Chapter 8

I hadn’t noticed the summer dress causing much hindrance to my fighting style, and I had several in a similar style. I put on a different one and packed a short skirt and tee-shirt combo as alternatives. Mum gave a small smile of approval. I mean the hemline wasn’t that much lower, but it did cross that narrow dividing line on the parental scale between cuteness and indecency. The dress had puff sleeves and a ruffled skirt, which I think helped from the cuteness angle.

We chatted over breakfast about nothing much leaving me feeling closer to her than I ever remember.

I left early, collecting my demon horn on the way out. Even at two thirds original size it wasn’t possible to conceal it, so I carried it like it was some attempt at modern sculpture. Nobody gave me a second look when I arrived on campus. Partly because there weren’t that many other people about, and partly because, even after just one day, I was giving off weird girl vibes.

I headed straight for the library where I dumped the horn unceremoniously on the counter.

Stuart looked up from his never-ending task of putting books on the right shelves and did a double take.

“Good Lord,” he said, wandering over.

“It used to be bigger, but he started shrinking once I broke his other horn and jammed a heel in the soft bit.”

“Good Lord.”

“Yeah, think about half as big again and sitting on top of some overly muscled dude with thick leathery skin, maybe twelve feet tall.”

“Good Lord.”

“Is this taking over from, ‘what?’”

“What?”

“No. Okay, good to know. Like, maybe knowing a little more about these things might have been useful last night.”

“Yes, yes, I can imagine. How did you...?”

“I had a little help.”

“You, you involved a civilian?”

“He kind of involved himself, which was just as well since without him I wouldn’t have known where to start.”

“He, he who?”

“Might the word you’re looking for be heehaw?”

“What?”

“I don’t know, like donkey sounds or something?”

“No, no, who was this he?”

“Oh. His name is David Engel. I thought you might already know him.”

“No, no. I’m not familiar with...”

“Actually you might be,” Miss Ephemeris said appearing from the storeroom at the back. “You’ve heard of Der Schattenengel?”

“The Shadow Angel? Of course, but he disappeared about a hundred years ago. I-it is believed he was destroyed, although no-one ever claimed to have, er, ended him.”

“That’s because no-one did. Not in that way in any case.”

“Er, hello? New girl here. And how long have you been back there? Because if it’s all night then ew.”

“Well, the, the, er, last is none of your business. The rest, er Jen, perhaps you would care to...”

Jen? Ew!

“Sit down Sarah, this could take a while. Stuart, a fresh pot of tea perhaps?”

Stuart! Double ew!!

“You know vampires aren’t of this world.”

“Appearing through mystic one-way portals. Got that.”

“They’re not as they originally were either as far as we can tell. The, er, vampirism is sort of a disease. Somewhere between a virus and a parasite.”

“You know this from what, studying the dust?”

“No, we’ve captured a few before now. We suspected it may be a pathogen when we first noticed it being passed on to humans.”

“I’m sorry. A pathogen from a different universe and it can infect humans?”

“Yes, it seems unlikely, doesn’t it? Poses all sorts of questions we can’t answer at present.

“What we do know is it replicates a little like a virus, which seems to be how it can cross species. It enters a human cell – even a dead one – and replicates itself using genetic material from the host, which seems to make it more compatible to the host. After this it behaves more like a parasite, reanimating dead cells where necessary, changing behaviour, increasing strength and speed...”

“Length of canines...”

“Yes, that too.”

“So, are you telling me this thing brings people back from the dead.”

“Not necessarily and only after a fashion.”

“Sense. Making. Not.”

“The parasite alters the mental state. Resurrected vampires tend to be more like the portal vamps. Slow witted and driven by hunger. Living ones become... well the only word that really describes them is evil.

“They retain their intelligence but none of their humanity. They need to drink blood to survive, but they seem to thrive on causing misery.

“Der Schattenengel, the Shadow Angel, was a live human who turned vampire more than four hundred years ago. He destroyed life after life. His modus operandi was to select a female victim then sending her slowly mad by inflicting misery after misery on her. Killing her family, her friends, her lovers, her pets even, and bringing them back as mindless undead things.”

“Pets as well?”

“Not pets. The parasite only seems to affect humans in this world. Human relations were enough though. Then only when her mind was utterly broken would he turn her into a creature like himself.”

“If it’s a disease, then it can be cured though, can’t it?”

“Yes and no.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s only been in the last century or so that the medical science became sufficiently advanced that we even had a chance. We did find a way to destroy the parasite, but it didn’t result in a complete cure.

“Resurrected vampires went back to being dead bodies, generally aging fast enough that they turned into dust, much like the portal vampires.

“Living vampires didn’t seem to lose any of the physical changes brought on by the parasite. They remained essentially eternal with the teeth and the thirst for blood, also with their greater strength and speed, but their minds... Well, it’s difficult to know what happened to their minds.

“We captured Der Schattenengel and gave him the treatment. He was filled with a deep anguish that temporarily increased his strength beyond measure. In his despair, he destroyed our lab and everything in it, including all notes on how to make the formula. He almost destroyed our organisation.

“He escaped our captivity, and when we eventually rebuilt our strength and found him again, he was changed beyond recognition. We believe his humanity, for want of a better term, has been restored to him, that he now remembers and is revolted by all the horrendous things he has done. He stays apart from other people, still living in the shadows. He has resisted any attempt to contact him and seems to spend his existence – one can imagine you would hardly call it a life – seeking out and destroying the things that made him.”

“You think this David Engel is this shitting angel of yours? This shadow angel?”

“Der Schattenengel. We know he is. You are the first person he’s spoken to in the ninety plus years since we, er, treated him.”

“And the we in all this is...?”

“We refer to our self as the Paganologists. I know, it’s a dreadful name, but we’re kind of stuck with it. The organisation began in the nineteen thirties I suppose, mixing magic and technology. That’s kind of how we came up with such an advanced cure back in the days when penicillin had only just been invented. Our technology has come a long way since then, but the magical aspect that made the cure work, that we haven’t been able to recreate.

“There are a great many in the organisation who believe what we did to David was unconscionable, that for someone with the memories of all the atrocities he committed, the cure is too horrible a thing to endure. Others are still working on it because there are newly made live vampires all the time who haven’t yet done much to distress them.”

“When were you going to tell me any of this?”

“Well, as you can see, I did so as soon as I knew you’d encountered Mr Engel. Sarah, you’re so new to this, we had to be a little more sure of you before telling you more.”

“What about you, Stuart? Are you a part of these Pagan Technologists too?”

“No, no,” sometime in the middle of Miss Ephemeris’s monologue, Stuart had reappeared with a tray of tea things. He poured me a cup which tasted almost as good as Mum’s. “No,” he repeated, “I belong to a group known as the Seers.”

“You mean like those Greek women who could see the future?”

“Spelled the same, but neither I nor any in my order are, are either female or gifted with clairvoyance.

“I suspect, like Miss Ephemeris, the person or persons who first chose the name didn’t think things through adequately. We are seers in that we see a little further into the world and what is going on, especially in the realm of the mystical.”

“So, Lookers would be better?”

“Yes or w... whatever. The name is what it is and we’re, er, stuck with it. We are aware of the Paganologists, although I wasn’t familiar with this particular episode in their history, however our interests are aligned, and I can see many advantages to our collaboration at present.”

I’ll bet you can. Oh, ew. Bad imagination. Down. Older people having... doing... ew! It shouldn’t be allowed.

“Such as.” I glanced at the clock. The school day was due to start in about ten minutes.

“Well, Miss Ephemeris has kindly agreed to have her organisation’s, er, tech team digitise my bestiary of known portal creatures and turn it into an app. She says it should take a day or so, then if you encounter anything new, you point your phone’s camera at it, and it will give you a series of best guesses of what you’re looking at, along with a list of its strengths and weaknesses. Now won’t that be useful?”

“Yes, my jolly goodness it will be. Please don’t use that patronising tone.”

“We’ve also agreed to a sharing our arcane knowledge," Miss E interjected before Giles could recover enough to apologise. "Stuart has one of the most extensive private collections of arcana I’ve ever encountered, but there are a number of volumes I know we have that he doesn’t and vice versa, so we’re going to digitise those and make copies for each other. Laurel’s going to help with that when she gets here.

“I’m hopeful we’ll find some clues about the nature of the portals. Maybe find a way to close them or make them two way. If we can either shut them out or take the fight to them, it’ll be better than being stuck fighting the defensive all the time.

“There’s a good chance we can find something useful to do with this too,” she hefted the demon horn. “Can you describe what this came from a bit more?”

I went into as much detail as I could remember. Stuart opened the book to about two thirds of the way through. The drawing on the page looked a very close to the reality of the previous night.

“You did well to defeat this thing,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have known where to start without David. He put himself at considerable risk to give me a chance of beating it.”

“You seem to have developed a fondness for him,” Stuart said.

“You seem to have developed a fondness for Miss Ephemeris.” They both had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Shall we agree not to poke our noses where they don’t belong?”

“That would be as well,” Jen said, “but David isn’t a normal person. He’s four hundred years old and has three hundred years of atrocities in his past to deal with.”

“I know, I was listening. I’ll take that into account, but all the more reason why he has someone in his life who'll let him know he’s still worth caring about.”

“Well, perhaps you’re right. Just remember, we’re here if you need to talk to someone.”

“I appreciate that. I should be getting to registration. I suspect there’s going to be an assembly today.”

“Yes, something about Miss Vander. You said you’d explain today.”

“Yeah, turns out she was a giant black widow spider lady and had a bunch of guys from the college all wrapped up in cocoons ready to feed her offspring when they hatched. I killed her, released her captives then blew up her house to make sure all the little spiders were dead. Gotta go, see you later.”

#

There was an assembly, largely to impart the sad news that Miss Vander had been killed in a gas explosion the previous night. There had been some reports that she’d invited certain boys to her house for extra tuition and the police were interested in hearing from anyone who might know anything.

I caught Big L looking at me along with a number of other faces I remembered from the spider’s lair. Even Nick glanced across at me, but I kept my face passive and the moment passed.

Later, during break, Big Larry and the others ambushed me in the corridor outside the library.

“Did you do it?” Larry asked.

“Do what?” I asked.

“You know.”

“You can’t even say it, can you? Sexy pheromones from the spider lady entice you all to her lair where she wraps you up in cocoons to feed to her children, then this little girl half your weight – maybe a third yours Larry – comes along and beats the giant spider lady into sticky black goo.

“Never happened, 'cos I don’t want to end up in the funny farm. Might I suggest you adopt the same approach?”

“What do we say then? I mean they know we were invited.”

“Say you went, but the whole thing felt creepy when you got there. Funky smell, the place looked a mess. You had bad vibes so backed off and went home. They may ask if the funky smell was like gas, if one or two of you say maybe, then they’ll have an explanation they can believe.”

“But you actually did it, didn’t you?”

“If anyone asks me, ‘did I rescue a bunch of guys from a demon spider,” I shall deny it. I shall laugh and ask them what kind of fantasy world they live in.”

“What was that douche de aragney shit about then?”

“That was a joke of sorts. I was covered in spider guts and it felt as disgusting as I’m sure it looked. Now if anyone asks, I didn’t say any of that, so please go away and leave me alone.”

In the library I was little more forthcoming. Stuart couldn’t find anything in his bestiary about monster spiders, so I wrote out a new entry for him with as much as I could remember, including a piece of artwork that would have made my parents proud, had I still been five. Since it didn’t seem to have anything to do with the portals, it didn’t go in the bestiary.

The police did want a word with me because Nick said I’d been with him, so I told them my version of how Nick had seemed like he was on some kind of drug, then how creepy the house had been.

Miss Vander had seemed upset when she found out I’d come along, and I’d persuaded him to come away.

They asked me if I’d smelt gas so I told them my mum had an electric oven, but yeah, maybe it had smelled a bit like the chemistry lab. Overall I was quite pleased by my blonde ditz impression. It must have been convincing because they left me alone after a while, despite Clarissa trying to make trouble for me. According to her I was some kind of psychopath who needed watching. According to me she was jealous because I was a much better dancer than she was. According to the police we were a couple a vacuous girls who were in danger of wasting their time. The Miss Vander case was eventually deemed death by misadventure and life returned to normal for a week or so.

For a given value of normal that is. My after-school ‘detentions’ were spent in the basement with the wards temporarily withdrawn, dealing largely with vampires and greshnicks. Every now and then something new would turn up, like the giant flesh-eating worm that turned out to be sensitive to anything alkaline and was easily dispatched when Laurel providing me with a flask of concentrated sodium hydroxide solution and a pair of goggles. I ended up with chemical burns on my arms and legs and my dress in rags, but by the time I’d showered and changed into my spare outfit, my injuries had all but healed.

The visit to the gynaecologist was unpleasant but had the bonus of presenting no anomalies. It turned out I was one hundred percent sugar and spice.

Following the week of detentions, Stuart and Jen alternated giving me ‘evening training sessions’ that ended up with the school’s boiler room disappearing under more layers of dust. The creatures coming through had a sort of cannon fodder feel to them, like sticking a helmet out of the foxhole to check if the sniper was still there.

It made no sense though. I mean, if the portals were truly one way, how could bad guy central know what had happened to their soldiers.

I mentioned this to Jen who became very excited. The next time she oversaw my ‘training’, she and Laurel set up a series of intricately drawn patterns prior to dropping the wards.

I didn’t see anything different. The portal sparkled. A half dozen vampires appeared, followed by a particularly large greshnick. I’m not sure if the vampires were intended to distract me so the greshnick could make it through my defences, or if the greshnick was supposed to keep me occupied while the vampires escaped, but neither happened. The boiler room was surrounded by a sort of invisible, impenetrable barrier – impenetrable to portal spawn at least – so I was able to use it tactically to dispatch my enemies without putting myself at risk.

With all threats dispatched, I watched as Laurel and Jen completed whatever they’d started and we watched ghosts of the nasties recreate their battle with a me shaped shadow.”

“There,” Jen said as the first one burst into dust and a streak of blue sparkles disappeared back into the portal.

“Coming up,” I said as my shadow leapt into a rapidly spinning split that took out two vampires at once. Yet again, blue sparkles sped into a point of nothingness.

“When did you kill the big guy?” Jen asked.

“Three more vampires. Maybe forty-five seconds?”

“Can you be more accurate?”

“I can count you in from maybe five.”

“That’ll do.” She started preparing ingredients.

“Coming up.”

“Ready.”

I let me mind slip into the movements of the dance. “Five,” I said as my shadow did a reverse swallow dive over the lunging creature. “Four,” saw my heel stab it in the back, narrowly missing the target area. “Three,” shadow me jumped back through the barrier while the rapidly spinning monster collided with it, stunning itself momentarily. “Two,” as a graceful spinning twist took me over its head and landed both heels in its sensitive spot. “One and,” as I dived forward and took all the force on my arms. “Zero,” just as I pushed backwards and jammed both spikes into its back, one either side of the spine.

Jen completed her movements, casting a rainbow dusting into the air just as a larger blue sparkle emerged from the explosion of dust. It picked up some of the colours as it streaked home.

I had my phone out and videoing everything. I wasn’t sure anything would show up, but it had to be worth a try.

“Did you see the colour spread?” she asked Laurel, who gave a shrug and an uncertain shake of her head.

“Might this help?” I asked, reviewing my video. The colours were clear.

“Now why didn’t I think of that?” she said taking my phone from me and entering a rather involved and confusing discussion with Laurel.

There wasn’t much for me to do except watch the sparkles of the portal.

A sickly grey arm reached out of the midst of the glowing region. Only my super-fast reflexes kept me safe. The arm disappeared back inside.

“Er,” I said.

“Not right now, Sarah.”

“But shouldn’t the portal be warded?”

“Shit, you’re right.” Laurel and Jen interrupted their discussion to reset the wards. I waited till they were done.

“Neither of you saw that just now, did you?” I asked.

“Saw what?” As usual, Jen asking, Laurel nodding in nervous agreement.

“That arm that reached through the portal and took a swipe at me.”

“What arm, where?” Jen was looking around.

“It disappeared back into the portal.”

She looked at me as though I had two heads. I had a feel just to make sure, I mean weirder things had happened.

“I’d say impossible, but we just proved things can go back through.”

“Maybe they saw we’d figured it out and thought there was no sense hiding anymore,” I said.

“Which would suggest not only can they move both ways, but they can see through from their side,” Laurel added with a distraught look.

“Either way, we’ve just taken this to the next level,” Jen said. “I think we can expect a retaliation of sorts.”

“Worse than the swipey thing through the portal?”

“I think that was just a burst of anger. I need to call Stuart, have him keep an eye on the portal. You need to be ready to patrol.”

“I’d better head home then. Put the ‘rents in a good mood before disappearing off again.”

“Alright. Here’s your phone. I forwarded the video to myself. I think we can do something with it. Well done both of you.”

Laurel, it turned out, lived in my neighbourhood. We hadn’t spoken much – geeks verses jocks sort of thing I’m guessing – but she looked really scared.

“Keep me company?” I asked her.

Her face crumbled into a look of almost pathetic relief. “Sure,” she said.

“You know, I haven’t really thanked you for saving my neck back when I came on the witch’s forum.”

“Oh, I didn’t do anything. Just went to get help.”

“Without which I’d probably be a pimple on someone’s bum right now.”

“They’re not that powerful, those two. They like to pretend they are, but the goddess doesn’t show much kindness to selfish, vindictive creeps like them.”

“That probably means you’re really powerful, right. I mean by contrast...”

“That’s really sweet. You’re really sweet, you know? I mean I didn’t know what to think, you know with you being a guy once and everything.”

“You’re not into guys then?”

“My mother’s aren’t. I hate to think what would happen if I brought one home.”

“Kind of frog soup for supper?”

“Oh, no. They’re not... I mean, they don’t know about me and, and magic, you know. They’re just your average run of the mill lesbians. I think they want me to be one too.”

“So how did they, you know, have you. I mean, if it’s not rude to ask...”

“No, it’s fine. Mummy C used to work at a sperm bank. She was sacked for making an unauthorised withdrawal, so to speak, but by then I was already, you know...?”

“On the way?”

“Yeah.”

“So, Mummy C?”

“One of my mother’s is Caroline and the other Shannon, so Mummy C and Mummy S. It saves confusion most of the time.”

“Probably a good job you didn’t end up as a boy.”

“Oh, I’d have probably ended up as a girl regardless of what my body turned out to be, but Mummy C made sure. The sperm bank had one section where the X chromosome sperm were separated from the Y. Mum made sure she stole from the X.”

“Sounds kind of creepy, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Oh, no, it totally is. I’m going to tell them one day, when I have the courage.”

“How’s that coming along?”

“What?”

“You seem scared most of the time.”

“Yeah, I... am, I guess. I don’t know how you do it. Not be scared, I mean.”

“I’m scared. Though I guess I’m also pretty confident in what I can do. That helps.”

“Yeah, it would. I can’t do anything.”

“Not true. You can do maths, and magic. You can do mathemagic. I mean that’s pretty amazing.”

“You say so, but...”

“No but. I mean Mr Giles and Miss Ephemeris can do all kinds of things, and I’m pretty sure you could do the same. You just need to believe in yourself a bit more.”

“That’s easy for you to say.”

“Not so much. I had to convince myself I could do this dance fighting thing. True, I was pretty kickass from the get go, but the first time it was me against a greshnick three times my size, I wouldn’t have minded a pep talk.”

“Besides, I’ve seen what you can do. I didn’t understand any of it, but you were holding your own with the others when you were setting up the wards and when you were doing that tracer thing this afternoon. The only thing they have that you don’t is a couple of extra decades, and that just means you’re cuter.”

“You think I look cute? I mean I could try and be gay if you like. I’ve had a lot of, you know, from watching my... mothers... Oh God!”

“And breathe. You are cute, but not really my thing. Apart from that, you could have any guy or girl you want pretty much.”

“Well, no, because, you. I mean, not that I was really serious, but you said...”

“I know what I said. Thing is, I’m kind of stuck on a guy. Older guy, you know? About four hundred years older.”

“Oh yeah, that angel character. What’s it like, you know, when, you know...?”

“Kind of soft and mushy inside, and your brain goes bleaugh, but you don’t really care because, like wow! And then you do care because you don’t want him to think you’re... and then like yikes! But then he’s really cool about it and you go all soft and mushy again, and... wow!”

“Wow!”

“It’ll happen to you too. I mean, you just have to be open to it. Have you thought about Nick, for instance.”

“Oh, no! Not him.”

“Why not? He’s really kind and thoughtful, underneath the... Yeah I guess that takes a bit of getting past.”

“No, it’s not that. I mean haven’t you noticed? He was always really, you know, around you, but then you changed into a girl and... Kind of friend zone, don’t you think?”

“You don’t mean he’s...? No!”

“Hello? Pretty well developed gaydar here. Kind of grew up with it.”

“He did want me to dress up as a girl to go to the Christmas dance.”

“And now that you are actually a girl?

“Yeah, not so much. Wow, I’d never have guessed.”

“I’m not sure he has yet either. Kind of weird feelings that translate into ideas for childish pranks. He’ll probably hate himself when he figures it out.”

“Because of his family.”

“Yep.”

“Tough break. Hey, we can go to the dance together if you like, if no-one else asks. You know, totally platonic, maybe scope out the guys when we get there.”

“My mums would be thrilled. But someone’s sure to ask you. I mean you’re gorgeous.”

“And also a psychopath according to Clarissa.”

“You shouldn’t listen to her, she’s just bitter and twisted.”

“I don’t, listen to her. I just wish nobody else did.”

“Oh, right.”

“Anyway, if we go together and some tall dark and handsome tetra centenarian happens to crash the party...”

“Nice dream. Anyway, this is me. I’d invite you in, but my mums would get totally the wrong idea.”

“Yeah, I should get home anyway. Pinkstone.” I pointed at a line of pink crystals embedded in the top of the garden wall.

“Rose quartz. Mum S is into crystals. Rose quartz is associated with love, compassion and healing. When they got married, neither of them wanted to keep their maiden name, so they chose a new one.”

“I like it. Love, compassion and healing. They kind of suit you.”

“I could totally go gay for you. I won’t though. I like that you’re a friend.”

“We could try for BFF. I never had one of those before.”

“Not even Nick?”

“Not after what you just said about him. Friend zone now, which I’m happier with, but a BFF needs to be another girl, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. Okay bestie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Two minutes more had me home. It was still light outside so Dad had nothing to grumble about. Mum was halfway through cooking dinner, so I laid the table and she didn’t have anything to complain about either.

“Homework?” Dad asked.

I shook my head. “None, and I’m ahead on my reading.”

“Early night then.”

“Or maybe I could go round to a friend’s? You know the Pinkstones? Live a couple of streets over.”

“Is that the lesbian couple?” Mum asked, mouthing the unsavoury word.

“Yeah, but that’s not Laurel’s fault. She’s really nice and really clever.”

“I’m not having you in a relationship with someone like that,” Dad said.

“Neither of us is looking to be in a relationship, Dad. Besides, I mean, it’s not as if homosexuality is hereditary, is it?”

“What?”

“Kind of hard to have a child with someone of the same sex.”

“Not impossible though.”

“Not gay, Dad. Me that is. Which means now I am a girl, I’m not interested in girls that way. Laurel isn’t either. Girls make friends with each other all the time, that’s all this is.”

“Well, alright then. Home by ten.”

“Twelve.”

“Ten-thirty. No later.”

“Okay, sure.”

“That’s it? No more argument?”

“You’re my dad. I should listen to you. Looks like dinner’s ready.”

I ate slowly and sensibly and still beat Mum. There wasn’t much family chat tonight – probably surprised my dad by capitulating so quickly – so they let me excuse myself and disappear out the door without another word.

I called Stuart to let him know I was patrolling until ten-thirty, then followed his direction to a nearby church yard, where I unsheathed my weapons.

“Do I really make you feel like that?” a voice said from the shadows.

“You know it’s rude to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations.” I turned my burning face away from him.

“I’m sorry, I was nearby and couldn’t help it. I thought it was really sweet.”

“Yeah, well I have a confession to make. I was told a few things about you recently. You probably wouldn't have wanted me to hear them, but I wasn't given the choice.”

“Oh.”

“It’s quite a lot to take in.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t see how you had much control over what you were doing.”

“Shows you don’t know much about it then.”

“You could tell me.”

“No!”

“Okay, I guess I’m stuck not knowing much about it.”

“Just drop it, will you?”

“Okay. We’re expecting company tonight.”

“I know, I was told.”

“You okay to fight them?”

“Always.”

“Even with me? Even with what I know about you.”

“Even with you. Even after all that.”

“It’s not really my fault you know?”

“Like all those things I did weren't mine?”

“I didn’t ask to be told.”

“But you listened anyway even though you knew you shouldn't. Like it was still me inside and I still did those things. I actually thought it was amusing at the time.”

“So, what changed when they gave you the cure? What changed in you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Maybe they gave you back something that was missing, something that meant you weren’t really you when you did those things, just mostly “

“I said, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Subject dropped. I’d say sorry, but I’m not.”

“You’re an annoying, interfering, immature little girl.”

“You say the nicest things. I have an app on my phone which might help if we end up facing something new. Just don’t go all gung ho the instant something arrives.”

“You know that term originates from the Chinese gōnghé, meaning work together.”

“So how come it means just go for it now?”

“Misused by idiots who didn’t know the meaning.”

“Well okay. One idiot who will try not to misuse it again, but let’s come up with a plan before doing anything.”

“Whatever you say.”

“No. You have more experience than me. I may have access to more information, but I’d prefer it to be whatever we say.”

“Okay, whatever you say.”

“So you can be annoying and immature too.”

He grinned at me. The elephant was back behind the curtain for now.

A familiar grey arm appeared in the middle of a twinkling disturbance, fifty yards away. I prepared my app. The rest of the creature appeared, all legs and arms with serrated edges. The head was narrow with a sharp ridge of bone running from brow to chin.

The app flickered through a number of images and swiftly settled on one that looked precisely like the creature in front of us

“Krrst,” I said. “No vowels just k-r-r-s-t. Has the capacity to sidestep through adjacent dimensions, meaning it seems to disappear then reappear a few moments later. Usually right next to its target with those serrated limbs already sticking in them. Keep moving and try to predict where it will appear. Strike it as it does so to harm it.”

“Not so useful,” David said as the new arrival vanished.

“Move in random directions. Keep moving.” I followed my own advice and started bouncing at random. I caught a hint of blur in the air then another. It was homing in on my companion. One more blur, seemingly at regular intervals several seconds apart. I judged the timing and jumped.

“Duck!” I shouted. He did as I said just as the creature phased into existence, its arm thrust exactly where David had been an instant earlier. My own sharpened heel jammed into its skull and it fell like a pile of loose firewood before collapsing into ash.

“How did you...?”

“It looks like they phase back into this dimension just enough to give them a peak every few seconds. It looks like a faint ripple in the air and happens at regular intervals. They home in on their prey then appear with their limbs where they expect their enemy to be. More coming. Two this time.”

“Shit. Here, take these.” He handed me a couple of short daggers made of what looked like bone.”

“What about you?”

“There was enough of that demon horn to make four. I’d rather we were both armed, and these aren’t vampires, so Irish dance not that useful.”

I took the blades. “You take the one heading right, I’ll take the other. Follow it’s approximate direction of travel and watch for...”

“I see it, it’s tracking you.”

“I know. Keep moving, don’t make it too easy for it. Warn me when you think...”

“Jump!”

I did just as the first figure appeared with one of David’s daggers in its gut.”

“Duck left.” I called as I came down on a second emergent form. It swung enough to catch my companion across his left arm, then moments later it had my left heel in its skull.

David hissed and I glanced at him in time to see his eyes turn a sickly yellow. His canines showed.

“Four now,” I said. “Keep it together.

I started dancing about like an epileptic flea, my eyes swivelling to catch any hint of motion.

“Forward roll!” I called. He dived as two appeared, one ahead and low, the other to the side, swinging where he’d been standing. I landed by the upright one and caught it in the side with the dagger. The weapon was potent enough to turn it to dust.

Instinct made me leap sideways just as the third one appeared, by which time David was on his feet, one of his daggers flying through the air and catching my would be assailant in the stomach – assuming he had one and kept it in the usual place.

Two down. David reached to pick up his fallen dagger. Again, instinct took over. “Down, I yelled and threw myself into the face of a newly appearing monster.

Three down. The fourth was retreating. On the off chance that it had to appear back in our dimension before stepping through the portal, I judged and threw, my blade hitting the creature just as it solidified.

I circled around close to the portal, picked up the fallen blade, all the time ready for another grey limb, but it seemed they’d given up on that tactic.

What next? Both daggers in one hand, phone in the other. Back off into a defensive stance beside my co-fighter.

“You okay?”

“Don’t mind me.”

“As long as you’re not going feral on me.”

“Don’t have a lot of faith in me, do you?”

“Haven’t given me a lot of reason to yet, have you?”

“You’re like a fucking dog with a bone. Will you give it a rest, woman?”

“Now that at least sounds like a human response. Sure that injury isn’t going to slow you down?”

“You do you and let me do me. Looks like the next wave is coming.”

What appeared next. Was four legged and vaguely feline. Its claws looked like they could grasp hold of things. Branches, people, whatever, and its jaws hinges wide enough to fit a whole human head, assuming the sabre like teeth didn’t get in the way. A long tail whipped around, providing added balance and potentially an added weapon since the tip appeared to be sharp and glistening.

“Manticore,” I read from my phone. “Poisonous sting in its tail, otherwise claws and teeth are wicked sharp. Loose folds of skin around the neck hard to get through.”

“One each?” he asked as a second materialised beside the first.

“Sounds like a plan, but don’t get possessive. Whoever kills their first gets to help with the other.”

“Just as long as you don’t mind being helped. I’m going left.” With that he launched himself at the left creature, leaving me to charge at the right hand one and deflect its tail which it had aimed at David.

They were fast and agile and didn’t seem to tire. I led mine away from the other so that they couldn’t gang up against one of us. The horn blades proved useful, forcing me to use both arms and legs, which gave me four weapons against its five. It seemed to favour the tail, which it cracked like a whip, spraying toxin at me, which I barely avoided.

“Tail whip,” I yelled as I spun out of the way of the flying drops. “Poison spray.”

It was as much warning as I could give before the tail came in at me from a different angle.

“You do you,” he yelled back.

Fine. I had enough to concentrate on. The next time the tail whipped in, I spun around and slashed at it with one of my spikes, cutting through just behind the stinger and severing it.

The creature yowled in pain and rage and launched at me with its jaws gaping. Okay, so maybe it had six weapons to my four, now down to five. I leapt backwards and slashed twice across its snout with my heels. A somersault put me out of its reach with it recoiling from my counterattack.

Not for long. It leapt forward just as I leapt up. It misses me but twisted out of my reach as I came back down. I parried a claw with a horn dagger and stabbed up into its belly with the other, ripping it down against its ribcage.

Either the horns were losing their efficacy, or these things had a lot more resilience than other creatures we’d faced. It was hurt, but not significantly, as evidenced by the ferocity of its next attack. Both claw attacks parried with horn blades, leaving those gaping jaws coming through the middle. I fell back to avoid them and brought my heels up into its guts, pushing upwards with all my strength as its rear claws caught the backs of my legs.

I screamed with pain, still pushing for all I was worth. It was bloody heavy, but I had the strength to throw it, just about.

“Sarah!” David called.

“You do fucking you,” I yelled, regaining my feet and leaping straight at my monster’s head, sinking both my blades into its eyes.

Now it was the creature's turn to scream. It clawed at its ruined eyes, turning its back to me and leaving me with a free shot at the base of its brain. Both horn blades sunk home and it collapsed under me. No turning to dust this time, but it wasn’t moving. I turned to look at how David was getting on with his beastie. He’d lost one of his blades and was holding the creatures tail just behind the stinger in his free hand. It turned out he’d stuck the other blade hilt deep into the roof of the monster’s mouth, but not quite far enough in to kill it. It was trying to bring its claws to bear with gradually increasing levels of success.

Maybe be David had actually been calling for help, but that seemed unlikely.

My legs were slick with blood, my purchase on the back of my own creature’s corpse uncertain. I dug into the thick ruff with my heels and launched myself at the other, spinning and twisting to bring the business end of my footwear into the top of its spine, sinking both horn daggers into its eyes for good measure.

It collapsed to one side. Between me pulling and David pushing we managed to avoid being trapped.

“You okay?” he asked.

“A little winded. You?”

“Your legs,” he said looking at the blood streaking down them.

“Your... everything.” It looked like he’d fallen into a box of very angry cats.

“I’ll mend.”

“I don’t think your coat will.”

“It was too long anyway. There’s this girl I know, complains about it dragging on the floor whenever I lend it to her.”

I couldn’t keep from laughing.

“Do you think that’s it for today.”

“I don’t know. I kind of hope so.”

“Hang on.” I pulled out my phone and called though to Stuart. “Hi Stuart, what’s your take on the portal?”

“Well, it’s been rather active, but I’m, I’m not sensing much from it now.”

“We know about the active. Just wondering if we can expect anything else.”

“I’m not sure. It’s er… I should hang tight for a while.”

“Okay, thanks for not very much. Let us know when we can stand down won’t you?”

“By us, am I to assume that, er, Der Schattenengel is with you?”

“His name is David. I would very much appreciate if you would avoid using that other name.”

“I just want you to be aware of, er, the person with whom you are currently consorting.”

“I’m very much aware thank you. I’m sure you have a past you wouldn’t want me digging into.”

“Ripper,” David murmured in my ear. I repeated it down the phone.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing I have any intention of repeating or researching further. I rather hope you’ll be as courteous.”

“Yes, well, I hope you know what you’re doing is all.”

“Yes, me too, but let that be my mistake to make, if it ends up being a mistake.”

“As you wish. I, er, I’m not detecting any more activity from the portal. Whatever you faced, I think that’s it.”

“Half a dozen krrst and a couple of manticores. The app works really well.”

“Er yes, well, I’m not entirely sure what… they… are. One moment. I’m sensing a surge in activity. Quite a large one as it happens.”

“Okay, I’ll call you back.” I turned to David. “Looks like we’re up again.”

I stood up, feeling the dried blood flaking off my legs. The gashes felt like they’d closed, but they were tight and uncomfortable.

Besides me David also climbed to his feet. No weariness evident in his body, but a deep fatigue apparently in his soul.

Two immense horns pushed through the portal and turned upwards as an equally immense face appeared below them. Eyes covered the upper part of the face like freckles, deep red and glowing with no detail other than the colour. The nose was a sharp blade dividing the skull with no mouth beneath it. Each eye picked a target, a half for me and a half for David.

“Insignificant!” the voice boomed in our heads. I mean I assumed we both heard it from the slight wince in my companion’s face.

The app wasn’t offering any suggestions. I switched to camera and video before speaking.

“Who are you?” I said, keeping my voice calm. He could keep all the ostentation for himself if he liked.

“Master,” the voice rumbled in my mind.

“Master?” I repeated for the sake of the camera. “I hardly think so. What is it you want?”

“Everything.”

“Sorry, at least some of it’s ours and we’d like to keep it.”

“Soon,” he boomed loud enough to shake my teeth loose.

“Soon what? Maybe try more than one word at a time.”

“Soon the portal will be blasted wide and my army will flood into your world, then you and your pathetic friend will be powerless to prevent the enslavement of your kind.”

Power crackled between the two horns, building with an ear-splitting whine as the head bowed and withdrew. At the last minute, a bolt of energy lanced out, landing where David and I had stood an instant earlier, leaving a crater fifteen feet across, obliterating the corpses of the two manticores.

I videoed it briefly then shut off the camera.

“Do you fancy a proper bed for the night? I’m sure my parents could be persuaded.”

“Better not,” he replied. “You’d better scoot if you want to make it before your curfew.”

I glanced at my phone, the clock reading twenty past ten, and swore under my breath. “What did I tell you about eavesdropping?”

He laughed as I broke into a run. No time to hunt out the sheaths to my heels, just run.

I made it, just.

“One minute to spare,” Dad called out without looking up from his rubbish.

“Sorry Dad.” Why did I have to apologise? I was on time. Giving him lip would just means an earlier bedtime though. I ran upstairs keeping to the balls of my feet, unbuckled my shoes, grabbed my nightie and dressing gown, and zipped across into the bathroom just as Mum started up after me.

The gashes on the backs of my legs had all but healed with not even any hint of scar tissue. The dried blood washed off easily enough, even though most of it had come from those last two creatures. I would probably have to bin my clothes this time, which sucked. I really liked the skirt.

I tried to be quick, knowing that Mum would wait for me. I showered with my clothes as I had at Nick’s, but nothing was going to shift the stains, at least nothing available to me in the bathroom.

I wrung them out and bundled them up, hiding the blood as best I could.

Back in my room Mum sat on the bed, holding my shoes, bloody heels uppermost.

Okay, so this was going to be interesting.