Destroyer of Worlds

1

From the window, it appeared as if a black cloak had been laid across the rooftops surrounding the Palace of Glorious Light. As the night receded with the first silvery light of dawn, that cloak gleamed with an oily sheen that eventually revealed itself to be thousands of ravens perched in eerie silence. The beady eyes of the Morvren all turned towards the palace.

'What is it with birds?' Hunter said. 'Since that thorny bastard attacked last night, I've spent all my time picking feathers out of every crevice. And now this.'

'Blame Church. They're his.' Laura carved her name in the stone with a small knife.

'I think he might debate the ownership issue with you. A supernatural omen of death following you around to pick the bones of the fallen isn't quite the same as a budgie.'

'Looks like there's more of them,' Laura said, casting a bored glance out of the window.

'They know something we don't.'

'You're lucky you've got me to protect you, then.'

'Sorry? Did you say "torment"?'

A gong resonated along the silent corridors, summoning them to a gloomy chamber where the walls and windows were hidden behind purple and scarlet drapes. Magickal artefacts were piled high on the tables and floor, suggestive of some hidden ritual pattern — skulls, crystals, athames, statuettes, jewels, candles and more. Parchments and books were stacked head-high in one corner. With a long, delicate brush, Math carefully inscribed protective runes on a section of wall that would soon be hidden again behind the drapes. His four-faced mask turned slowly and deliberately.

Even though Church and Shavi talked intensely in one corner, there was an unshakable feeling that something had just departed the space.

'Nobody thought to lay on a muffin basket?' Hunter said. 'You can't have a breakfast meeting without muffins.'

'Funny man.' Laura shied away from Math and went to annoy Tom, who had just lurched in, grumpy and tired.

Soon the two teams and Tom were gathered, with Math observing silently from one corner. All of them were aware of the bond they shared, despite their personal differences. The air was electric with the Pendragon Spirit.

'What lies ahead is more than we've ever faced before, and there's a strong possibility that none of us will be getting out of this alive,' Church said. 'It's important we're under no illusion about that.'

'It's the job,' Hunter said. 'No point grumbling about it.'

'That's easy for you to say. You've got a death wish,' Laura said tartly.

'We know where we stand,' Mallory said. 'The question is, where do we go? And just as importantly, what do we do about that thing we found in the loft last night?'

'If, as you describe, it can change appearance at will, it could remain amongst us, picking us off one by one,' Shavi mused.

'Who's to say it's not here now?' Ruth said. They all shifted uneasily.

'Math, what did you find out?' Church asked.

'The creature is known as the Hortha.' Math's voice echoed hollowly from behind his mask. 'It is mentioned many times in our histories, as an agent of destruction and death and chaos.'

'An agent of the Void,' Caitlin added.

'The Hortha is a hunter, a tracker. Once it has identified its prey, it cannot be deterred or stopped. It will continue until it has killed.'

'Okay, you got a load of gods lined up out there ready to fight for the cause,' Veitch began, 'but from where I'm standing, the biggest threat to the Void is the Army of Dragons. If I was the Enemy, I'd send that thing out to pick the whole lot of us off one by one. Cut out the heart.'

'We're not going to be sitting back, letting the Hortha get on with it,' Church said. 'Ryan?'

'So, what, he gets to call the shots now?' Laura said.

'We're all here because we've got individual strengths that benefit the group as a whole. Veitch — and Hunter — they're the strategists.'

'What am I? The cheerleader?' Laura said sullenly. 'Give me a C-U-N-'

'Let's focus, shall we?' Church insisted.

'We're taking the fight straight to the Void,' Veitch said, 'starting right now. Decebalus is going to lead the Army of Dragons, the gods and the Tuatha De Danaan against the Enemy forces.'

'Our troops can be organised before the Enemy reaches the city?' Ruth asked.

'I reckon. Decebalus is a big bastard. He's not going to let people drag their feet. In the meantime, we're going to split into two teams. One lot is going to get the Extinction Shears. Once they've done that, they're going to rendezvous with the other group, who are going straight into the Fortress of the Void.'

'When you say it like that, it sounds simple.' Hunter looked around the room. 'Does anybody else fancy some wine?'

'Hunter's right,' Laura said. 'You've already made it clear: the rules say nobody gets into the Land of the Dead. And that Fortress must be swarming with the Enemy, never mind the Burning Man hanging right over the top of the place. What are you going to do — walk up to the front door and ask nicely?'

'Actually, we'll be using the back door,' Church said. 'A group of colonists in Roanoke back in Elizabethan times were kidnapped and taken to the Fortress. One of them was Virginia Dare.'

'That little girl?' Laura said.

'She escaped from the Fortress,' Church continued. 'She knows a secret way back in-'

'You can't take her back there,' Ruth protested. 'Laura and I both spoke to her last night. She's completely traumatised by what happened to her in that place. It would be cruel to make her go back.'

'It's not like I haven't wrestled with this, Ruth-'

'Church. No.'

'We don't have a choice,' he said firmly. 'There's too much at stake.'

'She's just a little girl.'

'She's stronger than you think,' Caitlin said. 'If this has to be done, we'll protect her as much as we can.'

'So it's a suicide mission,' Hunter said. 'Into the Fortress, blow up the Burning Man. Last post and medals all round. Delivered to the ones we leave behind, of course.'

'And what part do Miller and Jack play in this?' Shavi asked.

A touch of weariness was evident in Church as he shook his head. 'Math's been trying to work that out. All we know is that the Two Keys are needed along with the Extinction Shears to stop the Void.'

'So we're winging it,' Veitch said, with what the others thought was an alarming note of relish. 'We trust our instincts once we get in there. That's what we do, right?'

'I usually prefer what we in the security business call a "plan",' Hunter said. 'But I'm willing to try your way for the novelty.'

'Death wish,' Laura muttered.

'I'm going to take Virginia, Miller and Jack to the Fortress alone-' Church began.

Mallory, Hunter and Veitch all cut him off but Ruth's voice was louder. 'You don't get to play hero on your own,' she said.

Church saw the truth in their faces. 'You don't trust me,' he said. 'You know I'm fated to turn into the Libertarian and you think I'm going to sell you all out.'

'It's not that,' Mallory said unconvincingly. 'We just don't want to take any risks. The more of us we can get in there, the better chance we'll have.'

The sting of betrayal was evident in Church's face for a brief moment before he continued, 'Then we all choose the two teams. I'm going to the Fortress, so the other team needs a leader. Mallory?'

Mallory nodded. 'I've seen Stoke. After that the Grim Lands is the only place left to visit.'

'Ryan?' Ruth suggested. 'You told me the dead worship you as some kind of hero. Sounds like you could use that to our advantage. They should know where the Market is in their own home.'

'No,' Mallory said firmly. 'I don't need to be looking over my shoulder all the time in a place like that.'

'Fair enough,' Veitch replied. 'Your loss, mate.'

'I'll go.' Caitlin flashed a brief smile at Mallory. 'We make a good team. We trust each other. And two of us should be enough. Travel light, travel fast.' Mallory began to protest, but Caitlin silenced him. 'Don't try to protect me. I've got a goddess of death inside me, you goon.'

'Okay, that's a plan,' Hunter said. 'And it only leaves one question outstanding. How do they get to the Grim Lands?'

After a long moment of silence, Veitch said, 'The same way everybody else does. They die.'