Destroyer of Worlds

6

The blizzard blasted across the terrace again, limiting visibility to one little world of brutality and strife. Bodies of the rat and wolf creatures were scattered all around in shocking Rorschach blots of colour on the blank canvas, but the Iron Slaughterman remained impervious to Church, Veitch and Ruth's attacks. His skill and speed with the sword belied his enormous size, a wall of iron that deflected their attacks and forced them on the defensive. Only the limited space on the terrace prevented the Iron Slaughterman from destroying them, but they all knew it was only a matter of time.

'Find a way to get across to the next part of the bridge!' Church yelled to the others as they shielded their heads from the raining chunks of rock in the far corner of the terrace.

'Does he expect us to fly?' Tom snapped.

'At least Janus has not ventured this far,' Shavi said. Peering over the edge of the terrace, he could just make out the next section of shattered bridge through the blizzard. 'If only we had a rope,' he said.

'If we don't hurry we won't even be able to see where it is,' Miller whined.

'I might be able to help.' Her voice filled with uncertainty, Laura joined Shavi at the edge and showed him a handful of seeds she had retrieved from her pocket. 'I brought these from the court. Thought they might come in handy some time, you know, with my freakish ability to make things grow.'

Shavi smiled at her. 'That shows excellent foresight.'

'Yeah, well, I only did it so I could hear that lovely patronising tone in your voice-'

A boulder dislodged from the cliff face by the Iron Slaughterman's sword crashed so near it almost flung them over the edge. With a scream, Virginia buried her head into Miller's chest.

Laura cursed loudly. 'We've got to try this now. But here's the deal — it's too cold. I can't keep things alive here for more than a minute or two. I might be able to get something to reach across the gap, but there's no guarantee it won't wither when you're halfway across. And… especially with all this…' She glanced anxiously at the furious battle. 'I don't know if I can keep my concentration. If that goes… you go.'

Shavi took Laura's hand. 'I trust you. We all do.'

Laura's face fell, but she quickly hid it behind a mocking smile. 'God, you're such an idiot loser, Shavster.'

Placing one of the seeds in a crack in the edge of the terrace, she closed her eyes and bowed her head. The sight of the seed bursting into green life, unfolding and extending rapidly, still left her breathless with disbelief and excitement. Who was she to have these kinds of abilities? She restrained the part of her that didn't believe she deserved to be special, and concentrated so that the strand of dense, twisting vine thickened and spread across the gap.

'Go, Shavi, go!' she urged.

Without a second thought, Shavi leaped onto the vine, wrapped his legs and arms around it and shimmied across. It swung wildly with his exertions, the wind threatening to tear him off. Fighting to maintain her concentration, Laura held the vine together, but in the bitter cold the leaves were already blackening as fast as they had grown and the strand began to unravel and die. Through the wall of snow, Laura glimpsed Shavi scrambling onto the shattered edge of the next section of bridge. Grinning, he gave her the thumbs-up before the snow obscured him.

Sagging back with a gasp, Laura let the vine fall away. The strain was already telling on her, but she was determined not to let them down. Ignoring the rocks falling around her, she placed another seed in the crack and grew it quickly. 'Go on, old man — you're next,' she said. 'I just hope your arthritic joints hold out.'

'If I fall, let it be known she did it on purpose,' Tom said to Miller.

With surprising agility, he shimmied across the vine and disappeared into the blizzard. When Laura felt the vine grow less taut, she let it fall away.

'Your turn, Miller,' she said.

'I'll carry Virginia. She can wrap her arms and legs around me.'

'It'll be too much for you.'

'Laura, she'll never make it on her own.'

The girl kept glancing at the dizzying drop, her face as white as the snow. Laura's heart went out to her. 'Okay,' she said hesitantly. 'I'll try to make the vine stronger. Just… just be quick.'

But before she could use the third seed, a cry rang out. The Iron Slaughterman had struck Ruth a glancing blow, propelling her into the mountainside where she slumped, unconscious. Her injury had distracted both Church and Veitch. Laura called out as the great sword hurtled towards Veitch and while her warning came in time for him to take one brief step back, the blade still ripped across his chest, releasing a spurt of blood. Veitch staggered backwards into the snow.

'Miller, you're going to have to heal him,' Laura shouted.

The Iron Slaughterman drove Church back against the wall where Veitch lay. When the giant sword pounded into the rock near where his head had been, the resultant explosion of shards of stone laid him flat.

Despite the threat, Miller scrambled towards Church and Veitch, but the Iron Slaughterman rounded on him instantly.

'This is it,' Laura gasped.

So fast was the attack on the Iron Slaughterman that Laura barely saw it. A second or two had passed before she realised he was battling furiously with a pair of Fomorii, their oily black shapes snapping and changing, claws and spikes and horns tearing through the Iron Slaughterman's defences before they clung onto him, their snapping jaws darting. His arm fell away, and in his frenzy to throw off the Fomorii, he careered to the edge, and over, taking both beasts with him.

As Miller ran to help Veitch, Laura scrambled to the edge, but the Iron Slaughterman had already been lost in the swirling blizzard.

'I hope you were expecting me.'

Laura whirled at the familiar voice. Hunter sauntered up jauntily, Jack creeping out from the top of the stairs behind him. For once, Laura gave in to honest emotion and threw her arms around Hunter, kissing him passionately on the edge of the precipice, oblivious to the drop, the cold, the wind.

'I take it from that greeting that you weren't expecting me,' Hunter said with a grin. Behind him, a soft blue glow rose up as Miller healed Veitch, who was unconscious from the shock of his wound and the blood loss.

'You're always full of surprises,' she said.

'Here's another one: I've got my own giant. He's roaming around in the hall down there. Turns out he can control those shape-shifting things.' His grin was swaggering, but his eyes told of a deeper emotion that made her ache. 'So, did you miss me?' he asked.

'I'm sorry,' she said.

He pulled back, puzzled. 'For what?'

Laura placed her hands firmly on his chest and pushed. For only the briefest moment she had to bear the searing look of betrayal in his face before Hunter went over the edge and was lost to the snowstorm.

'Laura!' His face torn with horror, Miller raced towards her. 'What have you done?'

With a flourish, Laura flicked one of the seeds into the air. Green shoots burst from it, rippling and extending rapidly until they lashed around Miller, holding him fast. Laura grabbed the other end of the vine and yanked him towards her. Aghast, he tried to force out a question that would make sense of her devastating actions, but she elbowed him sharply in the face, and as he reeled in a daze, she propelled him over the edge after Hunter.

Jack and Virginia were rooted and though they struggled briefly, she was too strong and too determined.

Church and Ruth came round as Laura returned from the edge of the terrace. Dazed, they struggled to their feet, not yet noticing who was missing. Laura helped Veitch up, his wound already healed, thanks to Miller. Although still weak, the Pendragon Spirit would soon have him back to full strength.

'Church, it's terrible,' Laura said when she saw the questions start to surface in his face. 'That bastard with the sword…' She choked back a sob. 'He killed Hunter. And… and he took Miller, Jack and Virginia over the edge with him.' Tears streamed down her face.

The others stared in abject shock until Ruth stepped forwards to comfort Laura with a hug.

'Hunter? Shit.' Veitch looked to Church, who already understood the implications.

'Not just Hunter. We've lost the Two Keys, and our way into the Enemy Fortress,' Church said. 'It's all over.'