Prologue ‘What do you mean my parents are alive?’ asks Ebony, crossing to the open cottage window for some air.
As the breeze tumbles in, a sleek, black shape streaks
across the bright sky, weaving through pillows of cloud. Ebony shivers, but it’s only a crow. In the distance, the sea is
calm and shimmering as the Oddley Cove fishermen prepare to haul in their nets, completely unaware of the battle that had raged through the night.
‘It seems your parents’ bodies were never found,’ replies
Mr O’Hara, ‘because there were no bodies.’ ‘So where exactly are they?’
‘In the past,’ answers Mr O’Hara, rubbing one hand over
the bristles of his thick, white moustache. ‘Where no one would think to look.’ ‘But why?’
His face overcast, Mr O’Hara shrugs. ‘I only received the
information, not explanations.’
Despite the light streaming in, the cottage air is cool
and heavy. Silence shrouds the room like a sickness. Ebony surveys the rest of the group, anger fizzing through her veins as Mulligan and Uncle Cornelius, Chiyoko and Old Joe
watch closely. On the sofa, Icarus Bean brims with muted 3
THE BOOK OF REVENGE
rage. Even Aunt Ruby is tight-lipped, her backlit hair glowing like polished jasper as she steadies herself with one hand on the kitchen table.
‘What is he talking about?’ Ebony asks, looking to her
aunt. ‘Grandpa told me all about my parents’ accident.’
A confused frown crumples Aunt Ruby’s forehead and
she bites down on her lip. ‘He can’t have known–’ she begins. ‘My whole life,’ interrupts Ebony, ‘I’ve believed my parents
were dead.’
‘We all thought they were dead,’ says Icarus, his fists balled
as he glares at Mr O’Hara.
‘The proof only just arrived,’ says Mr O’Hara.
When he shows no sign of explaining further, Aunt Ruby
pats the table with her palm. ‘So where is it? This proof?’ Her eyes glisten and her frown softens. Ebony’s stomach flips – could O’Hara be speaking the truth?
Slowly, Mr O’Hara pulls a photograph from his inside
jacket pocket. ‘This was delivered by a King Vulture just before you returned,’ he says, placing it on the kitchen table. There is a collective gasp.
The photograph is dated 1871. It shows a solemn-faced
Ivy and Rufus Smart looking stiffly at the camera, their eyes
clearly swollen. Between them, perched at a strange angle on
a red velvet chair decorated with studs, Ebony sees her own
face, eyes tightly closed. Behind the group, a mirror reflects a
fireplace that Ebony recognises immediately. There are several framed paintings on the wall and some of them are familiar. 4
THE BOOK OF REVENGE
‘It’s the living room of 23 Mercury Lane,’ says Ebony.
‘What does this prove?’ Leaning in for a better look, she notices that Ivy and Rufus are slightly out of focus, while
her past self is completely clear. The expressionless face and closed eyes are eerie. ‘Is my past self sick?’
Winston pokes his head out of Ebony’s sleeve and squeaks.
An odd feeling stirs in Ebony’s gut. Her throat dries, making it painful to swallow.
‘She’s dead,’ replies O’Hara.
‘She’s … what?’ gasps Ebony.
Chiyoko takes Ebony’s hand and gives it a squeeze. Before
Mr O’Hara can answer, his wife intervenes.
‘This is a memento mori, a post-mortem image,’ says
Mrs O’Hara, gently. ‘A photograph to honour the dead. Very common in Victorian times – often, the only photo a person would ever have taken.’
Ebony gives a small cough. ‘You’re kidding, right? It’s
gross.’ And yet she cannot peel her eyes away.
‘How is this proof that they’re alive, O’Hara?’ asks Icarus.
‘This is nonsense. I’m leaving.’
‘No, wait! He’s right – look!’ calls Ebony, spotting some-
thing strange.
As Ebony points, the others lean in, like a string of Mrs
O’Hara’s shadow puppets. One by one, they gasp.
‘Rufus is wearing runners,’ says Ebony, ‘and Ivy has a
digital wristwatch. Those things didn’t exist back then. They’re
giving us clues. These people aren’t past incarnations – they’re 5
THE BOOK OF REVENGE
my parents!’
‘She’s right,’ says Aunt Ruby, a mix of joy and concern on
her face. ‘They’re in Victorian times – but why? And how have they managed not to bump into their past selves?’
Ebony stares hard at the photograph. ‘I don’t know, but
look at the mirror! There’s a message instead of a picture in one of the frames it’s reflecting.’
The block capitals reflect backwards, but Ebony can
decipher the message easily. She reads it out loud.
‘Help us. We’re stuck.’ Ebony looks at each of the others
in turn, licking her dry lips as her heart skips. ‘We must do as they ask. We’ve got to help them.’
6
1
THIRD BODY FOUND IN RIVER LIFFEY – POLICE SUSPECT MURDER As another body is pulled from the Liffey, police have issued a warning for Dublin residents to be on their guard. This is the third body to be found with a black skull mark in the middle of its forehead. The man, aged between twenty-five and thirty, has not yet been identified. Playing down concerns about a mass murderer loose in the city, a police spokesperson has confirmed that they are treating all three deaths as suspicious and have urged any witnesses to come forward.
The night was clear and crisp as Ebony Smart huddled against the chimney pot on top of 23 Mercury Lane, newspaper in hand. Unable to sleep, her dreams filled with red pinprick eyes and Zach’s cruel laughter, only the cool night air and open sky could give her some relief.
It was almost ten weeks since Mr O’Hara had revealed 7
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the truth about her parents and Icarus Bean had used the
Shadowlands to travel into the past to look for them, but
there had been no word about his progress. The last few weeks in the city had been increasingly tense. Ambrose had been
voted out of his position as judge of the Order of Nine Lives, placing O’Hara temporarily in charge. Ebony and her aunt
had been scouring the archives, trying to figure out a way to
defeat the Deus-Umbra without the Silent Peregrine, in case the demon returned. Although their investigations had been fruitless, Ebony felt better being occupied – when night fell
all her worries resurfaced. She hid her restlessness by sitting
on the rooftop; the last thing she wanted was to be sent back to West Cork.
Although Ebony had enjoyed being near Old Joe and
her animals, hiding out in Oddley Cove with her aunt and
Uncle Cornelius on Mr O’Hara’s command had felt wrong. Especially when the O’Haras had returned to Dublin right
away, seeking medical help for Seamus, who had failed to wake up after the battle. Mr O’Hara had been adamant
that the countryside would be the safest place for her, their
guardian, until they knew Ambrose’s next move. But then the attacks started.
When one of the Order’s men missed his usual night
shift no one seemed overly concerned – until his body turned up in the River Liffey bearing the mark of the
Shadow Walkers on his forehead. The police began asking questions – questions that could lead to the existence of the 8
THE BOOK OF REVENGE
Order being revealed – and so the Order’s main security
was placed on high alert. After the second body, the Order
realised they were being targeted and Ebony, Aunt Ruby and Uncle Cornelius were recalled to Dublin. Mr O’Hara had decided that there was safety in numbers and all members
were commanded to travel in pairs after dark. It was clear
that Zach and Ambrose were behind the deaths, so utmost caution was exercised.
Ebony’s instincts told her that it was only a matter of
time before their enemies launched an all-out attack on the
Order and she believed they needed to prepare for the worst. After all, she had foiled their plans for world domination not once, but twice, destroying the soul-swapping machine and accidentally killing Zach’s mother in the process. She had no doubt that both Ambrose and Zach would be seeking revenge.
Her legs crossed and her eyes fixed on the stars above the
Dublin city rooftops, Ebony set the newspaper down and pressed her back into the cool brick as she stroked her pet
rat, Winston, who was curled up in her lap. Pulling a bronze rose from her pocket with her other hand, she twiddled it
absentmindedly between forefinger and thumb. As guardian, the rose allowed her access to the Reflectory, the place where all the Order’s souls rested before they were reincarnated.
‘Time’s racing by, Winston,’ said Ebony. ‘We’re sitting
targets, getting nowhere fast. O’Hara and my aunt mean
well, but waiting for Ambrose to make a move or slip up and 9
THE BOOK OF REVENGE
show us his whereabouts is not going to work. We should be hunting our enemies down.’
Sitting up on his haunches, Winston looked into Ebony’s
eyes, blinking slowly.
‘As for Icarus – what if something has gone wrong? What
if something terrible happens to my parents?’ Winston’s tail
drooped and his fur flattened. Ebony tickled under his chin. ‘I know I’ve got you, but I’ve only just found out they’re still
alive. I don’t want to lose them again before we even get to meet.’
Lifting his right paw, his signal for no, to show he
understood, Winston snuggled in close. Shutting her eyes, Ebony heaved a big sigh and tried to decide on her next
move. When Icarus had gone into the Shadowlands to see
if he could reach her parents, Ebony had offered to go too, but everyone – even Winston – voted for her to stay. At the time she had been secretly relieved. The Shadowlands
were dangerous and filled with Ambrose’s Shadow Walkers, each desperate to capture her for their master. But now, the
waiting was unbearable. She had to overcome her fear and see
if Icarus needed help. Working alone was out of the question; she had learned her lesson and knew that she needed the Order on her side.
‘If only we knew what was delaying Icarus – he can’t
have just disappeared,’ said Ebony. ‘His absence weakens
our position and it makes me uneasy. I need to go after him. Maybe I should try Mrs O’Hara? She can’t travel in the 10
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Shadowlands but she knows them in her own way. Any help is better than no help.’
Jumping up and down on the spot, Winston shook his
head and thrust his right paw in the air, over and over. Placing the rose back in her pocket and scooping him up with two
hands, Ebony lifted him up to eye level. He stopped his protest and blinked.
‘I know you want to keep me safe, but Ambrose and Zach
have to be stopped. They’re killing people from the Order, and because I ruined their plans, it’s only a matter of time until they come after me. We need to be ready for them. Icarus is
one of our best men, but without knowing how to travel time in the Shadowlands, what can I do? If only I still had The Book of Learning to guide me.’
Ebony’s thoughts took her back to the recent battle on
the Shadow Walkers’ ship, back to Ambrose ripping apart her beloved book and using its magic to bring the ship’s dragon
figurehead to life. The loss of the book still made her feel like part of her own self was missing.
A loud clanging noise from below jolted Ebony from her
thoughts. Feeling her palm grow hot, Ebony inspected the
skull-shaped mark left there by Ambrose so he could always
locate her. The skull was no bigger than a pea, but the edges now looked red and swollen – they were almost glowing. She
traced her fingers around the skull – the mark was pulsating like a nasty midge bite. And was it getting bigger? ‘I don’t like this,’ she said.
11
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Climbing to her feet, Ebony accidentally dislodged the
newspaper. As she watched, the wind caught it and lifted it
into the air like a kite, the pages rattling and separating. After setting Winston down, she carefully made her way down the
sloping tiles to the roof ’s edge and peered into the street. The orange streetlights gave an eerie glow and shadows lurked everywhere. Scanning them for any sign of movement or a hint of danger, Ebony held her breath. Although her heart was pumping, everything seemed normal.
Another clang sounded in the street and this time Ebony
was able to follow the noise to where a sack of recycling, left out for collection under a streetlight, had been torn open. A huge, bedraggled tortoiseshell cat with a crooked tail was wrestling with its contents, trying to hook an open food can with one paw.
‘It’s just a cat,’ said Ebony, exhaling deeply. When Win-
ston squealed, she added, ‘Don’t worry, he’s down below in the street and no danger to you.’
As she turned to begin the climb back up to join Winston,
she heard a cackle, followed by a crunch. Checking behind
her, Ebony saw that the cat had now vanished. Only a clump of hair and the food can rolling along the pavement, leaving
a trail of dark splotches, indicated it had been there at all. Winston squealed. When Ebony turned to look at him, he
was pointing to the sky. Following the line of his paw, she saw a faraway flame shoot across the black night.
‘A shooting star, Winston! Isn’t it beautiful?’ 12
THE BOOK OF REVENGE
But as he watched the ball of fire arc across the sky,
Winston’s fur bristled and he bared his teeth. His whiskers twitched and his tail stuck out poker straight. He pulled
himself up to be as big and threatening as he could and hissed into the night air. Ebony scrambled back up the roof and lifted him with her unmarked hand. As the streak of colour died out, the pulsing in her other hand died away. On closer
inspection, she saw that the swelling had gone – had she imagined it?
‘It’s just a dying star and a mangy old cat,’ said Ebony.
‘Nothing to be worried about.’
In her grasp, Winston trembled, his heart beating faster
than a marching drum. Ebony cuddled him close and told
herself it was because Winston didn’t like heights. She should
have left him in her room, snug and warm in his cage. In fact, she should probably be in bed too, trying to sleep, instead of gazing out over rooftops.
But deep down she knew something was wrong. Cats
didn’t cackle. And cats didn’t make her hand throb.
Placing Winston in a side pocket of her trousers, Ebony
walked carefully along the thin path running the length of the roof, back towards the skylight.
‘We’ve got to use our time more effectively, Winston.
I refuse to be an easy target,’ she said, lowering her body
through the skylight into the attic. ‘This time, I will act first, with the Order of Nine Lives behind me. All I need to figure out is how to convince everyone to help.’ 13