Jack of Ravens

15

In the twilight, the mist rolled up the streets from the bay. For once the Haight was unnaturally still. Inside, the atmosphere was tense. The ambience had been designed for introspection with candles, incense and soft, ethnic music in the background. Gabe and Marcy had agreed to retreat to Niamh’s room; they appeared to have been arguing. Grace had pushed the furniture back in the lounge so she could mark out in salt her sacred space. Tom, Niamh and Church sat at three of the cardinal points and in the centre of the circle was the lamp.

‘So, like, do we get a genie if we rub it?’ Grace said.

‘Something like that.’ Church had yearned for the missing Pendragon Spirit to be a part of him for so long, but now it was about to happen he was apprehensive. Once he was whole again he would be out of excuses. ‘You know that once it’s inside me again I’ll light up like a flare in the Enemy’s perception.’

‘You can still turn away from this,’ Niamh said.

Tom had been watching Church all afternoon as if he expected that very thing. ‘Sooner or later you’re going to have to take a stand. Might as well be sooner.’

‘That’s easy for you to say.’

Grace completed her ablutions and began the ritual. For ten minutes she chanted and whispered, and just when Church thought nothing was going to happen, the atmosphere in the room altered perceptibly: the shadows lengthened and the temperature dropped several degrees. Their breath clouded as webs of frost formed on the inside of the window.

Grace sat silently for a moment, and then blue sparks began to crackle around the lamp, building in intensity. They became tiny jagged lines of lightning until suddenly a column of Blue Fire roared up from the lamp’s spout. In the flames, Church saw a familiar face.

‘You made it, Church,’ Hal said. ‘I could have told you everything you needed to know to get to this place, but you did it yourself. And on the way you learned a lot about who you are that will help you in the trials ahead.’

‘Haven’t you been bored sleeping in that lamp all this time?’

The flames shimmered as Hal laughed silently. ‘You’re still seeing things from your perspective. To me, all time is happening at the same moment, remember? While I’m talking to you now, I’m also talking to you in Rome and in the space you entered through the circle at Boskawen-Un.’

‘That must be confusing.’

‘To a human. I’m not one of those any more, which is kind of a relief.’

‘If all times are happening now from your perspective, you know exactly what’s going to happen to us in the future. So what’s the point?’

‘It’s not like that. Reality isn’t fixed. It’s just a house that’s been built for us to live in. Knock out a few walls here and there and the whole configuration changes, past, present and future. Don’t go thinking of it as cause and effect — that’s all pre-quantum stuff.’

Church looked around the circle. Tom, Niamh and Grace were entranced by the column of fire, their expressions beatific.

‘The Army of the Ten Billion Spiders have already changed what did happen considerably,’ Hal continued. ‘You can change it, too. People who will die in the current version of events don’t have to. In the time when I made my sacrifice, nearly all the Tuatha De Danann had been eradicated. That doesn’t have to happen. Remember, people who sacrifice themselves don’t have to die.’ The comment was pointed, though Church didn’t know at whom it was aimed. ‘The thing is, Church, it’s all down to you. If you don’t stumble, if you stay true to yourself, you have the power to change everything. And I mean everything.’

‘No pressure, then.’ Church steeled himself and asked the question he had dreaded voicing: ‘You’re telling me I can save Ruth?’

‘Ruth’s not dead, but she’s in a very bad place.’

‘I saw-’

‘You can never be certain about what you see. Everything depends on perspective, and whatever information you have to hand. In the moment that you’re talking about she’s alive, Church, but she’s hanging by a thread.’

The euphoria that rushed through Church was so powerful he almost bounded from the circle and shouted aloud.

‘Keep it together, Church. This is a crucial time. The closer you get to home the more powerful the Enemy becomes. They still recognise you and what you represent as a threat to them, but they won’t take the path of least resistance any more. See you, Church — in time.’

The Blue Fire lashed across the room at Church. There was no heat, just an overwhelming feeling of wellbeing. When the rush had passed and the flames disappeared beneath his skin, Church felt stronger and more focused than he had done in a long time.

‘Wow.’ Grace sprawled on her back, beaming. ‘That was a trip.’