The Hunt (20 page)

Luke couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of that immediately. But he guessed getting chased by demons from hell was an OK excuse for being distracted. He looked from Eve to Jess, saw desperation and despair on both their faces and felt those same emotions bubbling up inside him.

With the portal open, any demon that found it could come through. He thought of the pictures he’d taken from Helena’s closet. One of those demons could appear in Deepdene tomorrow. One or all.

He tried to think of something to say, something to give them all a little hope. Finally it came to him. ‘When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won.’ It was the Gandhi quote he and Eve had recited together when she was battling Malphas. They’d found the line when they were researching a history paper. Who knew it was going to turn out to be his mantra?

‘You’re right. We can’t give up,’ Eve said.

‘No way. We’ve kicked two varieties of demon butt. There’s nothing we can’t do,’ Jess added.

‘She’s a cheerleader, you know.’ Eve winked at Luke. He could tell she was faking her hopefulness a little. He was too. And Jess. But they were trying. That’s all they could do.

‘We’ll find another way to close the portal.’ Luke stood up, hoping what he’d said was true.

‘What if the wargs can still come through even with Helena dead? They’ve been going back and forth. Feeding, then returning to the other side of the portal until they want to feed again. There’s nothing
stopping them from keeping on doing that.’ Eve pointed out. ‘How many more people will die before we figure out what to do?’

She’s going to feel responsible for every person she doesn’t save
, Luke thought. He could hear it in her voice. Being the Deepdene Witch was an overwhelming burden. But she had him. She wasn’t ever going to have to deal with the portal and whatever was on the other side alone.

The ringing phone pulled Eve out of a dream of the portal spewing an unending stream of demons. She answered with their hideous, gleeful faces still filling her vision.

‘Are you juiced?’

‘Luke?’ Eve shook off the dream and looked at the clock. Five o’clock. In the a.m.

‘Yep,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Do you think you’ve had enough time to recharge?’

‘What happened? What’s wrong?’ She felt as if he’d thrown a pitcher of ice-water over her.

‘Nothing, nothing, nothing,’ Luke said quickly. ‘I just have an idea about the portal. Can you meet me at the Medway mansion?’

Eve didn’t answer for a moment. She traced one of
the cookies on her pyjama bottoms. Seeing the portal so soon after that creepy dream was the last thing she wanted to do. But she could feel her power deep in her belly. She was ready.

‘Eve?’

‘Just let me get dressed,’ she told him.

‘So what are we talking? Two … two and a half hours?’ Luke teased.

‘Half an hour, smart boy,’ Eve told him. ‘And you get to wake up Jess. Warning – if she hasn’t had enough sleep she can be a little cranky.’

‘We were fighting hellhounds yesterday,’ Luke reminded her. ‘I think I can deal with a cranky cheerleader. See you there.’

Eve hung up. She pulled on her favourite low-rise jeans and her black cashmere sweater with the peace sign studded on the back. Jess would think Eve was dressing for Luke again, and the fitted sweater
did
look good on her. But it was really that the peace sign felt lucky for a visit to the portal, and she had the feeling she was going to need all the luck she could get.

She started to put on her boots with the platform heels, but remembered how hard they’d been to run in the night Payne attacked her. Who knew if she
might need to do some running again? Thinking of Payne brought feelings of sadness and regret.
I’m going to find a way to stop demons from using the portal
, she silently promised his spirit.
And I’m going to find a way to let the Order know that you died a hero, fighting demons to the end, sacrificing your life for Vic’s
.

She put on her pewter-coloured high-tops and went downstairs. She debated whether or not to leave her parents a note and decided against it. They still didn’t know that she and her friends had sneaked out of Jess’s house last night, and if they ever discovered that their little girl had been out zapping a pack of hellhounds she would be grounded for the rest of her life.

Her parents wouldn’t expect her up until around seven. She’d be home by then – she hoped. She grabbed Jess’s jacket – they’d forgotten to switch back – and slipped out of the house. Luke was already at the Medway place when she arrived, standing outside the gate.

‘Hi.’ Eve stepped up beside him.

‘You were right about Jess,’ Luke said. ‘I’m not even going to tell you what she said when she answered the phone. I’d blush if I did.’

‘I’d like to see you blush,’ Eve answered, then blushed a little herself as he grinned at her. She’d been flirting. Why was she flirting with him? Not a good idea. She didn’t like the math. Falling for a player equalled getting your heart broken.

‘So what’s your idea on the portal?’ she asked. Thinking about the portal to hell was definitely enough to suck any flirtiness out of her.

‘It’s hardly even an idea,’ Luke admitted, ‘but I was thinking about your powers and how they are getting exponentially stronger. Last month you couldn’t set a piece of paper on fire. Yesterday one of your bolts snapped a pillar. I thought you should try zapping the portal.’

‘What if I end up cracking the arch or something?’ Eve asked. ‘Everything on the other side could come rushing through.’ Again her thoughts went to her dream. The demons had looked so happy as they came through the portal.

‘Is that really different from the situation we have now? The portal’s already open,’ Luke said, his green eyes dark with worry. Then he smiled. ‘Good morning, sunshine!’ he called.

Eve followed his gaze and saw Jess rushing towards them. ‘Sorry about what I said when I answered the
phone,’ Jess told Luke. ‘It’s just that I hardly got any sleep last night, and—’

‘And that makes you a crankypants,’ Luke finished for her. ‘No worries. Eve gave me the heads-up.’

Jess narrowed her eyes at Eve in mock anger. ‘Violation of the best-friend code,’ she warned. ‘So what are we doing?’

‘Luke thought I should try using my power on the portal,’ Eve answered.

‘What will happen, do you think?’ Jess asked.

‘I don’t know. Maybe she’ll be able to close it. It seemed worth a try,’ Luke said. He jammed his hands in his pockets. ‘Easy for me to say. I don’t have power. All I’m going to do is stand and watch. Well, watch with this in my hand.’ He pulled Payne’s sword free from the sheath under his coat. The blade glistened in the early-morning sunlight.

‘You weren’t standing and watching yesterday,’ Eve reminded him. ‘Neither of you were.’ She walked towards the portal, Jess and Luke following her without hesitation. When she was about six paces away, she stopped. ‘So just let fly, you think?’ she asked, already focusing on the power inside her, feeling it blossom under her attention.

‘Whatever feels right,’ Luke answered.

‘Remember your great-great-great-grandmother’s diary entry,’ Jess coached. ‘She kept finding out new things she could do with her power. You will too. I bet closing the portal is going to be one of them.’

Eve raised her hands towards the portal and stared at it for a long moment. She felt the power surge, slide down her arms and out of her fingers. Instead of bolts, undulating waves of golden light were released.

‘Beautiful,’ she heard Jess whisper. She sounded very far away.

Jess’s voice reminded Eve of how she had once put her hands on her friend and used her power to stop one of Jess’s demon-induced nightmares. That night Eve’s power had felt sort of the way it did now. Softer. Warm, but not scalding.

She closed the distance between herself and the arch, then put one hand on either side of it. Thin strands of the golden light criss-crossed the opening. This felt right. Eve slid her hands up and down the cold stone, and it warmed under her fingers as more and more strands of light filled the entrance to the portal.

Eve didn’t take her hands off the arch until all the power was drained from her body. When she let go, the entrance to the portal looked as if a golden spider
web had been spun in the centre of the arch. It glistened softly, then went out. ‘It didn’t work.’ Eve felt hollow inside.

‘I don’t believe that,’ Luke told her. ‘Watching you do that – it was almost like being in church. I don’t believe that nothing’s changed.’ He sheathed the sword, then strode up to the arch and tried to put his hand through. Golden sparks flew up, crackling. ‘See. It’s still there. It’s kind of like you made a force field. It wouldn’t let me through.’

‘But what about demons?’ Jess asked.

‘I guess we’ll have to wait and see.’ Eve had given everything she had. There was nothing else to do.

Eve held up a slice of pizza, toasting Luke and Jess. ‘To us.’ They tapped their slices to hers. Their parents had agreed the three of them could go to Piscatelli’s after school as long as they stayed together. They were supposed to walk to the rectory when they were done, and Jess’s mom would pick Eve and Jess up from there.

They’d actually stopped at the rectory first so Luke could get the sword – just in case. Then, on the way back to the Main Street pizza place, they’d checked on the portal. The web, now invisible, had still sparked
when it was touched, but it hadn’t even been up for a whole day yet. Still, it had been a day without wargs.

Although they usually stay on the other side of the portal for at least a few days after they feed
, Eve couldn’t stop herself from thinking.

‘The toast isn’t good unless you eat a bite,’ Luke told her.

Eve blinked, then took a bite of her pizza. She tried to concentrate on the perfect blend of flavours. For now, that was all that needed her attention. If something made it through the portal – well, she’d deal with that when it happened.

The smell of wood-smoke kept bringing her mind back to demons though. She knew it was coming from the sword, but her instincts connected the smell with danger.

‘You’d better not spill on your new coat,’ Jess warned Luke. ‘Do you think we should make him a bib out of napkins?’ she asked Eve.

‘The point of the jacket was to make him less of a fashion victim,’ Eve answered. ‘A bib doesn’t look good on anyone who isn’t in a high chair.’

‘I think he’d look good in anything.’ A tall girl, probably a couple of years out of high school, with long hair down to the middle of her back, pulled up a
chair from the next table and sat down with them. She reached over and straightened Luke’s lapel, even though it didn’t need it.

Eve looked from Jess to Luke. Did they know this chick? Because Eve definitely didn’t. And she was pretty sure she’d rather not.

Luke slid right into player mode. ‘You obviously have good taste, and that means you’re welcome at my table any time,’ he told the girl.
His
table? Eve managed not to snort.

‘You don’t know her?’ Jess whispered.

‘No, but I’d like to,’ Luke mouthed in response.

Is he physically unable not to flirt?
Eve wondered.

‘Well, I don’t know her,’ Jess said. ‘And I know everyone Eve knows, and Eve doesn’t know her either.’

The girl picked up a slice of pizza from their pie and took a bite. Eve noticed she had those full lips that guys always loved. They were accentuated by dark lipstick. ‘You don’t know me, but I know you – Luke Thompson and Eve Evergold.’ She didn’t acknowledge Jess. ‘You’re the ones who found Payne’s body.’

Eve dropped the rest of her slice back on her plate. ‘You knew Payne?’ The papers and TV reports hadn’t mentioned his name. They’d said the body of the man in the woods, the latest victim of an animal
attack, had been found without identification.

The girl put her pizza down too, and some of the cockiness slid away from her. ‘He was my mentor,’ she told them.

‘You’re from the Order?’ Luke asked, eyes widening.

The girl raised her brows, an expression of shock quickly passing across her face. ‘He told you …?’ She shook her head. ‘We shouldn’t talk here. Come outside. There’s someone else who wants to meet you. Oh, and I’m Alanna, by the way.’

‘I’m Jess,’ Jess said pointedly. ‘I was there the night Payne died too.’

‘Sorry.’ Alanna didn’t sound particularly sorry.

‘Your name wasn’t mentioned on the news. That’s how I heard about these two. It wasn’t hard to track them down in a town this small. I asked a couple of people and, bingo, someone had seen them going into the pizza place.’

She stood up. ‘You coming?’

Eve nodded. She still wasn’t sure she wanted to know Alanna. But she needed to know more about the Order. Her brief encounter with Payne had shown her what it had been like to meet someone who understood in a deep way what her life was like now.

Alanna led the way outside. A sandy-haired man
about Payne’s age waited for them on the sidewalk. He had deep lines in his forehead and carved around his mouth. Eve thought his grey eyes looked kind. ‘This is Callum,’ Alanna told them.

‘Let’s walk to the park I saw about a block from here,’ Callum suggested. ‘I think we could use a little privacy.’

They walked in silence down the street and into the park. Callum headed to a gazebo, which was partly shielded by willow trees. He took a seat on one of the benches inside. Eve and the others joined him.

‘They know about the Order,’ Alanna announced. The words came out in a rush, as if she’d hardly been able to keep them in until they’d found a spot where they could talk without anyone around.

‘Willem must have trusted them then,’ Callum said. He glanced from Luke to Jess to Eve. ‘I’m surprised. He wasn’t a man who trusted easily.’

‘He … um, we had something in common,’ Eve answered. This was her chance. ‘We both fight demons. I want you to know that Payne died in battle. He was killed by a warg, but he managed to save a girl’s life before he died.’

‘Thank you for telling us,’ Callum said.

‘I’m still at the part where this girl claimed to fight
demons,’ Alanna said, tossing her glossy hair over her shoulder.