Ruler of the Realm

by Herbie Brennan

  Madame Cardui said, ‘Beleth had Blue implanted like Henry. To give her false memories.’

  ‘Wait a minute –’ Fogarty said suddenly.

  ‘What’s an implant?’ Nymph asked. It was the first time she’d spoken since their dramatic arrival.

  ‘Wait a minute –’ Fogarty said again. He was frowning. ‘That’s not making sense. We assumed the false memories were a diversion to distract attention from Beleth’s invasion. But Pyrgus has just told us the invasion is phoney too.’ He stopped and looked from face to face.

  Madame Cardui took it up. ‘So what was the real reason for Blue’s implant?’

  ‘And where is Blue now?’ Pyrgus whispered.

  ‘Right behind you,’ Blue said grimly.

  One hundred and nine

  There was blood on her dress, blood on her hands, blood splattered along her bare arms. There was blood smeared on her face. Henry was a pace or two behind her. There was blood oozing through his clothes.

  ‘Get Henry to the infirmary,’ Blue said.

  ‘You’re hurt, deeah!’

  Blue shook her head. ‘This isn’t my blood.’ Pyrgus ran to throw his arms around her. She began to shake violently. Tears cut through the bloodstains on her face.

  ‘What the hell happened to you?’ Fogarty demanded.

  Blue clung to Pyrgus and her tears turned to a ghastly, gurgling giggle. ‘I’m Queen of Hael now, Mr Fogarty,’ she said; and fainted.

  She awoke in the infirmary, feeling hugely better despite the pain in her head. She raised a cautious hand to touch the bandaging.

  ‘It’s out,’ said a familiar voice.

  Blue turned slowly. ‘Where’s Henry, Mr Fogarty?’

  ‘He’s fine. Had to have stitches, but he’s fine.’ He held a small metallic cylinder between his finger and thumb. ‘They planted this inside your brain. Interesting, eh? Henry got off easier. His was just lodged in his sinus cavity. Beleth must have wanted them to do two different things.’

  ‘Yes,’ Blue agreed.

  Fogarty said, ‘There are an awful lot of demons in one of the palace cellars.’

  ‘They won’t give you any trouble,’ Blue said.

  ‘I noticed that,’ said Fogarty. He cocked his head to one side and looked at her. ‘Can you remember?’

  ‘Yes. Everything.’

  ‘Henry lost his memory when we took out his implant.’

  ‘It must be different with faeries.’

  ‘So what happened?’

  Blue looked past him through the picture window into the morning sunlight. She had clearly been unconscious for hours. ‘Beleth wanted me to marry him. That way he could control the Realm. The deep brain implant meant he could manipulate my thoughts and emotions.’

  ‘That’s what Henry told me,’ Mr Fogarty said. ‘The business in the desert was a diversion.’

  ‘More like a distraction,’ Blue said. ‘He wanted to keep everyone so worried you wouldn’t suspect what was really happening. It was a very complicated plan.’

  ‘What went wrong with it?’ Fogarty asked.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Blue said honestly. She pushed herself up in the bed and gave a small, bleak smile. ‘When they put that thing in my brain, I actually felt attracted to Beleth. But it was more than that. I thought the marriage would be good for the Realm. It felt as if it was my duty.’

  ‘When did you stop feeling that?’

  Blue said, ‘When Beleth attacked Henry.’

  Fogarty rolled the cylinder in his fingers. ‘Know what’s interesting? I had a look at this thing when they took it out. The insides are burned out.’

  ‘Are they?’ Blue asked mildly.

  ‘It takes a lot to burn out one of those implants – almost impossible, in fact. You must love him very much,’ Fogarty said quietly.

  ‘Yes,’ Blue said. ‘Yes, I do.’

  After a moment Fogarty said, ‘Henry says you cut Beleth’s throat.’

  Blue’s eyes glazed slightly as she nodded.

  ‘Weren’t you afraid?’

  ‘Very.’

  ‘You must have thought the demons would tear you limb from limb – you and Henry.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why didn’t they?’ Fogarty asked curiously.

  ‘It’s their custom to accept any new leader strong enough to kill the old one. Beleth ate his father to accede to the throne.’

  ‘Strange creatures,’ Fogarty said. ‘Are you going to leave the portal open?’

  ‘It’s not a portal,’ Blue said. ‘It’s old magic from the time before the faerie. I don’t know how Beleth got hold of it. But no, I’m not going to leave it open, not if I can find out how to close it down.’

  Fogarty pushed himself out of his chair. ‘Feel strong enough to get up yet?’

  ‘I think so. Why?’

  ‘The others are waiting. We need you to talk to the Generals.’

  ‘Hand me that dressing gown, Mr Fogarty,’ Blue said.

  One hundred and ten

  General Creerful bowed mutely as they entered the Situation Room. He nodded briefly to Pyrgus, ignored Mr Fogarty and Madame Cardui completely, and said, wooden-faced, to Blue, ‘Lord Hairstreak’s main forces are in retreat, Ma’am. There was some opposition, but we have now penetrated deeply into the Cretch and are approaching Yammeth City. I anticipate we will have captured it within hours.’

  There was no protecting Yammeth City now, Blue saw at once. One of the largest globes showed the entire city from an elevated perspective. For a capital at war the place looked tranquil, its streets largely deserted. Until, that is, you looked towards the eastern sector where Nighter troops and engines of war were concentrated in vast numbers. Clearly her uncle still had not realised the demon forces in the desert were an illusion. It occurred to her suddenly that Beleth must have murdered Burgundy because he had found out.

  She said bluntly, ‘We must withdraw.’

  Creerful’s shock was palpable. ‘Withdraw, Majesty?’

  ‘Immediately.’

  ‘Queen Blue, the Faeries of the Night are at our mercy. We may never have this opportunity again.’

  Blue said tiredly, ‘The Faeries of the Night are our cousins, not our enemy. Our real enemy has already been defeated.’ She glanced at the globe again. ‘Are we in communication with Lord Hairstreak?’

  A wary look sprang into Creerful’s eyes. ‘No, Majesty.’

  ‘How long before we can contact him?’

  ‘Perhaps an hour with runners – the CC network is closed down. It will depend where he is.’

  Madame Cardui asked quickly, ‘What’s happened to the CC network?’

  General Creerful was joined by General Vanelke, who fielded the question: ‘We suspect sabotage. There have been several acts of rebellion by Faeries of the Night living in the capital. We’re working to repair the damage, but it may be some time before we’re operational again. Runners might be faster at this stage.’

  Blue said, ‘Dispatch runners then, General. Coded message, of course. Inform my uncle of our withdrawal. Tell him his offer of an alliance is accepted.’

  Epilogue

  They were walking together in the gardens of the Purple Palace. It was evening and pinpoints of light were just beginning to flare in the distant city streets. Night stocks were releasing their scents, an alien medley that had now become familiar.

  Blue asked, ‘What’s wrong, Henry?’

  What was wrong was that he’d soon have to go back. He’d have to explain to his mother where he’d been. He’d have to explain to Anaïs how he’d managed to disappear before her very eyes. He’d have to live with the guilt about what he’d done to Blue. She was being very nice, but he was certain she could never forgive him.

  He shrugged. ‘Oh, you know … going home,’ he mumbled. He didn’t want to go.

  Unexpectedly, Blue said, ‘I’d like to meet your family.’

  Henry glanced at her in surprise, then suppressed a lunatic urge to giggle. He thought of his moth
er and her lesbian lover. He thought of his father, now living with a girl young enough to be his daughter. He thought of Aisling, his selfish brat of a sister.

  ‘Oh no, you wouldn’t,’ he said with heartfelt emphasis. ‘Take my word for it, you wouldn’t!’

  ‘Don’t you like them?’ Blue asked.

  ‘Not very much. Dad’s all right, I suppose. But Mum –’ He hesitated. Actually he didn’t know what to say about his mum. After a moment he went on, ‘Mum sort of tells you what to do all the time. She knows better than everyone else about everything.’ Then he added sourly, ‘But she’s still managed to make a mess of her marriage. She chucked Dad out and made him think it was for the best.’

  ‘So you really don’t want to go back?’

  ‘Not even slightly,’ Henry said, then grinned to try to lighten the conversation.

  Blue looked away from him. He couldn’t be sure in the half light, but something made him think she might be blushing.

  ‘Why don’t you stay here?’ Blue asked.

  Henry stared at her in astonishment.

  Glossary

  Key:

  FOL: Faerie of the Light

  FON: Faerie of the Night

  HMN: Human

  Analogue World (a.k.a. the Earth Realm). Names used in the Faerie Realm to denote the mundane world of school and spots and parents who look like they might end up getting divorced.

  Antiopa, Nymphalis (Nymph). Daughter of Queen Cleopatra, Princess of the Forest Faerie.

  Apatura Iris. (FOL) Father of Prince Pyrgus and Queen Blue. Was Purple Emperor for more than twenty years.

  Asmodeus. A smelly demon.

  Atherton, Aisling. (HMN) Henry Atherton’s younger sister and pain in the ass.

  Atherton, Henry. (HMN) A young teenage boy living in England’s Home Counties who first made contact with the Faerie Realm when he rescued the faerie prince, Pyrgus Malvae, from a cat.

  Atherton, Martha. (HMN) Headmistress of a girl’s school in the south of England. Wife of Tim Atherton, mother of Henry and Aisling.

  Atherton, Tim. (HMN) Successful business executive. Husband of Martha Atherton, father of Henry and Aisling.

  Beleth (a.k.a the Infernal Prince; the Prince of Darkness). Prince of Hael, an alternative dimension of reality inhabited by demons.

  Black John. A demon.

  Blue, Queen Holly. (FOL) Younger sister of Prince Pyrgus Malvae and daughter of the late Purple Emperor Apatura Iris.

  Border Redcap. Sentient fungus that inhabits rocky areas of the Realm wilderness and sprays psychedelic spores when attacked.

  Brimstone, Silas. (FON) Elderly demonologist and former glue factory owner.

  Cardui, Madame Cynthia (a.k.a the Painted Lady). (FOL) An elderly eccentric whose extensive contacts have made her one of Queen Blue’s most valued agents.

  Chalkhill, Jasper. (FON) Business partner of Silas Brimstone and, secretly, former head of Lord Hairstreak’s intelligence service.

  Channel. A military medium used for communications.

  Chevalier. Realm equivalent of a Knight.

  Cleopatra. Queen of the Forest Faerie.

  Comma, Prince. (FOL/FON) Half-brother of Prince Pyrgus and Queen Blue. (Same father, different mothers.)

  Cossus Cossus. (FON) Lord Hairstreak’s former Gatekeeper.

  Countdown. A dangerous military precaution against kidnapping.

  Creen. What Haleklind natives call Haleklind.

  Demon. Form frequently taken by the shape-shifting alien species inhabiting the Hael Realm when in contact with faeries or humans.

  Endolg. An intelligent animal that looks much like a woolly rug. Endolgs have a unique ability to sense truth, which makes them popular companions in the Faerie Realm.

  Faerie of the Light (Lighter). One of the two main faerie types, culturally averse to the use of demons in any circumstances and usually members of the Church of Light.

  Faerie of the Night (Nighter). One of the two main faerie types, physically distinguished from Faeries of the Light by light-sensitive cat-like eyes. Make use of demonic servants.

  Faerie Realm. A parallel aspect of reality inhabited by various alien species, including Faeries of the Light and Faeries of the Night.

  Feral Faerie. A wild, nomadic faerie people who live and hunt in the depths of the great primeval forest that covers much of the Faerie Realm. The Feral Faerie are not known to hold allegiance to either the Faeries of the Light or the Faeries of the Night.

  Firstman. In Realm mythology, the first sentient creature created by the Light in the Garden of Haedon.

  Fizz Parlour. Fashionable establishment specialising in giving patrons a mind-expanding experience.

  Fluid Dark. What nomadic Trinians call demons.

  Flyer, personal. A Realm aircraft roughly equivalent to a flying sports car.

  Fogarty, Alan. (HMN) Paranoid ex-physicist and bank robber with an extraordinary talent for engineering gadgets. Fogarty was made Gatekeeper of House Iris in recognition of the help he gave to Prince Pyrgus, even though it was Fogarty’s cat who nearly ate Prince Pyrgus in the first place.

  Follower. Demonic spy.

  Forest Faerie. The way you refer to a Feral Faerie if you don’t want to give offence.

  Gatekeeper. Ancient title used to describe the chief advisor of a Noble House.

  Great House. Noble family.

  Guardian. Spell-driven security hologram.

  Hael. Faerie name for Hell.

  Haelmind (a.k.a. Hellmind). The mental Internet of Hell.

  Hairstreak, Lord Black. (FON) Noble head of House Hairstreak and leader of the Faeries of the Night.

  Halek knife (or blade). A rock crystal weapon which releases magical energies to kill anything it pierces. Halek knives are prone to shattering occasionally, in which event the energies will kill the person using them.

  Halek wizard. Non-human, non-faerie. Reputedly the most skilful of the magical practitioners in the Faerie Realm. Halek wizards typically specialise in weapons technology.

  Haleklind. Homeland of the Halek wizards.

  Halud. An exotic spice.

  Haniel. Winged lion inhabiting forest areas of the Faerie Realm.

  Hodge. Mr Fogarty’s tomcat.

  House Iris. The Royal House of the Faerie Empire.

  The Illustrious Svengali. (HMN) A stage hypnotist.

  Innatus. Nomadic Trinian shaman.

  Kitterick. An Orange Trinian in the service of Madame Cardui.

  Lanceline. Madame Cardui’s translucent cat.

  Laura Croft. (HMN) Henry’s dad’s new squeeze.

  Levitator. Viewglobe fitted with an anti-gravity device.

  Lien. A magical spell that compels the victim to act in a certain way.

  Limbo. A dimension of reality temporarily inhabited by demons who are under a service contract.

  Lucina, Hamearis, Duke of Burgundy. (FON) War hero and close ally to Lord Hairstreak.

  Malvae, Prince Pyrgus. (FOL) Brother of Queen Holly Blue. Pyrgus likes animals a lot more than politics and at one time actually ran away from home to live as a commoner because of disagreements with his father.

  McKenna, Paul. (HMN) A television hypnotist.

  Memnon. (FOL) The Spicemaster (see below).

  Nagel. A chieftain of the nomadic Trinians.

  Niff (Hael wildlife). A heavily armoured, steel-fanged animal slightly smaller than a fox.

  Nyman. A Leprechaun in Madame Cardui’s service.

  Ogyris, Gela. (FON) Daughter of Zosine Ogyris.

  Ogyris, Genoveva. (FON) Wife of Zosine Ogyris and former lover of Kitterick.

  Ogyris, Zosine Typha. (FON) Rich merchant from Haleklind, now living in Yammeth Cretch and closely allied to Lord Hairstreak.

  Orion. The Communications Angel.

  Ornitherium. An ancient bird-house.

  Ouklo. Levitating, spell-driven carriage.

  Pelidne. Lord Hairstreak’s latest Gatekeeper.

  Perin. Tiny amphibian renowned for spitting
on its own forefeet when attacked.

  Plack. Artificially created life-form.

  Portal. Inter-dimensional energy gateway, either naturally occurring, modified or engineered.

  Procles, Graphium. (FON) One of Hairstreak’s Generals.

  Quercusia. (FON) Comma’s mother.

  Refinia. A tropical disease of the Realm which causes severe swelling of the brain.

  Ropo’s. Popular coffee bar.

  Severs, Charlotte (Charlie). (HMN) Henry Atherton’s closest friend in the Earth Realm.

  Silk Mistress. (FOL) Member of an (exclusively female) Guild trained in the control of spinners and the making of spinner silk into expensive and much-sought-after fashion items.

  Simbala. An addictive form of music sold legally in licensed outlets and illegally elsewhere.

  Slith. Dangerous grey reptile inhabiting forest areas of the Faerie Realm. Sliths secrete a highly toxic acid which they can spit across considerable distances.

  Somme. A particularly bloody battle of World War One.

  Spell cone. Pocket-sized cones, no more than an inch or so in height, imbued with magical energies directed towards a specific result. The old-style cone had to be lit. The more modern version is self-igniting and is ‘cracked’ with a fingernail. Both types discharge like fireworks.

  Spicemaster. A Realm oracle who makes predictions with the aid of mind-altering spices.

  Spy eye. A bugging device.

  Stasis spell. A spell that freezes something into immobility, preserving it intact for as long as the spell lasts.

  Stimlus. Personal energy weapon.

  Tracker. Potentially lethal mechanised robot forming part of Hairstreak’s new security system.

  Transporter. Mr Fogarty’s hand-held version of the thing they use in Star Trek.

  Trinian. Non-human, non-faerie dwarven race living in the Faerie Realm. Orange Trinians are a breed that dedicates itself to service, Violet Trinians tend to be warriors, while Green Trinians specialise in biological nanotechnology and consequently can create living machines.

  Tulpa. An intelligent thought-form.

  Ward, Anaïs. (HMN) Henry’s mother’s lover.

  Woodfordi. (FOL) A military Channel.