Jack Staples and the City of Shadows Read online

  He’s dancing! Alexia realized.

  When Arthur met Alexia’s eyes, he blushed. “It seems to work better when I dance,” he said sheepishly.

  She stood and limped over to wrap him in a fierce hug. “I missed you!” Alexia said. “And your dancing is splendid. Truly it is!”

  “I missed you too,” Arthur said.

  “Well done, Arthur,” Mrs. Dumphry said as she strode toward them. “Well done, indeed! Before this war is over, you may be one of the most powerful Awakened to ever walk the earth!”

  Arthur turned a deep shade of red. The look on his face was a mixture of pride and embarrassment.

  “We have no time to waste,” Mrs. Dumphry said. “The enemy is already stirring. We must be out of the arena before they awaken.”

  “It’s only the animals that are unconscious,” Josiah said, looking around.

  Alexia stared dizzily at the mountain of Shadow Souled. Josiah was right—anything that looked even remotely like an animal was unconscious. The humanlike dark servants were still conscious but trapped beneath bodies or behind the wall of liquid light. That wouldn’t last long.

  She had a memory of standing in the ruined central market of Belfast. “I think I did this,” she said. “Though I have no idea how.”

  “Let’s not worry about it now,” Mrs. Dumphry said. “We are running out of time. Arthur, you mustn’t—”

  Arthur dropped his hands, gasped, then fainted as the wall of fluid light evaporated, and the mountain of dark servants crumpled.

  Mrs. Dumphry sighed. “You mustn’t let go of your Soulprint too quickly,” she said. “I feared this might happen. Young Mr. Greaves has exhausted himself beyond what is safe. Andreal, would you mind?”

  Andreal threw Arthur over his shoulder as Mrs. Dumphry turned and sent streams of fire into a few dark servants who’d wriggled free from the crush. As the Awakened ran toward the arena exit, Alexia donned her cloak and inserted a stone into her sling. It felt so good to have them back.

  “They’re waking up,” Aias warned.

  “We need to free the others!” Juno called as they entered a darkened passageway. “There are at least five thousand Awakened in the dungeons below.”

  All eyes turned to Mrs. Dumphry. The old woman glanced into the arena as she assessed the situation. Thousands of the Shadow Souled were now awake, though most still wore a dazed look.

  “What do you say, Alexia Dreager? The prophecy says you and young Jack Staples will lead the armies of the Awakened into the Last Battle. If it has truly started, then it is time for you to begin taking this responsibility. Shall we mount a rescue and face impossible odds, or shall we flee and live to fight another day?”

  Alexia didn’t want this responsibility. Yet when she met Josiah’s eyes, she knew what they had to do. “We can’t leave them behind,” she said quickly. “We must try to free them at least!”

  Mrs. Dumphry smiled. “You are showing the signs of a true leader, child. I told you once that the line between foolishness and courage is razor thin. In this case I do not know where it lies. Aias, Andreal, Wild, and I will hold this corridor for as long as we can. The rest of you go and free our people!”

  Alexia turned to her old gang. “I let you down; I know that. And I was wrong. Will you forgive me? And will you follow me into the dungeons?”

  “No,” Josiah said. “I will not follow you because you have no idea where you’re going.” He broke into a wide grin as Juno chortled. “But I will forgive you. Now, follow us!”

  Alexia turned and followed her gang into the dungeons.

  Chapter 24

  A TIMELY BATTLE

  Jack Staples sprinted down an empty street in the City of Shadows. He was desperate to get to the coliseum to help his friends. The bloodthirsty cries resounding through the streets sent a chill down his spine.

  At last it was in sight, and as he ran down the street leading to the arena, two bodies soared across the sky and crashed to the ground just in front of him. Jack stopped—it was the Assassin lying flat on his back with Jack Staples lying atop him. The Assassin was choking the other Jack.

  “Nice trick, boy, but your Soulprint will not save you this time!” the Assassin snarled.

  You’re not going mad, Jack thought. You have seen this before. It’s just you from the future!

  The future Jack was dressed the same and turning an ashen gray. The Assassin stood, holding the other Jack by the neck, lifting him a pace above the ground. The other Jack met Jack’s eyes.

  Jack jumped as he realized he should probably be helping himself. He darted forward, unsheathing Ashandar and swinging the black blade wildly. But the Assassin spotted him; he leaped away and dropped the other Jack.

  “Thanks.” The other Jack fell to his knees, gasping for breath and rubbing his neck.

  “No worries,” Jack replied.

  “Shall we end this?” the future Jack said grimly.

  Jack took a deep breath and tried to sound fierce. “I’m ready if you are,” he said. Ashandar warmed in his hands.

  The Assassin sent black lightning at Jack, but he raised Ashandar high and the bolts dissipated as they struck the sword. The future Jack attacked from the opposite side, and Jack continued his own assault, moving only as he felt the sword prompting.

  A blade of white fire appeared in the Assassin’s hands. As he struck, Jack rolled away. When the Assassin’s blade met the future Jack’s sword, the air cracked and rippled as light and darkness exploded from them.

  The Assassin began to rise from the burning street as the future Jack screamed and leaped onto his back, still holding Ashandar in his hands. Together, the Jack from the future and the Assassin soared away, disappearing into the clouds.

  Jack sheathed Ashandar. What just happened? His chest tightened as the sound of one hundred thousand triumphant voices resounded through the streets and thousands of winged monsters fell from the sky toward the center of the mammoth coliseum.

  Jack watched the falling monsters with a sense of dread. He ran toward the entrance once again, and skidded to a stop.

  Striding out of the coliseum was the Assassin. His skin shimmered in the unearthly light, and his eyes were raging fire. He stopped when he saw Jack, a look of confusion sweeping his sweaty face.

  Jack pulled back the hood of his cloak as he raised Ashandar high. “I am the Child of Prophecy,” he said, “and I will not run away any longer.” This was his destiny; this is what he was born to do.

  “You!” The Assassin offered a grotesque smile. “You dare come here? To my city!” He threw his head back and howled with laughter. “You have arrived just in time. I’ve just killed the girl, and you are the last thing standing in my way.”

  Jack’s heart sank. He was too late. That had to be what he’d heard inside the arena. Alexia must be dead. Why else would the Assassin leave unless he was sure she was gone?

  “No!” Jack shouted. “I don’t believe you. You are the deceiver. Alexia Dreager is still alive!” Another roar from the coliseum cut off to silence. The Assassin glanced back the way he’d come.

  “You’re worried,” Jack said, “because you know I’m right. You will not win. I have met the Author! I know that he still lives. And the army of the Awakened will defeat you soon enough, Assassin!”

  “You are wrong, child. This world belongs to me. And I have no more use for you in my world.” Streams of liquid darkness exploded from the Assassin, while behind him, another Jack appeared, staring at Jack. In that moment Jack heard the ring of time and understood what he was meant to do. He embraced his note and flew backward through the air.

  Jack landed behind the Assassin and met the eyes of the Jack from a few seconds earlier. As the black lightning passed through empty space, Jack saw himself fly backward and disappear. He didn’t hesitate to strike with Ashandar, but the Assassin rose into the air, hov
ering just out of reach of Jack’s blade.

  The Assassin screamed as liquid darkness and molten lava shot from his hands to explode into the earth and buildings below. A split second before they struck, Jack sheathed Ashandar and embraced the bells. He looked up to see himself appear in the sky just above the Assassin.

  Jack flew through time and appeared a split second earlier, high up in the air. The world below exploded as the Assassin sent liquid evil streaming down at the other Jack from a split second earlier. And though Jack couldn’t fly like the Assassin, he could fall as well as anyone. The Assassin destroyed an entire block of the city in his attempt to kill Jack as Jack crashed into him from above.

  The Assassin grunted when Jack clung to his neck.

  Alexia followed Josiah and the others down a never-ending flight of stairs. “What’s this I hear about you being the Child of Prophecy?” Juno asked as they ran.

  “What about it?”

  “I don’t want you thinking we’ll be doing any bowing or scraping.”

  Alexia laughed.

  They rounded a corner and ran through a door into a mammoth underground chamber. Thousands of narrow mounds littered the ground. Alexia stumbled. “Are those … graves?” The mounds definitely looked like graves, though each had a small, rounded metal grate at one end.

  Juno shook her head as she darted to a nearby lever. An ear-splitting boom echoed through the chamber as the metal grates popped open. One by one, prisoners began crawling out of the narrow mounds.

  “They’re both prison and grave,” Josiah said angrily. “If you die or get sick inside, they seal it up and leave you there.”

  Thousands of prisoners groaned as they crawled out and stretched cramped muscles. Alexia looked at the mounds again and saw that many had been sealed. “Where are the guards?” She felt ill. How many had died down here while she had been dining on her favorite foods and sleeping in a plush bed?

  “I overheard a Shadule say that every dark servant in the city was expected to be in the arena to see you bow before the Assassin,” Juno said. “So why did you bow anyway? If you knew you were going to stand with us, why did you give him the satisfaction?”

  “Because I didn’t know I was going to stand with you until I did it.”

  “How could you not know?”

  “Because I—”

  “We don’t have time for this.” Josiah placed a hand on Alexia’s shoulder, and she nodded. “I’ll get this lot out,” he said. “Juno, you take Alexia to the Clear Eyes. We’ll meet you up top.”

  “What are Clear Eyes?” Alexia asked.

  “It’s what the Awakened call the animals,” Josiah said, “the ones that have chosen to follow the Author. There are at least twenty thousand in the dungeons below.”

  “Benaiah and Adeline, come with us,” Juno said. “Summer, you stay with Josiah. These prisoners are going to need your skills.”

  Summer nodded and began walking between the prisoners. As she walked, she spread out her arms. Nothing happened that Alexia could see, but she did notice the nearest prisoners began looking somehow … stronger.

  “Are you coming or not?” Juno turned to Alexia.

  “I’m coming! I was just … I’m sorry, Juno. I’m coming.” Alexia darted after Juno.

  Jack clung to the Assassin as they soared high above the City of Shadows. The Assassin spun and flipped, rocketing forward, but Jack held on. Then the Assassin reached back and wrapped his fingers around Jack’s neck. Jack gasped as he tried in vain to tear the sweaty hands away.

  No! Darkness formed at the edges of his vision. Then he remembered—and he listened for his note, for the ring of time. Suddenly, Jack and the Assassin rocketed through time, appearing three minutes earlier. They hit the ground, but the Assassin barely noticed the crash landing. He stood and lifted Jack by the neck.

  “Nice trick, boy, but your Soulprint will not save you this time!” he snarled.

  Jack’s vision blurred as he frantically searched for himself. There! He met the other Jack’s eyes and the other Jack started, then unsheathed Ashandar and dove at the Assassin. At the last second the Assassin dropped Jack and leaped away.

  Jack landed on his knees and gasped for breath. As the Assassin rounded on the other Jack, Jack looked himself in the eye and nodded.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “No worries.”

  “Shall we end this?”

  “I’m ready if you are,” the past Jack said fiercely.

  Both Jacks felt their blades begin to warm. The Assassin roared. The battle began again.

  The Assassin hurled black lightning and torrents of liquid darkness that exploded around them, yet the twin Ashandars deflected the attacks. The Assassin screamed, and as he began to rise, Jack leaped onto his back. Together they flew high into the air—leaving the Jack from the past standing on the ground below.

  Arthur could barely find the strength to open his eyes. When he did, he saw a world gone mad. He was lying on cold marble in the center of a narrow passage. A few paces on either side of him, fierce battle raged. Andreal roared as he slammed ax and fist into a wall of dark servants. There were so many of the Shadow Souled and the passageway was so narrow that the bodies were piling up. On Arthur’s other side, Mrs. Dumphry sent streams of fire into rank after rank of shrieking attackers.

  Wild was lying next to him, leaning heavily against the wall. His eyes were closed and he was covered in dried blood. Arthur touched Wild’s knee fearfully, hoping he was still alive. Wild’s eyes shot open, and in less than a heartbeat, he was kneeling over Arthur with a blade pressed against his throat.

  “You really need to be more careful,” Wild said shakily as he made the knife disappear somewhere up his sleeve.

  Arthur fingered the tiny cut on his neck. “What’s happening?” He groaned. He was so tired he could barely form the words.

  “We are holding the stairwell for as long as we can,” Wild said. “Alexia has gone with the others to free prisoners from the dungeons below.”

  Arthur turned to see the darkened stairwell. “Then why are you sleeping?”

  “We have no idea how long we will need to hold this corridor,” Wild said. “It’s so narrow that only two or three of the dark servants can attack at a time, and when they die, their bodies block others from coming. If we save our energy, we should be able to hold it for a while, so we’re taking turns. Before you woke me, I was resting.” Wild yawned. “I’ll switch places with Mrs. Dumphry soon enough.”

  Arthur could see it now; the corridor was packed to bursting with dark servants, but there were so many that it was working against them. “And Aias?”

  “Aias is one floor down, watching the stairs to make sure we aren’t attacked from below.”

  Arthur laid his head back against the floor, letting the exhaustion sink into his bones. “You can really sleep in the middle of all of this?”

  Wild grinned. “You’ve been, haven’t you? When you use your Soulprint as strongly as you did, you can sleep for a week. If you aren’t careful, you could drop dead from exhaustion. You did well, but right now what you need is rest!”

  Arthur did feel more exhausted than ever before. Yet as he watched Andreal slam his fist into an Oriax, he couldn’t imagine being able to sleep. Though he might close his eyes for a moment, just to let them rest a bit.

  Alexia was surrounded by thousands of animals of every kind—polar bear, giraffe, crocodile, ape, muskrat, koala, moose, dog, ostrich, hippo, panda, elephant, mouse … Every animal Alexia had ever heard of and many she’d never heard of was in this mammoth cavern, each kept in a pen barely large enough for it to stand. Alexia stifled an urge to scream.

  “They force the Clear Eyes to fight one another in the arena,” Juno said disgustedly. “Those that refuse are killed by Oriax who want to become more powerful. The animals that choose to fight becom
e Oriax or they die.” Tears shone in Juno’s eyes. “It’s horrible.”

  Alexia felt sick. The Assassin was making animals kill one another so he could grow his army of Oriax. It was too terrible to imagine. She walked over and placed her hand on the trunk of a particularly large elephant. She was only a little surprised to find she knew the animal. Its name was Ollie.

  I should have expected it. The Assassin had rounded up every human and animal Alexia had ever interacted with. She wouldn’t be surprised if all of the animals from the circus were somewhere in this chamber.

  “I’m sorry, Ollie,” she whispered. “I am going to get you out of here; I promise.”

  The elephant wrapped its trunk around Alexia in a sort of elephant hug. She looked at Ollie and felt something stirring; an image formed in her mind’s eye, but before she could grasp it, Juno spoke.

  “You know this elephant?”

  The image dissipated. Alexia shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I do,” she said and stepped onto one of Ollie’s tusks. “He was one of my very best friends.” Ollie lifted her up just as he had back in the circus.

  “Your friends have a habit of winding up here.”

  “It’s true,” Alexia said sadly. “Let’s get them out. All of them.” Alexia scanned the nearest animals and pointed at a large moose and a particularly savage-looking Bengal tiger. “Those two will be safe,” she said. “They are wild, but they will not harm you. Climb on and follow me.” Alexia couldn’t say how she knew this. There were others that might have been safer to ride, but these two wanted to help; she could feel it.

  Adeline and Juno looked at her as if she’d gone mad.

  “It’s one of my Soulprints,” she said. “They will not harm you. They want to fight the Assassin as badly as we do.”

  “You had better be right,” Juno said as she walked to the Bengal tiger and climbed on. The tiger snarled but seemed content to let her stay. Adeline watched, wide-eyed, then walked to the moose. The majestic animal stamped its hooves, then bent its head low. Adeline grabbed its antlers, and in one smooth motion she was on its back.