The Dying Light (Bloodwitch #1)

The door to the Shadow Cells slid open with a terrible, high-pitched creak that echoed off the bare walls. Charlie, accustomed by now to who – and what – that noise announced, felt himself growing cold. A creeping sensation that spread slowly throughout his body told him he was starting to seize up. His mind was preparing itself to survive by beginning the process of shuttering itself from what he knew was to follow. There was no taunting laughter yet today.

He could feel himself fading. He would not be able to hold out much longer. He wondered how long it had been since they had chained him up and started working on him. Unbidden, his eyes drifted towards the door, wondering if he was imagining things again. There was a tall, familiar figure standing in the shaft of light. But it was not who he had expected it to be.

‘Max?’ He rasped out his brother’s name. His voice was almost entirely gone.

‘Charlie …’

Someone rushed over towards him, someone he had thought he would never see again.

‘Have you found him?’ That was Seren’s voice. No – she couldn’t be here …

‘He’s here! Vasya found him.’ Alexandra. There was no way that this could be real.

‘Is he –?’ Someone’s fingers touched his skin, and he flinched back, chains jangling.

‘We need to get him out of these shackles.’ Vasco’s voice – controlled, dangerous.

‘I’ll handle it.’ The sound of another girl’s voice, one he had heard somewhere before.

‘If you hurt him …’ Vasco’s words were edged with threat, sharp as a blade.

‘Stop distracting me, I need to concentrate. Stand back – unless you want to get burnt.’

‘But what if you –?’ Vasco’s question was strangled, his desperation loosed from him.

‘I’ll be able to heal him,’ Seren said, her voice calm and gentle. ‘Leave her to work.’

Charlie felt heat prick his skin like a knifepoint at his wrists. He jerked back, panicked, but the chains limited his movement, keeping him in place. Then the shackles on his right wrist broke, causing his weight to collapse towards his other side as he fell onto his shins.

Still half-suspended from the beam above his head, he hung by his left wrist, swaying slightly. Someone was unwinding the chain from around his throat, their fingers brushing his skin with a shocked intake of breath.

‘What are …?’

His eyes flickered open. Charlie became dimly aware of Vasco beside him, bracing his body so that his shoulder did not take all his weight as he hung suspended by one wrist.

Seren and Alexandra hovered behind Vasco, and Charlie had a vague impression that a girl with braided dark hair stood over him. She was reaching up towards the wrist that was still chained above his head.

Heat prickled his skin. He heard something heavy hit the floor just as he felt himself drop, but Vasco caught him before he fell. He slumped against Vasco’s arm, his head resting on Vasco’s shoulder.

‘Thank you,’ he heard Vasco say, although Charlie did not understand what he meant.

‘Look at his arms,’ Alya murmured. ‘They’ve – they’ve mutilated him. Will he –?’

‘I can help him,’ Seren said, her voice firm and steady. ‘I know what to do.’

Charlie felt the touch of her fingers tracing along his bare arms, all the way up to his neck. She paused at one of the places where he had been injected with the drug, taking a deep breath.

As she pressed down more firmly, Charlie heard himself make a small, whimpering sound. Someone squeezed his hand. A moment later, he felt a soothing warmth begin to spread through his body, calming him. It was a sensation he recognised.

His eyes shot open.

They had managed to fool him again.

‘No,’ he managed to protest, his voice a weak moan. ‘Let go – don’t want.’

‘Hold him still,’ Seren said, and Charlie felt Vasco’s arm tighten around his shoulders.

As his limbs began to shake, Charlie forced his eyes to stay open, fighting the blissful waves tempting him towards unconsciousness. He knew what sort of nightmarish hallucinations would follow once he went under. He knew exactly what memories he would have to fight through before he woke again. He knew the kind of pain that awaited him when he finally returned to reality.

‘Please don’t make me,’ he whispered, finding Vasco’s dark eyes, and holding his gaze.

‘I’ve got you,’ Vasco said, his voice soft and hesitant. ‘I’m here. You’re safe now.’

With a groan, Charlie saw his vision tilt as he was lifted off his feet, feeling oddly weightless. He sank into darkness, and when he next opened his eyes, he was lying on his back on the floor.

He flung himself up as far as his aching muscles could take him, his hands bracing his upper body in a half-sitting, half-leaning position. Vasco sat cross-legged beside him, chewing on his thumbnail. Without thinking, Charlie tugged the hem of his t-shirt down, making sure the base of his spine was covered.

Vasco did not appear to notice. His eyes were fixed on Charlie’s hands. ‘You’re awake,’ he murmured, looking up into Charlie’s face at last. ‘She really did it.’

‘It’s …’ Charlie frowned, his eyes darting to his newly bandaged hands, before returning to Vasco again. ‘It’s you?’

‘It’s me.’ Vasco was watching him steadily, his expression pensive.

Charlie’s frown deepened, his hands curling into fists. ‘Are you really here?’

‘Yes.’ Vasco gave him the barest nod. ‘Yes, I’m here, Charlie.’

‘Why did you come back?’ Charlie’s teeth were gritted. ‘I told you not to do that.’

A smirk crossed Vasco’s face, and he glanced away. ‘I don’t take orders from you,’ he said, his voice cool and even. He had started to wind a bandage around Charlie’s upper arm.

‘Will you –’ Charlie shifted away, but Vasco continued. ‘Just leave it, it’s fine …’

‘Are you always so cavalier? Stop fighting me and let me take care of you.’

At these words, Charlie went still, and allowed Vasco to bandage his many injuries.

‘They really did a number on you, huh?’ Vasco said, shaking his head, his voice low.

‘It’s fine. I’m used to it.’

‘You’re going to have some more scars to add to your collection.’ He had finished with the bandages. With a slight sigh, Vasco brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, gazing at Charlie with a strange look in his eyes. ‘You reckless kid.’

‘Quit acting like you’re my father,’ Charlie snapped. ‘We’re practically the same age.’

‘That one has healed badly,’ Vasco said, pointing to his right shoulder. ‘It still hurts?’

Charlie stared up at the ceiling, his voice flat. ‘There used to be a tattoo there.’

‘Aren’t you a bit young for tattoos?’

‘Now you sound like my mother.’

‘So what happened?’ Vasco asked, his brows arched. ‘You regretted it that much?’

Charlie shrugged. ‘I burnt it off with a hot spoon when I was thirteen.’

Vasco paled slightly at this. ‘All saints … you’re not afraid of anything, are you?’

Charlie stared into space for a few moments, his eyes growing unfocused. With a huge effort, he settled his face into an impassive expression and gave a little shrug of his shoulders. He was not going to open that door. Not for anyone.

‘I told you not to come back for me,’ he said again. ‘You should have left me behind.’

‘Yeah, well, I figured I wouldn’t take you too seriously,’ Vasco said, scratching his jaw, the barest hint of a smile on his face. ’That was just before you jumped out of a moving helicopter, after all.’ His shadowed eyes returned to Charlie’s face and rested there. ‘Did you –’

‘We can’t stay here,’ Charlie said, his stomach twisting. ‘They’ll find us.’

‘Don’t worry. We’re in a safe place. Everyone is taking turns standing guard.’

‘Everyone? You mean you dragged Seren and Alexandra back to this hellhole too?’

’I didn’t drag anyone back.’ Vasco scowled at him. ‘They both wanted to help you.’

‘And you just let them tag along with you?’

‘You think I could stop them?’ Vasco dragged a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. ‘Even if I hadn’t come back for you, they would have tried to rescue you without me.’

‘Why would they – would you –?’ Charlie’s question died in his throat. ‘Why?’

Vasco’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’d prefer to be back in chains still, would you?’

’No, I just don’t want any of you getting hurt because of me.’

’You’re the one who’s hurt.’ Vasco sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘You’re testing my patient bedside manner.’

Charlie ground his teeth. ‘I can still fight.’ He forced himself to stand up.

Vasco was on his feet too, his arms folded across his chest. ‘You need to rest.’

‘Don’t treat me like a child,’ Charlie said softly. ’I am not a child. I’m not weak.’

Vasco weathered his furious gaze. ’Can’t you let someone take care of you, just once?’

‘Get out of my way.’

Rage strengthening him, Charlie made to storm past Vasco. Without even blinking, Vasco raised a palm to sit just below Charlie’s left shoulder, entirely unmoved. Charlie froze, his eyes dropping to the floor.

‘I know you don’t like people touching you,’ Vasco said. There was no malice in his words, no hint of a threat, or any promise of violence. ‘You have to stay here until it’s safe for us to move.’ He almost sounded apologetic. ‘I don’t want to have to make you do anything you don’t want to do.’

Charlie glared at him. ‘I’d like to see you try.’

Vasco’s face was set. ‘You really want to do this with me right now?’

‘What, scared you won’t be able to take me without your best friend backing you up?’

Something flickered in Vasco’s eyes, and his expression hardened as he lowered his hand. ‘He’s no friend of mine,’ he muttered, as though the idea revolted him. ‘Did he …?’ He had grown pale again, his fear writ large on his face as he reached out for Charlie’s hand. ‘Charlie, what did he do to you?’

‘Nothing.’ Charlie shook him off. ‘Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Leave me alone.’

‘Charlie, listen to me. Your body has been through a lot. You need to –’

‘I need to make them pay for what they’ve done to my family! I need –’ His knees had given way.

Vasco caught him before he hit the ground. ‘Lie down. I’ve got you.’

His back flat against the floor again, Charlie watched as Vasco curled himself up beside him. With a deep sigh, Vasco rested his chin on his knees, a sombre expression clouding his features.

‘The girl who freed me – Jasmine,’ Charlie murmured. ‘I’ve met her before.’

A faint smile graced Vasco’s grave face. ‘Yeah, I heard about your exploits.’

‘You did?’

‘Why else would she be here? She told us what you did for her and her friends.’

‘She didn’t have to do that,’ Charlie mumbled, looking away.

‘Maybe not, but she wanted to,’ Vasco said, gazing at Charlie with a fond look in his eye. ’She’s one of Alya’s new friends,’ he added, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

‘You managed to find them?’ Charlie recalled the sound of the helicopter drifting off into the distance without him. ‘That’s good.’ He was aware of how empty his voice sounded.

‘Yeah, but I didn’t stick around,’ Vasco said, shrugging. ‘I had to – I mean …’ he added hastily, and Charlie realised that Vasco had coloured a little, and seemed to be determined to avoid meeting his eyes. ‘You know … witches – it’s not exactly my scene.’

Charlie raised an eyebrow. ‘They didn’t welcome you with open arms, then?’

Vasco rolled his eyes and smiled to himself. ‘I didn’t know you were involved in blowing up that scumbag’s den,’ he said, sounding both proud and grudgingly impressed.

‘Faulkner’s place?’ Looking up, Charlie met Vasco’s eyes, and they both grinned.

‘He was furious about it. I had no idea it was you.’ Vasco was still smiling at him.

‘He had it coming,’ Charlie muttered.

‘You really have a grudge against him, don’t you?’ When Charlie did not answer, Vasco glanced at his right shoulder. ‘Does it have something to do with –?’

Charlie sighed, and gazed up at the ceiling, his eyes tracing the patterns he found there. All the rooms in the Volya Facility looked the same.

‘So, you’re telling me a coven insurgent teamed up with a Witch Hunter, for me?’

‘Did you forget about those prisoners you freed?’ Vasco said, frowning. ‘The witch said that some of them managed to meet up with her. They told her that a teenage boy with crazy hair and bruises helped them escape –’

‘That’s enough.’

‘– but he never made it out –’

‘Didn’t you hear me? I told you to –’

‘– because he went back to save a little girl.’

‘Can you stop looking so pleased with yourself? Who says that was me?’

‘Of course it was you.’ An infuriatingly satisfied smile spread across the whole of Vasco’s face as Charlie rolled his eyes. ‘The witch knew it was you, as well. She said she’d make sure she got you out of here – something about owing you a favour.’

‘What about you?’

Vasco shrugged, the smile slipping from his face. ‘I was already on my way to find you. I’m glad they all came too, though. I wouldn’t have made it far without their help.’

‘You …’ Charlie shook his head, laying the back of his palm across his forehead. ‘I honestly don’t get it.’

Vasco watched him in silence for a few moments. ‘You spend all your time protecting the people around you,’ he said eventually, his tone softened of its usual edge. ‘Is it so hard to believe that someone else might want to do the same for you?’

Caught off-guard, Charlie made a derisive sound in his throat. ‘I couldn’t protect anyone – not when it counted. When it really mattered, I couldn’t do anything.’ He turned onto his side, away from Vasco. ‘And now my family are gone … and I’m all on my own.’

From beside him, Vasco spoke quietly. ‘I needed to get Alexandra somewhere safe.’

’I don’t blame you,’ Charlie said, turning back towards him at once. ‘You didn’t think that I –?’

Vasco was looking anywhere but at Charlie, picking at his fingernails. ‘I watched it happen,’ he said, his words stilted. ‘All of it. You – in front of him. I couldn’t get it out of my head.’ Finally, he looked at Charlie. ‘I had to come back for you. I had to know for sure if …’

‘You were just in time,’ Charlie said, scratching his throat. ‘If you hadn’t come …’

‘I will always come back for you,’ Vasco said, his dark eyes burning. ‘I promise.’

Charlie covered his face with his hands. His entire body was aching. ‘I’m so tired.’

‘Try to get some sleep,’ Vasco said, moving to stand up. ‘I’ll be right here.’

‘Can you –?’ Charlie began, and Vasco paused. ‘Would you … for a bit … please?’

A slight frown creasing between his brows, Vasco lay down beside Charlie. He settled himself so that they were side by side, and yet not quite close enough to touch. ‘Like this?’

Charlie nodded. ‘I just …’

Vasco shifted his body and closed his eyes. ‘Forget it,’ he said quietly, lying very still as Charlie watched his chest slowly rise and fall. ‘You don’t have to explain yourself to me, all right? Not ever. It’s fine.’

*

‘Should we wake them up?’ Alya’s uncertain voice drifted into Charlie’s awareness.

’Oh …’ Seren sounded disappointed. ‘But they look so cute like that …’

’Trust a Casimir to see a Witch Hunter with his guard down and think he’s cute.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean, Darkwood?’

Charlie sat up to find Seren and Jasmine glaring at one another. Alya was looking between them with wide eyes as she chewed on her lower lip. Jasmine had a tiny ball of flames clenched in her palm, while ribbons of light curled themselves around Seren’s arms. Beside him, Vasco stirred, settling himself into a cross-legged position and observing the stand-off with a smug smile.

‘What’re you looking at, Witchkiller?’ Jasmine snapped, rounding on him, flames in hand.

‘Nothing,’ Vasco replied, shrugging. ‘I was only thinking that if this is the best the coven insurgency has to offer, my men can relax. It seems as though we just need to sit back and wait for you to turn on each other. More than strength or tactics, discipline wins you wars.’

‘You –!’ Jasmine lunged forward just as Vasco’s hand shot to the gun at his waist.

‘Try me, witch.’ His voice was soft, the flicker of her flames reflected in his brown eyes.

‘Stop it, both of you!’ Alya ordered, standing between them with her arms outstretched. She was no longer carrying her rucksack with her. ‘Don’t forget – we may have found Charlie, but that doesn’t mean our mission is over. We still have to get out of here alive.’

‘And destroy the weapons,’ Jasmine added.

‘And rescue my sister,’ Seren finished.

’If she’s still here,’ Jasmine muttered, casting a dark frown at Vasco, who looked away.

‘She is,’ Charlie said. His voice was still rough, but it no longer hurt him to speak.

‘How do you know that, Charlie?’ Alya asked, looking troubled. ‘Weren’t you –?’

‘I found her,’ Charlie said, looking up at the three girls. ‘I almost managed to get her out, but I …’ He scratched his face, then his forearm, glancing away. ‘I couldn’t.’

‘She’s alive,’ Seren murmured, her hands clasped in front of her heart.

‘There’s someone else trapped here that we need to take with us, too,’ Charlie said.

‘Who?’ Jasmine asked, her expression grim.

‘My brother.’

Vasco’s head snapped towards him. ’You have a brother? Here?’

‘It’s my fault he’s here,’ Charlie said. He was aware that Vasco was watching him closely, his eyes searching Charlie’s face, as though looking for something he had left unsaid. ‘He’s the only family I have left now.’

’And he works in this place?’ Jasmine’s expression told Charlie everything he needed to know.

‘I know he’ll come with me if I can talk to him,’ he insisted. ‘I … I have to help him.’

‘Charlie …’ Vasco looked as if he wanted to say more, but he only shook his head.

‘Well, we should all get a bit more rest first,’ Alya said. ‘Then we can make a start.’

She touched Jasmine’s arm, which was enough for some of the tension in Jasmine’s shoulders to visibly disappear. Together, they wandered off into another corner of the room, their heads close together.

Seren approached Vasco, who stiffened. ‘I’d like to speak to Charlie,’ she said.

Vasco regarded her warily for a few moments before he turned his gaze to Charlie, who stared back at him, his expression mild. For some reason, this made Vasco scowl.

‘I’ll go stand guard,’ he said, sloping off towards the door. ‘I hope you two enjoy your precious reunion …’

‘Thanks, we will!’ Seren called after him, her tone pleasant as she waved at his back.

‘I’m impressed you all made it back here without killing each other,’ Charlie said, as Seren settled herself beside him on her stomach. She had folded her arms, and was resting her head on top of them, her face tilted towards his. ‘I’m glad you’re safe.’

‘That’s my line,’ she said. A fond smile curled the corner of her mouth for a moment, before it slipped away again, and her gaze fell to the floor. ‘So … you said you saw my sister.’

Charlie nodded. ‘She looks a lot like you.’

Seren smiled weakly, her eyes shining. Looking away from him, she cleared her throat.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered, a painful catch burning in his chest. ‘I couldn’t … I really did try … I know it’s my fault that she –’

‘None of this is your fault, Charlie,’ Seren said softly, managing a small, sad smile.

‘I told her you were coming to save her,’ he went on. ‘She knows that you –’

‘Thank you,’ she said, brushing her index finger against her eyes. ‘The more time passes, the more I worry that – that she might –’ She sniffed. ‘I don’t want her to forget me.’

Charlie put his arm around her shoulders, his jaw clenched, and closed his eyes.

‘We’ll save her,’ he said. ‘No matter what it takes, we’ll get her back. I swear it.’