Ruler of the Realm

by Herbie Brennan

Kills on contact.

  Henry looked at the writing, then at her. ‘The stimlus kills on contact?’ he asked.

  ‘Kills on contact’ disappeared and was immediately replaced by glowing red capitals: DON’T SPEAK ALOUD. IF YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING, PLACE YOUR THUMB ON THE SURFACE OF THE TABLET AND THINK CLEARLY.

  ‘Cool!’ Henry murmured. He got the hang of it at once, for the tablet cleared, then showed the words, Will it kill them all?

  Blue pushed his thumb to one side with hers. Kills one only. Single charge. Must have contact.

  Henry moved her thumb aside. Better than a kick in the teeth from a wet haddock.

  Blue looked at him in bewilderment.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Henry said sheepishly. He put his thumb back on the pad. What’s the plan?

  Sometimes, Blue thought, it would be nice if someone else took charge. She shifted his thumb and her words began to fill the pad again. Stand by the door. We lure them in, then attack. Take them by surprise. Kill them.

  ‘Kill?’ Henry mouthed. His eyes were wide.

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ Blue exclaimed aloud. ‘What did you expect to do – invite them to a ball?’

  Henry gripped the tablet. There are three of them and only two of us.

  They’re little skinny things.

  I’ve never killed anything before.

  You’ll be fine if you don’t look in their eyes.

  Henry stared at her as if trying to make up his mind. After a while he nodded suddenly and moved beside the door. Blue walked over to the viewscreen and shattered the fragile glass with a single kick. The spell coating turned magenta and howled. She spun round and raced to join Henry at the door.

  The plan unravelled at once. The demons burst in at a run, but only Black John was in his original form. The other two had transformed themselves into creatures from a nightmare, muscular and huge.

  ‘Yikes!’ Henry exclaimed.

  He has no weapon, Blue thought. That was stupid. I should never have started this until he had a weapon. But there was no weapon for him, nothing in the room that might even have served as a club. She stepped forward and pressed the stimlus into the side of the nearest demon. There was a loud hiss and the smell of burning flesh, then the creature toppled, its eyes blank.

  Blue spun round and saw to her surprised delight that Henry was clinging to the second nightmare demon, apparently trying to strangle it. The creature was threshing to and fro, trying to dislodge him. She winced as Henry’s knee cracked against the wall, but noted he never slackened his grip. Blue flung herself at the demon.

  The stimlus was useless now, burned out after its single discharge. She knew she didn’t have the strength to kill the brute, not even with Henry hanging on to it, so she went for its eyes, the most vulnerable point.

  The demon jerked upright and roared, scrabbling for her hands. ‘Good girl, Blue,’ Henry murmured. There was sweat beading on his forehead as he fought to increase the stranglehold. There was no way he could kill the thing like that, of course, but he might manage to distract it until she blinded it. A blind demon was almost as helpless as a dead one.

  She reached for the eyes again, then there was a demon on her back, the furred imp with budding horns and pointed ears. Black John clutched her shoulders with slim, taloned fingers. ‘No more, Majesty,’ he hissed malevolently into her ear.

  Blue flung herself backwards at once. They rolled together across the floor, Black John still clinging to her back. She could feel his claws shredding her clothing, then the sharp pain as they reached her flesh. She jerked her head back in the hope of connecting with his face, but missed. One of his slender arms went round her throat and tightened.

  Almost at once, her vision began to darken. His other hand came round and raked her face. Blood spurted, half blinding her. In desperation she hurled herself backwards against the nearest wall. There was a sickening thud, the grip on her throat loosened and she felt Black John slide off her back. Blue stumbled and fell, then picked herself up. The black demon lay on the floor beside her. He was still breathing but looked dazed from his fall. Blue reached down and took his head and broke his scrawny neck. Then her knees began to give way.

  The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Henry standing over her. He was grinning broadly. Against all odds, he’d strangled his demon.

  Sixty-nine

  ‘Good God!’ Fogarty exclaimed.

  Blue was floating in a beam of light at the head of the stairs. There was a livid bruise on her right cheek and dried blood on her face. Her hair was matted, her clothes in tatters. But the worst of all was her eyes, which were glazed, blackened and bloodshot.

  ‘Blue!’ Pyrgus shouted. He began to run up the stairway.

  There was a figure floating through the wall behind her. To Fogarty’s astonishment, it resolved itself into Henry.

  Blue landed lightly and tried to step forward towards Pyrgus. She spun slowly around and began to fall.

  ‘Blue!’ Pyrgus shouted again.

  Blue toppled forward.

  Her eyes snapped open. Waves were lapping gently on a golden beach. The calls of seabirds blended with the strains of soothing music. Blue felt awful. Her face hurt, her head hurt, her nose hurt, her body ached from neck to toe.

  ‘Oh, excellent – you’re awake, deeah.’

  Blue turned her head to one side with enormous caution. Jags of crimson pain forced her eyes closed briefly, but she opened them again to look into the smiling face of Madame Cardui.

  ‘It’s all right, deeah, don’t try to talk.’

  Blue wasn’t sure she could talk. But at least some of her confusion was fading away. She was lying under crisp, clean sheets tucked beneath her chin. The beach was an illusion painted on the ceiling, the soothing music played by elementals trapped in jars beside her bed. This had to be the palace Infirmary. The spells were standard treatment for recovering patients.

  ‘You’re quite safe now, deeah. You’ve been through a difficult experience, but it’s over now and everything’s all right. Are you in pain? Just blink once if the answer’s yes.’

  Blue blinked once.

  ‘The healers will bring you something for that in a moment. They’re just waiting for the results of your final tests. You’re suffering from demon poisoning, but there’s nothing else – no broken bones, no organ damage, nothing of that sort. You’re very lucky, really. If Pyrgus hadn’t been so quick off the mark, you might have broken your neck.’

  Blue’s tongue felt too large for her mouth and all her teeth hurt. Her lips were swollen to twice their normal size. ‘Ooo ahs Prus, Am Siya?’

  Madame Cardui reached out to place a soothing hand on her forehead. ‘Don’t try to talk just yet, Blue deeah. Here’s Chief Wizard Surgeon Healer Danaus now. I expect your test results are in – yes, they are: see, he’s nodding. You’ll soon be feeling so much better, and while Chief Healer Danaus does his work, I’ll try to bring you up to date – all right?’

  Blue wondered why even sensible people like Madame Cardui felt obliged to treat you like an imbecile the minute you felt ill. She could see Chief Wizard Surgeon Healer Danaus now, a tall, fleshy figure with the shaven head and blue robes of his profession. He was carrying an energy globe in one hand and a vial of miniature elementals in the other.

  ‘Try to let go, Majesty,’ he boomed. ‘A relaxed body cannot harbour a negative emotion.’ A professional smile creased the full moon of his face. ‘We’ll soon be feeling better, I assure you.’

  Blue wondered vaguely if she could order him beheaded. All the same, when he cracked the vial and allowed the little elementals to swarm into her body, she did indeed begin to feel better almost instantly.

  Madame Cardui clearly noticed the difference for she laid a warning finger on Blue’s lips (no longer swollen now, incredibly) and said gently, ‘Perhaps delay our conversation until we are alone …?’

  Blue nodded and waited. Chief Wizard Surgeon Healer Danaus checked his handiwork, prono
unced himself satisfied, warned Her Imperial Majesty not to overtire herself, then withdrew backwards, bowing awkwardly.

  As he closed the door, Madame Cardui said, ‘I’ve had this room secured – we can talk freely.’

  Blue said, ‘That was rough. Where’s Henry? Did he get through?’ His idea had been to use the demon transporter to beam her directly back to the palace. Then, when she was safe, he was going to try to set it on automatic so he could follow her.

  ‘He was right behind you,’ Madame Cardui said a little grimly. ‘Where did he take you?’

  Blue pushed down on the bed to help herself sit up and was surprised to discover she was no longer feeling weak. ‘I’m not sure. Somewhere cubed.’ The truth was, despite the elementals in her bloodstream, her mind was still foggy. But Henry had made it through, so that was all right.

  Madame Cardui frowned. ‘What do you mean – cubed?’

  Blue shook her head. ‘It’s not important.’ She was very definitely feeling stronger. She pushed back the bedclothes and swung her feet on to the floor. ‘Where are my clothes?’

  ‘What you were wearing has seen better days, I’m afraid,’ Madame Cardui said. ‘I had them destroyed. There some fresh things in the wardrobe.’ She hesitated, but no more than a fraction of a second. ‘You do look much better, deeah, since Danaus unleashed his little helpers. I certainly don’t want you to overdo it, after all you’ve been through, but there are one or two rather pressing matters …’

  ‘In a moment,’ Blue said firmly. She had to get her mind clear. She had to call her people together and explain to them about Beleth’s plan. ‘Where’s Pyrgus?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s not in the palace just now, deeah. We had to send him –’

  Blue cut her off. ‘Where’s Henry?’

  ‘In the dungeons,’ said Madame Cardui. ‘I had him arrested, of course. He’s currently awaiting execution on a charge of treason.’

  Seventy

  ‘Who the hell are you?’ Fogarty asked crossly. He was in the forest, just about to start another round of talks with Queen Cleopatra, and resented interruptions. Especially now things were going well. She’d already agreed to help in the raid on the time flowers – couldn’t leave them in Hairstreak’s hands, even if Blue was home now. Given a bit more of the Fogarty charm and she might even agree to a formal alliance.

  ‘Nyman, sir,’ the intruder told him. ‘Madame Cardui’s new dwarf, sir.’

  Fogarty frowned. ‘Where’s Kitterick?’

  ‘Still missing, sir. Whereabouts unknown. Herself promoted me pro tem on account of the Emergency. I was always good at running errands, taking messages, that sort of thing. I expect it’s back to the kitchens for me when Kitterick turns up again, but in the meantime it’s a hike in pay, a change from peeling spuds and here I am, sir.’ He smiled, showing a missing tooth.

  ‘And what do you want?’ Fogarty asked, still frowning.

  Nyman glanced around, then jerked his head and scuttled into the shade of a large oak. ‘Confidential, sir, Herself says,’ he remarked when Fogarty caught up with him. He began to make little jumps up and down.

  ‘What are you doing?’ The creature was insane.

  ‘Trying to get on a level with your ear, sir, yourself being a fine big tall man and me being vertically challenged as you might say.’

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ Fogarty exploded. He bent down until his ear was at the level of Nyman’s head.

  ‘Herself says you’re to get back right away, sir,’ the dwarf whispered. ‘Bit of a problem, like.’

  ‘What sort of a problem?’

  ‘Ah, Herself would never tell me that, sir. Nothing dangerous or too confidential on account some miscreant might squeeze it out of me. I’m not what you’d call stoical under pressure, sir.’

  ‘You’re not a Trinian, are you?’ Fogarty said.

  ‘Indeed and I am not, sir, as a fine, big, clever man like yourself could probably tell by the colour. Don’t hold with those lads at all, to tell you the truth: far too well organised. I’m what you might call a Lep.’

  ‘Ah,’ said Fogarty, without the slightest idea what a Lep was. ‘Well, now, listen, Mr Nyman, I want you to get back to Hersel— to Madame Cardui – and tell her I’m in the middle of some very delicate negotiations –’ He stopped: Nyman was shaking his head solemnly. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Herself said you might be a bit troublesome, begging your pardon, sir, and if you was, I was to tell you one thing –’ He beckoned Fogarty to bend over again and when he did, whispered, ‘There’s big trouble, sir. Regarding Henry.’

  Seventy-one

  It was brilliant leading a commando raid. Pyrgus was wearing full camouflage fatigues with a helmet sporting so much greenery than it looked like a vegetable patch. His face was painted in olive and brown stripes. But that wasn’t the really good bit. The really good bit (as he wriggled on his stomach through the undergrowth) was that there were twenty heavily armed men right behind him, all tough as nails, all ready to lay down their lives for the mission.

  And every one of them called him sir.

  ‘Freeze!’ Pyrgus ordered in a whisper.

  ‘Sir!’ they snapped in whispered unison; and froze. It was so, so cool.

  He wished Nymph could see him now.

  Or maybe not. He raised his head carefully above the level of the grass to discover he was still lost. The problem was that crawling on your stomach changed your whole perspective. Things that looked one way when you were standing up looked completely different when you were lying down and peering through a shrub. But what was he to do? He couldn’t just march his men down the main avenue of the Ogyris Estate. This was a raid, not a frontal attack. You didn’t mount a frontal attack with twenty men, no matter how tough they were.

  Besides which, a frontal attack would start a war and they’d only just averted one now Blue was back to stop the Countdown. But at least Mr Fogarty and Madame Cardui hadn’t called off the raid. So Pyrgus got to lead twenty men.

  He hadn’t told them they were lost, of course. Wouldn’t want them demoralised so early in the mission. Besides, he had to concentrate on meeting up with Nymph. How good was that? The Forest Faerie had agreed to send some people and Nymph was leading them. Blue back safe, no war, he was leading twenty men and going to meet up with Nymph again. Life could not get better than this.

  He was about to bring his head down and press on regardless when he caught a glint of something from the corner of his eye. He swung his head round. Water! It was sunlight glinting on water. The lake! If they got to the lake, he could find his bearings eventually. He was bound to. He’d been able to follow the lakeside path even in pitch darkness, so daylight had to be a doddle, even crawling.

  ‘Left turn!’ he hissed, and swung himself round.

  ‘Sir!’ his men responded and fell in behind him.

  Seventy-two

  Blue said, ‘Have him released, Madame Cynthia. And get that thing out of his head.’

  Madame Cardui frowned. ‘My deeah, you do recall it was Henry who kidnapped you?’ She hesitated. ‘What thing?’

  Blue was sitting on the edge of the bed pulling on her boots. ‘Henry didn’t know what he was doing,’ she said firmly. ‘He was taken over by Beleth.’

  ‘Beleth?’ Madame Cardui exclaimed. A look of sudden comprehension crossed her face. ‘I wondered if that was a demon transport beam. My deeah, I think you’d better tell me everything.’

  Blue told her. It took surprisingly little time.

  ‘Poor Henry,’ Madame Cardui said when Blue had finished. She moved to the door and gave instructions to one of the guards outside. When the man hurried off, she turned back to Blue. ‘I’ve ordered Henry released. He’ll be taken directly to the infirmary to have Beleth’s implant removed.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Blue said. She had almost finished dressing.

  Madame Cardui sat down heavily on the bed. She seemed suddenly very old. ‘I’m losing my edge, deeah. I was looking in the wrong
place.’

  Blue glanced at her, but picked up her meaning at once. ‘So was I, Madame Cynthia. I thought Uncle Hairstreak was behind all our troubles. Not that he wasn’t behind some of them.’

  Madame Cardui said, ‘Speaking of which, you need to cancel the Countdown.’

  ‘Yes, of course. I’ll do it at once.’

  Madame Cardui hesitated. ‘There’s one thing …’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I’ll make this quick, deeah,’ Madame Cardui said; and told her about the time flowers.

  ‘So that’s how Henry got me out of Hairstreak’s mansion – he never told me. I thought it might be some sort of stasis spell.’

  ‘The thing is,’ Madame Cardui went on, ‘when you disappeared with a Countdown in place, we – that’s to say Gatekeeper Fogarty and myself – decided we could not possibly permit the Faeries of the Night to retain such a powerful weapon – you can easily imagine the military implications, of course. So we ordered a commando raid to destroy the flowers. Pyrgus is leading it as we speak.’

  ‘Why Pyrgus?’ Blue asked quickly. He was her older brother, but she’d always been protective of him.

  ‘Pyrgus knows exactly where the flowers were being grown. I just hope this is the only place they’re being grown.’ She waited.

  After a long moment, Blue said, ‘You did right, Madame Cynthia. Flowers that stop time would change the entire balance of military power. How many men has Pyrgus taken?’

  ‘A score of our finest,’ Madame Cardui said, ‘but he’s meeting with an equal number of the Forest Faerie. Alan persuaded them to help us.’ Rather surprisingly, she thought; but it never did to underestimate Alan.

  ‘I suppose the Forest Faerie are being led by that Nymphalis creature?’ Blue said sourly.

  Madame Cardui smiled slightly. ‘I imagine they might be. I’m not yet privy to the arrangements.’

  ‘Where is Gatekeeper Fogarty?’ Blue asked. ‘I should like to know more about this raid.’

  Madame Cardui looked at her fondly. One moment an injured girl, the next every inch a Queen. Blue was her father’s daughter all right – especially when there was the slightest danger to her family.