Eight Kings (The King's Watch Book 6)

by Mark Hayden

  ‘What are you doing?’ said Kiwa to me.

  ‘Calling the Boss. Where there’s an ambulance, the police won’t be far away.’

  ‘This one should go to hospital,’ said a voice near me. It was a local man, so it couldn’t be me speaking. That’s a stupid thing to say. Perhaps I was hearing Scout’s barks as words. The voice had more: ‘We need to check him out, but we can’t get near him for that dog.’

  A great burst of want and need exploded in my chest. I had to get air. I sucked in the biggest lungful I could manage, blew it out and sucked in another.

  ‘That’s better. He’s breathing more normally now.’ This time it was a woman. Definitely not me or Scout.

  Scout…

  My leg went into spasm and I had to sit up. I opened my eyes and the sun sent the world spinning on its axis. A warm ball of love climbed on to my lap, and my hand moved in its fur. His fur. He was still alive.

  I closed my eyes and tried to feel the heat, the Lux, the bond between me and my Familiar Spirit.

  Gone.

  I opened my eyes again, and the dog sitting on my lap looked back at me with concern but none of my Familiar’s human intelligence or canine sarcasm. I brushed his fur. He was still Scout to me.

  ‘Sir?’

  Someone was speaking to me, and I hadn’t heard a word. The ground had stopped spinning, and it was time to engage with the world again.

  A solid male presence blocked the sun but kept shining. Aaah. That didn’t make sense. I tried looking again. It was a policeman. The shining sun was his Hi-Viz vest and the solidity was his equipment belt.

  ‘What was that?’ I said.

  ‘I asked if you were alright, sir.’ He dropped into a squat to make eye contact, keeping clear of Scout. ‘Those are some nasty cuts on your face, sir, and you seemed to be unconscious when we arrived.’

  ‘Conrad may have banged his head on the floor when he tried to stop the car,’ said a woman. My memory kicked in and I recognised Brook, one of the Daughters, and then it all clicked into place: Signe had severed the bond with Scout, and I’d fallen flat on my face. The last thing I should do now is talk to the police.

  I tried to understand the implications of the situation.

  I was alive: good sign.

  Saffron and Eseld were missing: bad sign.

  The police were here: bad sign.

  Brook was here and trying to cover things up: hopeful sign.

  In short, things weren’t looking good, and I was in no fit state to start jumping about yet.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I said to the officer. ‘I can’t remember a thing. I don’t feel too bad, though. Has anyone got any water?’

  There was a crunch of gravel, and a woman police officer, a sergeant appeared. She didn’t squat down. ‘Are you Squadron Leader Clarke, sir?’

  It was on the tip of my tongue to say, I think so. That sort of reply has got me in trouble before, so I opted for, ‘Yes.’

  ‘Come on, Dave,’ said the sergeant. ‘We’ve had orders to leave him in charge. One of the funnies.’

  Now that was a good sign. Those orders could only have come via Hannah, and only Saffron could have been in touch to request assistance. Therefore Saffron was alive and had taken over in my absence.

  I dumped Scout on to the floor and held out my hand to the male officer. He gave me a smile; his boss was already crunching away towards their squad car. With a big heave, we both stood up, and the world only wobbled rather than span round.

  ‘Take care, sir, and I would get your head checked out.’

  I shook hands. ‘Bit late for that.’

  As they retreated, I did a 360 degree survey of the car park. Brook stood alone. The rest of the space was empty. Completely empty. And why was Brook wearing a summer dress instead of her robes?

  Glamour.

  Behind where I’d fallen, there was a bloody great illusion of an empty piece of grass. Either that or someone had stolen the Smurf.

  My leg ached like crazy, and my hip felt funny. I felt down and found an empty holster. Where the hell was the Hammer?

  Brook had been watching me. ‘Your weapon is behind the Glamour, but don’t try any magick,’ she said. ‘I’ll lead you through the plane of illusion and try to explain. There’s water in there, but don’t even think of smoking for a while.’

  ‘I wish you hadn’t said that. Now all I can do is think about it. I need to check my phone first.’

  She stepped even closer and put a reassuring hand on my back.

  ‘Was I wobbling?’

  ‘Just a little. You need to sit down soon.’

  I got out my phone. There were no missed calls, but the two messages were very reassuring.

  Michael: Parked two miles away. Awaiting instructions.

  Saffron: RU OK??????

  So, Michael and Maggie had escaped unharmed, and Saffron wouldn’t have messaged if there was still an emergency going on.

  ‘Come on,’ said Brook.

  She took my hand and we crossed a blurred line. The magick made me close my eyes at the right moment, and when I opened them, the Smurf was back. And so was Raven, dead on the floor with my gun in her hand. Oh shit.

  Cordelia was sitting next to Raven, stroking her hair and staring down. There was no one else in sight. Raven had been moved (by whom? Did they use a truck?) and laid out on the grass.

  ‘What happened?’ I said.

  Brook pointed to the grass, and I sank into it. She passed me some water and I drank deeply. Then I drank some more.

  There was a snuffling and whining as Scout approached. He could smell me, but he couldn’t see me anymore. ‘Here boy.’

  He trotted through the Glamour and went bananas when he saw Raven, Cordy and the Smurf. I called him over and started to calm him down. This was going to take some getting used to.

  Brook, her robes restored to their natural look, took a pew next to me and stared towards the moor as if waiting for something to appear from that direction.

  ‘Morning and Signe ran off, hotly pursued by your colleagues and Kiwa. And I’m counting Eseld as one of your colleagues. There was a huge discharge of magick a few minutes later, just as the paramedics were trying to get Georgia into the ambulance.’

  ‘Ambulance?’

  ‘Georgia is on her way to hospital. Morning caught her with a vicious blast and she may not survive. Alys and Zoe have gone with her. We told the paramedics that it was a hit-and-run driver, hence the police presence. I think you know what happened to Raven.’

  I couldn’t compute how a Mage like Raven had done what she did. It was like a nuclear physicist opening a flask and taking out a rod of plutonium to use as a doorstop. I made eye contact with Brook. ‘Was it deliberate? Did she want to take her own life?’

  ‘No. She simply didn’t know what she was doing, and everyone who could warn her was out of action. Alys could have, and why she chose not to is one of the many questions she will have to answer.’ She took a breath. ‘Raven had a hole in her Imprint. It stopped her seeing herself, like having no reflection in a mirror. The magick in your gun was screaming at her to drop it, but she couldn’t feel a thing.’

  ‘I am so very sorry.’

  ‘It wasn’t your fault.’

  I shrugged. It was generous of Brook to say that. I wonder how many will agree with her.

  She grimaced and lowered her voice so Cordelia couldn’t hear ‘We moved Raven out of the way before the ambulance arrived. At that point Alys decided to go in the ambulance with Georgia and drag Zoe along, too. I think Alys wanted to get out of the firing line, as it were.’

  I went to rub my face. ‘Ow!’ There was fresh blood, dried blood and grit on my hand.

  ‘Is there a first aid kit in your helicopter?’

  ‘Under the back seat of the cabin.’

  She got up and went to get the kit. There was one job I had to do before she came back.

  Getting up was hard. Getting over to Raven and Cordelia was even harder. I knelt down on
the grass, facing Cordy, and waited until she looked up. Her face was ravaged with grief.

  It’s been my lot, over the years, to have seen that face many times. Sometimes the light behind the eyes goes out, sometimes it doesn’t. Cordelia’s light was still burning.

  ‘I am so very sorry, Cordy. I can’t imagine what she meant to you.’

  ‘She was my sun. I was her moon. We used to say that to each other. When we were lovers.’ She paused. I could tell from her face that there was going to be more, and I waited. ‘I’ve been thinking it over. While I wait. Nothing else to do. Why did she do it, Conrad?’

  ‘It’s beyond me. Brook says she couldn’t feel the gun, but…’

  Cordy shook her head. Fresh tears were coming. ‘Not that. I get that. Why did she leave the Coven? Why did she do it when I wasn’t there to stop her?’

  I had to pick my words carefully. Raven hadn’t given Cordelia a passing thought when she renounced her bond. I decided to fall back on my oldest skill: lying. ‘She was going to take you with her. She told me in the buggy. She was going to run for Warden of Salomon’s House and you were going to be by her side. Check her phone – she Googled the Loyal Oath.’

  ‘But the prophecy!’

  ‘I’m not with you.’

  ‘When she was delivered to Glastonbury, there was a prophecy that she would die if she left the Grove.’

  A memory stirred. ‘You know what she said? “I am not the Lady of Shallott.” I suppose she thought that life owed her more.’

  She looked at something in the distance. Something not in this world. ‘You know what? That was Raven all over. Her power was so huge, so bright, she couldn’t find ways of toning it down. I think the universe didn’t want her let loose. Or the Goddess didn’t, and that’s something I’m going to have to find out.’

  She dropped Raven’s braid and patted my hand. ‘Thanks, Conrad.’

  When I stood up, I put my boot on Raven’s arm and dragged my gun from her fingers. Yes, it was as horrible as it sounds. I did put a small Silence over things so that Cordelia didn’t have to hear the bones cracking.

  43 — Fit

  Brook was still clearing blood and grit off my face when a curtain seemed to lift from my brain, like I’d been running on half power since I woke up after the fall. Brook was doing more than first aid.

  ‘I’m not going to dress it,’ she said. ‘It’s clean and it’ll stop bleeding soon.’

  ‘Thank you. For everything. That feels a lot better.’

  ‘Good.’ She started packing the first aid kit away. ‘What are you going to do now?’

  He may have lost his magickal senses, but Scout still has all the proper talents of the world’s most intelligent (and neurotic) dog breed. He set off barking and scampered towards the moor.

  ‘Hey you,’ said Eseld. ‘You’re a sight for sore eyes.’ She bent down and scratched his head. The furious wagging of his tail said that Scout remembered Eseld with affection.

  Eseld was ahead of the others and cradled a small gold object. She looked more at peace than she has done since I met her. Kiwa came next, holding Signe’s shoulders with one hand and resting the other hand on a cloth over Signe’s face. Saffron brought up the rear.

  When Scout smelled Signe, he barked once and ran back to me. I don’t blame him.

  Eseld went over to Raven and Cordelia. She placed the urn on the grass and joined Cordy in keeping vigil.

  ‘Where’s Morning?’ I said to Saffron. ‘And are you both okay?’

  Kiwa answered, addressing Brook as much as me. ‘Morning is dead. Lord Mowbray’s spirit was released and has departed the mundane world.’

  ‘And Signe?’

  ‘That part’s complicated,’ said Saff. ‘Are there any butterfly strips in that first aid kit?’

  There were. I took over and peeled the cloth (part of Morning’s robe) away from Signe’s horribly mangled face. I made her sit down, and while I did what I could to hold her face together, Saffron and Kiwa told the story.

  Throughout, Signe kept quiet. She moaned with pain a few times, but said nothing. Very occasionally, the newspapers print photographs of the victims of dog attacks. It was only one bite, but the Spirit hound had much bigger jaws. While the story was being told, everyone looked away except me.

  I finished and put my hands on Signe’s shoulders to check my handiwork. Then I squeezed hard on the painful spots in her shoulder blades. She squirmed in the restraints and I squeezed harder. As I said, no one was looking.

  ‘You severed me from my Familiar,’ I said. ‘You will pay for that, Signe. Not today, but you will meet the blood price one day.’ My words had drawn glances, and I released her. I noticed something in her cloak. ‘The Goddess wanted you to survive,’ I said.

  ‘How do you work that out?’ said Eseld.

  I pointed to a small hole in her cloak. ‘The magick in my gun discharged into Raven, but the mundane bullet still fired. And missed.’

  I placed Signe under a Silence and made a phone call to Michael. ‘Is there any coffee on that bus?’

  ‘No, but we’re in a layby with a chuck wagon.’

  ‘Excellent. Their coffee will be vile, so get six teas and some water.’

  Michael lowered his voice. ‘I’d get you food, but Mrs Pearce won’t let me. She’s got rock buns in a Tupperware. Literally rock. Watch out.’

  ‘I shall warn the others. See you soon.’

  ‘We’ll have to open the car park,’ said Brook. I hadn’t noticed that they’d closed it.

  During the next hour, we had a lot to sort out. We recovered Lord Mowbray’s Artefacts from the bus, along with other incriminating evidence, and we had to make a decision about Signe. My first aid was already starting to give way.

  Things started to resolve themselves when Kiwa got a phone call from Verity. The 1st of Willow and Daughter of Memory had been dragged out of Homewood by numerous urgent messages. She was very keen to talk to Alys, who wasn’t answering her phone, and I think she instinctively trusted Kiwa’s account. Verity gave her undertaking to surrender Signe to the proper authorities in due course. We put Signe on the bus, still restrained, along with Kiwa, Brook and the mortal remains of Morning.

  Morning had died a member of the Coven, and I was happy to let them have her. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t take Raven.

  I had a short talk to Mina, followed by an even shorter one to Hannah, who was at her sister’s house. Hannah had got Ruth to answer the phone (it being Shabbos), and she listened carefully when I gave the headlines.

  ‘Do I need to do anything today?’ she asked.

  ‘Not in my view, ma’am.’

  ‘Then it can all wait until tomorrow. Ruth, turn this thing off, will you?’

  And then there was no more to do. The only question was, could I fly the Smurf?

  That question was answered when the Mowbray estate minibus appeared with Lena on board and driven by the original coach driver, who swapped with Maggie and drove off in the hired coach with his much reduced party.

  Lena checked me over thoroughly and pronounced me fit to fly, then earned further bonus points by going over to Eseld.

  ‘It’s time to go,’ said Lena.

  ‘I’m not leaving her,’ said Cordelia.

  ‘Me neither,’ said Eseld.

  ‘You don’t have to. We will take her in the van. All together. Tomorrow she will take the fire boat with Mowbray. All is ready.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ said Cordelia.

  ‘Thank you, Lena,’ said Eseld. She turned to her former rival for Ethan’s affections and put her arms round Lena’s shoulders, more like she was clinging on than giving her a hug. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  Saffron started collecting empty cups. ‘I’m coming with you in the Smurf, Conrad.’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘I do. First, I trust you. Second, I can Mayday if there’s a problem, and third, you can give me instructions. And if you think Mina would ever forgive me for not going with yo
u, you’re mistaken.’

  I grunted a laugh. ‘Fine. Let’s get the stretcher.’

  We’d already used the portable stretcher to move Morning, and loaded Raven into the back of the minibus with as much dignity as we could. With Lena and Eseld leaving, we also had to lower the Glamour and give some ramblers a nasty shock when a bright blue helicopter appeared next to their car park. Eseld’s parting gift was some illusory cones to stop newcomers getting too close to the LZ.

  ‘Ready, Saff?’

  She tilted her head on one side. ‘I know it’s well late, but do you think they’d do breakfast when we get back.’

  ‘They’d bloody well better do. What do you think has kept me going?’

  Mina was waiting for us at Lamorne Point, along with Isolde. There had been more developments while we were in the air, as Isolde explained.

  ‘Verity wants me to tell Hedda what’s happened, and Mina has offered to come with me. Hedda doesn’t know a thing yet. I’ve heard the headlines, but could you flesh it out for me?’

  I gave Isolde the bald facts, leaving nothing out. She knew Hedda much better than I did, and I trusted her to find the right way of putting over the loss of Raven and her daughter’s treachery. I’m not sure which was going to hurt most.

  Even with the delay to get the Smurf up and running, we were well ahead of the minibus (thanks to Maggie’s driving), and the Ferrymistress spoke to me for the first time when we got to the dock.

  ‘Tell me that Michael is okay.’

  ‘He’s absolutely fine. He was nowhere near any danger, and he did a great job. You should be proud of him.’

  ‘Hmph. And you got all the Witches who killed Lord Mowbray?’

  ‘We did.’

  Ethan, Cador and Kenver had also been busy. With my permission, they had removed Mowbray’s body from the Labyrinth and taken it to the boathouse. This might sound a little odd, but Mowbray was going to be cremated on a fireship, and this way they could allow unrestricted access to anyone who wanted to pay their respects.

  When the minibus arrived, Maggie drove it down the path to the dock, and Raven was laid out next to Mowbray. When he’d heard what had happened, Ethan had decreed that the Mowbray clan would adopt Raven and give her in death the family she had only had in life from the Daughters. Raven had died trying to avenge Lord Mowbray and protect Eseld. That was good enough for them.