The Night Princess Read online

  A thin, elderly man who was sitting near the door rose to his feet. ‘Actually, I don’t suppose that any of you brought a snack with you?’ He laughed and patted his hollow belly. ‘As you can see, it’s been a long time since I tasted one so young.’ He laughed again, and it reminded Juniper of Harry’s laugh. ‘Are you all here for the ceremony, or did anyone bring a date?’

  Juniper saw Evangeline start it. She swung around, her lips no longer moving. She raised one slender arm and pointed directly to Juniper. Her eyes were bright with hate.

  The old man laughed again and hobbled towards the group of teenagers. ‘I hope you don’t mind. I haven’t got many days left in me. You young ones still have plenty of days of your own.’

  Juniper’s father tried to step between them, but the old man pushed him aside with surprising strength. He was quick, too. He reached through the crowd with a long, bony arm and lay his hand on Juniper’s shoulder.

  Dimly, Juniper heard her mother scream. And then Juniper’s father was there again. He grabbed the old man from behind and pulled him away from Juniper. The old man was thrown, not just clear from Juniper, but six feet into the air, where he hung suspended, his arms thrown outwards like he was trying to fly but forgot to flap.

  Juniper’s father drew his arm back, and a ball of golden energy appeared in his hand. He threw it towards the old man. When it struck, the old man shattered, like a reflection in a broken mirror. He vanished.

  Everyone in the room gasped. The man standing on the stage stepped aside from the podium and hurried down the stairs and through the aisle between the little plastic chairs.

  ‘Where did you get that power?’ he demanded. ‘I’ve known you for centuries, Richard, and you’re nothing but a weak little Sleepwalker.’

  He grabbed Juniper’s father by the throat and raised him clear from the floor. ‘You’ve never had powers like that before. Where did you get them? Who taught you? Who did you feed from?’

  Mr. Green didn’t reply. His hands were clutching at the man’s hand around his throat, gasping for air.

  Mrs. Green ran up to them and threw herself onto her knees at the man’s feet. She clutched at his leg. ‘I beg you, your Majesty, let him go! He has no power to threaten you! He is only a Sleepwalker. I can explain, please hear me out!’

  The man slowly lowered Mr. Green to his feet, but kept his hand around Juniper’s father’s throat. ‘I’ve always loved your stories, Isabella. This had better be your best one yet.’

  ‘It’s a true story, your Majesty. We went out for a drink, just a week ago. It was late at night — you know how shy Richard is about feeding. There were so few people about. There was a group of young boys, though, standing around and making a nuisance of themselves. Richard didn’t want to, but I told him that these boys wouldn’t contribute anything to the world anyway, so if anything, we were doing them a favour by drinking their days.

  ‘We walked up to them and pretended to berate them about being out late at night. We told them about the dangers that lurk in the shadows in the city. I held Richard’s hand while we spoke. You know that I’ve always been more powerful than he is. I drank from the boys without even touching them, and I shared their days with Richard. But something was different this time. This time we took more than days. One of them was one of us, and he was already Awake. He hadn’t attended the ceremony, but he was already in full possession of his powers.

  ‘Ever since then, both Richard and I have experienced strange phenomena. That was why we were so eager to meet with you tonight. Richard is only a Sleepwalker, and I share so many of my days with him that I might as well be no better. I knew that you, more than anyone else, would know what to do with these strange new powers. We were going to talk with you tonight, I swear it. I beg you, don’t take my husband.’

  The man watched Mrs. Green tell her tale while almost casually holding Mr. Green’s throat with a grasp that, while it was not tight enough to stop him from breathing, was still tight enough to stop him from moving.

  ‘That is, indeed, a most interesting tale, Isabella. One of your best.’ He let go of Mr. Green, who stumbled a few steps backwards, his hands at his throat, his face raspberry red from the close brush with suffocation. ‘We shall discuss this further after the ceremony.’

  The man turned to walk back up to the stage. He paused mid-stride and said, without even looking over his shoulder, ‘and somebody get those children out of here.’

  Several of the other adults rose to usher the teenagers from the room. Juniper let herself move with the crowd and realised that she was walking next to the girl in the hood.

  The moment the door closed behind them, Evangeline rounded on Juniper. ‘This is all your fault,’ she snapped. ‘You’re the one he’s been looking for, I know it. Don’t you think we all feel it? I feel like I have so much power right now, I could uproot a mountain. Even if I didn’t feel it, what do you suppose we would think after the way we saw the candles rise when you planted a kiss on my boyfriend?’

  Juniper had no idea how to respond to any of that except for the last line, so she ignored the bits she didn’t understand and went for what she knew. ‘He isn’t your boyfriend,’ she retorted. ‘He’s my date tonight.’

  ‘He’s been my date for the last two years. We were promised to each other at our ceremony. Our bloodlines are a perfect match. Our offspring will have the best possible chance for perfection.’

  Juniper glared at her. She wasn’t alone, either. Next to her, the girl in the hood was glaring, too.

  The girl in the hood spoke up. ‘You know what? You’re bringing back all sorts of memories for me. I didn’t enjoy school much. I can remember girls just like you. Let me say, on behalf of every person like me who’s ever been bullied by a person like you, I’ve had enough of this shit. So, why don’t you just shut up now?’ She waved her hand in front of Evangeline’s face. It was like she drew a sheet over the girl’s head. The moment the hand passed before her, Evangeline’s face went blank, almost like she was asleep.

  The girl in the hood turned back to Juniper. ‘That was satisfying, wasn’t it? Let’s go before she wakes up. Cerawen’s gifts don’t last long in the real world.’

  ‘Cerawen?’ Juniper asked.

  ‘The goddess of the dead,’ the other girl replied.

  ‘Real world?’

  ‘There’s a lot you don’t know yet, Juniper. Just be patient. You’ll see soon enough.’

  The pair of them hurried along the corridor. ‘How do you know my name?’ Juniper asked.

  The girl glanced at Juniper. ‘We all know your name. I know your name because Var Valerian knows your name. He’s been waiting sixteen years for you, and I’ve made it my personal business to make sure that he never gets what he wants. That makes me your new best friend.’

  ‘I don’t even know your name.’

  ‘Ysande.’

  ‘I’ve never heard of that name before.’

  ‘That doesn’t really mean anything, does it? You’re sixteen, and you’ve only ever known one world. You don’t even know your own world properly. Would you mind if we shut up and got moving? I’d very much like to survive the night.’

  Juniper just nodded because Ysande didn’t seem to be the type of person you argued with.

  They went back out into the big room. It looked like nothing had changed. The candles were still burning, the music was still pounding, the dancers were still moving to the beat. And yet, everything changed. Every single person in the crowd was a threat now. Ysande strode through the crowd as if it was only logical that no one would dare to oppose her. Juniper had to push past people and dodge out of their way before they cannoned into her.

  They were nearly to the door when the music stopped. From all around the room there came the sound of horns blowing. Ysande halted. Juniper bumped into her. Ysande was muttering under her breath. ‘Shit, shit, shit.’

  Juniper wanted to say something about being conspicuous, but she didn’t dare. The sound of the h
orns chilled her blood. She was pretty sure that they didn’t bode well.

  Everyone around them was looking towards the stage. Juniper turned to see what they were looking at, but noticed Ysande was staring down at her booted feet like they were suddenly fascinating. She was paying them so much attention that Juniper caught herself inspecting Ysande’s boots, as well, just in case there was something special about them she hadn’t noticed before.

  Nope. There wasn’t.

  The man that Mr. and Mrs. Green had called, ‘Your Majesty,’ was strolling onto the stage. The audience broke out into a huge swell of applause. The man raised his hands to quiet them down, but his smile indicated that he was happy to accept as much applause as they were willing to give him. Eventually, their clapping subsided, and he began to speak.

  ‘This is a momentous night for many of you,’ the man said, speaking naturally. He was clearly audible, although he was across the room. ‘We’re here to celebrate your sixteenth birthday. It’s an important landmark in the life of a young Var, such as yourselves. Tonight will change the course of the rest of your lives. And, indeed, may the rest of your lives be rich with many days.

  ‘Some of you are from families who are open about our heritage and you already know what to expect from tonight. Some of you perhaps have already Woken and are already in the process of developing your special gifts. Some of you have been raised to think you are ordinary human children from ordinary human families, but nothing is further from the truth. You are all, indeed, very special young people.’

  He raised his gaze and made eye contact with someone behind Juniper. She turned to see who he was looking at and saw several adults standing by the door to the car park.

  ‘This is a good as time as any,’ the man said, still smiling, still genial, ‘to lock the doors.’

  A murmur rippled through the room. The man ignored it. He didn’t even stop smiling. ‘For those of you whose parents have chosen to keep you in ignorance, there is a great deal of history and a great deal of nuance you will have to learn. Those who have parents who have taught their children about their heritage are already more advanced than the others. For those who are not already aware of the truth, let me be the first to welcome you to our world.’

  He looked around, a broad, game-show-host smile stretching his handsome features. He paused for effect before announcing, ‘You are, each and every one of you, vampires. Or as we like to call ourselves, the Vardai.’

  This time, the murmur that rippled through the room was louder. Many of the teenagers were shocked, turning to talk to the people beside them. Ysande, standing slightly behind Juniper, muttered, ‘Only half, and not my better half.’

  Juniper turned her head just a fraction to whisper to Ysande. ‘What’s he talking about? I’m not a vampire. I’m just a kid. And how can you be half a vampire?’

  ‘It’s not entirely like it is in the books, Juniper. My mother was a sorceress. My father is Var Valerian, the Vardai King, up there on the stage. I get my Vardai blood from him.’

  Juniper cringed away from her, too frightened to respond.

  The man raised his hand again for silence, and this time, everyone went quiet so quickly it was like he pressed a mute button. ‘Most of what you need to learn, you will learn over the coming months. We will assign you a mentor who will guide you in your new roles. Just rest assured that we don’t do anything so messy as drinking blood.’

  He laughed, a gentle, polite laugh, and the audience tittered softly along with him. ‘All we really have to do is stand near a human to drink their days. The more cautious of us only drink one day at a time to remain inconspicuous.’ He shrugged. ‘Some of us choose to take as many days as that human is able to offer. The more days you drink, the higher you will advance in our society.

  ‘Now, if you will remain patient with me, I would like each of you to come up onto the stage when I call your name. The Sniffer will examine you and announce any talents that you might have. If you have no particular talents, then you will be honoured to serve those who are more naturally gifted than you are.’

  He began to call names, reading from a list. One by one, the teenagers went up onto the stage. Behind the King, there was a small group of people who took turns to come forward and walk around the teenager in a slow circle. Then they would speak to the King, and the King would announce that one was telepathic, one was a flamethrower, one could fly, and other gifts that made Juniper’s head reel.

  This couldn’t be true. They couldn’t be vampires. Her parents couldn’t be vampires. They were nice people. They couldn’t be vampires.

  And yet, they had stood in that meeting as if they belonged there. They had spoken to the King like they already knew all of this. Mrs. Green had even admitted to drinking days.

  Sometimes, the Sniffer would come up with a diagnosis the moment they approached the person. Other times, they would have to walk several times around the candidate before they reported the talent to the King. Once or twice, they circled the candidate a dozen times before announcing that this one was a Sleepwalker.

  That’s what he called my father, Juniper thought.

  Ysande nudged Juniper and whispered, ‘We won’t get out those doors alive. We’ll have to go out another way. Follow me.’

  Juniper did as she was told. Ysande moved slowly through the crowd. Unless someone watched her closely, the movement would have been almost imperceptible. There were a great number of names on the King’s list, and he was still reading them out one by one when Ysande and Juniper drew level with the stage. They were barely a few metres away from the door that led to the maze of corridors that Juniper was dragged through earlier.

  The Sniffer, circling the current candidate, froze. Ysande touched Juniper’s hand to get her attention and turned her head ostentatiously to show that Juniper should look away. A low humming came from the stage, and Juniper realised it was a long, drawn-out moan from several of the Sniffers.

  They were close enough to the stage for Juniper to make out the low words that the Sniffer muttered to the King. ‘Your Majesty, I can smell someone. I smell… I smell potential. There is something new nearby, your Majesty, I swear it.’

  ‘Really?’ the King remarked. ‘How intriguing. What sort of potential?’

  ‘I smell power — power that is there for the taking. It has been five hundred years since I have smelled anything like it. Your Majesty, I smell a Magnifier.’

  The King’s face lit up with excitement, his nostrils flaring as he drew a sudden deep breath. ‘I knew it. I knew that this would be the year that she turned sixteen and would Wake. This can be the only reason Richard suddenly developed such powers when he has spent the last eight hundred years Sleepwalking. And there can only be one reason Isabella would tell me a lie. Juniper is the one. Where is she? Bring her to me!’

  The Sniffers turned in a wide circle, breathing deeply, then bounded towards Juniper and Ysande. Ysande grabbed Juniper’s arm and pulled her backwards until Juniper was standing behind her. She raised her arm like she was getting ready to throw something towards the Sniffers.

  Ysande and Juniper were in a dark corner that was not lit by many candles, but suddenly, as Ysande moved her arm, all the shadows gathered together. They slid from the eaves underneath the balcony, from behind the chairs, and from beneath the stage. She cast her arm towards them, and the shadows swept together into a wave that crashed over the Sniffers and engulfed them in darkness. When the wave receded, the Sniffers were gone. For a moment, the space where the shadows had been swept away was left curiously monochrome.

  ‘It’s the Night Princess!’ the King shouted. ‘Get them! Whoever brings them to me shall drink deeply of days!’

  Dozens of arms reached out for the two girls. Still holding Juniper’s arm, Ysande ran to the door, dragging Juniper with her. She crashed through the door, and the two of them ran for their lives down the hallway, a horde of teenagers in pursuit.

  Juniper had no idea where she was going. Ysande
was dragging her by the arm. They ran through corridors, into small rooms and out into other corridors. Juniper was completely turned around. Ysande led her into a fire escape and pulled her up the stairs.

  The others poured in behind them, their shouts echoing in the concrete tunnel. A tongue of flame leapt up from their pursuers towards Juniper and Ysande. Juniper screamed and threw herself over onto the far side of the stairs. She’d been so close to the flame that it had burned her hand.

  Ysande pushed through a door, and they stumbled back into the main part of the building. She pulled Juniper away from the door with so much force that Juniper hit the opposite wall and slumped to the ground.

  Juniper sat there, a little dazed for a moment, and watched Ysande. Her hands wove complicated patterns in the air and drew all the shadows from every corner in the corridor into a ball in her hands. She waited one long, considered moment, then opened the door of the fire escape.

  Their pursuers were right behind the door. One was already reaching out for the handle. Ysande held the door with one hand, and with the other, she threw the ball of shadows into the crowd.

  The shouts turned to screams. Juniper turned her head. The shadows had engulfed their pursuers, but the screams were as much pain as fear. Suddenly, they stopped screaming, and Juniper drew a shuddering breath.

  Ysande slammed the door closed. She grabbed Juniper by the hand and pulled her to her feet. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘We’ve got to keep moving.’

  ‘You killed them!’ Juniper cried, pulling back on Juniper’s hand.

  ‘I’ll do whatever it takes,’ Ysande snapped back.

  ‘But that can’t be right!’ Juniper stumbled a little. Ysande had hold of her upper arm and was viciously pulling Juniper along behind her, not slowing her pace.

  ‘Stop!’ Juniper cried, trying to pull away, but Ysande’s grip only shifted to her hand. ‘I said, stop!’ Juniper yanked her arm away with all her might.

  Ysande’s gripping fingers were forced to slip off the end of Juniper’s hand and caught the opal ring Juniper’s mother had given her for her fifteenth birthday. The ring scraped along Juniper’s finger, and Ysande pulled it right off.