Chapter Two

Callum could feel Jacob’s eyes fixed on him expectantly.

‘Well, what do you want me to say?’ he asked.

Things didn’t feel any different – there was no sudden change, no flood of demonic energy. Just the bone-trembling cold. Jacob pointed towards the ruined wall of the church, through the space a window would once have been, and towards the night sky. His finger dripped with the black blood that often seeped from his fingernails.

‘This,’ the ghost began, ‘is merely the first moon of the thirteen. The full force of the Shadowing is not immediate. But that does not mean we are able to linger. Already, there is much danger.’

Melissa looked over at Callum, then to Jacob. ‘Well, it’s all a bit of an anti-climax so far,’ she said with a tentative grin. But Callum couldn’t bring himself to smile.

‘What do you mean, the full force is not immediate?’ he said.

‘When the Shadowing commences, the floodgates do not simply open,’ Jacob said. ‘The Boundary between the mortal world and the Netherworld remains in place but, as the cycle of the moons progresses, there will be a steady increase in the number of gaps in its fabric.’

Callum cleared his throat.

‘And the more weak points there are in the Boundary, the more . . . stuff . . . can cross over from the Netherworld?’

‘That is correct,’ Jacob said grimly. ‘The situation will grow more and more perilous. Indeed, it is already dangerous. From this night forward, demons and other beings of the Netherworld – ghosts, creatures of mortal legend, murderous beasts – they will all begin to surface with increasing frequency in the world of men. They will be set on destruction and feasting, on fear and on flesh.’ He paused, looking at Callum and Melissa closely. ‘The threat will escalate through the thirteen moons. But during this dark time of the Shadowing, you, Callum . . .’ The ghost trailed off for a moment, his expression becoming something close to regretful. ‘You will be the Boundary’s final guardian. You are the last chime child.’

Callum nodded mutely, straining his ears and eyes, half expecting to see goblins begin to pop out of the stonework, or through the gaping black hole of the tower door. Suddenly realising he had been holding his breath, he exhaled it in a gust and shook his head.

‘Well, what can I do?’ Callum asked. He was surprised to feel a sense of urgency and purpose overtaking him. ‘Can I do anything to slow it down, prevent the crossings, limit them? Or –’

Jacob held up one pale hand. ‘We must not get ahead of ourselves. Of course, your aim will be to guard the Boundary, to prevent Netherworld beings from crossing and to combat those that do. But now that this job falls on your shoulders alone, we must have a plan of action.’ Jacob pushed his black hair out of his face.

‘But usually there would be a whole army of chime children. How on earth can Callum police all the weakening points in the Boundary on his own, especially if there will be more and more appearing all the time?’ Melissa asked.

Jacob was silent for a moment before he spoke again. ‘Callum will have to be selective about the battles he takes on. As the Shadowing progresses, stronger and more significant demons and beasts will cross into the mortal world. Those will be the ones on which Callum should focus.’

‘So for now, he’ll just have to leave whatever smaller demons make it across? Just let them slide?’ Melissa said, her eyebrows raised.

‘I’ll just have to do the very best that I can,’ Callum said, lifting his head and trying to sound confident.

Jacob gave what, for the Born Dead, was close to a smile. ‘Good. As I say, we still have some time before the worst of the Shadowing begins. We must use that time wisely, growing and honing your innate abilities.’

‘Right,’ Callum said. ‘And . . . what exactly are my abilities? I mean, I already know that I can stop ghosts or demons from entering Gran’s cottage. Somehow I have that ability to raise a barrier, to stop them from crossing my threshold unless they’re invited, right? So maybe . . .’ He paused, still not used to all this. He felt faintly idiotic using the word magic. ‘Is there some sort of supercharged version that I could do for the entire world?’

Jacob answered Callum’s question with another. ‘How did the Fetch cross the barrier into your house?’

‘It got Gran to invite it in,’ Callum said, and then sighed as the thought sunk in. ‘Great. So even if I had some sort of protective force field on the Boundary, someone else might get round that and invite things across of their own accord?’

Jacob nodded. ‘There’s almost certainly some form of collaboration going on between your world and the Netherworld. The Fetch could not have come over to this side before the Shadowing had begun without help. And with the assassination of the chime children, this Shadowing is not like others that have taken place. It is more than just a weakening of the Boundary. It could be an invasion. A war. I believe the demons are working with their human conspirators to take over this world forever.’

Silence fell after Jacob’s words. His face was serious. In the darkness, Callum could see faint lines of shadow crease against Jacob’s gleaming white forehead. It wasn’t exactly filling him with confidence.

‘There’s one thing you mustn’t forget though,’ Melissa put in. Callum turned to look at her quizzically. He’d almost forgotten she was there.

‘Yeah?’ he said, pleased to break the tension.

‘Callum, you’re strong. Maybe even the strongest of all the chime children that were active before the Shadowing began,’ Melissa said emphatically. ‘How else do you explain that you’re the one still alive? You may not quite have a handle on all your powers yet, but I just have this feeling that you shouldn’t be underestimated.’ She paused, and a glimmer of a grin began to flicker on her lips. ‘And there’s one other thing they haven’t counted on,’ she said.

‘What’s that?’ Callum asked.

‘Me and Jacob.’

Jacob stared at Melissa with some surprise, and Callum could see something like respect in his face. Melissa stood shivering in the dark, but wide-eyed and alert.

‘Seriously, I’ll do whatever I can to help.’

‘It will not be easy,’ Jacob said, nodding to acknowledge Melissa. ‘You have only just learned your power exists, Callum. We do have some time, but we also have a distance to go. You are going to have to master your abilities, and you are going to have to do it under a degree of pressure.’

‘How exactly will I master them?’

‘I will teach you. Do not forget that although I died at birth, I too am a chime child.’

Callum nodded. He would have been lost without Jacob’s help when the Fetch had reared its hideous head only weeks ago. He looked at Jacob again, who was staring at Callum pointedly.

‘What, you want to teach me now? Here, in the dark?’

‘No time like the present,’ Jacob replied.

Again, Callum glanced at Melissa. She nodded once in encouragement.

‘OK,’ Callum said. ‘What do I have to do?’

Jacob didn’t answer him. Instead, he raised one white hand and pointed towards Callum.

‘Doom.’

Without warning, the great black Grim leaped for Callum. The last thing Callum saw before he shut his eyes were the ghost dog’s teeth, flashing like icicles as Doom opened his jaws . . .