by Helen Harper
I crashed in a shower of sand. I rolled, throwing myself into the movement to get away. When I thought I had enough momentum, I sprang back to my feet. The demon was already there in front of me and still grinning.
I raised my hand, the knife in front of me. For a second, the demon’s smile faltered as I gazed from the blade to its stomach and back again. With a shrug, I tossed the knife away and crossed my arms.
It blinked then it hit me on the side of my head and I went flying. The force of the punch was strong enough to send me crashing into the ground several metres away. I climbed to my feet again and again the demon came after me. This time it went for a kick to my stomach. I was thrown onto my back, wheezing for air. I tried to spring up but my body wouldn’t respond and I lay there, motionless, for several seconds. My opponent nudged me roughly and snarled. I knew what he wanted. He could have easily killed me by now but this was about more than ending my life; he was putting on a show.
I staggered up and faced him, stretching my arms out and waiting. He lunged and grabbed my hair and it felt like my scalp was tearing away from my skull. The pain was excruciating. He threw me in the air once more, sending me to the other side of the arena. I coughed, spitting blood. My vision was swimming but I got to my feet.
‘Great plan, Tegs,’ I muttered. ‘You’ve really outdone yourself this time.’ Then my knees buckled and I fell again.
The demon threw back his head and laughed. He started shouting at the watching crowd and they shouted back, delighted. I dropped my gaze; every iota of my strength was seeping away into the blood-soaked ground. I tried to push myself up again but I couldn’t. Then I saw the pixie lying less than three feet away.
I crawled over to her, stretching out my hand. ‘Heal,’ I whispered, ‘heal.’ The magic flowed from my fingertips and almost immediately she stirred.
There was a roar from the demon as he realised I was up to something. He sprinted towards us. I swallowed. His figure blurred as I tried to focus on it but there was no doubt he was getting closer.
Then I blinked and he was gone.
I couldn’t hear anything. There was a ringing in my ears and I didn’t know if I was about to throw up or pass out. The pixie sat up and gaped at something above her head. Trying to clear my vision, I followed her gaze. Directly above us was the demon monster, impaled on one of the spikes.
I shook my head. ‘What?’
The pixie stared. ‘He tripped.’ She started to laugh. ‘He tripped.’
I frowned, my brain clouded by confusion as much as pain. I glanced to my other side. There, half embedded in the sand, was the flail. Apparently I’d had so little Apportation magic left that all I’d managed to do was transport it from his hands to the other side of the arena. The demon’s foot must have caught on it. Now, instead of slamming my soul from here to kingdom come, the monster was skewered in its own playground.
Blood leaked from the wound in its stomach. It groaned, its hands slippery as it tried to slide away from the spike. I stumbled over and lay my hand on his shoulders. Once again, I called on Aifric’s Gift as I pulled the limp body of the demon backwards. While he groaned, his weight shifted; he fell away from the spike and sprawled right on top of me. I gasped, writhing to get free. He clutched at what had been a mortal wound and stood up, looking at the blood on his hands.
‘What the fuck have you done?’ the pixie screamed. ‘We had him. We could have won.’
I ignored her and watched the demon. I didn’t have the energy to stand up again; the pain was too much. The demon scratched his head and looked away, glancing at something above. I rolled over. All six of the Fomori leaders were on their feet. The one on the end gestured to the demon. He nodded once and bent down towards me. I held my breath. Not again; I couldn’t cope with another blow. Rather than slamming into me, however, he dragged me to my feet then half pulled, half dragged me across the arena.
Now what? The demon on the end, who was wearing a cloak round his shoulders, gazed at me. He leaned over to his companion and murmured and I realised it was the English-speaking Fomori from earlier.
There was only one question. ‘Why?’
‘It was right,’ I gasped as another wave of agony rippled through me.
‘He was going to kill you.’
I gave a short, humourless laugh. ‘Who isn’t trying to kill me?’
The demon leaned towards me, his face looming closer. ‘Under our laws, if you won the battle we would have set you free. You had won. He was dying.’
I shrugged, almost immediately regretting it as I felt my knees shudder once more. Only my would-be executioner by my side was keeping me upright. ‘I’m a pacifist.’
The demon frowned, still struggling to understand. ‘A what?’
‘I can’t justify violence.’
His brow furrowed as he absorbed this. He murmured something to the boss man who stared at me, wide-eyed. Then he muttered something and his translator spoke again. ‘That explains why you did not use the knife and why you did not attempt to fight back. It does not explain why you healed him. He was dying as a result of a clumsy accident, not by your hand.’
I licked my lips. I knew this was my one chance; there was no other way I could explain myself and get the chance to turn everything around. ‘Standing by and not helping when I have the power to do so is the same as wielding a blade myself.’ I squeezed my eyes shut. ‘Forgive me. I’m not explaining myself very well. I don’t feel too good.’
He regarded me quietly. ‘Why do you not heal yourself?’
I started. It hadn’t even occurred to me that I could do that. ‘I…’
‘You told us you had one type of magic. We assumed that was the ability to control the air, which we have already seen. You apparently did not lie. And yet we saw evidence of several different sorts of magic that cannot possibly be connected in the way that Levitation and the creation of clouds could be. You do not seem to fully understand some of this magic yourself. What is the truth?’
You could have heard a pin drop. I felt rather than saw every member of audience lean forward as if they were afraid to miss my answer. ‘I steal,’ I said simply. ‘I am a thief and I can steal magic. That is my Gift.’
A twitch in his cheek was the only evidence he’d heard me. ‘You could steal my magic from me?’
I nodded then I focused on the invisible swirl within him. ‘You have the ability to teleport yourself,’ I said. I smiled in understanding. ‘And to learn any tongue should you so desire it.’
The demon rocked back and muttered quickly to the Fomori boss who gestured impatiently. The demon bowed in answer and looked back at me. ‘Show me,’ he demanded. ‘Show me how this works.’
I had no idea whether I still had the strength for this. If he would give me a minute I could see if I could use my stolen Gift to heal myself but I didn’t think that any delays would serve me well. Wasting no more time, I snatched and took a thread of his magic, drawing it into my own being.
He gasped, his hand reaching involuntarily to his chest. ‘I can feel it.’ He turned to his leader. ‘It’s gone. Not a lot, but I can feel that it’s lessened slightly. She took my magic from me. I might not have noticed if I hadn’t known what she was going to do.’
I tilted up my chin. ‘Think on this,’ I said in perfect Fomorian. ‘I could have stolen teleportation and taken myself far from here but I did not. You can trust me. I am here to negotiate, not to fight, not to challenge, not to steal. Neither am I here to destroy Alba.’ I met the leader’s eyes. ‘Deal with me.’
The watching crowed gasped. Unfortunately it barely registered with me because the energy it had taken to steal, not to mention how difficult it was to make my little speech, had almost done me in.
‘Stop!’ a female voice shouted. ‘Leave her alone!’
May strode out from the far gates with Byron, Fergus ‒ and presumably Bob ‒ in her wake. I was sure I was still having issues with my vision because May never walked with that kind of confi
dence. Neither did she speak with that kind of authority.
She walked up to us, glaring at the huge demon who was holding me up and then addressing the Fomori leaders. ‘She is not what you think she is.’
‘You can talk,’ someone burst out.
‘I have a tongue.’ May pointed at me. ‘Thanks to her.’
I looked past her. The expression on Byron’s face suggested that he didn’t know whether to attack every single Fomori in the place for even thinking about hurting me or whether he should run over and cradle me in his arms like a wounded child. I was hoping for the latter. Fergus, meanwhile, had his mouth flattened and his face masked. There was a glittering rage in his eyes as he watched May, which didn’t make sense.
‘She isn’t evil,’ May continued. ‘She isn’t planning our downfall. With this one we can really negotiate.’
A thought poked through the clouds of pain and confusion in my mind. ‘Wait,’ I said suddenly. I looked at the English-speaking leader. ‘Levitation. You said I could levitate. I only did that once though when—’ I looked at May. ‘You told them about that.’
She met my eyes. ‘Yes. That was before I knew what you could really do.’
‘So,’ the other demon said, ‘when you told us you only had one Gift and we knew you weren’t lying, we assumed it was something to do with manipulating the air. We had never seen such a thing before. But,’ he smiled slightly, ‘we have never seen anyone who could steal magic before either.’
My eyes drifted back to May then to Fergus whose jaw remained tight with tension. ‘May’s a spy,’ he spat, bitterness lacing every word. ‘She’s been working for the Fomori demons all along. She followed you across the Veil to watch you and report back. All along she’s been manipulating us. May is no victim.’
His words penetrated my skull and I wobbled, agony nibbling at my body. Byron cursed and marched over, glaring at the monster demon who shrugged and passed me over. Byron wrapped his arms round me so I could lean back into his chest. ‘You’re alright,’ he murmured into my ear. ‘We’re all still alright.’
And with that, I felt like I could let go. I’d been clinging to consciousness with every shred of my being; now Byron was at my back it was if my body decided of its own volition that I could relax. Voices continued but I closed my eyes and passed out. Later, my mind whispered. Later.
Chapter Nineteen
There was something on my nose. Even without opening my eyes, I was fairly sure as to what – or rather who – it was.
‘I know you’re awake, Uh Integrity,’ came Bob’s plaintive voice. ‘Just how many times have you had a fainting fit in the last week? Should I start stocking up on smelling salts?’
My eyelids fluttered open. He was perched on the tip of my nose, staring fixedly at me. I pretended not to notice his relief and frowned. ‘I have not had fainting fits,’ I said in mock irritation. ‘In fact, I think you’ll find I’ve been in full control of my faculties.’
He peered at me. ‘You have a concussion,’ he declared.
I sat up, brushing him off. ‘I’m fine.’
On the far side of the room, which didn’t look all that different from the prison cells I’d been in, a door opened. Byron, looking tired and harassed, saw that I was awake and strode over. ‘How are you?’ he demanded. ‘Where does it hurt?’ His emerald eyes roved over me. ‘What do you need?’
I smiled. ‘Which question would you like me to answer first?’
His shoulders relaxed slightly although the concern in his expression didn’t flicker. ‘You looked like you were half dead in that arena,’ he growled. ‘What they did to you…’
I dismissed his worry. ‘They had their reasons.’ To appease him as much to rid myself of the pain that throbbed through my body, I sought out more of Aifric’s Healing Gift. Unsure how it worked, I pulled it out and told it to heal me. My body tingled, my blood hummed and a pleasant warmth spread through me, right down to my toes.
‘Wow.’ I shook my head in amazement. ‘So that’s what it feels like.’
‘You should have done that at the start,’ Byron chided.
I shrugged. ‘It honestly didn’t occur to me.’
‘You’re an idiot.’
I smiled at him. He smiled back.
‘Jeez!’ Bob said. ‘Get a room!’
Byron didn’t glance in his direction. ‘We have a room. You should get out.’
Bob put his hands on hips and huffed. ‘The nerve!’
‘Actually,’ I interrupted, albeit rather reluctantly, ‘we have other things to do. Where are Fergus and May?’
Byron grimaced. ‘Fergus is next door. We’ve not seen May since … well, you know.’
I nodded. She really was full of surprises. I stood up, declining Byron’s offer of help, and looked down. I might have healed my wounds but I looked the worse for wear. My clothes were covered in blood, dirt and other things it was probably wise not to examine too closely.
‘They don’t know about Bob,’ Byron said. ‘But they have been more,’ he pursed his lips, ‘hospitable than I would have expected. Your plan worked.’
I grimaced. I did almost die and we still had a long way to go before we could call this expedition a success. All the same, my optimism was coming back with considerable force.
***
We found Fergus slumped against a wall. It was the first time I’d ever seen the canny Bauchan look dejected. I knew I should probably keep my mouth shut but knowing it and doing it were different things. ‘Why do spies avoid capitalisation?’ I asked. He lifted doleful eyes to me. ‘Because they like to keep things low key.’
A muscle jerked in his cheek. Other than that, there was no sign that he’d heard me. ‘Too soon?’ I sighed. ‘You really shouldn’t be upset about May. It’s not the first time someone’s lied and it won’t be the last. Besides, did she really ever lie? I didn’t ask her why she followed me across the Veil.’
‘Well,’ Bob piped up, ‘that’s because she didn’t have a tongue so she couldn’t tell you.’
I ignored him. ‘She was doing what she thought was right. She’s probably a hero to the Fomori demons. She thought she was risking her life to spy on someone who was supposedly the greatest threat to the existence of her race. We shouldn’t be upset that she wasn’t a helpless victim, we should admire her. In her position, I might well have done the same.’ I watched him. ‘And so far everything’s turned out alright. She helped us, Fergus. She weighed up all the evidence and decided that we weren’t monsters after all. She even fell in love.’
He blinked. I smiled and knelt beside him. ‘Are you sure you’re not annoyed because she fooled you and you’re not used to that?’ His eyes narrowed but I ploughed ahead regardless. ‘Maybe,’ I told him softly, ‘you’ve met your match.’ Fergus wasn’t a fool and I could see him absorb my words.
There was a sharp knock on the door. We all stiffened and exchanged wary glances. Bob zipped over, burrowing into my collar to stay out of sight. Byron took a deep breath, walked over and opened it. As soon as he did, he was all but bowled over by a demon bustling in and shoving past him. My stomach tensed when I realised it was the furious female demon who’d been my guard down by the arena.
I put up my hands to ward her off but it was to no avail ‒ she wasn’t going to be stopped. She threw her thin arms around me and squeezed. ‘Thank you! Thank you! What you did for May was more than I could have asked. If you need anything, you ask for me.’
‘What is she saying?’
I translated for the others who seemed as taken aback as I was. I met Fergus’s eyes meaningfully and he nodded, getting to his feet and picking up his bag. I pulled back from the demon. ‘We would like to meet with your leaders now,’ I told her in Fomori. Probably the sooner the better. The language Gift I’d acquired was only a tiny dose and it wouldn’t last for long.
‘Yes, yes!’ she beamed and bowed, before nodding towards the door and heading out.
I looked at the others. ‘This is where
it really gets serious,’ I warned.
‘All for one,’ Byron muttered.
Bob whispered into my ear. ‘Screw that. If this goes tits up, you lot are on your own.’
I just laughed.
***
There was something unsettling about the sky always being dark. Part of me expected dawn to break at some point and for the sun to illuminate everything in golden brilliance, even though I knew it wouldn’t. I itched to get back to the clean, fresh air of the Highlands. I was actually pleased when May’s friend took us outside to a parapet rather than deeper into the bowels of the castle. The darkness was claustrophobic enough without being kept inside. No wonder the Fomori demons slept on the rooftops instead of inside the old buildings which remained from the pre-Fissure days.
The same six demons from the arena faced us, seated in a row. May stood to one side and her eyes immediately sought Fergus. Without turning, I couldn’t tell what his reaction was. I cleared my throat. ‘Thank you,’ I said.
‘For what?’ asked the robed Fomori.
‘For not killing us. For listening to what I have to say. For the chance to change all our futures.’
‘The prophecy remains. You are still a threat.’
I lifted my chin. ‘I don’t believe I am.’
He knitted his fingers together. ‘We shall see.’
I ran my eyes across them, seeking potential allies but their expressions were masked. Even May’s expression was studiously blank. These guys would be fantastic at poker. I swallowed and began. ‘Across the Veil, we have a fixed view of what you are like. It is a given that you are evil, that you are monsters who have no qualms about who you murder. Recent evidence bears this out. Your demons attacked one of our northern cities and there were several deaths. You have encroached onto our land and it rarely ends well.’
A couple of the demons stirred. The robed leader held up his hand to still them. ‘We might say the same of your kind,’ he replied mildly. ‘You have made incursions into our territory. You have threatened us. We have nothing and yet you still seem to want to take that away.’