Ruler of the Realm

Nine

‘Who are you?’ Blue whispered. She wanted to say, What are you? but it sounded rude and possibly dangerous. The creature at the centre of the spiral was no longer the Spicemaster. It loomed like a feathered giant and glared at her like a savage beast.

‘I am Yidam,’ the creature replied.

She’d never heard the word before and wasn’t sure whether it was a name or a description. Madame Cardui said Spicemaster Memnon was possessed by a god when he made his predictions, but it was one of the Old Gods who walked the world before the coming of the Light. As far as Blue could make out, the Old Gods were so fierce they might as well have been demons. This one looked it.

‘Lord Yidam,’ Blue said, just to be on the safe side, ‘can you see the future?’

‘I exist beyond time,’ the Yidam said.

Blue hesitated. She didn’t want to irritate the entity, but it was important to be clear. ‘Can you see my future?’

To her astonishment, the Yidam smiled. ‘Come sit by me, Faerie Queen,’ it said.

There was no sound in the chamber except the beating of her heart. After a long moment, Blue decided on honesty before diplomacy.

‘The Spicemaster said you might kill me if I stepped into the spiral.’

‘The Spicemaster was mistaken.’

And there it was, laid out in front of her. Four flat simple words. Did she believe the Spicemaster? Or did she believe the Yidam? Could she risk approaching it?

It occurred to Blue suddenly that the only thing between the Yidam and herself was a spiral pattern marked out on the ground. It could have covered the space between them in a bound. Any safety she felt was an illusion. She swallowed her fear and walked into the spiral.

As she squatted down beside it, Blue realised the creature had utterly transformed the old Spicemaster. The thing towered above her and, close up, its eyes were consumed by inner fires. She fought not to shy away as it reached towards her with enormous, strangler’s hands.

But the hands gently placed themselves on the crown of her head. Blue felt the tingle of trapped lightning flowing down her spine and realised she’d received a blessing. ‘Thank you, Lord Yidam,’ she murmured. Any blessing was nice, but if the creature couldn’t see her future, then she was wasting her time.

The Yidam leaned forward slightly. ‘Thou art brave, Faerie Queen.’ It seemed incredible, but for a moment she thought the fierce eyes took on the barest hint of a twinkle. ‘But art thou brave enough to face what I may say?’

Blue blinked. The Yidam’s words were disturbing. They brought up something that had been niggling at the edges of her mind ever since she decided to consult the Spicemaster. Did she really want to know the future? A future that might include the details of her own death? Or, worse still, the deaths of Pyrgus and Henry? Could she live with that knowledge?

Did she even want to know the future of the Realm? What if the Yidam told her it would fall to enemies or demon hordes? What if it was destined for corruption and disintegration? How could she go on, knowing that all her efforts would be in vain?

But she was here and needed guidance. Which overrode everything.

‘Lord Yidam,’ Blue said, ‘what will happen if I start a war against the Faeries of the Night?’