Druid's Sword

by Sara Douglass

  Although the main body of the church was to be left a ruin, the efforts of a small, vociferous group of people—led by the Philpot brothers, who ran the White Queen Security Service in central London, and who personally put up the money—ensured that Wren’s beautiful spire was finally rebuilt.

  Today it was to be reopened.

  By mid-afternoon the speeches drew to a conclusion. A curtain was pulled back to reveal a plaque. The crowd clapped, then broke into small, chattering groups as cups of tea were handed about.

  Within the crowd the Philpot brothers shook hands enthusiastically with the Lord Mayor and the elderly gentleman who had been the vicar of St Dunstan’s during the war, leered at several young girls in mini-skirts, and winked conspiratorially at the tall, black-haired woman with the white face standing at the back of the gathering.

  Finally, after an hour, the crowd started to thin.

  The Philpot brothers disappeared, the white-faced woman with them.

  Workmen dismantled the small dais on which the dignitaries had sat, and took away the chairs and teacups.

  The final few stragglers went home.

  The newly opened spire and the churchyard gardens were left deserted.

  Dusk drew in. The City closed down. Night fell.

  Then, very softly, almost hesitantly, there came the sound of footfalls descending the stairwell within the spire.

  The knock at the front door startled Malcolm. Hardly anyone came to visit these days. Noah and Weyland, never. Silvius and Ariadne only occasionally, and their last visit had been two weeks ago. They would not have come back so soon. Jack went to visit the Lord of the Faerie and Stella occasionally, but, like Noah and Weyland, they never came here.

  Malcolm sighed, put down the dishcloth, and walked through Copt Hall to the front door, glancing up the staircase as he did so.

  There was no sound from Jack, upstairs in his bedroom.

  When he reached the front door, Malcolm peered through the glass set into the wooden panels, but it was so dark outside he could make out little more than a shape.

  A woman. Malcolm frowned. Stella?

  Then he opened the door, and his world stopped.

  Grace stood there.

  She looked wan, and too thin, and very tired, but it was Grace, and if her face was weary, and her eyes brimming with emotion, then she also looked very peaceful.

  Malcolm could not speak. He stood, his mouth gaping, staring, unable to comprehend what he saw.

  She smiled, very slightly, a little sadly. “Hello, Malcolm.”

  He managed one word. “Grace?”

  “Oh, Malcolm,” Grace said, and burst into tears. She stepped over the threshold and hugged him, only managing a tremulous smile when Malcolm lifted his own arms and hugged her fiercely back.

  “How?” said Malcolm. “How?”

  “The Idyll saved me,” Grace said as, finally, she stepped back, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Catling had me. The hex was so damned strong. My mother’s devising was never going to hold me. But the Idyll…” She took a deep shuddery breath. “The Idyll had been breached once before by Catling—the day she sent her imps to place the hex on me. The Idyll never forgot it, nor ever ceased to resent it. When Catling reached in again, this time to use the hex to drag me into the dark heart of the Shadow Game with her, the Idyll…” and she gave a small laugh, as if she could hardly believe this herself, “…the Idyll lost its temper. That’s the only way I can describe it. The Idyll lost its temper, repelled Catling and…and undid the hex.”

  “What?”

  “The Idyll knew how to unwind the hex, because it had seen how it was applied in the first instance. No one else. The Idyll understood the hex.” Grace paused. “And having repelled Catling, and having undone the hex, it then blew apart St Dunstan’s-in-the-East’s spire, destroying any way in or out, making certain Catling could not reach back in once more—but neither could I reach out to anyone to let them know where I was. It was my father who created the device that saved me, not my mother. Malcolm, is the Troy Game trapped?”

  “Yes, and all this time we were sure you were trapped with it.” Malcolm stared at Grace, still barely able to believe she was standing before him. “But you have been trapped in the Idyll?”

  She nodded. “And it was only today that the spire was re-opened. Only today that I could leave. Malcolm…how is Jack? Is he here?”

  “Gods, Grace. It has been terrible. He thought, we all thought, you were in the Shadow Game’s dark heart. We didn’t…” His voice broke and he hugged Grace tightly to him once more. “The past thirty years have been terrible,” he whispered.

  “It has been thirty years?” Grace said. “My gods, how has Jack managed?”

  Jack sat in the wing-backed chair by the bedroom fire, staring unseeing at the flames.

  This was the only way he could bear to live—alone save for the ghostly presence of Malcolm, isolated, unthinking.

  If he thought, then his existence became a hell, because shadowing every thought was the knowledge that Grace lived, tormented, in the dark heart of the Shadow Game. That while he lived and breathed and ran the forests, while he drew in breath and drank whisky and screamed at the stars, Grace lived shuttered away with Catling.

  Always before him was that haunting vision he’d experienced on the night Grace and he had opened the Shadow Game—Grace, lying bloodied and bruised on the floor of St Thomas’ crypt, a hand held out to him, her eyes pleading.

  There came a soft knock at the door.

  “Go away,” muttered Jack.

  A lengthy stillness, then the soft knock again.

  “Go away, curse you!” Jack yelled, and threw the empty whisky glass against the door.

  It shattered, and Jack thought he heard a breath on the other side of the door.

  Malcolm, probably, wanting to offer him some damned druidic counselling.

  “Go away,” Jack whispered.

  There came this time, not a knock, but the soft laying of a hand against the door, and then a forehead, and finally a cheek, wet with tears, pressed against the wood.

  Jack couldn’t hear it, only sense it.

  “Go away,” he whispered one last, futile time, then he rose, walked over to the door, and opened it.

  GLOSSARY

  ACK-ACK: anti-aircraft fire from London’s defences.

  AENEAS: a hero of the Trojan war against the Greeks and beloved of the gods, Aeneas was the son of a goddess, Aphrodite, aand a mortal man, Anchises. He is the great-grandfather of Brutus (now Jack).

  ALBA: ancient, and now vanished, city on the banks of the River Tiber in Italy.

  AMBERSBURY BANKS: an ancient hill fort situated in the northern region of Epping Forest.

  ANCIENT CAROL: that which is sung by the CAROLLER within the FAERIE to welcome in both dawn and dusk.

  ARIADNE: ancient MISTRESS OF THE LABYRINTH in Knossos in Crete at the GREAT FOUNDING LABYRINTH. She was the half-sister of ASTERION, the Minotaur, and also his lover. She betrayed him to Theseus.

  ASTERION: the ancient Minotaur who inhabited the GREAT FOUNDING LABYRINTH in Knossos on Crete. Murdered by Theseus, and recalled from death by ARIADNE, in this current life he is known as WEYLAND ORR.

  BANKS, NOAH: once CORNELIA, spoiled princess of MESOPOTAMA, Noah is now EAVING, goddess of the waters, Darkwitch, and Mistress of the Labyrinth. She lives with WEYLAND ORR (Asterion) and their daughter, GRACE, at the SAVOY in London.

  BOUDICCA: queen of the Iceni, a British tribe, in the first century AD, wife of PRASUTAGUS.

  CAMULODUNUM COLONIA: the Roman name for Colchester.

  CAROLLER, THE: the songstress who carols in the dawn and the dusk in the REALM OF THE FAERIE. See WENTWORTH, STELLA.

  CATASTROPHE, THE: after Theseus left ARIADNE, she responded by destroying much of the ancient Aegean world in revenge. This is known as the Catastrophe.

  CATHEDRAL WATCH, the: volunteers from among the staff and clergy of St Paul’s formed a Watch during the war
in order to act as firefighters in case bombs hit the cathedral.

  CHAMBERLAIN, NEVILLE: Prime Minister of Great Britain from the late 1930s until May 1940.

  CHURCHILL, WINSTON: Prime Minister of Great Britain from May 1940.

  CLEMENTS, VERA: a nurse’s aide at Guy’s Hospital. COEL: a man of the Bronze Age and a friend and lover of CORNELIA. He now lives as HAROLD COLE.

  COPT HALL: an ancient and now ruined house on the north-west outskirts of Epping Forest. Sometimes spelt as Copped Hall.

  CORNELIA: wife to BRUTUS when the TROY GAME was first constructed. Now she lives as NOAH BANKS.

  CATLING: the TROY GAME incarnate. The Troy Game took flesh as Catling in Darkwitch Rising.

  COLE, HAROLD, Brigadier (retired): the LORD OF THE FAERIE, who once lived as COEL, as Harold of Wessex, and as Charles II.

  DANCE OF THE FLOWERS: one of two dances involved in creating the TROY GAME, the Dance of the Flowers needs to be performed to close the Game and bring it to its full strength.

  DANCE OF THE TORCHES: the magical dance that was used by Brutus and Genvissa to establish the TROY GAME.

  DANCING FLOOR, THE: literally the labyrinth as it is carved into rock or stone. The MISTRESS OF THE LABYRINTH and the KINGMAN use the dancing floor to raise the Game from the labyrinth. Dancing floors—labyrinths—could be found in many medieval European cathedrals.

  DARKWITCH: a woman who uses the dark power (the Darkcraft) found in the heart of the labyrinth.

  DE COLECHURCH, PETER: Chaplain of St Mary Colechurch in Cheapside; Bridge Master of London Bridge.

  ELEANOR CROSSES: when Eleanor, the first queen of Edward I, died in Nottinghamshire, her husband was so distraught he built magnificent crosses at each place that her corpse rested on its journey back to London. Two crosses were erected in London: at Cheapside (this has now gone) and at Charing Cross (which still remains).

  EAVING: the goddess of the waters who takes the mortal form of NOAH BANKS. In the Anglo-Saxon language, Eaving meant “shelter”, or “the unexpected haven from the storm”.

  EAVING’S SISTERS: in God’s Concubine and Darkwitch Rising EAVING was reborn in Caela (now NOAH BANKS). She drew fiercely loyal women about her who became known as Eaving’s Sisters and who live in this life as MATILDA, ECUB and ERITH, taking back the names of their first lives.

  EPPING FOREST: the surviving remnant of the great forests which once spread over south-east England. It is situated just to the north of London.

  FAERIE HILL MANOR: the home of Sir HAROLD COLE situated in EPPING FOREST.

  FAERIE, LORD OF THE: an ancient being who watches over the FAERIE. He is often confused with the Green Man, an ancient mythical figure in English village culture closely associated with the forests, and with the May-tide celebrations. Figures of the Green Man, or the Lord of the Faerie, can be found carved into the decorations of myriad English (as European) cathedrals and churches.

  FAERIE, REALM OF THE: the Faerie world which exists side by side with the mortal world. Governed by the LORD OF THE FAERIE who is HAROLD COLE (Harry) in this life.

  GEORGE VI: King of England. George lived as John Thornton in his previous life, when he was NOAH BANKS’ lover.

  GOG: one of the legendary giant protectors of London, closely associated with the Guildhall (you can still see him there); his brother is MAGOG. Once a SIDLESAGHE.

  GREAT FIRE OF LONDON: in 1666 central London was destroyed by a massive conflagration that was started by NOAH BANKS in an effort to halt the progress of the TROY GAME.

  GREAT FOUNDING LABYRINTH, THE: the original labyrinth in Knossos on Crete, where was imprisoned the Minotaur ASTERION, and where ARIADNE betrayed him to Theseus.

  GREAT ORDEAL, THE: whenever a woman is trained as a MISTRESS OF THE labyrinth, she must undergo a final test to determine whether or not she is capable of controlling the powerful sorceries of the labyrinth. It is the Great Ordeal, and not all novice Mistresses of the Labyrinth survive it.

  GREAT MARRIAGE, THE: the formal union between the STAG GOD and the goddess of the waters (see EAVING), signifying that forest, water and land exist in harmony.

  HAMPSTEAD HEATH: lying in the north-west of modern-day London, the Heath comprises eight hundred acres of parkland and woods; Parliament Hill rises in its south-east quadrant.

  HERNE, WALTER: Loth-reborn and a clergyman within the Anglican Church.

  IDYLL, THE: during the seventeenth century, when WEYLAND ORR lived in a house by ST DUNSTAN’S-IN-THE-EAST, he constructed in the attic a magical Faerie world that he called the Idyll. Only he, NOAH BANKS and later their daughter GRACE had access.

  IMPS, THE: see PHILPOT.

  INDENTURES: house and property deeds of sale and transfer in Britain were traditionally called indentures, and, until the early twentieth century, were usually written on vellum.

  KINGMAN, THE: the TROY GAME is constructed and controlled by two people, the MISTRESS OF THE LABYRINTH and the KINGMAN. The Kingman was traditionally the king or ruler of the city which needed to be protected by the Game. In TROY, the original Kingman was Aeneas, and his descendant Brutus later took on the role.

  KINGSHIP BANDS OF TROY, the: when Brutus originally constructed the TROY GAME with Genvissa, he used the power of the ancient and magical six kingship bands of Troy he wore about his limbs. But when CORNELIA killed Genvissa, and ASTERION threatened to invade, Brutus took the kingship bands and hid them about London as part of a protective enchantment. Ever since then both Brutus-reborn and ASTERION have competed in the effort to locate them. In book II, God’s Concubine, Caela (Cornelia-reborn and NOAH BANKS in this book) took them and hid them in different locations about London. Possession of the bands enables the wearer to control the TROY GAME.

  LLANGARLIA: the ancient name of England during the Bronze Age (about 1500 BC).

  LONDINIUM: Roman name for London.

  LONG TOM: a SIDLESAGHE, and a close friend of NOAH BANKS. In medieval and early modern England, individual standing stones were often called Long Tom.

  MAG: goddess of the waters in ancient LLANGARLIA, now reborn in NOAH BANKS as EAVING.

  MAGOG: one of the legendary giant protectors of London, closely associated with the Guildhall (you can still see him there); his brother is GOG. Once a SIDLESAGHE.

  MAKRIS, SILVIUS: Brutus’—now JACK SKELTON—father. Once murdered by his son, and trapped in the dark heart of the labyrinth for thousands of years. Now reunited with his son.

  MALCOLM: servant at COPT HALL.

  MESOPOTAMA: In the Bronze Age Mesopotama was a Dorian city on the River Acheron on the west coast of Greece. It was ruled by Pandrasus, who was CORNELIA’S father.

  MISTRESS OF THE LABYRINTH: the TROY GAME is constructed and controlled by two people, the MISTRESS OF THE LABYRINTH and the KINGMAN. The Mistress is an ancient office which derives from the great founding labyrinth in Knossos in Crete. In previous lives Genvissa, reborn as Swanne (now STELLA WENTWORTH), has been the Mistress of the Labyrinth.

  NAKED, THE: the greatest of the holy sites within the REALM OF THE FAERIE, and the site of the LORD OF THE FAERIE’S throne.

  OG: see STAG GOD.

  ORR, GRACE: daughter of NOAH BANKS and WEYLAND ORR. In Darkwitch Rising Grace was hexed by CATLING, who tied their fates together.

  ORR, WEYLAND: ASTERION-reborn, husband of NOAH BANKS and father of GRACE.

  PEN HILL: one of the ancient sacred VEILED HILLS of Llangarlia. Pen Hill has now vanished underneath the nineteenth-century urban sprawl (and waterworks) of London.

  PHILPOT, BILL and JIM: WEYLAND ORR’S imps, who he first created in the eleventh century to torment NOAH BANKS and STELLA WENTWORTH (once Caela and Swanne). Jim and Bill are now far more independent, running their own private investigation agency in Southwark.

  PRASUTAGUS: British druid-king of the Iceni. Husband of BOUDICCA. He died circa AD 60.

  RINGWALK, THE: the medieval term for the path of the stag through the forest.

  RINGWALKER: the name of the current STAG
GOD, JACK SKELTON.

  STACEY, ROBERT: concierge of the private residents’ lobby at the SAVOY. Stacey is a SIDLESAGHE.

  ST DUNSTAN’S-IN-THE-EAST: one of the medieval churches of London. It stands in Idol Lane near the Tower of London.

  ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL: situated in the heart of London, St Paul’s is the heart of the TROY GAME. The cathedral that stood during World War II (and which stands now) is that designed by Sir Christopher Wren to replace that destroyed by the GREAT FIRE of London in 1666.

  SAVOY, THE: a famous hotel situated on the banks of the Thames on the Strand. It takes its name from the medieval palace which once stood on the spot.

  SKELTON, JACK: once Brutus, who, with Genvissa, began the TROY GAME during the Bronze Age, Jack is now also RINGWALKER, the STAG GOD of the forests. Previously he had lived as William the Conqueror and Louis de Silva.

  STAG GOD: one of the ancient gods of the land of LLANGARLIA, the Stag God is particularly associated with the forests. For aeons he was known as Og. In the previous life JACK SKELTON assumed the powers of the Stag God and took the name RINGWALKER.