The Night Princess Page 3

  ‘Give it back!’ Juniper shouted. She grabbed Ysande’s shoulders from behind and shoved her towards the wall. Juniper had never been violent in her life, so she wasn’t prepared for how far she had thrown Ysande. The girl not only hit the wall—she went right through it in a cloud of shattered plaster. She dropped the ring as she hurtled forwards.

  Juniper stooped to pick up the ring, now half-buried under a light coating of crumbled plaster. She dusted it off and put it on her finger, trying not to make too much of the way her hands trembled as she did so.

  Ysande struggled to her feet, slipping as a chunk of what had once been the wall rocked beneath her. ‘What the hell was that?’ Ysande demanded. She came back to Juniper and gave her a shove. ‘I spoke to everyone — you don’t have any powers of your own! You can only magnify other people’s powers!’

  ‘Don’t shove me!’ Juniper shouted back. ‘Who the hell are you, anyway? Why should I trust you?’

  Ysande’s face was savage. ‘You heard the man. I’m the Night Princess. And you should trust me because you can’t trust them. I’m the only person here who hasn’t tried to kill you! Not that I’m going to rule it out just yet!’

  ‘But you killed them!’

  ‘They are monsters, and they are trying to kill us. What else was I supposed to do?’

  ‘I’m a monster, too!’ Juniper cried. ‘How do I know you won’t decide to kill me too?’

  Ysande stepped so close she was nose to nose with Juniper. ‘You don’t,’ she snapped. She stepped away. ‘But right now I need you and your powers. There’s something I need you to do. So you know I’ve got a vested interest in making sure you survive tonight. Now, hurry the hell up. The wolves are coming.’

  ‘Wolves?’

  As if on cue, in the distance (but not far enough in the distance), a wolf howled. A whole chorus of barks and yips followed. They weren’t outside. The sound was coming from inside the building.

  ‘How many of them are there?’

  ‘Right now, I’m more concerned with how far away they are. Run!’

  Juniper’s feet finally got the message and ran. This time Ysande didn’t pull her along, and they raced along the corridor together.

  The wolves were getting closer. Ysande stopped outside another door to a fire escape. ‘Stay out of sight, near the wall,’ she whispered. ‘Run quietly, so they don’t hear us.’

  She eased the door open and slipped inside. Juniper followed. Ysande ran so lightly, and quickly, she was almost like a shadow slipping along the wall. Juniper followed and tried to be just as silent and swift. She had incentive.

  There were other noises in the fire escape. The wolves weren’t as close anymore, but a hundred people running up a staircase make a lot of noise. Juniper tried to stay quiet and kept close to the wall.

  When they reached the top of the stairs, Ysande pressed the door open, and they both passed through it onto the roof. Ysande closed the door, just as quietly, then wove her hands in a delicate pattern over the outside handle as shadows clustered to wreath around it. She tested it—it wouldn’t move anymore.

  ‘It’s locked now, they can’t get out,’ Ysande told Juniper. ‘Come on, we˗ ‘

  ‘You’re not going anywhere, my dear.’

  Both girls spun around. Juniper gasped.

  The man who had spoken at the meeting was there, half in shadow, but he no longer looked like the keynote speaker at a marketing convention. He was every inch the Vampire King, and he was terrifying.

  Behind him was a score of vampires, each one poised to attack. Juniper looked around. The whole circumference of the roof was ringed with vampires. ‘Ysande, we’re dead,’ she whispered.

  ‘Not yet,’ Ysande whispered back, her face an implacable mask. ‘I suppose you’ve got a speech prepared?’ Ysande asked him, raising her voice. ‘It’s not like you to not be forthcoming about your dastardly plans.’

  He smiled and showed too many teeth. ‘I would so hate to disappoint you, Your Highness.’ He turned to the vampire on his left. ‘Bring them forth. Let them see what’s at stake.’ He sounded so casual; he might have been buying a train ticket.

  There was a commotion behind him, but he didn’t even bother to turn his head. A scream came next, then laughter from the vampires (or the Vardai, whatever they called themselves). Ysande and Juniper exchanged glances.

  From the middle of the army of vampires behind the Vampire King came a cage. Juniper’s parents were inside.

  The Vampire King shrugged. ‘I’m a simple man, Your Highness. I don’t have any complex ambitions — well, not many, anyway. It’s as simple as this. If you try and fight me, then Isabella and Richard will die.’

  A vampire standing beside the cage grinned like he’d received a cue. He raised his hand and clicked his fingers. A small spark appeared on his palm. He leaned forward and gently blew on it. A billow of flame six feet long spread out in the darkness.

  Other vampires came forward with torches and lit them from the flame. Their faces were ruddy in the firelight.

  One of them thrust his torch towards the cage. Mrs. Green screamed and tried to move away from the flame, but the cage was too small. She clung to her husband and buried her face against him.

  As clearly as though she were standing right beside her, Juniper heard her mother’s voice in her head. ‘Juniper, listen to me. Take off your ring.’

  Juniper tried not to show her shock, but she couldn’t help casting a sidelong glance at Ysande, who noticed and looked away at once.

  ‘You monster!’ Ysande shouted. Juniper guessed that it was meant to draw attention to herself and away from Juniper. Juniper raised her hands and wrung them together, trying to pull the ring off her finger surreptitiously.

  ‘Now, Juniper,’ Mrs. Green’s voice came again, calm and clear, ‘jump off the roof.’

  What?! It was only at the last moment that Juniper stopped herself from saying it out loud, but she had already opened her mouth. The Vampire King had swung his attention to her — she had to say something. She settled on shouting, ‘Leave them alone!’

  He smiled smugly. He had a face built for a smug smile. ‘Why don’t you come over here, then, Juniper? We don’t have to fight. You could be one of my greatest allies.’

  ‘No. That sounds like a really stupid idea. I’ve seen movies. I know how this ends.’

  He threw his head back and laughed like she’d said something genuinely funny. The other vampires laughed too. It felt surreal to be surrounded by a ring of laughing monsters.

  ‘You won’t fall,’ Mrs. Green’s voice was saying in Juniper’s head. ‘Juniper, you’re one of us. You can fly. The ring inhibited your powers.’ Juniper saw her mother’s shoulders shake in a sob. ‘My darling girl, we’ve loved you every day of your life. We don’t regret a single moment. Now, please, save yourself!’

  ‘No,’ Juniper blurted. The Vampire King stopped laughing, and the other vampires immediately stopped as well. ‘What do you want from me, anyway?’ she asked.

  ‘Juniper, no!’ Mrs. Green spoke out loud, turning her head to present a tear-washed face to her daughter.

  ‘Juniper, please,’ her father pleaded.

  ‘It’s your destiny, Juniper,’ the Vampire King intoned.

  Beside Juniper, Ysande made a small sound of distaste and muttered, ‘Original.’

  The Vampire King ignored her. ‘We found you on the last night of the Battle of the Three Kings. You were newborn, not even wrapped in a blanket. Richard found you.’

  ‘Under the Juniper tree,’ Mrs. Green mused in Juniper’s mind.

  The Vampire King went on, unaware of the interruption. ‘He brought you to me. Isabella spoke a prophecy over you and spoke of great power. I already knew that there would be great deeds in your future. You were lying on a pile of human bones.’

  ‘It’s true,’ Mr. Green whispered, ‘but you were our beloved baby, Juniper. Please believe me. We loved you as much as we could have loved any baby. You were always our daug
hter.’

  ‘I arranged for them to raise you,’ the Vampire King said. ‘They lied to me and told me that you died in infancy, consumed by your own powers. They told me that you were their own child, but it’s clear that’s not true. Richard is a Sleepwalker. There is no way he could father a child with powers like yours, unless perhaps…’ his gaze moved to Mrs. Green, who was still clinging, ashen-faced, to her husband. ‘Unless, of course, you are my daughter, which is possible, I suppose. I never kept track of dates.’

  Ysande raised one hand and opened and closed her fingers. ‘Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You never could resist a monologue, could you?’

  The Vampire King’s handsome face twisted into a snarl. ‘I think it’s time for the Night Princess to return to the Story Storm!’ he cried, making a gesture with his hands. A dozen vampires rushed forward to grab her.

  Ysande curled her fingers, and shadows leaped into her palms. ‘Get down!’ she shouted.

  She threw the shadows like a stage magician throwing cards. The shadows sliced through the nearby vampires, cutting right through them. Mr. and Mrs. Green flattened themselves on the bottom of their cage. The shadows cut straight through the bars, opening the cage like a can opener.

  ‘We’re free!’ Mrs. Green cried in Juniper’s mind. ‘Now, fly, my darling!’

  How do I fly?

  ‘You just have to will it—the power is within you.’

  Ysande’s shadows were holding the vampires at bay. Juniper turned towards her. ‘Hold on to me!’ she cried.

  ‘I’m busy!’ Ysande shouted back, casting a swift, underarm shadow at a vampire who crept too close.

  ‘I can get us out of here!’ Juniper shouted. Ysande made a frustrated sound as she put her arm around Juniper’s waist while still casting shadows with her other hand. Juniper was terrified that she was going to jump and land on her own two feet, having gone no further than a foot above the rooftop. She raised her arms in case she needed to flap.

  Instead, they sailed into the air with no effort at all. Ysande gasped but otherwise kept her composure. The vampires beneath them cursed and snarled.

  They were in the city, surrounded by tall buildings that were oddly dark. The only light around them was the light from the vampires’ torches. The building in front of Juniper had mirrored windows, and she caught sight of herself as she flew, Ysande holding tightly to her waist.

  She didn’t look inconspicuous. In her billowing white silk blouse and skinny jeans, flying, she looked… she looked extremely conspicuous. The shock of seeing herself like this made Juniper feel like something had shifted inside her.

  One vampire also began to rise. Juniper recognised Evangeline. ‘I will bring her to you, Your Majesty!’ she cried, streaking through the air and heading straight for Juniper and Ysande.

  Ysande cast shadows at her, but Evangeline just rolled out of the way.

  Juniper ducked quickly. Ysande yelped a little and nearly lost her grip on Juniper’s waist.

  ‘Next time, I’ll wear a belt!’ Juniper cried gaily. It seemed impossible that the beautiful, strong girl she’d seen in the mirrored wall could be thwarted. She rose higher, skimming the side of the mirrors.

  Something jerked her downwards. Juniper looked back. Evangeline was beneath her. She’d caught hold of Ysande’s foot. As Juniper struggled to swerve to shake Evangeline off, Evangeline pulled harder at Ysande.

  Ysande tightened both her arms around Juniper’s waist and held on.

  Evangeline pulled again, causing Ysande to slip a little. The vampire girl dug her nails into Ysande’s ankle and slowly but surely began to pull herself up Ysande’s body.

  Ysande kicked furiously to free herself. Juniper flew from side to side, nearly ricocheting off the sides of the tall buildings that surrounded them, but she couldn’t shake Evangeline’s grip.

  Evangeline’s clutching hands reached Ysande’s arms, where they held tight around Juniper’s waist. Her arms crept along Ysande’s, and she dug her nails in deep.

  Ysande cried out and lost her grip on Juniper’s waist. She fell. Juniper turned to try and catch her, but Evangeline had swiftly disentangled herself from Ysande’s falling form and stopped her. From beneath them, there was the sound of shattering glass.

  Evangeline threw herself at Juniper, who had to dodge out of the way. She tried to correct herself, to dive after Ysande, but she couldn’t see her anywhere. Juniper drew in a breath and wanted to scream.

  Ysande had fallen. Ysande was dead.

  ‘I will bring you back to Var Valerian,’ Evangeline growled. ‘You will be a rich prize for me. I will watch you suffer in silence for centuries as his slave.’

  Juniper twisted, just in time to see Evangeline diving for her. She dodged out of the way once again. Evangeline came right back in for another attack; her arms opened wide. There was no way to evade her.

  Evangeline slammed into Juniper and flung her towards the nearby office tower, which was dark inside but encased in mirrored glass, reflecting both city lights and firelight.

  Juniper tried to brace herself for the impact, but none came. Instead, there was a curious suffocating sensation. It only lasted a moment, but it made her open her eyes wide with shock.

  She was still floating, but everything in front of her was blurry. She made out the shape of Evangeline dipping and rising, looking for her. The roof was bristling with its army of vampires, lit by the glow from their own torches. Most importantly, two distant figures were running hand in hand along the footpath—her parents had gotten away.

  A hand fell on her shoulder. She couldn’t help the short scream that burst from her lips. She turned. It was Ysande, grinning gamely in the dark.

  ‘Don’t worry, we’re safe,’ she told her. ‘I thought I was dead for a second there, but then Dante reminded me that this building might as well be, for all intents and purposes, a huge mirror. And we’re both good with mirrors.’

  ‘Maybe gloat later,’ a male voice suggested. A figure swam closer in the gloom until Juniper saw the young man’s face. He smiled, an overly bright, but sympathetic smile that made Juniper feel like things might possibly turn out all right. Maybe he was used to dealing with people who were dealing with Ysande. ‘I’ll get you to the Guesthouse. Follow us closely, Juniper. If you fall behind, we may not be able to draw you out of the dark.’

  They moved sluggishly through the gloom. Juniper felt through the thick darkness and grabbed the hem of Ysande’s coat. She was afraid that Ysande might say something cutting if she asked to hold her hand, but the thought of being lost in the dark was appalling.

  Ysande, she noticed, had Dante’s hand in hers, although the way they moved together — almost synchronised in the thick atmosphere — Juniper was pretty sure they weren’t holding hands just for safekeeping.

  ‘Where are we?’ Juniper asked.

  ‘We’re in mirrors,’ Dante answered. ‘When I saw Ysande falling, I used my magic to shatter one of the windows and catch her as she fell into her reflection. I drew you straight through the surface of the glass.’

  ‘How can we be in a mirror? A mirror is just flat.’

  Ysande giggled, and it wasn’t very nice. Dante’s voice was even when he replied, though. ‘You’ll learn, in time, that a great many things that appear to be shallow are deep.’

  Juniper could just see enough in the dark to see him waggle a finger in front of Ysande’s face. ‘And some things that appear to have depth are actually very shallow.’ He smiled familiarly despite the apparent reproach. ‘We are passing through many different worlds. If you look out of the mirror, towards the light, you’ll see the world outside the mirror. Try to avoid looking into the dark any more than you have to. No one knows how far back the mirrors go, and tonight would not be a good night to find out.’

  It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. It felt like they had been travelling through the inky blackness for hours. Eventually, they reached a dark wall.

  Dante turned to the girls. �
��This is your stop. The Guesthouse is through here.’

  ‘It looks awfully dark,’ Ysande commented.

  ‘It’s night time. And the Author’s Daughter doesn’t need a nightlight to slay whatever monster comes after her.’

  ‘I can’t see a thing,’ Ysande said.

  ‘Are you sure this is the right mirror, Dante?’’

  Juniper tried to look through the glass but saw nothing. Even though she couldn’t see Dante’s face, the warmth in his voice was unmistakable.

  ‘Do you think I’d take any risk with your safety?’ he asked.

  Ysande was slow to reply, and when she did, her voice was uncharacteristically soft. ‘I know.’ She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘All right. We’ll go back out into the real world for a while and reconnoitre with the Author’s Daughter and her team of super-fans.’ Another deep, slow breath, then, briskly, ‘Juniper, you ready?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Juniper tried to sound braver than she actually felt. ‘What do I have to do?’

  ‘Just step through the glass. It will feel like passing through water. Don’t worry; you won’t suffocate.’

  ‘How incredibly reassuring,’ Juniper murmured sarcastically. ‘It was nice to meet you, Dante.’

  ‘I hope we’ll meet again, under better circumstances, Juniper.’

  ‘That’s a pretty low bar, but okay.’

  ‘If you ever need me, Juniper, I’ll be in the nearest mirror. You have only to call. We need your help, and we are all in your debt.’

  Juniper wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she just mumbled, ‘Okay.’

  Juniper put her hand out to feel for the surface of the glass. It was there, not solid, but different from the surrounding air — thicker, somehow, like it was a pool of water. Juniper swirled her hand through it and felt it ripple like it had a current. Not completely trusting Ysande, but with no other choice, she drew in a deep breath, then stepped through the mirror.

  It was just as dark on the other side of the mirror. Ysande hadn’t been wrong about the suffocating feeling, but as soon as she emerged from the other side of the glass, something hit Juniper in the face. It was sharp, and she put up her hands to protect her eyes. There seemed to be hundreds of points that clattered as she moved. Her hands tangled in something soft—fabric.