The Burning Man

3

In the bright, fresh hour after dawn, the Court of the Soaring Spirit took on a new mood. In the streets — no longer dark, no longer claustrophobic — people turned their faces to the sky for the first time in many days. Music rang from the open doors and windows of the Hunter’s Moon.

In the airy, sun-drenched corridors and rooms of the Palace of Glorious Light, the old was swept out. As Mallory watched over Caitlin, asleep now and recovering from her wounds, a dark mood came over the room. He had thrown open all the curtains to allow some light into the place, yet an area of darkness was growing in the centre of the room and spreading out to drive the light back. Fearing another attack from Niamh, Mallory drew his sword, but even its flames were dimmed.

In the heart of the darkness, Mallory glimpsed piercing eyes. A potent sense of threat pervaded everything, yet it was also sexually charged. Mallory had felt it before in the Watchtower. ‘The Morrigan,’ he said.

The darkness swept towards Caitlin and disappeared inside her like smoke being sucked into a fan. Caitlin’s eyes snapped open, and in them Mallory could see no sign of the woman he knew, nor did she even appear conscious. She floated an inch or two above the surface of the bed.

‘She’s back with us now.’ The fearful voice came from Caitlin’s lips, but Mallory recognised the tone of Briony’s persona.

‘Leave her,’ Mallory said.

‘The Dark Sister has a bond with this one. They know each other, and benefit from each other’s strengths.’

‘What does the Morrigan want with Caitlin?’

‘Revenge. For the indignities heaped upon her in the Watchtower by the queen of this court. She will ride this Sister until the debt has been paid, in blood. And it will be paid in full soon.’

Caitlin floated back to the bed, sleeping peacefully once more. No response came to Mallory’s further questions, and there was no sign that the Morrigan waited inside his friend.

Troubled, he returned to the charred royal reception hall. Open windows along one wall now flooded the room with sunlight. He felt a strange connection to the place as he looked out over the shimmering rooftops, yet also inexplicably sad.

Decebalus boomed a greeting. He was covered in cuts and a jagged, badly stitched wound now ran diagonally across his face, but he was in high spirits.

‘You have a visitor,’ he said.

The barbarian gestured towards the door behind him and Hunter entered, looking around curiously. ‘I like what you’ve done with the place.’

‘I thought you’d walked out on us.’

‘I’m nothing if not capricious.’

‘The Brothers and Sisters of Dragons are resting after the battle,’ Decebalus said, ‘but to a man and a woman they are ready to take the war to the Enemy.’

‘We’d just be sending them to their deaths. I was tasked with finding the Extinction Shears — that’s the only thing that’ll stop the Void,’ Mallory said. ‘And we’re no closer to achieving that.’

Flopping into a chair, Hunter draped his legs over one arm. ‘Don’t worry. You’ve got me now.’

‘Is that supposed to encourage me?’

‘You haven’t heard my plan yet.’

‘All right. First we need to get you a sword.’

Hunter grinned. ‘Oh, I’ve already got a weapon.’

‘Then it’s the three of us — you, me and Caitlin.’ Mallory was suddenly overcome with a devastating pang of loneliness. He turned back to the bright, new day, searching for an answer he would never find.