Destroyer of Worlds

6

The streets of the Court of the Soaring Spirit were filled with a cheering throng that left the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons baffled and embarrassed by the obvious adulation they were receiving. Many of the disparate races of T'ir n'a n'Og were represented, from the Tuatha De Danaan, whose calls had an uneasy edge of desperation, to animals that walked and talked like men, squat, dour mountain folk, bat-winged, sable-skinned people from the Forest of the Night, short, tall, fat, thin, bizarrely attired.

Veitch was surprised by his reaction. He had forgotten the peculiar, rich, uplifting qualities of the Far Lands, the potent scents — spices, fruit and perfumed candles — colours more vibrant than his home and the rich textures of the stone, metalwork and carvings demanding that he touch them. It felt as if he was in a dream; it felt like coming home.

'What are you smiling at?' Ruth asked him between nods to the well-wishers lining the way.

'Do I need a reason?'

'You? Usually.'

At the Palace of Glorious Light, drenched in the mid-morning sunlight, they were guided to chambers that had once been occupied by Niamh, the court's former queen, where Mallory, Hunter and Caitlin now waited.

'I didn't believe it when the guards told me,' Mallory exclaimed. He shook Church's hand forcefully, and then the two groups hugged and greeted each other like long-lost friends.

Laura and Hunter adopted a blase attitude, but were soon sequestered together deep in conversation, their eyes gleaming, oblivious to the high emotions that whirled around them.

After the reunion, Mallory said, 'We couldn't find the Extinction Shears. We failed. I failed.'

'That's because you were looking in the wrong place,' Church said reassuringly. 'The Market of Wishful Spirit is in the Grim Lands.'

'Why on earth would it be in the Land of the Dead?' Caitlin asked.

'It doesn't matter. We'll start working on a plan to get to them immediately, ' Mallory said.

'Not going to be that easy, mate,' Veitch interjected. 'We come in and out of this place like it's a tourist destination, but there are strict rules about getting to the Grim Lands. I've been there twice. The first time I brought the Void back and caused all this mess. And the second time I had to die to get there.'

Leaving the others to share stories, Mallory led Church along the sun-drenched corridors to Doctor Jay's laboratory. As they neared, the constant low-pitched hum set their teeth on edge.

When Church saw Jerzy, unconscious, silver-coated eyes wide and staring, his heart went out to his friend. 'What's wrong with him?'

'I've got Math… everybody… working on it. No one has any idea.'

'It's got to be linked to the Void's return in some way.'

'Yeah, but… Jerzy? What could he have to do with anything?'

'The Puck took an interest in him. Even kidnapped him for a while. That could be it-' He cursed under his breath. 'I'm useless. All these important details, and I never see them at the time. Why didn't I question why the Puck got involved with Jerzy?'

'What would you have been able to do?' Mallory led Church out of the chamber and closed the door to muffle the unsettling noise. 'All these connections… half the time they could be random. No one sees their importance till after the fact.'

'I hope he's going to be all right.' Church cast one last glance back at the door separating him from his friend; it had been too long since they'd spent time together.

'Yeah, he's one of the good ones,' Mallory replied, 'so this is going to sound harsh, but we've got too much else to worry about right now. Doctor Jay is doing what he can for Jerzy, and if there's any significance to this change we'll find out quickly.'

'We saw the Enemy's army all over the Far Lands,' Church said.

Mallory nodded. 'They'll be here soon. We've already been softened up by the Riot-Beasts. The Enemy's going to throw everything at us. There's an assassin loose in the city, trying to pick us off one by one. We've got strategies in place to tackle it — no Brother or Sister of Dragons travels alone, trebling patrols — but sooner or later someone will make a mistake.'

'Tonight we rest, and plan,' Church replied. 'Tomorrow we start fighting back.'