She said a Word and snapped her fingers, and just like that, all the moving hedge creatures burst into flames. Fires roared up from inside their green bodies, consuming them in moments. They lurched this way and that, sweeping their burning heads back and forth as though they could leave the flames behind. They banged into each other and fought briefly before finally collapsing to burn listlessly in awkward poses. Molly and I had to keep moving, darting this way and that to stay out of their way, but none of them got anywhere near us. We laughed breathlessly as we dodged the burning shapes. And soon enough they were all down and lying still, little bursts of flames still jerking through them, sending sweet-smelling smoke up into the early-evening sky. Molly and I stood together, looking happily around us. The whole grounds had become one big battlefield, with fires and craters and dead and broken bodies to every side.
Wherever we go, I said, we make an impression.
They started it, said Molly.
The sniper hidden in the row of trees at the other end of the grounds chose that moment to open fire on Molly. And, amazingly, the bullet punched right through all her protective fields, one by one. I didn t even realise what was happening at first. I heard the gunshot, of course, but by then the bullet had already reached Molly and been stopped by her automatic protective shield. The bullet was held there in midair for a moment, and then it forced its way through the shield, only to be stopped by the next. Long ago Molly had preprogrammed her defences, a series of varying shields just waiting to be activated. But even so, it was a shock to see a bullet smash through one shield after another, hanging on the air before her face, inching inexorably towards her left eye. The last screen finally stopped it, just short of her eye, and the bullet hung there, snarling and biting at the invisible shield like a living thing, and then Molly s left hand came up and snatched the bullet out of midair. She held the bullet in her closed fist, glowering as it forced her hand back and forth, still fighting to break free.
It s a biting bullet, she said. Made from the bone of an uncaught murderer, created to chew through anything that stands between it and its target.
The ugly thing buzzed and growled inside her hand, shaking her hand viciously through sheer brute force. I saw Molly wince as it tried to eat its way through her hand. I started forward, ready to take and hold it in my golden gauntlet, but Molly stopped me with a look. She closed her other hand around her fist, concentrated, and then clamped down hard. There was the sound of bone cracking and breaking, and the bullet fell silent. She opened her hand, and tiny fragments of bone fell out.
Nasty thing, said Molly. Now, where is that sniper? And why hasn t he opened fire again?
I think he s been watching to see what would happen, I said. And if he s got any sense, he s currently sprinting for the nearest horizon.
It came from that row of trees, said Molly.
And he s still there. The idiot.
She strode determinedly towards the trees. I yelled after her, but I knew I was wasting my breath. The sniper fired again, but this time Molly was ready for him. She gestured dismissively, and the biting bullet exploded in midair, less than halfway towards her. Through my face mask I focused on the sniper, and saw him take a third bullet from a heavily reinforced box and fit it carefully into his rifle. He didn t look pressed or hurried, just very professional. He fired again, but this time the bullet had barely left the barrel before it exploded.
Molly crossed the remaining ground at speed and hurled herself on the sniper while he was still trying to load another bullet. He tried to bring the rifle to bear as she loomed over him, but she just grabbed the rifle out of his hands with one swift movement, turned it around, and shot the sniper with his own gun. The biting bullet hit him square in the left eye, even though that wasn t where Molly had aimed. The things must come preprogrammed. The impact sent the sniper flying backwards, and he crashed to the ground, dead. But he didn t lie still. His dead head whipped back and forth as the bullet raged this way and that inside, eating up everything it found there. Whoever designed the bullets had been determined that whoever was shot by one would not recover. The head s movements grew fainter and fainter, until finally the bullet was still, satisfied. Molly looked down at the dead sniper, studying him expressionlessly, and then threw the rifle aside.
And while she was preoccupied, one of the trees beside her threw off its disguising illusion and became a mercenary soldier.
He hit Molly round the back of the head with a heavy wooden staff, and she dropped to her knees. She cried out briefly. I ran forward, but I could tell I wasn t going to get there in time. I d let her get too far ahead. I d just strolled along after her because I was sure she could handle the situation. More soldiers appeared out of nowhere, running forward to block my way. I ploughed into them, throwing their broken bodies aside. Molly needed me. I could hear the soldier who d hit her talking to her. He didn t even bother to look in my direction.
Major Tim Browten at your service, dear Miss Metcalf. The wild witch herself Sorry to have to come at you so ungallantly from ambush, but I m not stupid. This staff in my hand, this very old item that just struck you down so easily and so completely, is the Witch s Hammer of Matthew Hopkins, witch finder. Just one blow with this blessed wood is all it takes to rob a witch of her powers for a time. Now, you be a good little girl and just lie there, and let me kill you quickly and efficiently. So much better for both of us, eh? You ll only make it worse for yourself if you struggle.
I was still fighting through a growing crowd of soldiers. They were throwing everything they had at me just to slow me down.
I saw Molly try to get up, anyway, and the major hit her again, slamming the heavy wood into the side of her head with calm efficiency. I heard her cry out again. I heard the sound the staff made as it hit her head. I saw the blood leap from her torn scalp and rush down one side of her face. Molly went down on one knee, staring dazedly at the grass before her as it turned red with her blood. And then she forced her face up again to glare at Major Browten.
Don t embarrass yourself, Miss Metcalf, he said calmly. You have no magic now, remember? I took it all away with my Witch s Hammer.
I ll see your Witch s Hammer, you son of a bitch, said Molly. And raise you a protein exploder.
She brought up the small box in a steady hand and pointed it at his groin at point-blank range. She hit the button, and I swear I actually saw the major s testicles explode in slow motion. He sank heavily to his knees before Molly, and clutched desperately at the gaping wound between his thighs, blood spurting thickly past his hands. Molly looked at him with her bloody face and then put the protein exploder away. She forced herself back up onto her feet, now with the Witch s Hammer in her hands. She hit Major Browten over the head with it, a blow so hard the staff broke in two. The major fell forward, dead before he hit the ground. Molly laughed at him breathlessly and threw the broken pieces of the staff aside.
I d finally fought my way through the last soldiers and caught up to Molly. I was reaching out to her to make sure she was all right when another tree dropped its disguise, to become another mercenary soldier. Molly and I both turned to confront him, and then stopped abruptly as we saw what he was holding. It was a monkey s paw made over into a Hand of Glory. Very illegal, very dangerous, completely bloody foolhardy. In some countries you can still be executed just for admitting you ve heard of such a thing. The flames rising from the tiny wrinkled fingers were bloodred and didn t tremble at all. Molly and I stood very still. A monkey s paw is hideously dangerous in its own right, able to alter reality itself. But to add to that the gifts and power of a Hand of Glory? That s like deciding a thermonuclear device isn t dangerous enough and giving it leprosy. The soldier smiled at us and waggled the monkey s hand in our faces.
You don t need to use that, Molly said carefully. Throw it away. You risk damning your soul just by holding such a thing.
I m a professional soldier, the mercenary said easily. Major Mike Michaels. To a soldier, a weapon is jus
t a weapon; they re all just killing tools at the end of the day. Now, armour down, Drood. Make that nasty metal suit disappear, or I ll have the monkey s hand do something really nasty to your girlfriend.
I pulled my armour back into my torc, and the mercenary soldier watched, fascinated, as the gold vanished and I appeared. I stood stiffly beside Molly. Blood was still dripping steadily off one side of her face. I wanted to hold her, but I didn t dare move while Major Michaels was watching me so closely. He wanted an excuse to use the hand. I could tell. I felt naked and very vulnerable without my armour. I could feel it stirring resentfully inside my torc, disturbed by the power it sensed in the monkey s hand. Moxton s Mistake might or might not have been able to withstand the power contained in that nasty little object, but I couldn t risk finding out while Molly was still in danger. The Witch s Hammer had taken her magic, but the staff was broken now. So did she have her magic back? She wasn t doing anything. I had no choice but to play along, and hope I could find a way out of this mess.
Major Michaels held up the monkey s hand so Molly could see it clearly. Give me that trinket you re wearing round your throat, Miss Metcalf. The ruby pendant.
Molly reached up slowly, removed the Twilight Teardrop s chain from around her neck, and handed it over. Either because the monkey s hand was affecting her, or because she had no power left to deny him what he wanted. The moment the pendant left her hand, she swayed and almost fell, as though the last of her strength had gone out of her. Without the Twilight Teardrop to power her magic, she was as helpless as I was. The major smiled, and what I saw in that man s face as he looked at Molly was enough to send me surging forward, calling for my armour.
I d barely got moving before Major Michaels thrust his monkey s hand at me, and just the power of it was enough to force the armour back into my torc. I summoned it again and again, but even though I could feel the rogue armour s presence at the back of my head, raging and desperate to get out, it was trapped. The major laughed softly and took his time pointing the monkey s hand at Molly.
Behave yourself, Drood! Or do you want to see this nasty little object do something really unpleasant to your girlfriend? Maybe I ll have it turn her into something really revolting. That was always one of your favourite tricks, wasn t it, Miss Metcalf? Perhaps I ll fuse your legs together so you can play mermaid. Or I could melt off both your arms. Or just take away your eyes and your mouth, your ears and your nose, and leave you trapped in the dark inside your own head.
Please, I said. Don t. There s no need for this. We surrender. Take us to Crow Lee. You know he s going to want to talk to us.
Oh yes, said the major. He s just dying to have words with you. That s all that s keeping you alive. After all my men you killed
Run, Eddie, Molly said dully. Get out of here. Get help.
I can t leave you, I said.
You picked a fine time to get sentimental, said Major Michaels. I always thought you field agents would be more professional. I am a professional soldier of long standing. Like the man you just killed, girl. Major Browten was a good soldier and a fine officer. Not a friend, as such, but a colleague. Kind of man you could depend on to keep his head in a firefight and do his job. Dead and gone now because of you. So don t look to me for sympathy.
You stood by and let it happen, I said.
He shrugged. Orders
More uniformed soldiers appeared out of nowhere and hurried forward to join the major. He looked at them scathingly.
Where the hell have you been? I had to take care of business on my own! Don t look at them like that; they re just captives now. Quite harmless. Search them, secure them and then escort them in to see Crow Lee. He looked down at the dead body of Major Browten and shook his head briefly. Bad way to go. Not that there are many good ways. He turned to Molly and punched her hard in the face. Her head snapped back, blood flying on the air. I threw myself at the major, and the other soldiers beat me to the ground with their gun butts. I curled up into a ball, as I d been trained, trying to take the blows on my tensed muscles, but there were just too many of them, hitting me from every direction at once. One rifle butt got through to my head, slamming in with vicious force. My head filled with pain and then the world just went away for a while.
When I came back, I hurt so much I couldn t move. Blood was drying on my face and seeping out my split and broken lips. My face felt like it had been pulped. One eye had swollen shut. My muscles jumped and spasmed as I tried to move, and I groaned at the pain despite myself. I could hear the soldiers laughing.
I wasn t dead. Crow Lee had given orders not to kill me. I clung to that thought. There was a limit to what they could do to me. They couldn t risk killing me. That was something. They d hurt me, but it didn t feel like they d broken anything important. If I could just get my armour around me, it would make the pain go away and make me strong again, and then, and then
I rolled my head slowly to one side, gritting my teeth to keep from making any sound. I didn t want to give the soldiers the satisfaction. I saw Molly lying on the grass beside me. Half her face was hidden behind a mask of dried blood, but at least they hadn t beaten her, too. She was breathing heavily, but she managed half a smile for me.
They re awake. It was Major Michaels.
Pick them both up. The Drood has to see this.
Rough hands hauled me up onto my feet and held me there. Two more soldiers held Molly up before me. She looked very small and vulnerable, like a broken doll that s been treated too roughly. Major Michaels took her chin in one hand and lifted her face. Molly stared coldly at him. She tried to spit at him, but the blood just dribbled down her chin.
Charming, said Major Michaels. Pay attention, Drood. This is for your benefit. Crow Lee has given me orders and I will carry them out to the letter, because I am a good soldier. Everything that happens next is to take the fight out of you and to teach you a lesson. That you are entirely helpless now and there is nothing you can do. We can do anything we want to you, and we will. Watch. He gestured to the two soldiers supporting Molly.
Hold the girl steady.
He hit her again and again and again. The soldiers held Molly so tightly she couldn t even turn her head aside. And the other soldiers held me tightly so I couldn t turn my head aside from what I was seeing. I had to watch. I didn t struggle. Didn t cry out to beg or plead with them. There was nothing I could do, so why give them the satisfaction? I watched, watched till Major Michaels was done, and a cold, cold fire burnt in my heart. The major finally lowered his fists and stood there, breathing heavily; and then he took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his hands. Molly hung limply in the grasp of the two soldiers holding her, blood dripping steadily from her ruined face. I hoped she was unconscious.
Major Michaels turned to me and took something from a pocket. A small flat box with a button on the top. He waggled it at me.
Nasty little toy, Drood. Not a soldier s weapon. And Crow Lee says he won t have it in the house. So
He crushed the box in his hand, and it fell apart into a hundred pieces. Major Michaels fluttered his fingers, and the tiny fragments fell away.
All right, boys, said the major. Let s take these unfortunate poor souls up to the house. Crow Lee wants to play with them for as long as they last.
He led the way across the devastated grounds, while the soldiers half carried Molly and me along after him. Molly was just about back on her feet again, though her head hung down. Blood dripped steadily off her chin. I did my best to keep my legs under me, for pride s sake. More heavily armed guards kept appearing out of nowhere, moving in around us to escort us to the house. Not because they thought we were dangerous anymore, but because they couldn t be sure we came alone. There might be others, watching and waiting for their chance.
I kept calling on my armour, but nothing came. I could feel its angry presence, and its thoughts were as hot as mine were cold, but the influence of the monkey s hand kept it trapped where it was. If I could just get Crow Lee to send
the major away while he questioned us maybe there was a limit to how far the monkey s hand could reach. And then
I looked around Crow Lee s gardens as we were led through them, and I managed a small smile. Even though it broke open my split lips and filled my mouth with blood. Molly and I had made a definite impression. His gardens couldn t have looked more of a mess if a small country had declared war on them.
The soldiers were still having to half hold me up. I was playing along a bit, so they wouldn t see me as any kind of threat till it was too late but I was still shocked at how weak I was. It had been a long time since I d taken a professional beating. But I was a Drood. Which meant I was used to beatings. The Sarjeants-at-Arms had seen to that ever since I was a small child. I hurt, but my head was still clear. All I had to do was wait for my chance.
You tell yourself things like that when you re broken and bleeding and all out of options. That s part of the training, too.
The soldiers stopped before the front door of the manor house, and Molly raised her head to look at me. I wouldn t let myself look away, and I tried to keep out of my expression just how bad she looked.
All my fault, she said indistinctly. I should have waited for my magics to return naturally, not relied on the Twilight Teardrop. But there just wasn t time.
I know, I said. It s all right.
I waited, but she didn t have anything more to say. She let her head droop forward again, and blood resumed dripping off her chin.
I made myself look away and study the exterior of Crow Lee s house. Looking for any information or insight I could use for ammunition when we met. The place seemed quiet and even peaceful, though the drawn curtains at all the windows gave it a slightly sinister aspect. There was even a welcome mat set out before the front door. I laughed briefly at that, and got a slap round the head for my trouble. The door swung silently open before us, and I felt a whole new level of tension rise among the soldiers. Crow Lee was waiting. Major Michaels yelled at his men, and they hauled Molly and me inside. The door swung silently shut behind us.
Live and let Drood sh-6 Page 31