as they were toddlers, cold baths for them too! It wouldn’t bother us, of course, but if you’re not of the sea like us …”
Niall whistled. “Tough people.”
“Mmmm. You can say that again. So. Between Two Worlds,” said Winter, resting the book on her lap. She shuffled a bit until her leg was touching Niall’s.
She couldn’t be any closer if she sat on my lap, thought Niall, a bit panicky. But Winter seemed not to notice his embarrassment.
Get a grip, man, Niall scolded himself.
He leafed through the pages. “This is about demons.” He paled. “Do you know anything about demons and the Secret history?”
“Not much. I saw a few demons, and Stewart told me things once in a while, but I’m mostly ignorant. I never hung out with Secret people, apart from Mairead and Stewart. And when I went away, I was mainly among seals, really.”
“Were you not lonely?”
“Well, there were a few friends, a few boyfriends,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Of course.” Niall scowled.
“Why ‘of course’?” asked Winter.
“Because you’re beautiful,” he said simply. You really are beautiful, he thought, taking in her silver hair, her strong, warm body in a slightly faded blue cotton dress with little white flowers – her pink cheeks and shiny eyes, a face that spoke of easy joy and laughter, unlike Sarah’s and Elodie’s.
“Well, thank you,” she said, and gave him a little peck on the cheek.
Niall swallowed.
“So yes. Anyway. This book …” He continued skimming through it, his eyes scanning the words. Suddenly he froze.
Winter looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong?”
“This mentions the Time of Demons,” he breathed. “The gate between the worlds.” He started to read more frantically. “Have you heard about the Shadow World, or the Underworld?”
“The underworld, as in under ground?”
“Not exactly, no. According to this, the Shadow World is …a different dimension. A different universe.” He stopped briefly then began to read aloud. “The demons that seep into our world cross over to our own dimension. Apparently, it’s not easy for them to do so. Only the strongest survive the passage.”
“But why do they do that?”
“The earth belonged to them, thousands of years ago. That was the Time of Demons. We humans were the endangered species, if you like.”
Winter smiled. “You, humans. I’m half Elemental.”
“So you are,” replied Niall, resting a hand briefly on her arm. Though it only lasted a moment, he loved touching her, feeling her warm skin. And he loved her smell – the sea was his favourite scent in the world.
Niall steadied himself and continued reading. “Then the ancestors of the Secret Families, the Secret children, appeared. They claimed the planet and banished the demons to the Shadow World. But the Secret Families knew that they had to keep guard, and that the demons would try and overcome them again.” He paused. “That’s happening now.”
“Who is the King of Shadows?” asked Winter suddenly. She’d skimmed over his shoulder while he spoke, and now pointed to a passage farther down the page.
Niall frowned, his eyes following her finger. A sudden chill swept over him, despite the proximity of Winter’s warm body. “The King of Shadows, the King of the Underworld. He has many names,” he read. “The most powerful demon of all. The one who rules the Shadow World.”
Winter continued, “The King of Shadows is a Surari, but unlike any other. Legend has it that he is a spirit who rules over a world of spirits. He is bound to the Shadow World but his will and power reaches into our own. It is rumoured that a gate to the Shadow World exists and can be entered through an ancient location, though no one has yet succeeded in finding it.”
Winter trailed off. For a moment they sat in silence. Then Niall shook his head, gathering his thoughts and taking it all in. “We have to tell the others.” He took a shaky breath.
Winter got up and stood very, very close to him.
Niall blushed. She just came up to his shoulder, and Niall wasn’t a tall man. Only then did he seem to notice how small she was.
“We need to—”
But he didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence, because suddenly Winter was kissing him, and everything else, for a moment, didn’t matter.
52
Between Two Worlds
We worship the moon and our herds
Our home is the plains
Our roof is the sky
We rise, we are
The Secret children
With pots boiling on the stove, and a lovely smell coming from the oven, it was like any other kitchen at Christmas. And Sarah was hoping