to take a child – a small girl – but I stopped him. I’ve been tracking him and his partner ever since.’
‘Benedict. His name’s Benedict.’
Winter shuddered at the image of the Demori staring at her, his eyes burning with hate. She couldn’t help but shoot a nervous glance behind them, half expecting to see Benedict creeping up on them, his mouth gaping, teeth bared. They pushed through a tangle of waist-high bushes and stepped out on the gravel. A thick orange haze hung in the air, caused by the sea mist catching the glow from the fluorescents. The haze blurred everything more than a dozen or so feet away from her, lending an eerie, dreamlike cast to the area. She could just make out a green station wagon parked a little further up. Sam’s car.
‘I didn’t know there were others,’ Winter said as they made their way through the orange fog. ‘I thought Blake and Claudette were the only Demori.’
Sam glanced in her direction, an eyebrow raised. ‘He never told you about the others?’
‘No.’ Though the more she thought about it the more it stood to reason that there would be more. ‘How many are there?’
They reached the car and Sam opened the back, slipping off his crossbow. She saw a rolled-up sleeping bag pushed behind the spare tyre and guessed that Sam had been sleeping in the car.
‘We don’t know. Blake and Claudette weren’t Ariman’s first children.’ He took off his trenchcoat, revealing the sheathed machete strapped across his back, and bundled it inside next to the crossbow. ‘He had others over the centuries and these Demori had their own children. There could be a thousand? A million? Luckily for us they don’t play nicely with each other. They’re loners by nature. Or at least that used to be the case. Lately, there’ve been rumours of Demori gathering in large numbers. Forming some kind of army. Scary stuff, ’ he continued, rummaging around in the dark of the car for a second before pulling out a shovel.
‘Did I call them to me? Sidaris and Benedict. Was it my fault?’ she asked, already sure of the answer.
Sam shot her a quick look and then slammed the car shut. ‘It’s nobody’s fault. But, yes – I’d say you called them. Or the lodestone did.’
‘I didn’t know it could . . . I —’
There was the sound of an approaching car. Sam grabbed her, pulling her off the road into the shadows. The car materialised out of the fog, filling the night briefly with the sound of rock’n’roll before disappearing into the darkness.
When he was satisfied no more cars were following, they continued their progress, Sam talking more softly than he had before, as though worried his voice might be heard.
‘All Demori carry lodestones. Damien . . .’ She noticed his face tighten at the mention of his dead brother. ‘Damien knew more about this stuff. Apparently, it’s like a right of passage or something. The first time they Travel to the Dead Lands they’re tasked with finding a stone. They can’t return without it. Once they succeed they carry it for the rest of their lives, like a Catholic with a crucifix. They’re not mere symbols though. The lodestones allow the Demori to stay in contact with each other. So they avoid clustering together, hunting in the same areas and risking drawing attention. They have other properties as well. We don’t know all of them.’ He paused before adding, ‘In any case you should get rid of yours. Benedict will be able to use it to locate you.’
Winter briefly considered telling him what had happened tonight, the vision of Blake, but decided against it. ‘I can’t do that.’
Bemused, Sam glanced in her direction. ‘Suit yourself. I’m only trying to keep you alive.’
‘You’ll have to forgive me if I have a little trouble trusting you. What with the whole kidnapping me and trying to kill Blake thing.’
‘Fair enough.’
She wanted him to say something else, to give her the chance to fight with him and vent
‘Benedict. His name’s Benedict.’
Winter shuddered at the image of the Demori staring at her, his eyes burning with hate. She couldn’t help but shoot a nervous glance behind them, half expecting to see Benedict creeping up on them, his mouth gaping, teeth bared. They pushed through a tangle of waist-high bushes and stepped out on the gravel. A thick orange haze hung in the air, caused by the sea mist catching the glow from the fluorescents. The haze blurred everything more than a dozen or so feet away from her, lending an eerie, dreamlike cast to the area. She could just make out a green station wagon parked a little further up. Sam’s car.
‘I didn’t know there were others,’ Winter said as they made their way through the orange fog. ‘I thought Blake and Claudette were the only Demori.’
Sam glanced in her direction, an eyebrow raised. ‘He never told you about the others?’
‘No.’ Though the more she thought about it the more it stood to reason that there would be more. ‘How many are there?’
They reached the car and Sam opened the back, slipping off his crossbow. She saw a rolled-up sleeping bag pushed behind the spare tyre and guessed that Sam had been sleeping in the car.
‘We don’t know. Blake and Claudette weren’t Ariman’s first children.’ He took off his trenchcoat, revealing the sheathed machete strapped across his back, and bundled it inside next to the crossbow. ‘He had others over the centuries and these Demori had their own children. There could be a thousand? A million? Luckily for us they don’t play nicely with each other. They’re loners by nature. Or at least that used to be the case. Lately, there’ve been rumours of Demori gathering in large numbers. Forming some kind of army. Scary stuff, ’ he continued, rummaging around in the dark of the car for a second before pulling out a shovel.
‘Did I call them to me? Sidaris and Benedict. Was it my fault?’ she asked, already sure of the answer.
Sam shot her a quick look and then slammed the car shut. ‘It’s nobody’s fault. But, yes – I’d say you called them. Or the lodestone did.’
‘I didn’t know it could . . . I —’
There was the sound of an approaching car. Sam grabbed her, pulling her off the road into the shadows. The car materialised out of the fog, filling the night briefly with the sound of rock’n’roll before disappearing into the darkness.
When he was satisfied no more cars were following, they continued their progress, Sam talking more softly than he had before, as though worried his voice might be heard.
‘All Demori carry lodestones. Damien . . .’ She noticed his face tighten at the mention of his dead brother. ‘Damien knew more about this stuff. Apparently, it’s like a right of passage or something. The first time they Travel to the Dead Lands they’re tasked with finding a stone. They can’t return without it. Once they succeed they carry it for the rest of their lives, like a Catholic with a crucifix. They’re not mere symbols though. The lodestones allow the Demori to stay in contact with each other. So they avoid clustering together, hunting in the same areas and risking drawing attention. They have other properties as well. We don’t know all of them.’ He paused before adding, ‘In any case you should get rid of yours. Benedict will be able to use it to locate you.’
Winter briefly considered telling him what had happened tonight, the vision of Blake, but decided against it. ‘I can’t do that.’
Bemused, Sam glanced in her direction. ‘Suit yourself. I’m only trying to keep you alive.’
‘You’ll have to forgive me if I have a little trouble trusting you. What with the whole kidnapping me and trying to kill Blake thing.’
‘Fair enough.’
She wanted him to say something else, to give her the chance to fight with him and vent
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