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his throat.
    â€˜And the more weak points there are in the Boundary, the more . . .
stuff
. . . can cross over from the Netherworld?’
    â€˜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 beginto 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.
    â€˜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 nowthat this job falls on your shoulders alone, we must have a plan of action.’ Jacob pushed his black hair out of his face.
    â€˜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.’
    â€˜So for now, he’ll just have to leave whatever smaller demons make it across? Just let them slide?’ Melissa said, her eyebrows raised.
    â€˜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 thattime wisely, growing and honing your innate abilities.’
    â€˜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?’
    â€˜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