way from her shoulders to her hands. It looked as though she was about to collapse beneath the burden of an invisible weight.

Seeming to become aware that he was watching her, Seren opened her eyes. She fixed him with a look of such heartfelt desperation that Charlie felt her fear being poured straight into him.

‘Seren’s getting weaker,’ he said. He rounded on the others, ignoring Alya’s stricken expression, his voice urgent. ‘We need to find somewhere safe – fast! If we don’t –’ He broke off, unwilling to countenance what would happen then.

‘The only safe place now is Penumbra,’ Vasco said, his eyes flicking to Seren as though already evaluating their next move. ‘We won’t be safe until we’re far away from the Facility. We have to make it out and find somewhere in the city to hide. There’s no other way.’

‘How long until we get there?’ Seren gasped, her shoulders hunched in pain.

‘We’ll be there soon, Seren,’ Charlie said. ‘Just hang in there, all right?’

‘Mm-hmm.’ Seren seemed to be struggling to speak. Her eyes were screwed up in effort, her brow furrowed as if deep in concentration. Her whole body was shaking now.

‘Has anyone seen Max?’ Alya asked, her eyes scanning the room anxiously.

Charlie looked around too. His brother was nowhere to be seen. ‘Maybe he just …’

‘We should get out of here,’ Vasco said, tightening his grip on his rifle. ‘Now.’

‘Where are we supposed to go?’ Charlie asked, as Seren moaned her sister’s name.

‘The Lilith coven hideout is our best bet,’ Jasmine said, throwing a meaningful look at Alya, who was chewing on her lower lip. ‘She’ll be expecting you.’

Vasco followed Jasmine’s gaze, his eyes hard. ‘Alexandra, what is she talking about?’

‘Well, I …’

‘When are you going to tell him, Alya?’ Jasmine demanded, as she supported Seren’s weight.

‘Tell me what?’ Vasco looked between the two girls, an expression of dawning realisation on his face. ’Tell me what, Alexandra?’ Then, ‘Charlie, where are you going?’

Charlie was already at the door. ‘I’m going to find Max. I can’t leave him behind.’

‘Charlie, wait.’ Vasco was at his side in an instant.

‘Don’t try to stop me,’ Charlie said. ‘I know you don’t trust him, but he’s my family.’

‘He can’t have gone far. We’ll find him.’ Vasco’s dark eyes met his. ‘I’ll help you.’

‘You two take Seren and get out of here,’ Charlie called back to Jasmine and Alya.

‘No. Need to – find my sister.’ Seren’s voice was weak. ‘I won’t leave … without her.’

‘Did you think I was planning to leave her here on her own?’ Jasmine shifted Seren’s body against her as she locked eyes with Charlie. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll look after her.’

‘Me too,’ Alya said, pulling Seren’s other arm around her shoulders. ‘We stick together, no matter what,’ she added, turning her bright smile on each of them in turn. ‘We’re a team, aren’t we? Besides, isn’t this what real friends do?’

They left the chamber together and headed straight down the corridor. They had not gone far, however, before Seren wrenched herself out of Alya and Jasmine’s grip. She took a couple of tentative steps forward, looking as dazed and unsteady as a new-born fawn. Then she stumbled and fell to her knees.

‘Get her up, Charlie,’ Vasco said, looking around them. ‘We don’t have much time.’

‘Seren!’ In his panic, Charlie shook her more fiercely than he intended to. ‘Seren, can you hear me? Open your eyes!’

She groaned, and her eyes flickered open. ‘My head hurts,’ she mumbled, lifting one hand to brace her right temple. ‘What happened? Where am I? Have you seen my sister?’

’We should go – now,’ Vasco muttered, scowling. ‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

‘Is she hurt?’ Alya asked, crouching down beside Charlie.

At the sound of her voice, Seren glanced from Charlie, to Alya, Jasmine and Vasco, and back again. A wary frown creased her forehead. ‘Who is she?’ she asked, crawling backwards away from Charlie. ‘Who are you people? Where have you taken me?’ Anger flared in her eyes as Charlie gazed at her, at a loss for what he should do. ‘Tell me!’ she demanded, her voice becoming high and shrill. ’Where am I? Tell me – right now!’

‘Seren …’ Charlie began, ‘don’t you know who I –?’

The crackle of gunfire up ahead silenced him, and he pulled Seren to her feet, forcing her behind him. She struggled against him, furiously trying to break free of his grip, but her legs seemed unsteady. Still clutching her head with one hand, she let out a low moan of pain.

‘Someone’s up ahead,’ Jasmine said, one hand outstretched. ‘Multiple threats sighted.’

‘Back the way we came,’ Vasco said, shoving Alya ahead of him. ‘Go and hide – now!’

Charlie saw Alya give Vasco a brief nod before following his command without hesitation. The next moment, she was racing back down the corridor, away from them. He registered a sinking feeling in his stomach that he could only describe as betrayal, which confused him.

Before he could think too much about it, though, his eyes were drawn back in the other direction by Seren. She was staggering towards the group of people who were blocking the way ahead.

’Seren, don’t!’ he shouted, and went straight after her.

’Charlie, where are you going?’ Vasco groaned, and Charlie knew without having to look that Vasco was following right behind him.

Ahead of them, their path was blocked by three men. Charlie recognised them at once. The Great Protector, Nikolai Ignatiev, stood in the centre. He was carrying something in front of him – something which, when Charlie got closer, he recognised as a small child. It was a little girl with red hair.

‘Saga …’

Now Charlie understood why Seren had raced ahead of them. She was on the floor on her knees, the muzzle of Dragomir’s rifle hovering in front of her face. Standing on the other side of the Great Protector, Charlie realised, his mind suddenly blank, was his own brother.

He did not need anyone to force him to his knees this time. He went there himself, at Seren’s side, all the strength leaving his body. Vasco was beside him at once, his eyes wide with concern, while Jasmine stood frozen behind them, the only one of them still on their feet.

‘I have to admit, Doctor Ivanov, I was sceptical, but you have impressed me.’ The Great Protector gazed down at Charlie as though he was eternally skirting the edge of boredom. ‘I had expected your plan to fail. Then again, he is not the brightest subject we have ever had the pleasure of studying, is he?’

Charlie ignored him, and stared up at his brother, stricken. ‘Max, what’s going on?’

Dragomir snorted. ‘Don’t tell me he fell for it?’ A cruel grin had spread across his face.

‘I’m not letting you get near him again,’ Vasco snarled. His dark eyes burning, he glared at Dragomir, reaching an arm out across Charlie’s chest at the same time. ‘Never again.’

‘Max, come on,’ Charlie said, his voice strained. ‘Let’s get out of here – together.’

‘He always was a naïve fool,’ his brother said, his voice as hard as stone, while Dragomir laughed. Max surveyed Charlie through impassive eyes, a smirk playing around his mouth. ‘Did you really think I would forgive and forget, little brother?’

‘Why?’ Charlie managed to whisper, his voice cracking. ‘Why would you –?’

‘Don’t look so surprised,’ Max sneered, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at Charlie. ’You abandoned me, remember? I’m just returning what’s owed to you.’

From beside him, Charlie heard the grind of Vasco’s teeth. ‘You treacherous rat,’ he said, his voice rising steadily. ‘How could you do this to him? He’s your brother!’

‘My brother died ten years ago,’ Max replied. He spared Vasco a brief look of distaste, before he shrugged, and returned his gaze to Charlie. ‘I am just exorcising myself of his ghost.’

‘We destroyed your weapons,’ Jasmine said. ‘You can’t hurt our people anymore.’

Nikolai Ignatiev’s eyebrows rose, an amused smile curling his mouth. ‘Are you referring to the mess you made of my playroom, witch?’ He let out a soft, cold laugh at the confused look on Jasmine’s face. ‘Those were simply diversions. Those toys were merely –’

‘You’re a monster.’ Vasco had gone very still beside Charlie, his eyes wide and unseeing. ’I see it now. Why? Why did you do it? They were children, you –!’

Vasco broke off as Dragomir kicked him viciously in the stomach, sending him straight to the floor. He lay still, curled up and coughing. At the sight of Vasco in pain, Charlie felt himself begin to tremble with rage the likes of which he had never experienced before.

‘Merely a hobby of mine,’ Nikolai Ignatiev continued, after politely clearing his throat. ‘For fun, you know …’ His smile broadened, showing two rows of gleaming white teeth. ‘No, you have not begun to scratch the surface of my true weapons.’ He adjusted his grip around Saga’s neck, causing her to whimper in fright. ‘I believe this creature is what you are here for?’

‘Let her go,’ Charlie said, grinding out the words, his eyes fixed on Saga’s.

Nikolai Ignatiev tilted his head, one eyebrow raised, as he applied pressure to Saga’s throat. ‘I want something first.’ His eyes fell on Seren, who had got to her feet and started to stagger towards him. Her arms were outstretched, her sister’s name a dying whisper on her lips.

‘No …’ From his knees, Charlie watched her go, frozen with horrified understanding.

‘Yes, that’s right, witch,’ Nikolai Ignatiev said, his eyes burning as he stared at Seren.

He extended his arm, holding Saga out towards her sister. Seren reached out one arm. Her fingers almost managed to touch her sister’s face, before, with a smile, Nikolai Ignatiev drew the little girl away at the last moment. The movement caused another soft cry to escape from Saga’s throat, and Seren echoed it.

The thought crossed Charlie’s mind that the sound of their shared heartbreak was possibly the most painful thing he had yet endured, perhaps in his whole life. He watched, his own worthlessness a physical ache in his chest, as Nikolai Ignatiev handed Saga to Max. His brother lowered her to her feet and crouched down beside her, his hands gripping her shoulders. Saga looked from her captors, to her sister, to Charlie, pleading silently through wide, frightened eyes.

‘Now, you be a good little girl,’ Max crooned in Saga’s ear, his eyes fixed on Charlie, ‘and nothing bad will happen to your big sister. We always keep our promises – right, Charlie?’

’Let her go!’ Charlie yelled, surging forward, before flinching in pain as Vasco gripped his scarred shoulder and wrenched him back. ’What are you doing?’ he demanded, shoving Vasco’s hand away from him. ‘Why would you stop me? Don’t get in my way! You don’t –’

But Vasco only shook his head, his fathomless eyes silently imploring.

‘Good, I see you remember your training, Vaska,’ Nikolai Ignatiev purred, beckoning Seren towards him. He turned her around, so she faced the others, his fingers curling around her upper arm, gripping her pale flesh. ‘And as a show of good faith, I will share a secret or two of my own with you.’ His eyes fell on Charlie, who felt his stomach drop. ‘Do you see this pathetic gutter rat squealing at my feet?’

And Charlie found himself crawling forward on his knees, his mind blank. ’No.’

‘Would you believe that this piece of vermin is my only son?’

‘Charlie …’ Vasco was staring at him, open-mouthed, before he shook himself and rounded on Nikolai Ignatiev. ’It’s not true! I don’t believe you! There’s no way he could be –’

’It is true, Vaska, and I am most grateful to him for having returned my weapon to me.’

Shaking, Charlie raised his eyes to Seren’s face, begging her to understand. ‘I …’ He had not wanted any of this to happen. It was all his fault. ‘Seren, I didn’t mean to –’

‘I have a message for all those parasites, those coven witches crawling through my city like cockroaches.’ Nikolai Ignatiev’s voice rose with every word he spoke, drowning Charlie’s out. He tightened his grip on Seren’s arm, his fingers digging into her skin hard enough to draw blood. ’Thanks to my true weapon, your days of hiding in the shadows are over.’ He threw out his arm, gave Seren a fierce shake, and delivered his command to her with a single word. ’Fire.’

She was swallowed up in a ball of light. Golden-yellow flames, the colour of a dying star, consumed her. The whole building began to shake with violent tremors as the terrible sound of creaking steel rumbled overhead. Then everything was illuminated in a blinding flash of white light.

On his knees, Charlie was forced to brace himself as a burst of scorching wind whipped through the passageway. Open-mouthed, he stared up at Seren, cocooned in fire. Her eyes were wide, tears streaming down her cheeks, a silent scream trapped in a fiery cage. From beside her, the sound of the Great Protector’s shrieks of cruel laughter rang through his head.

‘Run.’ Vasco had wrenched him to his feet. ’Run, Charlie!’

Their feet thundering beneath them, Charlie, Alya and Jasmine fled down countless passageways. They were following Vasco, who never once let go of Charlie’s hand as they raced away from the ball of burning light – away from their friends and their enemies. Charlie did not know when Alya had joined them, or where she had appeared from, and nor did he care.

‘What are they going to do to her?’ he managed to say at last, his voice empty.

‘You know what they’re going to do,’ Vasco said. ‘It’s too late, Charlie. She’s gone.’

’No.’

He might have whispered the word or shouted it, he did not know. But he had managed to pull his hand out of Vasco’s grip, and he was turning on his heel at the gates of the Volya Facility, determined to get back inside. He would find the monsters who wanted to hurt innocent children, and he would stop them. He could not get the sight of Saga’s face – or of her little body, hanging frozen with fear – out of his mind. Somehow, he would save them all.

‘Charlie, stop! I won’t let you do this!’

The world had slowed down. He would be able to catch up with them if only he could find a way to make himself go faster. His legs seemed to be struggling through mud, and his breath was ragged in his chest. He had to be the one to save them. He had to protect the children.

He paused. Someone had taken his hand and was holding him back. It was Vasco.

‘I’m sorry,’ was all he said. ‘Charlie, I’m so sorry …’

‘We can’t leave her,’ Charlie said, staring up at the building. ’We can’t just –’

‘Wh-What’s that sound?’ Alya asked, her voice shaking. She staggered towards the edge of the cliff, where the gloomy shapes of the city of Penumbra spread out below them in the deepening half-light. ‘Can any of you hear it too?’

‘I never knew there were so many of us living in hiding.’ Jasmine had joined her and was leaning over the railing. She shook her head. ‘It’s the collared witches. They’re screaming.’

‘Look!’ Alya was pointing to something in the distance, her hand trembling. ‘It’s …’

Eventually, Charlie stopped resisting long enough to allow Vasco to drag him over towards the edge of the clifftop. It was then that he discovered what had drawn Alya’s attention. He caught sight of a wall of light where there had only ever been darkness before. Although he did not understand how it could be possible, he knew exactly what it was, and knew what it meant.

‘It’s the Witchtrap Wall,’ he murmured. ‘It’s …’

It was on fire.

A ring of flames encircled the dark city below them. As they stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the hell seething below them, a dreadful song rose up to meet their ears. It raged throughout the city, down the shadowed alleyways and across the dingy tenements of the slums. Filling the night air, hidden in the shadows, came the endless, agonised screams of the witches of Penumbra.

III

His Undying Vow