The Dying Light (Bloodwitch #1)

Charlie did not stop running until he reached the edge of the slums. The sun had set behind him as he fled the heart of the Spike, and darkness was now stealing in around him on all sides. He had lost sight of the four witches almost immediately after they had made their escape.

Deep purple clouds scudded across the starry sky, and waves of thunder rolled ominously overhead. A storm was approaching fast. His skin prickled with goosepimples under his thin, short-sleeved t-shirt, as a strengthening wind began to pick up behind him.

But he did not feel cold. He did not feel anything at all.

June was waiting for him in the doorway. She looked frantic.

‘Thank goodness you’re all right,’ she said, pulling him into a tight embrace. ‘You were gone for so long. Where have you been?’

‘I –’

’I didn’t know what to think. Those three haven’t come home yet either. I’m going to stay up and wait for them, and then they’re really going to be sorry.’ Charlie let her keep talking as she went inside. ‘Is that one new?’ she added sharply, before turning back and indicating the fresh bruising around his eye.

Charlie found himself unable to cross the threshold. ‘Granny, I need to talk to you.’

‘You’re not in trouble again, are you?’ She was eyeing him suspiciously.

‘It’s –’ He swallowed, his fingers in his hair. ‘I need to tell you something.’

The old woman regarded him closely. ‘What’s happened? You know more Pen boys were here again this evening?’

Charlie lowered his hand and gritted his teeth. ‘Oh yeah?’

‘They were looking for you this time. I was told to give you a message.’

‘Let’s have it, then.’

‘They told me to tell you that stray dogs get put down.’

Charlie smiled darkly, his insides hollow. ‘Just let them try.’

June’s watchful eyes scanned his face. ‘There’s something different about you tonight, Charlie. Why do I get the feeling that you’re not quite here with me?’

‘There’s something I have to do. Take this,’ Charlie said, pulling the Elysian nurse’s gold necklace from his pocket and handing it to the old woman. June’s mouth fell open, but before she could say anything, Charlie plunged on. ‘You can sell it on the black market to settle your debt with Faulkner, or you can trade it to one of the other gangs for food and protection.’

‘What are you –?’

‘What you’re holding in your hand right now is worth more than you need to pay off everything you borrowed from them,’ Charlie said, regarding her seriously, ‘as well as provide for you and the kids for a good few years.’

June’s expression was unreadable. ‘Charlie, where did you get this?’ she asked, as disappointment furrowed her brow and clouded her face. ‘Tell me who you stole it from.’

Charlie gave her a sad smile. ‘After all this time, do you still think so little of me?’

‘Something happened today, didn’t it? Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?’

‘I’ve made up my mind,’ Charlie said. ‘I’m going to get the kids back from the Pen.’

June blinked. ‘You’ve lost your mind,’ she said quietly. ‘If Faulkner has them, then –’

‘They’re out there on their own, Granny,’ Charlie murmured. ‘I know what Faulkner is capable of. I have to save them. They’re the only family I have left.’

‘The only family you have left,’ June repeated, nodding. ‘Is that what you think?’

‘You know that’s not what I meant,’ he said, pressing her to him in a half-embrace. ’You’re the one who took me in when I had no one else, remember? You took care of me. Did you think I’d forgotten? Why would I have spent the last three years in the mines if I didn’t care about you and the kids?’

‘I did what was right,’ June said at once, shrugging. ‘Our people … we need to stick together.’ She met his gaze, her lined face set. ‘When you were a little boy, you told me you ran away from Faulkner and the Pen gang because you wanted a different life. Don’t roll your eyes at me! You promised me you would stay away from them, no matter what happened.’

‘This is different! This isn’t about me. If I don’t –’

‘You know how Faulkner does things, Charlie.’ She shook her head with a deep sigh. ‘What hope is there of even finding the children now, let alone rescuing them?’

‘I can’t give up,’ Charlie said, his hands deep in his pockets and his gaze averted.

The old woman gestured to the tumbledown building behind her, blinking back tears. ‘Do you have any idea how many children I’ve cared for over the years, Charlie?’ she asked. ’They come and they go, but do you want to know something I’ve learnt? There are always more lost children out there who need help. There will always be more, and those – those children will need you.’ She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. ‘I – I need you.’

Charlie shook his head and took a deep breath. If he allowed himself to show any weakness in front of her now, he would never be able to let himself leave. ‘I’ve made my decision. Nothing is going to stop me getting into Elysia tonight. I need to find those kids.’

’You know the law. You know it’s forbidden for us to cross the Witchtrap Wall.’

‘Yes.’

June reached up, grasped him by the shoulders, and shook him roughly. ‘You won’t be protected from the covens in Elysia. You know what the military police will do to you if they catch you. And you still –’ She paused, shaking her head. ‘You intend to go anyway.’

Gently, Charlie removed her hands from his shoulders. ‘You can’t protect me anymore, Granny,’ he said. ‘Keep looking after the kids. They need you.’

‘Please don’t do this, Charlie. You’re making a big mistake.’

Something painful was straining within him. For the briefest moment, he wanted to tell her everything. But how could he? Where would he start? What good would it do?

‘I can’t spend the rest of my life living like this. I want to be – something more than that.’

‘This world doesn’t care what you want,’ June said, her voice hard. ‘For people like us, there are few choices. There is only one thing that matters: that we do what is right.’

‘I’ve spent the last three years trying to do what’s right,’ Charlie muttered. ‘From now on, I’m going to do what I need to do, and I’d like to see anyone try and stop me.’

She sighed. ‘What will be, will be. You must make your own decision, Charlie.’

June took his hand in hers, eased open his fingers, and pressed the gold necklace into his palm. Then, without a word, she turned her back on him. Charlie did not look away as she edged slowly down the hallway towards the staircase that led down to their basement home. She suddenly seemed so much older than the woman who had helped support him to get down those stairs without falling. That had only been one night ago. So much had changed since then.

She had left a candle on the spindle leg table that stood beneath the cracked and cloudy mirror hanging on the wall. Illuminated by the flickering light, Charlie caught sight of his own reflection for the first time since he had been beaten up by the Pen gang.

So, this was what a dead man walking looked like. It was no wonder people had been avoiding him. The stranger glaring back at him looked as though he had been dragged through the seventh hell backwards. A fierce desperation burnt in his dark eyes. Charlie no longer recognised himself.

He braced himself against the table as a roiling wave of grief threatened to engulf him.

A gust of wind from the gathering storm outside snuffed out the candle, plunging him into gloomy half-light.

He needed air.

He wandered around aimlessly for a while, pacing back and forth in front of the doorway, his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest. His head was pounding again. Dead leaves rustled at his feet, caressed by the wind, and cast into the air by unseen hands.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but he was sure he could feel his own blood pulsing through his body. The body that was failing him. Even now, he was already running out of time. Every moment he delayed was another moment he would never get back.

The first spots of rain speckled the ground, and a rumble of thunder sounded overhead. Far away, the lights of the Elysian Castle glowed in the hills. Ruby, Leo and Dima were somewhere in those mountains. It was possible that they might be looking down at the dark shadows of the Penumbran slums even now, thinking of him, wondering if he was coming to rescue them. If there was even the slightest chance of finding them, Charlie had to take it, before it was too late.

He descended the stairs silently. June had laid out his blanket on the floor as usual. She was curled up on the bed and was already fast asleep, her breathing deep and even. Charlie covered her with his blanket.

Unable to look at her face any longer, he lowered himself onto his stomach and reached under the bed. Careful not to wake her up, he stretched his arm out as far as he could, his shoulder pressed right up against the bedframe. At last, his fingers closed on a familiar shape.

He dragged the battered metal box out from under the bed by the handle and opened the lid. Some notes and a few coins lay scattered on top of remnants from his childhood: curiously-shaped rocks; stones with interesting patterns; a marble; a toy soldier. He had never been able to save much money over the years. Everything he had earned from going into the mines he had willingly given to June to support the family. Occasionally, though, there had been enough left over that he could add a little into this box, and now, three years of savings stared back at him.

Another roll of thunder rumbled like a distant explosion far above them. A flash of lightning forked through the sky, lighting up the room. Without hesitation, Charlie removed all the money, closed the lid of the box, and pushed it back under the bed.

He got to his feet, and found himself staring straight into Ruby’s eyes, heavy with sleep. The memory was so vivid that he felt as though it was happening right in front of him.

‘Charlie,’ she had whispered, her mouth quivering, ‘I’m frightened.’

‘It’s just a little rain,’ he had said, perching on the edge of the bed and brushing away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. ‘I’m here. You’re safe. Everything’s all right, I promise.’

Ruby had smiled. ‘I love you, Charlie,’ she had told him, as her eyes closed gently.

Charlie felt something catch in his throat as he remembered stroking her hair. Steeling himself, he got to his feet, rubbing his eyes vigorously with the back of his arm as a prickly heat began to spread through them.

He set all the money and the gold necklace down on the table, before pausing, his hand travelling to the collar at his neck. He could not remember ever being without it. But if he walked into Elysia still wearing it, he would be a sitting target.

He crouched down, removed the flick-knife from his shoe, and brought it to his throat.

No Penumbran is ever permitted to remove their collar, he thought, reciting the law in his head. The collars are the touch of the Great Protector defending us against the witch covens.

Bracing himself, he tore the collar from his neck and threw it down onto the table with the money and necklace. His skin felt oddly bare without it.

His old black sweatshirt was hanging over one of the kitchen chairs. That was all he would need. His gaze was drawn reluctantly back to the bed as a ripple of doubt crossed his mind. He shook himself, pulling on his sweatshirt and returning his knife to his sock.

He allowed himself one last moment to memorise every detail about the one place he could remember living where he had not spent his days in fear. Then he headed back up the stairs. He deliberately ignored his reflection in the hallway mirror as he strode passed it on his way to the door.

Once outside, he pulled his hood up against the rain and shoved his hands into his pockets, bracing himself against the wind. He knew what he had to do, and he knew exactly where he had to go.

*

The Skoto Gate tunnel was one of the many well-kept secrets in Penumbra. It was one of a series of tunnels that ran underneath the Witchtrap Wall, connecting the outskirts of Penumbra with the supply tunnels under the Elysian mountains. Soldiers from Elysia were always on the hunt for gloamers. They were usually orphaned or abandoned kids from Penumbra who were desperate enough for food or medicine to risk breaking into Elysia and smuggling supplies back through to the other side.

The official portions handed out at the Ration Station were pitifully inadequate to feed the city’s population, so there was always high demand for whatever those who went gloaming brought back with them. As fast as one tunnel was shut down, another sprang up, and, as Charlie had been reliably informed, the Skoto Gate tunnel was wide open.

The Pen boys had run out of the Skoto Gate tunnel for years. They always made sure to have numerous candles stationed nearby to keep an eye open for Elysian soldiers. It was their job to warn anyone in the tunnels of the presence of danger. Charlie could not help but feel a little smug that none of them had noticed him approaching. He supposed he had not lost all of his old tricks in the time he had been away.

Mikhail was standing by the mouth of the tunnel. About a dozen small children, all of them skinny and dressed in ragged clothing, were grouped around him. He was gesturing with a handgun. As Charlie approached, he heard the last of Mikhail’s instructions.

‘Whatever you do, stay out of the path of the Witch Hunters. They don’t need an excuse if they catch anyone from Penumbra sneaking into Elysia. They get their hands on you and you’ll never see the light of day again.’

Charlie shuddered, shook himself forcefully, and cleared his throat. Mikhail jumped back at the noise. With some satisfaction, Charlie saw that his eyes widened in shock when he recognised that it was Charlie walking towards him from out of the shadows. He tried to keep the tension from his shoulders, reminding himself that Mikhail had not been there when the hideout was attacked. He was not in any danger of being caught.

‘You,’ Mikhail sneered, ‘are the last person I expected to see tonight, Carroway.’

‘I’ve been thinking things over,’ Charlie said coolly. ‘I’m going through.’

‘Were you followed?’

‘Give me some credit.’

Mikhail eyed him appraisingly, before turning back to the group. ‘We have a contact in Elysia. He’ll be waiting to meet you all on the other side,’ he said, his voice low. ‘I have two pieces of advice for you: stay sharp and stay quiet. It might save your life. Now get going.’

One of the smaller boys shifted nervously. ‘I – I don’t want to go …’

‘You’ll get in there now if you know what’s good for you,’ Mikhail snarled, advancing on the child as he raised his gun.

‘I’ll get him in,’ Charlie said, stepping in between the two of them quickly. While Mikhail turned around, grinding out a curse and kicking at the ground, Charlie bent down to the little boy’s eye level. ‘Don’t be scared,’ he said, smiling at him. ‘We’ll be in and out before you know it. There’s nothing to be frightened of. It’ll be an adventure.’

‘Is – is it dark down there?’ the little boy asked, tears spilling over his cheeks.

Charlie ruffled the boy’s hair and took his hand. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.’

‘Are you done playing house, Carroway?’ Mikhail sneered.

Charlie ignored him and smiled at the little boy again, giving him a nod of encouragement and leading him towards the entrance to the tunnel. Many of the other children had already started to make their way through it. The roof of the tunnel was so low that even the smallest of the children had to crawl on their hands and knees to get through. Charlie waited until they were the only ones left, before following the others in behind the little boy.

He had to flatten himself right down onto his stomach to get inside. But he was relieved to find that the tunnel was wide enough for him to stretch out his arms and use his elbows to ease himself along the rough ground. The tunnel floor was littered with stones and sharp rocks, and he had to duck occasionally to avoid exposed tree roots above his head. It reminded him uncomfortably of being in the mine.

They had only been in the tunnel for a few moments when a girl further along the route came to an abrupt halt.

‘Listen – what was that?’

Charlie had heard it too. From above ground, someone was whistling a warning.

‘What’s going on?’ the little boy in front of him asked, his voice wobbling.

‘Everyone out of the tunnel – now,’ Charlie said, his voice sharp. ‘Come on, move!’

Once they had all scrambled back to the surface and stood gasping for breath in the night air, it became all too clear what was happening. The unmistakeable, rhythmic beating of jackbooted feet racing towards them, and the sharp staccato barking of oncoming dogs, told Charlie everything he needed to know.

‘Elysian soldiers,’ he muttered, his heart plummeting horribly. ‘They’ve found us.’

One of the girls rounded on Mikhail. ‘You told us we’d be safe – you lied to us!’

‘Don’t you talk like that to me, you little brat.’ Without hesitation, Mikhail shoved the girl who had spoken to the ground. ‘One of you tripped the Wall detectors. Who’s a new face here? Who’s the witch?’ He stared wildly around at the children, his eyes popping.

‘You’re scaring them,’ Charlie said, forcing him away from the children. ‘Where d’you get off, accusing kids like you’re some kind of Hunter?’

’You must have had a tail, then!’ Mikhail yelled, glaring at Charlie.

‘Like I said, if I was followed, I would’ve known about it,’ Charlie said, helping the little girl to her feet. ‘These guys are good. They knew we’d be here. I bet one of your lot broke and told them everything.’

‘Say that one more time.’

Charlie gritted his teeth. ‘None of that matters now. If we don’t move fast, we’re all going to end up in an Elysian prison cell, or worse.’

‘Are you cracked?’ One of the older boys was staring at him incredulously. ‘We’re in deep shit, mister. Don’t you know who leads these raids? Those bastard Elysian Lieutenants, Arron Dragomir and Vasco Kovalev. They’re both Witch Hunters, too.’

A collective shiver seemed to run through the children at the mention of the two soldiers’ names. Charlie’s brow furrowed. He was certain that he had heard one of those names somewhere before.

‘It won’t be a prison cell we’ll end up in if they catch us, it’ll be a shallow grave.’

‘And if any of you brats mention my name, I’ll make sure your families join you there!’ Mikhail said savagely, pointing his gun in the faces of each of the children in turn. Without another word, he raced away from them and was swallowed up into the darkness.

‘What do we do now?’ the smallest boy asked, looking around in desperation.

‘You kids get out of here!’ Charlie ordered. ’Don’t stop running ’til you’re safe.’

At his words, all of the children nodded. As the sound of barking dogs drew nearer, they sprinted away down the alley, and peeled off into the shadows in different directions.

The little boy paused, turning back. ‘Mister, come with us!’ he shouted.

‘They have to find one of us,’ Charlie answered. ’Don’t worry about me – go!’

The glare of searchlights flooded the tunnel mouth, blinding him as he turned. Dread coursing through him, Charlie heard the unmistakeable sound of the slide of a gun being pulled back and released.

‘You’re in Elysian custody now, boy. You move an inch, you’re dead.’

Charlie froze, his hands behind his head, his eyes narrowed against the light. The soldier who had spoken strode forward. His close-cropped hair was parted sharply on one side of his head and he had a clipped, light-brown beard. He was taller than Charlie, broad-shouldered, and was dressed in military fatigues and combat boots. A dark red cloak fell from his shoulders. A rifle was strapped across his back, and there was a pistol gripped tightly in his hand.

A large group of soldiers stood behind him. Some of them had their guns trained on Charlie, while others fought to hold back huge dogs that were straining to break free of their leashes. Charlie thought they looked as though they would like nothing more than to sink their teeth into his neck.

‘Looks like we’ve trapped a big rat this time, lads,’ the soldier said, his flint-like eyes boring into Charlie’s as a derisive smile twisted his face. ‘It’s about time – I was starting to get bored of catching pups. I can’t stand the squealing.’ He let out a single, mirthless laugh.

Mingled fury and horror rippled through Charlie’s body as he realised that he recognised the man standing in front of him. This was the cruel-faced soldier who had smashed up his family’s home and beaten him up the previous night.

Charlie had come across monsters before, but he knew at once that this man was something different. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him to run, but he remained motionless, tensed like a coiled spring.

He needed to give the kids enough time to get away.

The soldier approached him leisurely, pressing the muzzle of his pistol into Charlie’s temple. ‘So, what are you doing out of your hole, you lowlife Pen scum?’ he murmured. ‘Were you too afraid to run away with the others from your nest, or were you just too stupid?’

‘I’m not afraid of you, you piece of shit,’ Charlie spat viciously.

A flicker of surprise crossed the soldier’s face before it split into a jeering smirk.

‘You’ll regret that,’ he hissed. ‘Get on your knees. I’m going to make you crawl.’

Stars burst in front of Charlie’s eyes as the butt of a rifle connected with the side of his head. He fell to his knees, the world spinning around him.

‘That’s enough, Dragomir,’ a familiar voice said sharply. ‘He’s coming with us.’

Dragomir grabbed a fistful of Charlie’s hair and yanked his head back. A knife was in his other hand, the point of its blade tracing the skin across Charlie’s bare throat. ‘Where’s your sense of fun, Kovalev?’ he said silkily. ‘The night is still young, after all.’

On his knees, Charlie watched as Kovalev stepped into the light. A pale-faced Elysian soldier about his own age, his rifle was slung over his shoulder, while his dark red cloak and messy black hair rippled in the cold breeze. Charlie knew he had been right, back at the Infirmary Station, to think he had seen this soldier somewhere before.

Kovalev looked just as he had done when they had first crossed paths, even before everything that had happened when Charlie had learnt he was living on borrowed time. He had been there that night, standing beside his cruel-faced partner. He had been there when Charlie had been taken away by Faulkner and beaten up. Even the dark scowl on his face was the same.

Charlie opened his mouth to speak, but the ferocity that burnt in Kovalev’s eyes was enough to make him close it again.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to him yourself, Vasya?’ Dragomir purred.

‘We have our orders,’ Kovalev said shortly, his eyes flicking up to Dragomir’s face. ‘You’ll have time to play with your toys later. Get him on his feet. We’re going back to Elysia.’

His head spinning, Charlie had just enough time to register the look of abject hatred Kovalev threw his way, before Dragomir forced him roughly to his feet.

A hood was pulled over his head and tightened painfully around his neck. For a fleeting moment, Charlie had the sensation that he was drowning. The image of his old bedroom in the Pen gang hideout flashed in front of his eyes.

Then he was lost to the darkness.

II

The Shadow Cells