Jack of Ravens

by Mark Chadbourn

  As Veitch brought his sword closer to the pool of earth energy, it began to emit a sound like static that set Church’s teeth on edge. The unrestrained hatred in Veitch’s face was almost too much for Church to bear.

  Behind him, the Fabulous Beast still slept. Church prepared to fight, knowing his likely options were die now or die later.

  He turned and placed his hands on the Fabulous Beast. Its scales were hard and cool like gems beneath his fingers. His consciousness flowed through him and into the Beast as it had done in Vietnam, and once again he had the bizarre sensation of being in two places at once: in his own body and in the creature’s head.

  The Fabulous Beast opened its eyes, and he had the even more disorienting sensation of watching himself. Veitch was behind him, sword raised to deliver the killing blow.

  The creature reared up to the roof of the cavern in one fluid motion. Its uncoiling form propelled Church backwards and knocked Veitch offbalance. It released a burst of liquid fire along the roof of the cavern that illuminated another tunnel at the far end. The furnace heat of it seared Church’s lungs and almost drove him unconscious.

  For one instant, he looked into its glittering eye and saw the untamed power there. After a long recuperation from its agony in Vietnam, it was now ready to return. With serpentine grace, it glided across the pool of Blue Fire and disappeared into the tunnel at speed.

  Church staggered to his feet, still reeling from the fiery blast. Veitch was already up, silent and intense.

  ‘You can kill me now,’ Church said, ‘but now the Beast is out our side will have a chance.’

  ‘Aren’t you the big hero winning the day,’ Veitch sneered.

  He stepped forward. Church ducked the first blow, using the piece of railing to deflect the sword, but being careful to ensure it didn’t take the full force that would shear through it in an instant. They performed a vicious ballet across the pool of Blue Fire. Veitch grew more furious with each passing second, forgetting his expertise, hacking and slashing almost randomly. Church was filled with grace and power. He could almost anticipate Veitch’s attacks, slipping away at the last second. He wielded the railing like a sword, ripping open Veitch’s cheek, tearing open his shirt, raising blood in a hundred places. Veitch’s eyes blazed; Church was convinced his opponent’s rage eliminated any pain.

  As Veitch increased the ferocity of his attacks, Church grew calmer; he felt at peace in the centre of a storm. He sidestepped a vicious thrust, and then rammed the railing between Veitch’s calves, using his weight to pitch Veitch to the ground. As Veitch sprawled in the Blue Fire, Church brought one jagged end of the railing to Veitch’s throat.

  ‘It’s over,’ Church said.

  ‘You know it’s not,’ Veitch said. It’s not over till one of us is dead. You know that.’

  ‘It doesn’t have to be that way.’

  Yes, it does.’

  Their gazes locked. In Veitch’s eyes, Church saw a deep sadness hiding behind the anger. For a moment, everything hung. All Church had to do was put his weight on the railing and Veitch would be gone.

  As he continued to search Veitch’s face, he caught a flicker: slyness. Veitch’s eyes glanced to one side. Church followed his gaze; only the tunnel entrance lay that way.

  With a rapid movement, Veitch knocked the railing out of Church’s hand and jumped to his feet. His sword came up. Church had no defence.

  At the last, Veitch hesitated. A dark smile crept across his face.

  ‘What are you doing, Veitch?’

  Nearly time now,’ he whispered.

  Confused, Church followed Veitch’s gaze towards the tunnel leading to the biome. Ruth had just emerged in the entrance

  Before Church could divine what Veitch was planning, Veitch flipped his sword fluidly. Church caught it instinctively just as Veitch threw himself forward. The blade burst through his chest and out of his back. Stifling his agony, Veitch turned himself on the weapon. A gout of blood burst from his mouth and splashed down his chin.

  ‘Like I said,’ he croaked, ‘you’re fucking scum.’ His smile became cruel, then victorious.

  Veitch slumped down, sliding off the blade as his life flickered out. In that instant a bolt of black lightning crackled from the sword. It leaped into Veitch, then Church and finally into Ruth, uniting the three of them in a blaze of darkness. Church’s mind blacked out for a moment, and when his thoughts returned, Veitch lay dead at his feet.

  Ruth staggered over. What just happened?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Although his teeth were ringing and his stomach turned queasily, it appeared that the black fire had had no lasting effect.

  Ruth knelt beside Veitch, examining his face, still bearing the cast of the pain he had suffered in his final moment. ‘Why did he do that?’

  ‘Probably realised he couldn’t win.’ Church knew he was wrong, but there was no way to guess what had gone through Veitch’s mind at the end. Veitch’s motivations had always been complex and unpredictable; a man who was prepared to remove all hope from the world while simultaneously risking himself to save innocents. Who knew what really drove him?

  ‘At least he’s gone,’ Ruth said, but her tone was flat, and Church felt the same way. It was difficult for him to accept, but despite all the death Veitch had wrought over the centuries, Church still felt as though he had lost a brother.

  ‘Come on,’ Church said. ‘We’re done here.’

  17

  Church carried Veitch’s body out of the biome and laid it on the ground under the stars. He backed away as Etain and Tannis came forward, their staring eyes accusing. They reclaimed the body and laid it with surprising gentleness over the saddle of his horse. Without a backward glance, the four Brothers and Sisters of Spiders led their friend and leader on a final ride up the winding path and away into the night.

  The king and queen came over. The rest of the Seelie Court were in an unprecedented state of excitement, their strange cries and jubilant calls ringing off the walls of the pit like the sounds of a jungle at sunset.

  The queen pointed towards the sky where the Fabulous Beast rolled and turned, its fiery breath mirroring the lights of the Eden Project far below it.

  ‘This day you have struck a great blow for Existence, Brother of Dragons,’ the king said. ‘Magic has returned to the land. Wonder and mystery live here once more, and darkness cannot stand in the face of the light it brings.’

  We have something for you, Brother of Dragons, to celebrate this new age.’ The queen was smiling strangely.

  Behind her, the ranks of the Seelie Court parted to admit two attendants bearing items lost behind a blinding white light. The glow faded as the queen took the first and handed it to Church. ‘Do you recognise this?’

  ‘The sword Caledfwlch.’ Blue flames danced along the blade and Church felt them calling to him. He took the sword in his hand and felt its power surge through him as exuberantly as it had done the last time he had held it, more than 2,000 years ago.

  ‘Dark times lie ahead.’ The queen had grown sombre and Church felt an ominous but indefinable weight behind her words. ‘ This is a weapon of the gods, and too great for most Fragile Creatures, but you will need it for what is to come.’

  ‘Thank you. I aim to repay your trust in me.’

  Church thought he noticed a hint of sadness flicker across the queen’s face, but she quickly turned to take the second item. Now the glow had gone, Church could see it was a spear, the wood carved with mysterious runes.

  ‘To the tribes this was known as the Spear of Lugh,’ the queen said. ‘Another weapon of power.’ She held it out.

  It took a second before Ruth realised the queen was offering the spear to her. I don’t deserve this,’ she stuttered. I wouldn’t know how to use it.’

  ‘Nevertheless, Sister of Dragons, it is yours. Your awakening has already begun. Great things lie ahead for you.’

  Ruth took the spear hesitantly. Church could see from her face that she was experiencing th
e same sensation that had coursed through him when he took the sword.

  ‘Can you feel it?’ the king said suddenly. ‘Can you feel it?’

  From nowhere, a bitter wind rushed over them, as cold as if it had blown from the Arctic. When it had passed, the king and queen both appeared grave.

  ‘Across this land, the Army of the Ten Billion Spiders is gathering its strength,’ the king continued. ‘It fears you, but it will not rest until you are destroyed. Wherever you go you will be hunted. Your safe havens will be few and far between.’

  ‘We know what we’re up against,’ Church said. We’re not going to turn away.’

  The king nodded. ‘I knew that would be your response, Brother of Dragons.’

  As the Seelie Court moved off towards the biomes, Church saw lights appear amongst the trees like fireflies wherever they passed. Soon the whole of the Eden Project was alive with flickering blue will-o’-the-wisps. Ruth, Shavi and Laura were transfixed by the spectacle, but Church had seen it before, long, long ago and far away in the megalithic complex on the road out of Rome.

  ‘The spirits of the dead,’ he said softly.

  The atmosphere was exhilarating and filled with the promise that everything would be all right. Emotions rushed through him, but the strongest was hope, and when he looked around he could see that the others were feeling the same. He slipped his arms around Ruth’s shoulders and she fell in close to him. He revelled in the scent of her hair and her skin and the warmth of her next to him.

  ‘It’s going to be all right, isn’t it?’ she said.

  ‘It’s all right now. We’ll deal with the future when it comes.’

  Nearby, one of the wisps took on more substance until it became a figure of burning blue flame. Church recognised the smiling features.

  ‘Hal,’ he said. ‘My own little genie.’

  ‘The god in the machine,’ Hal replied, the flames sizzling with each word. You’ve done well, Church, all of you have. But it’s only what I expected.’

  ‘I’m guessing you’re not about to give us time off for good behaviour.’

  ‘What, when you’ve just emerged from your chrysalis? You’re ready now for the big struggle that lies ahead.’

  ‘It doesn’t feel like it.’ Church felt uncomfortable giving voice to the doubts that he had long buried. How are we supposed to stand up to the Void? Four miserable little humans against … what? A god? The ultimate force in this universe?’

  ‘Do you really think Existence would have brought you to this point if there wasn’t a hope? In you, in everyone, there is a little sliver of that original force for good that existed at the beginning of time. Most people don’t get to find it, or put it to some use. But you and your little group have done that. If you could see what I see, Church … You, the four of you, you’re burning like stars. You can all tap into the power that opposes the Void, you just haven’t yet learned exactly how much you can do.’

  Church took a deep breath and felt the peace of the night fill his lungs. Hal’s words had steadied him. ‘All right,’ he said, we carry on. But what do we do next?’

  ‘You take the battle to the Void. You’re knights of light, dispelling the darkness. The Void isn’t omnipotent, Church. Duality, remember? It’s all there in Janus – two faces, equal. Sometimes one looks, then the other. You have to turn away the face of the Void and by doing so usher in a new golden age. Drive back the Kingdom of the Spider, and raise the standard of the Serpent.’

  ‘Okay,’ Laura said, ‘I’ll ignore the fact that I’m talking to a pillar of fire and ask – are you going to give us any specific help, or just talk in wanky generalisations?’

  ‘He can’t tell us anything,’ Church said, ‘because knowledge is only power if you earn it.’

  Laura snorted derisively. ‘What a waste of space.’

  ‘I may not be able to tell you anything much, but I can point you in the right direction,’ Hal said. ‘Your battle can be helped by two young men. One is imbued with a force for destruction, the other with a force for life. Existence has hidden them from the Void. You have to find them, bring them back into contention.’

  ‘Anything else to go on?’ Church said ironically.

  ‘The force for life goes by the name of Jez Miller. He has the power to heal. The other one is another Jack – yes, just like you, Church. I wonder what that means.’

  ‘Surname?’

  ‘He didn’t have chance to find out before the Court of the Final Word snatched him from his cradle and implanted a Wish-Hex inside him, and that is a very powerful force indeed. With those two, and the Extinction Shears, anything is possible.’

  ‘That’s not enough to go on,’ Ruth protested. ‘We wouldn’t know where to begin.’

  ‘The last generation of Brothers and Sisters of Dragons who came after you – of which I was one – will be able to help you. Seek them out.’

  ‘You’ve got a lot of faith in us,’ Church said. ‘I hope we can live up to it.’

  Hal didn’t reply.

  ‘I’m just sorry so many Brothers and Sisters of Dragons had to die to get us to this point,’ Church continued.

  The blazing figure smiled as it raised one hand to indicate the will-o’-the-wisps flickering all around. ‘Death is not an ending, Church. Your fallen comrades are here in the vast blue eternity, supporting you in your struggle. Lucia was right when she told you not to mourn. Take strength from their sacrifice. I’m going now, Church. Good luck to all of you, and remember, we’re here. We’re always here.’

  Hal flickered and then slowly faded away, but he left behind an atmosphere so strong and uplifting that Church could almost touch it. Everyone remained silent for a moment as they weighed what they had heard, and as Church looked around at their bright, open faces he knew that whatever lay ahead, he would be proud to stand beside them.

  ‘I suppose this means you want to be the leader,’ Laura said. ‘You’re such a show-off.’

  ‘Do you really think we have a chance?’ Ruth asked.

  ‘We’ve earned ourselves a breathing space today,’ Church said. ‘I can’t guess how this is going to turn out, but we’ve been given a huge responsibility and we can’t turn away from it, whatever lies ahead.’

  ‘I thought you were going to say that,’ Laura said sourly. ‘So it’s us against the whole world. Seriously, who would bet against us?’

  18

  In London, a light rain fell. Tom hurried from doorway to doorway beneath the colourful wash of Soho’s lights. Every moment filled him with astonishment. The doom that had dogged him for most of his life had dissipated and in its place he was filled with a remarkable optimism that almost moved him to tears, so unfamiliar was it. A deeply buried part of him half-thought that he should be dead, but he had no idea why he should feel that way. Instead, he sensed that he was about to embark on a new adventure.

  Somewhere there were Brothers and Sisters of Dragons preparing for a struggle against odds that they could never overcome. But he had a plan that could help them, and perhaps, once he was at their side, they could challenge fate itself.

  19

  In the Far Lands, a hooded figure hurried through the driving rain towards the Court of the Soaring Spirit. The guard threw open the gates to reveal the oppressive jumble of buildings and the heavy gloom that clung to every street.

  ‘Who goes?’ the guard challenged.

  The figure threw back its hood to reveal beautiful golden features.

  ‘My queen.’ The guard bowed deeply and stepped aside so Niamh could enter her court.

  She hurried past without speaking and headed towards her palace, ready for the struggle that lay ahead. And none who saw her knew of the spider that now nestled deep inside her head.

  20

  Church, Ruth, Shavi and Laura climbed wearily up the winding path to the rim of the crater to look out over the rolling Cornish countryside. The full moon cast its milky light across the fields, and the stars glittered in a universe that was vast a
nd unknowable and unpredictable.

  The Fabulous Beast had disappeared from view, but in the distance bursts of red and gold lit up the clouds.

  ‘Look at that,’ Church said in awe.

  The Blue Fire that the Fabulous Beast had taken into itself in Vietnam now ran in lines across the landscape, crisscrossing, interconnecting, and here and there shooting up in a column of power towards the heavens. It was releasing the remaining energy back into the earth, bringing the land alive, driving the spiders and the darkness they represented back to where they had originated.

  ‘That’s amazing,’ Ruth said quietly. ‘Beautiful.’ All four of them were mesmerised.

  ‘It’s still weak,’ Church said, ‘and it won’t get stronger until we reconnect it with the source. But for now it’s alive. The king was right. Magic has returned.’

  In their hearts, the Pendragon Spirit burned brightly and not even the clustering darkness could dim its light.

  21

  As they moved away from the Eden Project towards the lights of St Austell, a figure separated from the shadows and bounded onto the roof of the visitors’ centre. In its mischievous eyes was the wildness of nature. In its enigmatic smile were mystery and a hint of secrets untold. Sly and dangerous, Robin Goodfellow gave a mocking bow.

  ‘And so this tale must end,

  With questions to be posed.

  No rest yet for our players,

  Though these pages soon will close.

  New adventures lie ahead,

  Love, lust, death and betrayal.

  A world in shadow, a threat so great

  As to make you quake and quail.

  Yet life is but a game,

  Mere sport before you die.

  Where the rules are never told,

  And the stakes are always high.

  Sleep well now, Fragile Creatures,

  But consider as you doze:

  Your strings may be invisible,