‘Ow… ow… I’m still here,’ he says.
‘Quickly, get inside!’ says Private Warby, who is now holding a very old and long rifle and is aiming it at the oncoming fighter. Bullets rain on the gallery. Private Warby fires.
The bullets cease.
‘Blimey, I think I hit him,’ says Warby.
Will looks at the Messerschmitt. The pilot’s window is cracked and the plane seems out of control. It is hurtling toward the gallery.
‘Hurry!’ shouts Will, as he and Anna run to the doorway. Private Warby drops the rifle and follows Will and Anna. Out of his peripheral vision Will sees the looming fighter plane. It is on its side, the wings slicing the air vertically. It passes feet from the Golden Gallery, its tail grazing the stone structure beneath their feet. The gallery trembles and they steady themselves on the balcony wall. The Messerschmitt tilts and glides across the rooftops below before crashing into a ball of fire somewhere near Blackfriars.
‘Ha-ha!’ shouts a jubilant Warby. ‘I’ve still got it!’
‘Mr Warby, thank you for everything,’ says Will.
‘For King and country,’ shouts Warby, with a dramatic salute.
Chapter 42
St Mary le Bow
In spite of his aching ribs and sore knee, Will runs down the iron stairs. He can feel the skin around the wound on his cheek tighten as the blood congeals. He would have a scar there, for sure. He presses the drying wound with his fingers, the pain is hot, and causes his eyes to water.
They hurry through the Whispering Gallery and down to the cathedral floor. Will’s eyes lock onto Horne’s, who has regained consciousness. He is lying on his side, his bonds secured tightly around his wrists and ankles. On seeing Will, he scowls and says, ‘You will never be free of them. They will hunt you down until they find you.’
Will says nothing for a moment. He thinks about Skipper, Violet, Aunty and, most of all, he thinks about Sam, the boy who had given him shelter when he needed it most, the boy who smiled and laughed at the oddest things, the boy who had formed a devotion to Will that had resulted in him losing his life. Cruelly murdered by the servants of VIPER. The fire in his belly twists and burns inside him.
‘Let them come. I will be waiting,’ he says.
Horne’s face is red with fury. ‘I will not go to prison, you know. My family have connections.’
‘Then it will be easier for me to find you. Wait for me, Horne. One day we will meet again and I will not be so merciful.’ Will surprises himself at the coldness of his warning.
Horne tries to wrestle himself free, but Captain Snelling jabs him with the rifle.
‘Try any more of that I will put a bullet between your eyes,’ he says.
Horne glares at him and settles down.
The Captain turns to Will: ‘Get everything you need?’
‘Yes, sir. Thank you.’
‘Very good,’ says the Captain. ‘You look like you’ve been through the wars,’ he adds.
‘It’s not over yet, sir,’ says Will.
‘Good luck to you.’
Will nods his thanks and turns to Anna, ‘Ready?’
‘Ready.’
Will looks up at the strange blue light, stretching up into the sky like a column. There are bombers circling it like carrion birds. His heart sinks.
‘The bombers know where the Stones are,’ says Anna.
‘One direct hit and it’s all over.’
They run toward the church.
‘Where is the light coming from?’ says Anna.
‘The astrolabe is like some sort of mystical key that locates and activates the Stones. The Stones shine a light that can penetrate matter, like earth and stone. The light is like a signal, I suppose.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘I don’t know. I just do.’
At the bottom of the church steps, Will stops and turns to Anna. ‘There’s still a chance for you to live, Anna. If you go now, you might just make it.’
Anna frowns. ‘Do you really think you could have come this far without me? Sorry, Will, you might be some great super spy, but you are nothing on your own. Let’s move on, shall we?’
Will is stuck for words and knows what Anna has said is true. With no time to argue, he hurries up the church steps and stretches his hand out to the blue haze. It feels cool, just like the astrolabe lights. He steps inside it and gasps. It feels like he is slipping through a shower of fire and ice, yet it neither burns him or freezes him. He shudders and stumbles through to the other side. Anna follows, trembling.
‘Are you alright?’ says Will.
‘That was just weird.’
The interior of St Mary le Bow is small and unremarkable after the immense opulence of St Paul’s. There is a stone font, and rows of wooden benches lead to an altar draped in a white cloth. The walls tremble and the water in the font ripples under a slow throb that seems to be coming from underneath the floor. Will looks down and sees a blue glow emanating from the gaps in the flagstones.
‘There must be a crypt,’ he says, glancing around for a doorway. ‘See if you can find the entrance.’
They search every wall and corner of the church, running back and forth checking the same places over and over, but find nothing.
Will runs up the steps to the altar and looks around. ‘There must be a way,’ he says, hot and frustrated.
A faint waft of cool air brushes his face.
He frowns and looks in the direction it came from and sees the bottom of the altar cloth shifting slightly. He hurries toward it and pulls it up. Underneath the altar table is a flagstone with wider gaps than the others. ‘I’ve found it!’ he says.
Will takes out the screwdriver from his sleeve and uses it to leverage the flagstone up. Anna slides her fingers underneath and together they heave the stone up and push it across.
The blue light shines brightly below, lighting up what looks like a narrow stone corridor covered in cobwebs. Will lowers himself down, feet first and hangs mid-air. There is almost a two foot drop between his feet and the ground. He lets go, hoping to drop on his uninjured leg but that is easier in his mind, than in practice. He lands gracelessly, grunting at the shooting pains in his ribs and knee. He takes a deep breath and shuffles aside to allow Anna to follow him down.
‘The floor’s moving!’ says Anna.
Will looks down and sees the surface of the ground shifting. Looking closer he can see spiders, bugs, and mice hurrying around them. They are crawling up the walls and through the hole and into the church above.
‘They’re running from the light,’ says Will.
‘This is all getting too strange,’ says Anna.
Will leads the way towards the source of the light, turning around one corner then a second and third. They seem to be doubling back on themselves all the time, as if they are in a maze. He stops at the end of a corridor. Ahead is a cavernous square space. In its centre is a small building – a crypt within a crypt – that has seen better days. Its exterior walls are cracked and adorned with fierce stone gargoyles. A hazy blue light shines from their eyes and mouths, making them appear as if they are alive. There is a door made from heavy but rotten wood. It slides open with little effort.
Inside the crypt, the light is blinding. When Will’s eyes adjust, he sees a round stone table on top of which are twelve magnificent jewels of different colours, all of which combine to form the brilliant blue beacon. He takes a deep breath.
It is the Stones of Fire.
Chapter 43
In the Midst of the Stones of Fire
‘I was expecting something…bigger,’ says Anna.
‘Me too,’ says Will, although the truth was he was not sure what he was expecting. Each of the Stones is the size of a large pebble. Combined in their original form, they would be the size of an ostrich egg, which on reflection might be big enough for a god of war, he thinks.
Suddenly, there is a thunderous clanging above them that causes Will and Anna to inch closer toge
ther. The walls start to shake and dust falls from the ceiling. It is as if the great bells have fallen on the church floor above.
‘The bell’s have stopped ringing,’ says Anna.
‘Let’s gather the Stones and get out of here.’ Will removes his blazer and lays it out flat on the stone table. Tentatively, he reaches for the Stones. They spark, crackle and spit as his hand draws close. He lifts the red one and holds his breath waiting for something to happen, but it just shimmers and throbs in his hands.
‘It doesn’t hurt.’
Slowly the light begins to fade, as if his touch as somehow calmed it down. They scoop the remaining Stones into the blazer and Will ties it up like a package. The brilliant beacon is no more. Instead the blazer looks like a glowing bundle of blue fire.
They hurry toward the crypt door, but Will spots movement in the shadows. He stops and grips Anna’s forearm. He sees a sharp glint of blue reflect from a blade. He knows that blade. The knife bearer emerges from the dark, with a grubby, bloody bandage on one side of his face. His expression is grim, his one remaining eye fixed hard on Will.
The Pastor.
‘It’s over Pastor. Get out of our way.’ says Will.
‘The Stones will not leave this holy place,’ says the Pastor, stepping into the crypt.
As if knowing what the other is thinking, Will and Anna separate, their eyes never leaving the Pastor.
Another booming explosion rocks the crypt. Cracks appear on the walls, dust and masonry fall around them.
‘We will all die if we don’t get out of here,’ says Will, but the Pastor seems not to care. Is his plan for all of them to die here?
Will and Anna exchange glances as Will sets the Stones on the table. She knows they will have to deal with the Pastor together.
The Pastor speaks as if conducting a sermon. ‘Ezekiel 28:14: You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the Stones of Fire you walked…’
The Pastor’s eye is opened wide, his expression grim and deranged.
‘…I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from amidst the Stones of Fire.’ He rushes forward swiping his knife at Will but Will falls back just in time. He can hear the Stones throbbing with intensity, powered by the tension that fills the small crypt. He feels the room vibrating as a storm erupts around the Stones.
The ground and walls begin to shake with the combined force of the bombs and the power of the Stones. Will steadies himself against the crypt wall. But the Pastor looms forward, his glittering blade once again raised in the air.
‘…I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from amidst the Stones of Fire.’
Out of the corner of his eye Will sees Anna swing her leg upward with all the grace of a ballerina. Her foot connects with the Pastor’s wrist causing it to bend backwards with a horrible crunch of bone. He cries out, drops the knife, and cradles his broken wrist. Fury lights up his face and he lunges at Anna’s throat with his good hand. She punches and kicks him, but his grip is firm. Will runs at him, smashing his fist into the Pastor’s damaged eye. The Pastor screams and lets go of Anna.
Will pulls her away and tucks the wrapped up Stones under his arm like a rugby ball. The walls of the crypt shake violently, the ceiling cracks and begins to fall down in clumps. Will swallows, hoping for one last piece of luck and, hand in hand with Anna, hurries out of the crypt.
He hears the Pastor cry out once more and looks back, but the crypt is crumbling and falling to pieces. He feels a cooling breeze and looks up to see the rim of the Bow bells peeking through a crack in the church floor. Beyond the Bow bells he can see the light of the moon shining radiantly in the sky. The ceiling creaks under the strain and the Bow bells crash through and hurtle toward the crypt, but Will and Anna are already running back through the crumbling walls of the maze.
Chapter 44
Return to the Wharf
Will and Anna sprint through the maze, leaping over rubble and dodging the collapsing walls. Dust and smoke fill the air in a dense, blinding fog making Will unsure if Anna is in front or behind him. He gropes his way forward, tripping over the uneven surface.
‘Anna?’ he calls.
‘I’m here!’
She is somewhere ahead of him and he hurries forward. He hears other voices and then a firm hand grips his arm. He gasps and pulls away, thinking the Pastor has survived and followed him.
‘Will?’ says a voice through the din.
‘Eoin!’
Eoin pulls him forward and shoves him gently ahead: ‘Climb!’
Will cannot not see anything but leans forward and feels what he assumes is a large mound of rubble. He coughs, rubbing his stinging eyes and looks up. There are two torch lights pointing down and the sound of voices above him. He can hear Anna.
‘There he is!’ she says.
There are others, encouraging him on. He recognises their voices. It is Mr Singh and Eli Pike. Will climbs forward scrabbling for purchase and shifting his tired, sore body upward. He can feel Eoin close behind him. The dust thins, the higher he climbs. A pair of hands grabs his arm and hauls him up.
‘There ya go, Will, my lad,’ says Eli Pike.
Will steadies himself against Eli.
‘Thank you.’
‘Lift your head up and I’ll pour some water into those eyes,’ says Eli.
Eli pours cold water over Will’s face. He blinks and through his blurred vision he begins to see the bright full moon hanging over St Paul’s. The skies are clear of bombers. They have left having failed to strike the Stones. London is saved.
Eoin is on his feet.
‘Let’s get everyone out of here quickly. There’s an unexploded timer bomb down there and it’s about to blow.’
Will looks back down at the pile of rubble he and Eoin have just climbed. What had been St Mary le Bow is now a smoking crater.
‘It’s lodged in the floor of the nave,’ says Eoin. ‘Everyone out, now!’
They turn and run from the disintegrating church back towards St Paul’s where Will can see the old post-office van.
Eoin opens the rear doors.
Will hesitates. In the gloom he sees someone crouching in the corner, bound and gagged. He swallows. It is Colonel Frost.
‘You caught him.’
‘Aye lad. That I did.’
Eoin beckons them inside as Eli starts up the engine.
And then, the timer bomb explodes, rocking the ground beneath them. Will looks back in its direction. Clouds of dark smoke fill the streets like a heaving black monster. He shivers and feels a peculiar emptiness that he cannot quite explain.
They sit in grim silence as the old van trundles through the war -torn streets. Will can feel all eyes, except Frost’s, looking at the bundle on his lap, which is no longer glowing, and seems like nothing more than some rocks wrapped up in his blazer.
He hands it across to Eoin.
For a moment, it seems the Irishman does not want them, but then he takes the bundle and Will feels an overwhelming weight lifting from his shoulders.
Frost is trying to speak through his gag. Will pulls it roughly from his mouth, curious to hear what he has to say.
Frost licks his lips and glares at Will with eyes full of hate.
‘You think this is over?’ he spits. ‘You have crossed them and you will pay the price. You will all die, I can promise you…’ But before he can finish Eoin’s fist flies at Frost’s face. Frost’s eyes roll in his head and his body goes limp.
‘I’m so bored with you,’ says Eoin.
No one says anything.
Will hugs his knees and closes his eyes. He feels Anna’s hand cover his and is grateful for her warmth.
The events of the past few days flash passed him and tears threaten.
‘I want to go to Tower Bridge Road,’ he says at last.
‘Will, we need to get you to a doctor,’ says Eoin.
Will shakes his head.
He can feel Eoin’s probing gaz
e, but the Irishman does not object. ‘Eli, take us back to Tower Bridge Road.’
Will walks passed the burnt out car, his stomach a pit of raw nerves. He can see the small form of Sam lying alone in the rubble where he had fallen earlier. He trembles inside and hesitates. He wants to call out his name but that would be pointless. Sam is gone. Dead, just like Skipper, Violet, Aunty and the others who got in the way.
He kneels by Sam’s body, gently picks up his head and rests it on his knees, and carefully wipes the dust from his friend’s eyes and face. Grief swells inside him. If he had tried better to protect him he would be alive today.
‘I’m sorry Sam. I’m so sorry.’
Moments pass and a cold rage begins to grow inside him. Although he does not remember his parents he knows they are dead. He can feel it. That is why he has become the person he is. His muscles twist at the thought of all the other innocents who have died at the hands of VIPER or the Pastor. They are all monsters.
‘This is all VIPER’s doing, Sam. I’ll make them pay for it, I swear I will. I promise I will hunt them down and when I find them, I will make them pay. I promise you Sam, I will make them pay!’
Will dips his head and fights back tears. He has battled through all of this without truly understanding who or what he is. He trembles and thinks of Skipper’s friend who had gone mad after losing his memory and makes a promise to himself to never let that happen. At least not until he had his revenge. He looks up at Eoin who is watching him close by. He stares hard at the Irishman.
‘Who am I?’ he demands.
Chapter 45
Sleeper
Eoin instructed Eli to take them to St Ermin’s, a Victorian redbrick mansion-block hotel in Westminster where the Secret Intelligence Service had annexed a number of floors and secretly went about the business of spying, code breaking and communication in the comfort of one of London’s finest hotels. No one noticed the Service personnel. They moved amongst staff and clientele like ghosts.
Will had been looked over by a doctor and had his wounds treated, cleaned and dressed. Before his meeting with Eoin, he had requested some time to himself. He desperately wanted to know what Eoin had found out, but part of him was afraid of what he might hear. Was he alone in the world? Were his parents dead? He needed solitude right now to help prepare for whatever the Irishman had discovered.
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