Demon Heart (The Darkworld Series Book 3) (12 page)

My heart beat faster. I wanted to hold on to him and forget all of this. But the clock was ticking and we needed to be at the Venantium’s Headquarters before seven.

Berenice and Cyrus waited for us in the cemetery, the former looking incredibly pissed off.

“
There
you are,” she said.

“Where’s Howard?” said Leo.

“Sleeping. He’s recovering at the flat. They came round this morning to
collect
us.”

As much as I disliked Berenice, I felt a rush of anger. Who did these people think they were?

“So they didn’t force him to come?”

“He can’t walk, so, no,” she said. “They did a magic scan on him and managed to get the answers they wanted. They know we’re telling the truth about the shadow-beasts attacking us, at least.”

“Does that mean we aren’t going to get bollocked for using Influence?”

“I wasn’t,” she said. “They didn’t even seem bothered, to be honest.”

“That isn’t the problem,” said Cyrus. “They found out about the fortune-teller fighting Jude and the shadow-beasts, and now they think she’s on their side.”

My heart dropped to my toes.
No. She’s not. Not her.

“They haven’t―” The words stuck in my throat. “They haven’t arrested her?”

Cyrus’s face said it all. Cold flooded me.
No.

“What the hell kind of logic is that?” I said. “I mean, she was obviously fighting against them, right?”

“Their eyewitnesses saw Jude escape. They think she let him go.”

“They’re idiots,” said Claudia, aghast. “She warned us… Shit. She’s a hell of a better fighter than they are.”

“Um, I think you’re missing the point,” said Berenice. “Why would they summon the unregistered magic-users? They can’t think
we
have anything to do with it?”

“God knows,” said Cyrus. “I’m guessing they want to keep track of everyone, seeing as there’s something crazy-wrong out there. I think they just want to know who summoned the shadow-beasts. Even now, I don’t think they believe Jude did it himself.”

“I can’t believe this,” said Leo. “Like we needed any more shit to deal with. Shadow-beasts and Jude of the Dead are running around, and they’re blaming the one person who can actually help.”

“Tell me about it,” said Cyrus. “Right. Let’s go face the music.”

nsurprisingly, the Venantium Headquarters was wrapped in its typical eerie silence, like the subterranean tunnels that connected its different areas. We entered, as usual, through a doorway within the Blackstone family tomb, which involved falling into an open grave, the only remote hint I’d had that the Venantium possessed anything resembling a sense of humour. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why they just didn’t use stairs.

I’d only been acquainted with the interrogation room and the prison cells, but today, everyone waited in the entrance hall to be summoned to the room Leo told me was the meeting place of the Inner Circle.

Maybe I’d finally get to meet their mysterious leaders. The thought gave me a thrill of horror. I couldn’t forget how close they’d come to imprisoning me for life, even if Dr. Philips had formally apologised to me.

I looked around for any familiar faces. A hundred or so
venators
milled around the entrance hall. Most wore sharp suits, embossed with a silver badge in the shape of a
V
. I recognised David and the girl he’d been with in the library, who were in deep conversation. We were, I realised, the only people there who weren’t wearing uniforms.

The entrance hall looked exactly as it had the last time I’d been there, minus the scowling face of Jude lurking in the shadows. Lit with the eerie blue lights burning in brackets along the walls, it looked like a cross between the entrance to Dracula’s castle and a sepulchre. Harpies nested in the rafters of the domed ceiling, and gruesome demonic paintings and tapestries adorned the walls.

The heavy iron doors at the end of the hallway swung open, and a figure glided into the room. Everyone stopped talking, almost stopped breathing.

The man was tall, his narrow face all sharp angles. He stood like a king among his subjects, and I knew before he spoke that he was someone very, very important.

And he looked right at our group.

Leo’s grip on my hand tightened, and he hissed, “That’s my father. Looks like the rumours were true. He made it into the Inner Circle after all.”

I stared at the man.
Leo’s father?
I couldn’t see the resemblance at all―his sharp gaze held no warmth; if anything, there was something unnaturally still and cold about him. His gaze roved over the crowd, calculating.

Then he spoke one word, “Come.”

Everyone followed him through the iron doors in silence, into another hallway lined with doors. Through another door into a large room. It looked like the Great Hall at the university.

Several Venantium members stood on the stairs, directing people into seats. One pointed us to a row near the back. Leo’s father didn’t even acknowledge his children. Leo himself wore his most blank expression. Cyrus’s mouth was set in a grim line.

Mr. Blake stood at the front and waited for everyone to be seated, which took no time at all. There was no chatter, no noise like when people were coming into lectures. Leo’s father didn’t need to call for silence; there was already the kind of absolute quietness of a funeral.

“Magic-users and sorcerers,” he said. “You may wonder why I have called you all here today. You may wonder why it was so imperative that you all attend―even those who have chosen not to register with the Venantium.

“As representative of the Inner Circle, I feel it is my duty to give you this warning in person,” he said, blank gaze sweeping the room. I found myself automatically holding my breath, dread building in my chest.

“I am sure you are all aware that an alarming series of incidents has occurred of late, including the tragic deaths of several magic-users and the illegal magical activities of Jude Anders.”

I saw Cyrus and Leo exchange glances.

“For many of you, your faith in us has undoubtedly been shaken by these events. But we remain steadfast in our stand against the darkness, and our full-scale investigation points to one person as the catalyst for these events: Lucifer.”

This time, it felt like the entire room held its breath. That one word rang out into the silent room, and though no one moved, I could almost feel the tension pouring off the crowd in waves.

“Many of you would not have been here the last time Lucifer made an attack on our world. It was twenty years ago that he invaded last, but he has left his marks on our history, and we will do our utmost to ensure that he does not return from the Darkworld.”

Several people were nodding. But the silence remained, unnatural, still.

“In order to do that, we need information, and to that end, we have taken the sorceress Madame Persephone in for questioning.”

I stifled a gasp. It was true. They suspected her.

“Here she will remain until we can ensure that she presents us no threat. Many of you have questioned this decision; after all, she has acted in the defence of magic-users for many years now. But what few people know is that she was unheard of before she moved here twenty years ago, and there are no records of her life anywhere else. What is this woman hiding? Is it coincidence that she appeared
at the very same time
that Lucifer made his last attack?”

No. They couldn’t really think…? Yet more than a few of my own questions had gone in this direction. Not that I thought she was guilty. I’d never believe that. But she
had
hidden things, enough to make her a suspect in the eyes of the Venantium. I glanced sideways at Leo, but his expression hadn’t changed. Claudia, however, fidgeted on my other side, looking as agitated as I felt.

“That is what we intend to find out, and I hope that I have answered any urgent queries about our decision to question her. If she is found guiltless, we will of course allow her to join our defence.

“You may leave now. If you have further questions, you are welcome to direct them to any of our representatives.”

And he strode from the room without a backwards glance.

Gradually, whispers broke out like fireworks. Leo hissed, “Let’s go,” and the five of us stood and followed the gathering crowd out of the room.

“Wait,” I whispered. “Shouldn’t we check on Madame Persephone?”

“Why?” said Berenice. “She isn’t our problem.”

“She saved Howard’s life,” I said, and a
venator
shot me a glare.
Oops.

“I doubt they’ll let us see her,” said Cyrus. “But you’re right, we should ask.”

He made his way over to a
venator
standing near the door to the entrance hall and spoke to him in an undertone. I saw the man shake his head. It was probably for the best that Cyrus was doing the talking; the rest of us looked like scruffy students standing awkwardly in a high-class building.

He came back over to us. “We can’t see her until they’ve made sure she’s not a threat.”

Leo swore under his breath. “Let me talk to them.”

“They aren’t going to listen,” said his brother. “Don’t bother. We’ll come back later. They
can’t
find her guilty.”

“If our delightful father has anything to do with it, they will,” said Leo.

But we left the headquarters. There didn’t seem to be anything more we could do.

The fog had lifted slightly, and the cemetery was bathed in bright sunlight that yielded no warmth.

“They didn’t say anything about Jude or Mephistopheles,” I said. “Do they not know about it?”

“I’ll bet Madame Persephone’s keeping quiet,” said Leo. “Smart move, not that it helps us. So this Lucifer is running around as well?”

“Another enemy. Brilliant.” Berenice gave a mock cheer.

“Lucifer,” said Claudia. “They think Lucifer’s returned. What evidence do
they
have?”

“The fortune-teller thought so, too,” I said. “She told me just after we came back from the Venantium last time. She said it wasn’t over, that the Venantium was really preparing for Lucifer to make a comeback. She said he lives in the Darkworld…”

“That makes no sense,” said Claudia. “
Lives
in the Darkworld? The Darkworld isn’t a physical place. You can’t just hop over there whenever you feel like it. Even if a sorcerer managed to separate from their body―like astral travel―they’d never come back. It’s a one-way trip.”

“It doesn’t sound like this Lucifer’s a regular sorcerer,” said Leo. “Man, what is with these sorcerers and that name? You’d think the Higher Demon Lucifer would be pissed off that so many magic-users are walking around using his title. Plus, you know, they don’t exactly look like angels, fallen or otherwise.”

“The fortune-teller said Lucifer thinks he’s the greatest human sorcerer,” I said, remembering. “She said he… he haunts the Darkworld like a ghost. And I’m sure she mentioned that it wasn’t impossible to return to this world.”

“A lot of people are turning out to be alive who shouldn’t be,” said Leo. “Melmoth
killed
Lucifer twenty years ago. He burnt him alive. I don’t see how even the ‘Greatest Human Sorcerer’ could escape that one. Demons might be immortal, but this Lucifer’s supposed to be human, right?”