by Helen Harper
I raised my eyebrows. ‘Wow. I know you have appalling halitosis but that’s some feat.’
Liung’s eyes narrowed. ‘Don’t push it, girly, or I might change my mind.’
The more time I spent looking at him, the more I knew that Liung was prepared to do everything necessary to vanquish the arsebadgering sphere, regardless of what he said. He really did love Manchester. He certainly spoke about it enough. He didn’t want to risk his beloved city, let alone the rest of the world. His bluster was the same as mine; it concealed his worry about what disastrous potential the little metal ball held within its smooth exterior.
I held it out again. This time, when Liung reached for it I let him take it. Perhaps there was something to be said for Liung’s nudity, after all. His body language was certainly easy to read. Although the light in his expression suggested there was still a part of him that wanted to keep the sphere, the tension in his body suggested that he also wanted to be rid of it as quickly as possible. It was a painful dichotomy – to want something so badly but to know that it was bad. I felt the same about greasy kebabs.
Liung inhaled deeply, raising the sphere to his nostrils before examining it carefully. ‘It truly is a work of art,’ he said softly. ‘It’s supposed to be impossible to create a perfect sphere that is symmetrical down to the last nanometre but Chen did it.’ The dragon shook his head in amazement. ‘He excelled himself. Such a shame that an object of beauty can be so destructive.’
I flicked a quick look at Morgan, who was very still and staring at Liung as if he were ready to snatch the sphere back at a moment’s notice. ‘Is he talking about the sphere now?’ I asked. ‘Or about me?’
Jodie sighed in exasperation but my words did the trick. As if by common consent, everyone relaxed slightly. Julie giggled and even Finn, towering over Liung with his hulking frame, dropped his shoulders and his deeply etched frown smoothed over. Liung appeared vaguely amused; he abandoned his perusal of the sphere and dropped his hand to his side.
‘Do you need to transform back into a dragon to breathe enough fire to destroy it?’ Morgan asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Liung answered honestly. ‘I’ll try as I am now and then transform if I need to.’ He dropped his eyes and a melancholy sadness crossed his face as he gazed at the sphere for one last time. Then he drew in a breath.
A loud crack ripped through the air. At first I thought it was part of Liung’s act but when I saw the confused expression on his face, I realised I was mistaken. A dribble of blood left his lips and trailed down his chin. The sphere dropped from his hands and rolled on the ground as he fell forward into Morgan’s arms. As he collapsed, I saw the massive wound on his naked back. As if they were tied together, Julie and Jodie spun round to see where it had come from.
‘Grab the sphere and get out of here!’ I yelled to them. ‘I’ll get this!’ I shoved them away and strode forward.
Finn sent Julie a terrified glance as she scooped up the sphere. ‘Run! Both of you!’ Then he squared his shoulders and joined me. All for one and one for all. Or something. Julie and Jodie had better run damned fast though.
Rubus appeared from out of the darkness on the other side of the Roman fort. I could see a gun held lightly in one of his hands; he was dragging a bloodstained and barely conscious Monroe with the other.
‘Well, hello there,’ he drawled. ‘Fancy seeing you lot here. We must stop meeting like this.’
Chapter Twenty-One
Rubus laughed, a long and slow sound filled with grating, smug self-satisfaction. ‘What?’ he called. ‘You didn’t really think those faeries you sent to watch me were going to get in my way, did you?’ He shook Monroe. ‘Or this fool of a werewolf and his pack?’
Morgan let Liung’s naked body fall to the ground. His face was white with both the pain from his broken arm and shock at Rubus’s untimely appearance. ‘If you have killed either Artemesia or Begonius, I’ll—’
‘You’ll what?’ his brother sneered. ‘Run away like you did when I ended Viburna?’ He snorted derisively. ‘You can’t do a thing. Artemesia is fine. She has skills that I need and I don’t want her to get hurt. Her Uncle Carduus doesn’t have her extensive knowledge and, despite his loyalty, I want more. As for Begonius, or Timmons as he stupidly insists on being known, he’s out for the count. All it took was a little force-feeding of pixie dust.’
Rubus grinned manically. ‘I’m not a complete despot. I won’t kill people if I can use them – and sooner or later I’ll be able to use Begonius as I wish. When I get him and the rest of us back to Mag Mell, he’ll swear blind that I did well by him. He’ll be too high on dust for anything else. He’ll see the truth, just like everyone else. He’ll recognise that I’m trying to help us, that I’m trying to get us back home. You’re the one who wants us to suffer.’
‘What about the werewolves?’ I asked.
Rubus shrugged. ‘The dogs are dead.’ He sniffed at Monroe, releasing him so that he crumpled into a heap. ‘Apart from this one. I thought I might keep him as a pet. To be honest,’ he said, as if confiding a secret, ‘I was expecting more from their kind. I thought they’d put up more of a fight. They’re almost easier to slaughter than Redcaps.’ He winked at Finn. ‘Blades slide into Redcap flesh remarkably easily.’
There was a sudden howl of anguish as Finn flung himself from behind us and launched himself towards Rubus. I leapt forward to try and help him – or at least to save him from getting shot point-blank in the head.
I wasn’t fast enough. I saw Rubus’s lip curl before he raised his arm and a single jet of magic smacked Finn in the chest and he crumpled like a deck of cards.
Morgan snarled, rushing forward until he was barely a metre past me. His fists clenched and I could see the veins on his neck bulging as he strained to attack his brother. It wasn’t going to do any good; the truce still held for Morgan just like it held for me. Rubus could slaughter every single one of us and we wouldn’t be able to so much as scratch him back.
‘So full of rage,’ Rubus murmured. ‘I keep telling you, Morganus, it doesn’t have to be like this. All I’m trying to do is get us back home.’ He shook his head in mock sadness. ‘I just want us all to be safe in Mag Mell and you seem determined to continue torturing us and forcing us to stay here.’ He sighed. ‘Look at how much you’re hurting right now. I don’t have to hit you for you to feel pain. You’re already hurting yourself.’
He took a step towards Morgan. My heart hammering against my ribcage, I bellowed and jumped in front of him so that I would take the blow.
‘Why are you with him?’ Rubus asked me. ‘I can give you so much more, Madrona.’ He dropped his eyes, sliding them with nausea-inducing lust across my body. It was all for show; he only acted like he wanted me in order to piss off Morgan.
Morgan didn’t know that, though. He growled and stepped out from behind me. ‘Leave her alone, Rubus. This is between you and I.’
‘Morganus,’ Rubus tutted. ‘Oh Morganus. You’re my brother. I’m sorry I hurt you before. I promise I won’t lift another hand against you. But if you insist on getting in my way at every turn then I will destroy everything that you care about.’ He smiled at me. ‘And that means her.’
Morgan’s nostrils flared. I didn’t think I’d ever seen such fury reflected in the depths of his emerald eyes. If only looks could kill.
‘Where is the sphere, Morganus?’ Rubus said. He raised one hand and pointed it at my chest. ‘Tell me where it is or the Madhatter gets it.’
We’d been in this situation before but on that occasion the roles were reversed and I’d refused to hand over the sphere to help Morgan. I could only pray that he would refuse now. I resisted the urge to glance back, trusting that Jodie and Julie had the sphere safe and were already skedaddling back into the bowels of the city with it.
I breathed deeply, forcing myself to stay calm and think things through. Brute force was not going to win the day; we had to be smarter than Rubus. I played for time until the answe
r struck me.
‘Your heart is crammed with skid-marked underpants, Rubus,’ I said, shaking my head with deep sadness. ‘Your soul is stained with faeces. Not the healthy kind, either. I’m talking about the sort of half-runny, half-solid crud that includes random bits of sweetcorn and the smear of rectal blood.’
Rubus gazed at me. ‘You’re actually a masochist,’ he said. ‘Forget the Madhatter part. There’s nothing more to you than the desire to inflict pain upon yourself. I should have realised that sooner. No wonder you spent so much time with me when all you ever wanted was to be with him.’ His voice dripped with disdain. ‘Morganus the saintly do-gooder. You could have been my queen. Instead you’ll be nothing more than a footnote in history.’
I raised my hand towards Morgan and pressed my fingers against his forearm with just enough pressure to warn him to back off. I had this. I was the Madhatter, no matter what Rubus snorted to the contrary.
Monroe let out a tiny moan. It was barely audible, even to my Fey ears, but it gave me the ammunition I needed.
‘You’re alone,’ I said.
Rubus glared at me. ‘So?’
‘This is supposed to be your moment of glory, Rubus. This is when you snatch the sphere and use it to free every faery from a lifetime of greasy kebabs, daytime television and Uber taxis. But no one is here to witness your triumph. Given your past performances, that’s not the way you work.’ I scanned the horizon behind him. ‘Monroe and his wolves got you, didn’t they? You might have been victorious in the end but I bet my freckles that all your lieutenants are either bleeding out or already dead. You don’t have anyone left to take back to Mag Mell, do you?’
Something flashed across Rubus’s face. It was brief but I was too smart to miss it. ‘I’m their keeper,’ he shot back. ‘I’m keeping them safe. They’re back at the hide-out, snug as bugs and safe as houses.’
I raised an amused eyebrow. ‘Are they? I reckon you’re telling porkies. Big ones. I wonder what the faeries in Mag Mell will say when you’re the only one to return. Will you be feted as a hero then?’
Beneath my fingers, I felt Morgan’s muscles relax slightly. ‘Maddy’s right,’ he chimed in. ‘One of the elders will perform a Truth Draw, which you won’t be able to resist. When it’s discovered that you’ve killed our own, as well as countless others from other species, you’ll be thrown in the darkest dungeon. You’ll be vilified. The footnote in history will be you. And you won’t be a martyr like Viburna, you’ll be the monster that’s used to scare children.’ He smirked. ‘You’re no saviour, Rubus. You never were.’
I stared hard at Rubus. He was growing angrier by the second and the glint of madness in his eyes was becoming more visible. ‘There are plenty of people here!’ he yelled. ‘I’m holding them back until my glory is assured! I’m going to save them all! I’m going to return us to Mag Mell. You … you…’
His voice faltered as he lost all semblance of rationality. His cheeks were flushed scarlet and his fists were tightly clenched. His chest rose and fell rapidly with his erratic breathing.
I barely managed to hold my ground. We were no longer facing Rubus; the creature in front of us was more like an enraged animal on the verge of extinction. And yet he still retained the upper hand. He could still hurt us.
Rubus waved his arms around. ‘Come out!’ he shouted. ‘I command you all to come out and face the bastards who don’t want you to return home!’
We all glanced over but when I saw who emerged from the ruins of the old Roman fort, and realised my guess about Rubus’s troops had been correct, I felt only sadness. There was no triumph to be gained from watching the limping, blood-soaked, raggle-taggle group that hobbled towards us.
I didn’t know how many Fey had been working with Rubus but there were very few of them left. No wonder they’d not appeared until now. Most were limping. All of them were covered in blood.
I cast a quick glance at Monroe. He might have suffered a catastrophic defeat but he and his werewolves hadn’t gone down without a fight. I mentally applauded what he’d achieved, although with very little enthusiasm.
Rubus didn’t appear to notice the sorry state of his clan. He waved an exultant hand. ‘See? I have more Fey on my side than you have on yours.’
I scanned the group. ‘Where’s Carduus?’ Then I realised I already knew the answer. It was the real reason why Artemesia hadn’t been killed; Rubus needed her because Carduus hadn’t made it. Maybe it was Monroe in front of Charley’s house, or maybe it was the locusts. It didn’t really matter. Carduus was one Fey whose passing I wouldn’t mourn.
‘Carduus is fine,’ Rubus snapped. He held out his palm. ‘Now. Give me the sphere.’
‘It’s not happening,’ Morgan answered.
Rubus bared his teeth. ‘I was hoping you’d say that.’ Without warning, he pointed and threw out magic in my direction. I spun, using my shoulder to block the worst of the blow, but it still knocked me off my feet.
Morgan let out a strangled cry. I opened my mouth to tell him I was okay and realised, rather belatedly, that I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move either. I was face down in the dirt and totally paralysed. Strangely, I couldn’t feel any pain – but somehow I didn’t think that was a good thing.
‘I’m going to kill you,’ I dimly heard Morgan say to Rubus over my head. He was very angry. That was nice.
‘You know you can’t,’ Rubus responded serenely. ‘She’s not dead, though. She still has a chance. Whether she gets it or not is up to you.’
‘I—’
Whatever Morgan was about to say was interrupted. There was a calm shout from behind us. If I could have, I would have frowned. What was Julie doing? She should have been long gone by now.
‘Let Mads be,’ she called out. ‘I have what you want.’
She was bluffing and she was doing a damned good job. I felt a twinge of smug delight. It was a good thing the actress was on our side and not on Rubus’s.
‘I knew you’d come through and do the right thing.’ There was a smile in Rubus’s voice.
That wasn’t right. I struggled to move, every atom of my body straining. I managed to wiggle my little toe. That was hardly going to cut it.
‘Stop her!’ Jodie’s voice screamed. ‘She’s got it. She’s going to…’ Her words faltered mid-sentence and there was a dull thud. I clenched my jaw and tried to move. What was happening? What was going on?
‘Julie,’ Morgan cried, anguished. ‘What are you doing?’
‘What I should have done all along.’ Her voice sounded very close, as if she were hovering over me. My last flicker of confidence in my soap-star friend started to ebb. Surely not? Surely she wouldn’t betray us? She’d be killing herself and destroying her own demesne.
I strained to move again. Were my muscles returning to life or did I just need to pee? It was hard to tell.
Rubus spoke again. ‘Thank you, Julie.’
There was the sound of a scuffle, followed by a loud oomph of pain. ‘Don’t!’
It was the horror in Morgan’s voice that gave me the impetus I needed to turn my head so I could see what was going on. I still didn’t have enough control over my limbs to save the day but I was able to focus for long enough to spot Julie passing the arsebadgering sphere into Rubus’s waiting palms.
No.
Dread filled me. What was she doing? This was crazy. I was supposed to be the mad one but it was starting to seem as if I were the only person who was sane.
Morgan stared at Julie in horror. ‘Why?’ he whispered.
She didn’t look even slightly guilty. ‘You have no idea what it’s like,’ she said. Her bottom lip trembled but her voice was firm. ‘To be afraid all the time. Not to know who’s going to come round the corner and attack you for who you are. I have no control over my vampirism. The only reward I have is that I get to live forever – assuming I’m not killed by a bunch of vampire hunters.’
I wet my lips. I was regaining control of my facial muscles if nothing el
se. When I spoke, however, it was little more than a hoarse whisper. ‘But we took care of the hunters. You’re safe.’
Julie shook her head. ‘One came at me only a few hours ago. It was only by luck that I survived. My house has been burnt down. My sanctuary, Mads!’
‘That was Dave.’ I tried clearing my throat but it didn’t make my words any louder. ‘He worked for Rubus, for gasbudlikins’ sake.’
A brief tremor of doubt shivered across her and I felt hope flare. Then she squared her shoulders and her resolve appeared to stiffen. ‘He was proving a point. As long as this demesne remains as it is, I’m in danger. The magic build-up, which was created by your loss of control and your spells, showed me what my potential is. It showed me that I don’t have to be weak, I don’t have to live every minute of every day in fear, downing gin and tonic by the bucket just to get through. With magic flooding this world, I can finally win.’
‘At the expense of billions of lives,’ Morgan pointed out.
‘It’s not my job to worry about the world,’ Julie said. ‘It’s my job to worry about me. I can’t take this life any longer.’
‘You might not survive the transition.’
She smiled. ‘Oh, I think I’ll manage.’
Rubus was dancing from foot to foot, almost beside himself with glee. ‘Protest all you want, brother dear. The sphere is mine.’ He reached for it, ready to grab it from Julie’s outstretched hand.
Morgan threw himself forward, lunging to get to the sphere first. Julie snapped her jaws and I realised for the first time just how sharp her teeth had become. She tore at the flesh on Morgan’s hand with her incisors and blood spurted everywhere.
I strained again, doing everything I could to move, but my limbs were leaden. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t going anywhere.
It was over very quickly. Rubus rounded on Morgan and slammed his fist into his nose. There was a sickening crunch of bone, then Rubus pulled back and held the sphere triumphantly aloft. ‘I have it!’ he crowed. ‘I finally have it!’