Volumes 7 and 8 - Death’s Shadow/Wolf Island. Darren Shan

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      “He’s been like that since the attack,” I tell her. “No change.”

      She stares at me suspiciously. “You must be Bec. I have heard about you.”

      “The dead girl who came back to life,” Shark says. He’s looking at me oddly. “I thought you’d be more like a boy, considering…”

      “…I stole Bill-E’s body?”

      “Yeah.”

      “There’s nothing of Bill-E left,” I tell them. “Except his memories. That’s how I know you and Sharmila.”

      Shark frowns. “I never met him.”

      “I did,” Sharmila says, “but many years ago, when he was very young.”

      “I know. But he met both of you.” I grin weakly at their confusion.

      “Bec can tell you about that later,” Meera snaps. “What’s happening outside?”

      “Nothing,” Shark says. “All quiet. Your birds have flown the coop.”

      “You’re positive? It isn’t a trap, to lure us out of hiding?” Shark shakes his head. “Then let’s get Dervish straight to a hospital. We can talk about the attack on the way. But I’ll tell you this much—they weren’t birds. They were Lambs.”

      →Shark and Meera carry Dervish up the steps out of the cellar as gently as they can. Shark grumbles about what he’s going to do to the Lambs when he catches up with them. He drove here in a van. There’s a hospital trolley in the rear. We strap Dervish down and Sharmila produces a drip and heart monitor. She hooks Dervish up. I watch with interest—it’s the first time I’ve seen such apparatus.

      When Dervish is as secure as we can make him, I ask Shark if he’s absolutely certain we’re not going to be attacked.

      “Nothing in life’s an absolute,” he replies, squinting at the trees, the mansion, the sky. “But if this was a trap, the time to attack would have been when we were moving Dervish up from the cellar. That’s when we were most vulnerable. I’m confident we’ve nothing to fear for the time being.”

      “Then I’ve a favour to ask.” I feel strange being so forward but this is no time to be shy. “I can open a window to the Demonata’s universe from the cellar. I’d like you to go through and find Beranabus.”

      Shark blinks slowly. Sharmila is frowning.

      “Have you ever been to that universe?” Sharmila asks.

      “No.”

      “Then you do not know what you are asking. It is a place of chaos and peril. We have never been there without Beranabus to guide us.”

      “I know how dangerous it is,” I mutter, flashing on some of Beranabus’s many memories of the hellish universe. “But I’ll try to open the window to one of the less savage zones. Did Beranabus teach you a spell to find him once you’re there?”

      “No,” Shark grunts. “But Dervish did.”

      “We have never tested it,” Sharmila notes. “What if the window closes and we cannot find him? We will be stranded.”

      “Dervish might be dying,” Meera hisses.

      “I have sympathy for Dervish,” Sharmila says coolly. “That is why I came when you summoned me. But can Beranabus heal him? And even if he can, why should we risk our lives for his?”

      “It’s not about helping Dervish,” I say quickly before an argument develops. “We don’t know who the Lambs were after. Their target might have been Dervish or Meera, but it was probably me.”

      “What if it was?” Shark asks.

      “I’m important,” I mutter, feeling embarrassed. “I can’t explain – there isn’t time – but I’m part of a powerful force which might mean the difference between winning and losing the war with the Demonata.”

      Sharmila’s eyes narrow. “The Kah-Gash?”

      “You know about it?” I sigh with relief.

      “We helped Beranabus search for a piece once,” Shark says. “It wasn’t our most successful mission.”

      “I am not convinced of that,” Sharmila says. “I always suspected… Kernel?” She raises an eyebrow.

      My smile broadens. “Yes. He was a piece. Grubbs is another. So am I.”

      “What are you talking about?” Shark frowns.

      Sharmila waves his question away. “Does Beranabus know?”

      “Yes.”

      “Then why are you not with him?”

      “He didn’t want to keep us together until he found out more about how the weapon works. He thought I’d be safe here. Nobody else knew. At least we didn’t think so. But if the attack was directed at me, maybe my secret’s out. If that’s the case…”

      “…Beranabus must be informed.” Sharmila nods. “I understand now.”

      “Care to explain it to the rest of us?” Shark asks, bemused.

      “Later.” She thinks about it for a few seconds. “I would go but I am old and slow, even when pumped full of magic. Besides, I know a lot about healing, so I might be of more help here. Meera?”

      “I’m not as strong as you,” Meera says.

      “But you are younger and faster. In this instance that is important.”

      “I don’t like that other universe,” Meera mutters.

      “Neither do I. Believe me, I would not send you there lightly.”

      “You really think this is necessary?”

      Sharmila nods slowly. Meera sighs and agrees reluctantly.

      “Shark?” Sharmila asks.

      “You want me to place my life on the line without knowing the reason why?” he scowls.

      “Yes.”

      His scowl disappears and he shrugs. “Fair enough.”

      “You understand how time works in that other universe?” Sharmila asks me. “It can pass quicker or slower than it does here. They might find him in a matter of minutes as we experience time or it could be several months.”

      “I know. But we don’t have a choice. I’d go myself, except if it’s a trap…”

      “…demons might be lying in ambush for you. Very well. Let us not waste any more time. I will stay with Dervish. Shark and Meera will accompany you to the cellar.” She smiles tightly at Shark. “You have been to hell in a bucket before, my old СКАЧАТЬ