by Phil Parker
‘I thought you’d gone AWOL. You were stationed in Glastonbury weren’t you?’
Luke presented him with his winning smile as he nodded.
‘Yes sir. I was captured and brought here. I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you!’
The grin and the tone sounded genuine. I knew so little about this guy I realised, didn’t even know if he had a girlfriend or family who would have been waiting for him, the idea of asking him had never occurred to me.
His story accepted, the beret wearer reached out a hand and they shook.
‘Lieutenant Aled Rees, though most people call me Taffy, on account of the Welsh good looks and beautiful singing voice.’
It raised chuckles from the other men who were starting to relax slightly, though the blonde lad and a couple of others kept their guns trained on the two of us. I discreetly lowered my arms, Oisin followed suit. It drew the attention of the Welsh man, his eyes were so deeply set under thick black eyebrows as to be almost impossible to see. He was solidly built, my usual assessment of a potential threat had instinctively kicked in, he was small, he’d have a low centre of gravity; a wrestler rather than a boxer.
Luke turned to introduce us. He pointed at me.
‘This is my good friend Robin. Do you guys know what happened at Glastonbury at the very end of the war?’ They all nodded. ‘Well, this is the guy that killed the fairy king.’
I considered taking a bow, Luke sounded like a master of ceremonies. All the men raised surprised eyebrows. Luke’s outstretched hand pointed to Oisin.
‘This is his mate Oisin. This innocent looking guy, gentlemen, has just killed the fucking evil bastard who was ready to take over fairyland. Fucking sadistic bastard he was, he tortured both these guys and Oisin is still recovering from it.’
If Luke left the army he needed to get a job in marketing, he’d turned us into heroes. I understood why. Lieutenant Rees slowly took in Oisin then me, before turning back to Luke with a frown.
‘So what are you doing here?’
Luke pointed at the smoking embers of our fire. ‘It’s a long story. Do you want to sit down? We haven’t got anything to offer you guys I’m afraid.’
It turned out they had, from backpacks they produced billy cans that they filled from the stream, heated over the fire and brewed tea. Luke gave a suitably edited summary of our adventures, making his own allegiance obvious, and including Oisin and I in it, painting us as renegades. He finished his story with a smirk.
‘I bet old Colonel Crabbe will give me a roasting when I get back, if he thinks I went AWOL. He was the one who told me to stick with this guy!’ He jerked a thumb at me.
It was the look the soldiers gave one another that told me something was wrong. Luke spotted it too. I admired his circuitous route to discovering what it was.
‘But how did you guys get here? I thought all the portals had been destroyed when the fairies left?’
The Welsh guy drained his tea and burped, it was to cover the fleeting glance he gave the other men, there were a couple of subtle nods of agreement.
‘The army boffins have worked out how to use the portals. They call them event horizons but we call ‘em doorways, don’t we lads?’ Good humoured nodding. ‘They reversed engineered the science apparently.’
‘Wow,’ Luke enthused, ‘things have changed while I’ve been on holiday.’
More sideways glances. Luke persisted innocently with his question.
‘So what are you guys doing in fairyland? You come for your holidays too?’
The unit, to a man, looked into their mugs, leaving their leader to provide an answer. Except he didn’t. He sighed instead.
‘Look, I’d better not say. All hush-hush, you know what the army’s like.’
Luke bristled, his reply had an edge.
‘I do. I’m still a part of it, and fucking suffered for it as well. Look guys, I don’t want to get precious about this, but I’ve risked my life over here for weeks, months. Fuck, I don’t know how long I’ve been trapped here. Until now I thought I’d never see home again. So don’t fucking tell me it’s some secret I’m not entitled to know.’
His eyes bore into the deep-set dark recesses of the other man, he looked from Luke to Oisin and me. Luke knew what that meant.
‘Let me remind you Taffy, these two men have done as much, if not more, than any soldier in the whole of the army. They’ve risked their lives for us. In fact, where Robin is concerned, I don’t know how he’s still fucking alive. These men are my friends and I’ll fight anyone who doubts their loyalty.’
He shouted the last statement, it made the others nod in something approaching shock at his ferocity. It got a calming gesture from his opposite number.
‘All right! All right! We get it.’
Luke took a deep breath, looked at the other men and grinned an apology. It was the same ability to convince and persuade that had earned us horses and an easy escape from the palace. I patted his knee affectionately. Taffy sighed again.
‘OK. It’s like this. The army have taken control of the country, they declared martial law and got rid of the government because they were fucking about too much and people were starving and fighting amongst themselves. Fucking gangs were everywhere.’
‘We were spending all our time fighting the greedy bastards,’ one of them said, a ginger-haired lad called Ginger, unsurprisingly.
Luke nodded. ‘It was like that before I left. Couldn’t get anything done. Felt like a bloody policeman most of the time.’
They all nodded agreement. Taffy resumed his commentary.
‘General Bradshaw, he’s the guy in charge now. Good bloke. Knows his stuff. Fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and helped rebuild things over there. Anyway, he got the scientists to solve the doorway problem, he reckons the fairies will come back. So we’re going to play their game. We’re going to attack them, through the portals. But with one big difference, which is why units like ours are here. We’re here to recce the place, find the best locations before the attack is launched.’
I’d discreetly caught Oisin’s eye, I could see the look of concern on his face I was hoping to hide from mine.
‘What kind of attacks?’ Luke asked.
The other man grinned. It was not a nice expression, his face had hardened, I was looking at a real soldier suddenly, not an affable guy you’d share a pint with in a pub.
‘We’re going to fucking nuke the fairies!’
I could see Luke blink repeatedly, his mouth slightly open.
‘The whole fucking lot of ‘em!’ said a big man who’d sat close to me and watched me with poorly disguised contempt. He didn’t believe any member of the Fae race could be as good as Luke had painted us, his snarling lip made that very clear.
Taffy grinned at him, then caught Oisin’s look of horror.
‘Ignore Jonno, there. I doubt it will be all of ‘em. But we’ve found suitable towns as well as those big fucking castles we can bomb, the whole place is like something out of the Middle Ages. At least it is for now.’
‘When we’re finished with the bastards, it’ll be like Hiroshima!’ Jonno guffawed, Ginger clapped him on the shoulder and joined in the laughter, a couple of others followed suit.
I wanted to argue, to object to such wholescale slaughter, I wanted to scream their lunacy in their faces but the rational side of my brain kicked in. I kept silent. Luke didn’t. As he spoke he gazed at the face of each man, searching for some form of agreement or understanding.
‘We can’t commit genocide. There are decent people here. They don’t want a war with us. It’s the actions of a few power-mad lunatics like the guy Oisin killed. That’s what we need to do, kill those mad bastards. Not the whole race.’
Taffy shrugged but he was busy reassessing the tall man in front of him who, having found no agreement, had finished up on his feet, shaking his head in disbelief.
Lieutenant Rees stood up, the others followed instantly.
‘Well, you’ll have to t
ake that up with the top brass when we get back.’
The mood had changed, some of the men didn’t bother to hide their contempt for Luke, I heard one whisper, ‘Gone native’ to another, I could guess what they were thinking. Backpacks were reassembled as the unit prepared to move again, Taffy turned to Oisin and me.
‘Look you two… I know you’ve done great things, but now I’ve told you what the army’s going to do, I can’t leave you here. You’ll have to come back with us.’
Somebody grabbed my arms from behind, strong hands gripped my wrists and wound rope around them with expert speed. Luke had been in deep discussion with two other men, the moment I voiced my objections and started to struggle, they turned away and resumed their preparations. They’d been a distraction. We’d been played, very swiftly and successfully. Luke raged at his counterpart who remained casual and calm. Finally, as Luke ran out of breath he replied.
‘Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same in my position.’
They stared at each other but it was Luke who turned his attention to me and sighed.
‘We’ll sort it out when we get home,’ he said. ‘This is just army procedure.’
I’d suffered at the hands of army procedure for centuries but returning to the human realm was probably a safer location for Oisin, no one would hunt him there. We could find a small farm somewhere away from people, change our names and not disturb anyone. I resented what was happening but it would be worth it, eventually. I explained all this to Oisin while we were roped to soldiers. Oisin was tied to Ginger and I’d drawn the short straw, Jonno had me tied to his wrist, he didn’t find it funny when I compared our bonds to a marriage ceremony.
We set off, towards a small hillock, away from the stream. It wasn’t at a march but more of a casual saunter, we trailed just far enough behind our guards as the lengths of rope allowed. Oisin held up his manacled hands.
‘Well, you wanted us to be together. I hadn’t anticipated the handcuffs though.’
It was the blonde-haired lad who called the alarm, in the form of a soprano’s scream as he pointed behind us. A dozen riders on horseback, a mile away. Oisin held my eye, he knew as well as I did who they were. Petroc’s men.
‘Pick your feet up lads!’ Lieutenant Rees roared in front of us. ‘We can’t be caught in this fuckin’ place! The doorway’s at the top of the hill!’
I could just make out a stone archway amidst a copse of beech trees, in front of it two more soldiers were busy summoning the portal and frantically beckoning us, as though that would make any difference. While we huffed and puffed up a steep incline, the horsemen followed the contours of the hill, they were going to intercept us. Lieutenant Rees berated and praised his men in equal measure but the outcome wasn’t going to change.
The issue wasn’t the men’s fitness. It was Oisin’s.
He hadn’t got the stamina, even I was struggling. His desperate gasps for breath combined with spasms of pain on his red face were obvious to me, not to his ginger-haired task master who screamed abuse at him. I yelled at the guy to ease off the constant yanking of the rope but my companion had his own agenda, namely not being caught by the rapidly approaching riders. Jonno almost yanked me off my feet, being so much bigger and stronger than me, despite my lack of breath I shared my threats with him as well. He ignored them just like Ginger.
Luke interceded, inevitably. He hung back, grabbed Oisin’s arm, slung it round his shoulder and almost carried him up the hill. Our line stretched longer as I hung back and as Luke struggled to support a man at the edge of unconsciousness.
The riders, colours of the Light Court snapping in the breeze caused by their passage, called out for us to halt. Our Welsh leader had no intention of obliging. He’d already reached the summit, the activated portal shimmered its pure white energy within the shade of the beech trees. The two guards already had guns aimed at the riders but I could just hear the command not to shoot, not unless imminent capture was likely. As each of his men arrived they took up positions and increased the unit’s arsenal. The sight was enough to slow the dozen horsemen who realised the danger they faced.
It didn’t matter in the end. There’s always one man on the battlefield who panics. Someone who takes a bad situation and turns it into a disaster. On this occasion, it was the blonde-haired lad. I don’t think he meant to fire his gun, he looked as shocked as the rest of us when it went off, probably a nervous trigger finger. One of the riders fell from his horse with a loud scream.
His comrades, who’d held a safe distance, reacted. Half a dozen raised swords, which wasn’t too bad. It was the two archers within the group that worried me. As the other nine men galloped towards us, two more plucked bows off their backs, arrows out of quivers and fired. One went over our heads, too hasty an aim, the second hit the man in front of Jonno in the shoulder and felled him. Hardly without missing a stride, the big man scooped the casualty up and carried him in his arms. It slowed him down and that worked in my favour as Oisin, Luke and the ginger man fell further behind.
Lieutenant Rees bellowed for Ginger to hurry up, to drag the bastard fairy on the ground so long as he reached the doorway. It was all I needed. Rage engulfed me.
I head-butted Jonno in the back, dropped him and his comrade to the ground and frantically plucked at the knots to free myself. The other soldiers saw my bid for freedom as sabotage, they shouted how the whole thing had been a trap as they sprinted down the hill to help their comrades to safety. I’d dragged the knots too tightly to untie them now, without a knife I couldn’t cut them either. Arrows zipped through the air, snagging one of the men running back to us in the leg, bowling him over. The swordsmen were upon us too.
Lieutenant Rees ordered his men to shoot over the enemy’s heads. It unnerved a few of the horses, unused to the sound of battle with humans, they reared up and threw a couple of their riders. It was enough to make the rest hesitate, they’d been despatched to capture a wounded man, not engage in battle.
In the chaos, while archers waited for a clear line of sight amidst the frightened horses, a couple of soldiers reached me and communicated their displeasure at my antics in felling Jonno and his friend. I fought them off but it gave Jonno enough time to get on his feet, yank me to him like a disobedient dog on a lead and threaten to kill me if I did that again. The other two soldiers, nursing bruises now, carried the wounded man between them to leave me to be dragged along, kicking and screaming, literally. I demanded to be released, threatened them with such violent fates the moment my psychotic friend arrived. It was that moment I realised Puck should have already got involved. He’d appeared in far less stressful situations than this, I couldn’t even feel his presence. It left me impotent and confused but it didn’t matter now.
Jonno and I reached the summit. Another couple of men were despatched to help Ginger, who was gasping for breath but still found enough air in his lungs to scream his hatred for the injured man tied to his wrist.
The number of injured and those committed to helping others meant the assault on the riders diminished enough to ease their indecision and continue their attack. Horses galloped towards Oisin and Luke, swords raised. The two archers took aim, their arrows zinged through the air and hit their targets.
One hit Luke in the thigh, dropping him instantly, screaming his fury.
The other struck Ginger, in the back. He fell. Didn’t move. Didn’t get up. Oisin lay next to him, semi-conscious and sprawled out next to Luke.
I screamed. Screamed for someone to help. Screamed to be released. Screamed that I would make everyone pay. The only thing that stopped me screaming was the solid fist colliding with the side of my head which knocked me senseless. I fell against the man’s sweaty body as the world wobbled around me.
I just made out Lieutenant Rees sprinting forward, grabbing hold of Luke by the waist, hauling him on to his feet and the two of them hobbling back to the portal as everyone else, including Jonno and me, piled through it.
The world was still
spinning and I clung on to Jonno’s body to remain upright and conscious. I was still on my knees, drawn up against Jonno’s body as he leaned against the stone edifice of Glastonbury Abbey, soaked by the heavy rain falling on us. Lieutenant Rees bawled commands for the portal to be shut down and disconnected. I looked around, at hundreds of busy soldiers and a huge array of artillery. Luke sprawled at the Welsh man’s feet, his eyes on mine.
They held a look of dread.
I felt Jonno turn, heard him curse me for killing Ginger, knew what was coming. I didn’t care. I’d abandoned Oisin, left him to face execution. In a realm destined to be blasted into a radioactive graveyard.
The onslaught of Jonno’s fists were the punishment I deserved though I was sure others would have worse in store.
Want to know what happens next?
The army plan genocide. The Fae are on the brink of civil war.
Filidea is discredited, Keir is on the run and Robin imprisoned in Glastonbury. It appears little can avert these disasters.
As events reach their climax, the stakes are raised still further when it becomes apparent nothing is as it seems. Lies have been covered up for centuries and they are about to be discovered. When that happens, nothing will be the same again.
Read the first chapter of ‘The Vengeance of Morgan le Fae’, the final novel in the Knights’ Protocol trilogy.
The Vengeance of Morgan le Fae: Chapter 1
Perspective is the difference between a hero and a villain.
Without any change of scenery from my prison window I had lots of time to think. I was quite the thinker these days. That’s how I arrived at conclusions like that one. If I wasn’t careful, I’d resort to considering the mess I’d made of everything and dark pits of despair led that way. The secret was to look at things differently. That was how I arrived at my pearls of wisdom. To see those events as grit from which to form those pearls.
Perhaps I meant shit, not grit.
If I were to ever meet Geralt again, I could astound him in the ways I’d advanced my role of Ancient One, I’d churn out all this crap and he would admire my enlightenment.