Shadow Spell by Caro King Read Free Book Online Page A

Scribbins, pay attention. I want this recorded in full.’
    With a trembling hand, Scribbins reached for the notebook. Far over their heads, Jibbit leaned a little further forward, listening.
    â€˜According to the story of the Seven Sorcerers – although as we all know there is always a large gap between story and truth – this plant was developed by Morgan Crow using the best of his magic and was meant to grow a new body for him. Crow’s plan is said to have failed, because the plant ate him instead. Whatever the truth of that tale the fact remains that he left behind a plant that has a taste for flesh and blood and is saturated with creative magical power. Now, it may be nothing more than a side effect, but crowsmorte is known to have amazing healing properties and to me that indicates a deep regenerative force, which, I suspect, has never been fully tested. Youunderstand, I hope?’
    Scribbins gulped. ‘The m-magic in the crowsmorte bloom g-grows people back?’
    â€˜Well done, Scribbins.’ Strood leaned over the flower lying on the table and injected it with one tiny drop from the syringe. Next he laid down the still full syringe, dropped the flower on to the ground and tipped the beaker of blood over it. Then he stood back to watch.
    The crowsmorte bloom quivered. It began to grow, its stem fattening and its petals growing broader and paler. The colour leaked out of it, purple turning to red and then to gold. Only streaks of darkness remained. Shoots split from the stem and thickened in their turn, coiling in on themselves, doubling back and twisting, some parts growing larger, some longer until the whole mass had a horrible innards kind of look.
    â€˜More blood,’ snapped Strood.
    Guard Stanley threw on more blood.
    And now it went faster. The newly pale petals turned back on themselves, wrapping their soft velvet around the innards like skin. Four more shoots detached from the bulk, shoots that grew in an oddly jointed way, and the petal skin covered those too. The whole thing started to throb as if a pulse had begun to beat somewhere inside. Both ends lengthened. The bottom end grew longer and thinner in a tail that began to twitch. The top put out a short stem that soon stopped growing, then thickened and rounded, the front part hollowingand curving and splitting. Thorns grew in the split, but they looked horribly white and sharp to the watching Jibbit.
    And then eyes opened in the hollows, the mouth yawned widely and the new tiger-man uncurled and rose to its feet in one sinuous movement.
    This tiger-man was smaller than the original, though not by much. The pattern carried in the single drop of tiger-man essence had shaped it, but it was still grown from crowsmorte and the plant’s colouring showed through. The creature was softly golden, but the stripes across its velvet skin were dark purple and a scarlet flash ran down its spine from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. Its purple eyes somehow managed to glow red.
    Guard Stanley shuddered. Scribbins nearly dropped his pencil. Strood beamed.
    â€˜So, Scribbins, how many blooms do you think we have here?’ He waved an arm over the coated woodland. ‘And how many drops do you think a bottle that size can hold?’
    â€˜Y-you’re going t-to make more?’
    â€˜Oh lots more, Scribbins. We are going to war with Ninevah Redstone and anyone who dares to aid her.’
    The tiger-man opened a mouth fringed with needle teeth.
    â€˜Morrrr blood?’ it asked.
    â€˜Plenty,’ said Strood quietly. ‘Do what I ask and you can have all the blood you want.’
    The door opened and Dunvice came in.
    â€˜Ahh, perfect timing,’ beamed Strood. ‘Now, while Scribbins gets on with making more tiger-men, you and I can start recruiting officers.’

6
Dark’s Mansion
    Nin turned to send one last look back into the Lockheart Sanctuary. Through the doorway she could see Toby waving. She