Charlie Rall

Death's Shadow is the seventh installment in Darren Shan's Demonata series, and was released May 2008 in the UK. It will be released October 2008 in the USA. The book starts about six months after the events of Demon Apocalypse concluded, with Bec staying with Dervish.

'Death's Shadow' continues to reveal more about Beranabus, Kernel, Grubbs, and Bec, as well as the continuing search for information on using the Kah-Gash. More information on the mysterious foe 'Shadow' (seen at the climax of Demon Apocalypse) is also discovered.

Plot
Six months after Demon Apocalypse, Bec is back in Dervish's household, but isn't being treated well - she has access to all Bill-E's memories, and is constantly being forced by Dervish to give him more information on his beloved nephew. She feels that Dervish is treating her as an 'interpreter' for Bill-E's feelings and memories, and consequently ignoring Bec as a real human being.

She also discovers during this time that she has gained the ability to absorb memories through touch, but is frightened by the power and therefore avoids contact. She puts up with Dervish's questions, until one day she confides in Meera, who persuades her to tackle Dervish over it. She tells him about Bill-E 's last thoughts, and the pair reach a new understanding - right as the house is attacked by werewolves!

With the three werewolves on the loose in the house, Bec, Dervish and Meera retreat to the magically defended study. Trapped, they try a obvious escape route outside, but discover there are shooting gunmen marking the house. However, Dervish reveals that he has two escape routes. When one fails they decide to use the other and after a tussle with the werewolves, end up at the cellar. Once there Dervish has a heart attack and Meera calls the disciples, but only Shark and Sharmila are available.

By the time Shark and Sharmilia arrive, the werewolves and the mysterious human gunmen have disappeared. Dervish is taken to hospital; while Shark and Meera search for Beranabus to bring him to their aid. Unfortunately, the hospital falls victim to a demon attack, led by a regenerated (but horribly mutated) Juni Swan. During a fight on the roof, she disables Sharmila, pinning her to a wall and has other demons bite her legs off. She briefly engages Bec in battle - but Dervish recovers and blasts her into submission. She retreats through the window, injured but alive.

Beranabus, Grubbs, Kernel, Shark and Meera then arrive. They decide on what to do - and discover that Dervish will die without constant magical aid from the Demonata's universe. Grubbs and Bec swap places - Grubbs goes to investigate why and how the werewolves attacked and Bec goes with Beranabus, Kernal, Dervish and Sharmila. While in the Demonata universe, they fashion new legs for Sharmila and strengthen Dervish's heart with magic.

After some brief recuperation, they discover that Juni has moved to a boat in the human universe. Suspecting a trap, they follow anyway, knowing that this is their best opportunity to find out about the mysterious Shadow. On the cruise liner, they find all of passengers slaughtered. They also discover that the ship is encased within a bubble of magic, akin to Slawter. This allows Sharmila's artificial legs and Dervish heart to work. Leaving Kernel behind to guard the window, they proceed to the lower decks, accompanied by Kirilli, a 'spy' disciple that survived the attack by shielding his presence with a masking spell.

At the base of the ship they find Juni, a lodestone of magical power and a magically restrained Cadaver. Lord Loss speaks through the mouth of Cadaver, and tells them that piece of the Kah-Gash lay dormant in him, but was transferred to Bec when he gave her some of his power 1600 years ago. While he also gives his usual taunts, he attempts to persuade Beranabus to join the Demonata. When this fails, he makes Cadaver's head explode which soaks the lodestone with blood - and releases the Shadow demon seen at the end of Demon Apocalypse. This also causes all the slaughtered bodies on the ship to re-animate and attack Bec, Beranabus, Kirilli, Dervish and Sharmila. The shadow attempts to kill Bec and obtain her piece of the Kah Gash, however, as the shadow touches her, Bec discovers some of it's memories. The memories greatly alarm her and she tells Beranabus.

With this new knowledge, Beranabus takes desperate action and fully unchains his demon side, transforming him into a demonlike form. He then rushes to the lodestone and attempts to destroy it, while the Shadow attacks him viciously. Beranabus succeeds in breaking the lodestone, however, the Shadow rages and lands a fatal blow on Beranabus killing him. Beranabus uses his last ounce of strength to lift up his head and to try and say one final word to Bec: "Flower".

The Shadow demon is pulled through the bottom of the ship, and Juni escapes again. The ship starts to sink and the group battle their way up through the hordes of zombies to Kernel and the window. When they reach him, he is engaged in battle with a zombie. Then there is a bright light which blinds them. When they look again, Kernel, the window and he zombie are gone. However, a new problem arises, the ship is trapped in the magical bubble, which won't fade until the boat has sunk and drowned all of it's passengers.

Stuck, and with no demons at hand to use to destroy a hole in the bubble, Sharmila demands they use her crippled body to tear a gap in it even though it means death - and after some emotion debate they comply. They eventually manage to get out through the hole on lifeboat. As they escape, Dervish's heart starts to weaken again in the non-magical environment.

With just Bec, Dervish and Kirilli left, Bec reveals what she had learned from the Shadow's memories - that it was no demon, but it was "Death" itself.