Tide - By Daniela Sacerdoti Page 0,41

and clawed paws. Already the creature’s fur had started turning yellow, the same yellow as Bryony’s coat.

Camouflage, thought Sean. “Nobody move!” he commanded, and began tracing deadly runes with his sgian-dubh. The Surari was hit at once, but barely shuddered. It growled in rage, leapt off Bryony and turned towards Sean. Finally he could see its muzzle – an impossibly wide mouth, full of row after row of yellow teeth, and black slits for eyes. Its fur was changing colour again, turning black when standing on dark ground.

Sarah grabbed Elodie’s torch and shone it against her own face. “Look at me. Look at me,” she called to the beast, calmly, coldly. Her eyes were greener than ever, shining in the bright light. “Look at me!” She repeated. Will it work? Will the Midnight gaze work this time? But she had no chance to find out. The beast turned its eyes away, as if it knew what Sarah was trying to do. It shook its head, growling again, and looked at the others, one by one, everyone but Sarah – Sean, Elodie … Bryony.

And it chose.

Bryony wasn’t moving, lying prone on the ground. The Surari raised a clawed paw, ready to slash the back of her neck – but Sean was faster, and he threw himself against the beast, rolling on the grass with it. The sgian-dubh fell from Sean’s hand, and the creature’s claws dug into his chest. As soon as it touched Sean’s jacket, its fur turned blue. It was ripping and slashing the fabric, and through it, to Sean’s skin.

Elodie jumped on the demon’s back with a scream, stabbing it repeatedly with her knife – but to no avail.

Sarah stood by with her arms raised and the torch at her feet, calling the Blackwater, praying for her hands to heat up again, having gone cold from the shock of Shadow’s death. Sean screamed helplessly under the beast’s claws, blood seeping through his jacket, and Sarah shuddered, losing concentration.

“Nicholas!” she called desperately. “Where are you!”

“There are two of them!” Nicholas called back from somewhere in the darkness.

Sarah grabbed the torch and pointed it towards Nicholas’s voice. He was standing in front of another demon-tiger, camouflaged black against the dark backdrop of the bushes. She was horrified to see that Nicholas’s face was red with blood. Whose blood? The beast’s, or Nicholas’s?

Sarah’s face changed all of a sudden, setting in a hard, furious expression. She let the torch fall and closed her eyes, then raised her hands to her chest and lowered her head.

Concentrate, concentrate.

Shadow. Shadow is gone.

Fury rose within her, and it happened – the Blackwater flew into her hands, at last. They burned, ready to strike. Sarah had to choose quickly – Nicholas was bloodied but still standing, while Sean was about to get his head bitten off. She threw herself on the Surari that had Sean in its grasp and dug her hands into its fur with a growl that nearly matched the beast’s. Sarah felt the demon tremble under her touch – it started shuddering violently in an attempt to shake her off, but Sarah’s hands were holding on to its black, hard fur, and she wouldn’t let go. The Surari growled in pain and brought its bloody paws over its head, freeing Sean from its grasp. Blackwater had started to sprout from the beast’s ears and nostrils. Sarah kept digging her hands into the demon, mercilessly, until she felt its skin moistening. At last it was beginning to weep and melt away.

Released, Sean lifted himself up from where he’d fallen, supporting himself with one bleeding hand, the other feeling around the ground for his sgian-dubh. By now, the Surari was contorting in agony, black blood and the black liquid from its weeping skin mixing and soaking the ground.

It seemed to take an eternity, but eventually, with one last convulsion, one last growl, the Surari dissolved in a foul-smelling gush under Sarah’s deadly touch. She rolled away, soaked and spent.

But she had no time to rest. She turned towards Nicholas at once. The second Surari’s tail was twitching in a menacing rhythm. It hadn’t attacked yet. Why? What is it waiting for?

“Sean!” Sarah implored as she staggered to her feet. Sean heard her call and followed her gaze. He saw Nicholas and the beast face to face and raised his sgian-dubh again, his face a mask of anger.

Nicholas turned to him, wide-eyed. He’s barely standing, and he wants to come to my rescue?

“Hey! Beast!” shouted Sean.

The