Gabriella Poole: Divided Souls (Darke Academy)

free from his black T-shirt. A glowing green thing on a silver chain.

Riveted with horror, she stared at it, swinging gently, gleaming. Dawn was sending a creeping light into the vast tomb, encroaching on the

shadows around the eight arches, and she could see the jade very well. It was a plain circle, but it moved, squirmed, lived. She knew if she

looked closer she’d recognise the creatures carved into it. They’d be the same ones that lived and squirmed on the knife-hilt in Jake’s inert

hand. The same ones she’d seen in the engraving on the manuscript.

‘Ranjit,’ she pleaded, tears sliding down her cheeks. ‘The Pendant. It’s the Pendant.’

‘Yes,’ he hissed. ‘The jade. It’s perfect. Now just let me finish, let me complete my gift.’

‘Stop it, Ranjit! You’ve … you’ve killed enough people

here already!’

‘Yes of course, lest we forget, there was Jessica too.’ He gave Jake’s body a scornful kick. ‘Dear Jessica.’

‘No,’ whispered Cassie.

‘Yes,’ he snarled, his red eyes burning into hers. ‘I didn’t suck her dry, of course. But I stayed away long enough to let the others do it. I

let her down, I let her die. I’m good at that, Cassandra. I’m good at that. Like you told me. But now … Now I’m making it up to you, don’t you

see?’

She closed her eyes briefly, struggling for control.

‘Did you hear me? Did you hear why she died screaming? It was me … but it was him too!’ This time it was Richard’s ribs he kicked.

‘Clever little Dick, chattering and delaying till Jessica was dead. Well, why not? She was only a mortal.’ Ranjit laughed bitterly again.

‘Ranjit, take the Pendant off!’

‘Not on your life,’ he grinned. ‘Or his.’

He snatched at the air above Richard, and this time the boy’s whole prone body floated up to him. Already it looked dry and empty, the

veins staring, the life almost gone. How was he doing that …? He couldn’t be, could he?

But he was … He was projecting his spirit.

The Pendant was allowing him to draw out his spirit, just as it had said in the manuscript. He could control it, project it, use its power just

like Cassie could with Est—

No more talk, no more time. With a scream of fury Cassie lashed her own power at Ranjit again, this time with absolutely all of her newly

fed strength. He was flung back, skidding on the floor, but he rolled and sprang up as if she’d barely grazed him.

‘Don’t make me do this, Cassie.’ But he flew at her.

She felt his full weight slam into her, knocking her back, before he was anywhere near her. Before she could recover from the blow, he

was next to her, his fist slamming into her gut, winding her. He seized her throat.

Recovering, struggling and roaring, she wrestled him off, striking out blindly with her projected power. Dimly she heard his gasps and

shouts of pain as she beat him back, but then he was recovering and coming for her again. His fingers closed round her neck, and together

they toppled backwards.

Let me in! He wants to separate us, he wants to kill me!

Estelle’s screech was panic-stricken.

Cassandra! You’ll die and I will too!

No way. No way …

SELFISH GIRL! He wants to SEPARATE US! Or KILL US!

Fighting two of them wasn’t helping – especially as Cassie couldn’t help but feel the consuming, overwhelming passion even as they

exchanged blows …

Ripping at his face with her fingernails, Cassie struck again and again at his head and his chest, but he was too strong. His fist caught

her stomach again, and as she grunted and doubled up, he struck the side of her face, knocking her away. Before she could get back on

her feet he was on top of her, gripping her hair, twisting her head back, rolling her on to her side and then her stomach. His knee was hard

between her shoulder blades, holding her down as he gripped her head, and she knew through a film of pain that he was about to snap her

neck. He might love her, but he was crazy. Insane. His twisted love wouldn’t stop him killing her.

She went limp suddenly, so that he was thrown momentarily off balance, then she wriggled and kicked free, and slammed a foot into his

chest. With a shout of anger, he fell back.

NOW! LET ME IN! LET ME BE WHOLE, THEN WE CAN DEFEAT HIM!

NO!

He sprang back up. They edged warily round the octagonal tomb, each eyeing the other, but Cassie’s breath was coming in short gasps

now, and he was cool, collected, his grin widening. She didn’t have a lot left. She’d have to be more precise.

KILL HIM! YOU HAVE TO KILL HIM OR WE’LL DIE!

Some change of heart since last term, Estelle, she managed to think – just as she realised, with horror, that the spirit’s words were