Destroyer of Worlds

1

As the glamour faded, the world rushed in to greet them. Overseeing the hellish scene with a sick fascination, Ronnie recalled the Somme with a clarity that made him shudder, the carpet of bodies so thick you could walk across it without touching earth, the pall of choking smoke, the plague of rats and the rain-lashed trenches.

'Ronnie? You okay?' Doctor Jay shook his arm.

'Yes. Of course. Fine as a fiddle.'

The sky was black with greasy, sulphurous smoke, the harsh red and gold glare of the blazing fortress like a dying sun in the depths of space. In the gloom all around, the Army of Dragons and the ranks of the gods waited patiently for Ronnie's order.

Bitterly, he recalled Haig's plan that could not fail: a seven-day bombardment to destroy the German defences and then the order to advance to pick off the disoriented survivors. So terribly flawed. Fifty-eight thousand British troops dead or mutilated in one day alone. The machine guns cutting bodies in two. Was Haig haunted by his failure? Ronnie wondered. How could he possibly live with himself after that?

'War demands the best of us.' Aula was at his shoulder, calm and steady in a way that he had never seen her before; there was more of Decebalus in her than she liked to reveal. 'We fight for the right reasons, and it demands sacrifices,' she continued. 'And sacrifices of our own souls, for we are forced to give up a part of ourselves that we would never have relinquished before. It destroys the person we were and we can never recover, but we do it so that others can live the lives we cannot.'

'I'm prepared for my own sacrifice, ma'am.'

'And everyone here has signed that compact too. Trust yourself. Never forget why we do what we do. Never forget the humanity of the people who fight. With those two things in mind, your decisions will be true.'

Ronnie took a deep breath. 'Doctor Jay… Aula… thank you for your counsel.'

'We're all in it together, man. Don't forget that,' the Doctor said.

Ronnie strode out along the lines and gave the order. There was only a briefest tinge of self-doubt, and then he turned his attention to the battle. Thor, Tyr and Ares raced ahead with insane glee. The Japanese war god Bishamon was more measured. But those who marched into the fray with the greatest dignity were the Tuatha De Danaan, Lugh at their head, glowing like a sun. There was a great sadness about them, but also a fierce determination; for the first time Ronnie thought they truly did resemble gods.

As they neared, a thousand thousand flaming arrows erupted from the Fortress windows, the stars coming down to earth.

The final battle began.