Fairest of All

by C J Preece

  She racked the shotgun and aimed it again. “Either you come and get me, or I come kill you.”

  They split, hugging the wall, forcing her to choose which one to target. She followed the one heading into her blind side, dropping back a little further to give the other one further to run. She kept her eye fixed on the one to her left, as though she had no idea of the other. If they were any smarter they would have suspected a trap. But she heard the other one break into a run, his claws scraping on the road.

  From above there was a single crack and the run turned into a sideways stagger, then a crash as he fell into a dumpster. Red fired almost at the same time, the slug tearing into the younger one’s shoulder and sending him reeling backwards against the wall. She pressed her advantage, charging him as she worked the action, Getting within a few feet before she fired another shell, hitting him right in the stomach. He whined and dropped to the ground, paws over his ruined midsection. She finished him quickly before turning back to find herself face to face with the first one she had shot, his jaw hanging loose, half missing, with blood spurting down onto his chest.

  She ducked his first blow, but the second was already scything up from below, catching on her armour and threatening to tear through. She let the force of the blow carry her up and off her feet, then back and away from him. As she flew through the air she threw the shotgun right at his face, watching him recoil as the butt hit his open wound. Still in the air her hands went to her revolvers, and by the time she had crashed to the floor they were free of their holsters and coming to bear on the wolf. There was another crack from above and she had to hope that Cheveyo was keeping the third one busy as she opened fire, sending a hail of bullets into the wolf’s face.

  He stayed standing, but he was reeling now, and she was able to get to her feet and close the distance, drawing her knife and ramming it home under his ribs, twisting the blade until he let out a keening howl. She stepped back and thrust the muzzle of her revolver right up against his chin, pulling the trigger and feeling the warm spray of blood on her arm and face.

  Before she could collect herself something hit her hard in the side, sending her crashing through the glass storefront of the cobbler’s. She slammed hard against the wooden counter and rolled off gasping, guns slipping from her hands. There was a crackle of glass behind her and she whirled round to see the final wolf, blood dripping from his side and a murderous gleam in his eye. She kicked backward, going under the counter just as he leapt for her. He clocked his head against the wood, but he managed to get a grip on her boot, digging his claws in until they pierced the leather and dug into her ankle. She gritted her teeth against the yelp in her throat and drew another knife, forcing herself forwards and driving it down into his wrist.

  He hung on tightly as she worked it back and forth, but with a final twist she almost severed his hand and he let go. She yanked herself up, and stabbed down where his head was still against the counter, driving the blade in through his ear. He snapped upright, throwing her back into a glass cabinet that cracked from the blow. She fell to the floor, her ankle giving way beneath her. She rolled frantically to get out of the way of the wolf’s next attack, but it never came. Cautiously, she pulled herself up to look over the counter-top.

  The wolf was in the middle of the room, moving unnaturally, twitching his head to one side as his limbs jerked at his sides. Blood was pouring from beneath the handle of her knife and she realised that in trying to pull it out he had succeeded only in doing more damage to himself. As she watched he tottered around, then staggered back out through the window, tripping on the edge and sprawling on the floor outside. She drew her long knife and limped out as well, finding him crawling away. She walked quickly over to him and brought the knife down on his neck, hard enough to half sever his head. He mewled pathetically and she struck again, taking his head from his shoulders, where it rolled to a stop a short distance away.

  Just as the final wolf fell Cheveyo was shouting at her from above. “Red! We must move! Things have gotten worse in the theatre district.”

  She allowed herself a single second of panic. It seemed wherever they pushed back, the enemy broke through somewhere else. Even the Ogre Wars had been easier than this. There were too few of them, and something in Cheveyo’s voice made her think they were even fewer. She opened her eye, back to herself again, and bent down to collect the head of the wolf she had decapitated. Searching for a suitable mount, she fixed it to a light pole with some rope. The three bodies, plus the head, ought to give any who came this way a reason to pause.

  He scaled down to ground level, slinging his rifle over his shoulder while she collected her knives and shotgun, and then the two of them raced away down Main Street.

  *

  The Theatre District was in flames. Every one of the elegant old facades was burning, the regal lettering and gold inlaid symbols that marked family companies peeling away and melting to reveal blackened wood. Once glorious and colourful, the cheery contrast to the decadence of the Red Light District, it now looked the same as any other part of the city, war-torn and bombed out. Cheveyo led the way through the streets now, his rifle out. Red followed with her shotgun, double-checking the alleys and corners they passed.

  They were two streets in when Robin Red appeared, alighting on a wrecked car and chirping to grab their attention. “Follow me,” he said. “Follow.”

  They hurried after him, running to keep up as he flitted in and out, leading them right into the very heart of the district.

  Just in front of the Monarch Theatre they found the other Pure, and the enemies assailing them. There were wooden palisades up in front of the theatre, and from the top of the barricade they could see three figures, shooting down into the horde that surrounded them. There was every kind of evil there, Corrupted and ogres and goblins and trolls all trying to break through the line. Red watched as one of the goblins leapt from a pile of his own brothers’ bodies and made a wild grab for Rapunzel. She shot him out of the air, but in doing so exposed her flank to a troll who seized a handful of her hair and threatened to drag her into the melee.

  “Come on,” Cheveyo said, his face grim as he marched forwards, sighting on the biggest of the trolls.

  They waded in, relying on the general disarray of their foe to shield them until they had reached the theatre. The monsters were so focused on the front they didn’t even notice when the back line started to fall apart. Cheveyo’s rifle cracked rhythmically as he brought down enemy after enemy. Red preferred to club them to the ground with the butt of her shotgun, then deliver the finishing blow or shot. They were right in the thick of the enemy before anyone noticed them.

  A dozen enemies turned to them, and Red switched to her revolvers, shooting across the front of them. Cheveyo was more precise, and every one of his shots put one down. By now the defenders in the theatre had noticed them, and were working to clear the path from the front. Taking the opportunity, they ran through the gap and made it to the barricade where Philip was holding aside one of the wooden beams. They leapt through just as the enemy lines reformed. At once the two of them turned back and added their fire.

  “How’s the position?” Cheveyo asked in between gunshots.

  “Bad,” Rapunzel answered. “John’s down, and we can’t get out as long as they’re keeping this assault up.”

  “It hardly feels like they’re trying,” Red said. They were definitely having to keep up the heat to keep them back, but if the ogres and trolls wanted to they could probably have smashed the barricade to pieces.

  “We think they’re waiting for something,” Philip said. “We just can’t figure out what.”

  On the other side of Philip, Luke was reloading an old style hunting rifle. “I reckon they’ve got something big they want to try out on us,” he said. “They just need time to get it into place.”

  “That makes sense,” Cheveyo said. “Red, if we hold the line can you check on John?”

  She jumped dow
n from the barricade at once and hurried into the back rooms, spotting him at once. He lay in state on one of the grand leather couches, his chest torn open and blood pouring out into bandages. More dressings were spread around. He looked almost dead already, and she knew that even if they had a doctor there wouldn’t have been much chance.

  “I’m not dead yet,” he said with a faint grin. “Just knocking on the door.”

  “Well quit it,” she said, kneeling next to him. “We need to get out of here. They think something worse is coming.”

  “Oh it definitely is.” He sat and coughed hard, blood bubbling out onto his chin. “There’s still that dragon to come remember?”

  She cursed and bit her finger, trying to think. “Those fires outside.”

  “Dragon fire, I’m sure of it. The dragon lures us into this place by burning the place down, then we get trapped and it comes to finish off the job. The Witch must be directing the battle, she knew we’d commit a few people to save this place.”

  “And we fell right into it.”

  “There’s still a way to get out, but you’ll have to leave me behind.”

  Red suddenly understood why Cheveyo had sent her. One of the others would have protested at sacrificing a friend, but she knew the necessity of it. And that blunt acceptance was exactly what John needed as well, to strengthen his resolve. “What do you want us to do?”

  “Abandon the barricade, escape through here. The stage has a hidden compartment underneath, for when actors needed to make dramatic entrances and exits.”

  “I remember.” She had once seen a play in the theatre featuring the Witch, who had ‘died’ by sinking through the floor.

  “It leads out to the back stage, which has an actor’s entrance. You can get right out into the back streets and make your way back to Main Street.”

  “And what about you?”

  “Tell them I’m already dead. Put a shroud over my face. I can play dead when you come past, but hang on long enough to set this off when the gobs run past.” He moved his hand to reveal a small metal tube.

  “That’s a hellfire tube,” she said. “You’ll bring the whole place down.”

  “Which is why you’ll have to move fast. Once they realise you’re not just falling back, but retreating, they’re going to come through here like bats out of hell. I may even have to set it off while you’re still inside.”

  There was a screech from outside she recognised. “That’s your cue,” he said. “Lights up, actors to their positions.”

  “You have a sense of humour,” she said as she stood and found a clean handkerchief. “I never realised.”

  “You spend enough time living as a statue, you learn to look at the funny side.” As she bent down to cover his face he took her wrist briefly. “Tell Bartholomew I was thinking of him as I died.”

  “You want me to?” She had never been asked to deliver that message before, by anyone. She had found herself needing to do it, but never by choice.

  “I want him to hear it from a warrior, someone who understands why.”

  She nodded, and covered his face, not needing anymore words. She did understand, no matter how little she liked it.

  She ran back to find the street on fire and the defenders trying in vain to put out the blaze. “There’s no point,” she shouted. “We have to go.”

  Rapunzel jumped down from her position. “John?”

  Red shook her head. “Dead. His wounds were too much. But he figured out an escape plan.”

  “What?” Cheveyo jumped down as well. The barricade was well and truly on fire now, which at the very least was keeping the enemy out. But when it collapsed they would be swarmed.

  “No time to explain, follow me.”

  They ran back through the theatre, passing John, who was completely still. Red hoped he wasn’t already dead, and would be able to pull off his insane plan, because there was a crash behind them and a triumphant cry from the street outside. The sound of a hundred bodies galloping into the entrance hall reached them and they put on a burst of speed to make it down to the stage, Red finding the trapdoor and ripping it open. They jumped in, Red slamming it shut just as the first of the Corrupted appeared.

  “Where?” He hissed in the wispy, gone-away voice they all shared.

  “Spread out.” That was an ogre, it had to be. The Pure were already moving through the tunnel, hunched and almost on all fours, but making as much speed as they could.

  They were just out into the dressing rooms when a goblin yelped, then started shouting. “Found it! Found it! Escape!”

  They sprinted for the exit door, which thankfully was still clearly labelled. There was a dull thump from the front of the theatre, then screams and a dreadful groaning of wood beams.

  “What was that?” Philip yelled as they crashed through the door and out into the street. They kept running as behind them the Monarch began to crumple inwards, the faux buttresses cracking in two, then smashing through the walls as the steel inside them was warped by the heat of the fire. Above, the dragon wheeled away, illuminated by the fires. Gouts of flame poured from the windows as the rest of the theatre crashed down and they burst onto the street, racing away as fast as they could as the buildings to either side caught as well.

  They were lit up as they escaped, but the dragon seemed to be more entranced by the destruction of the Theatre, and they made it to the safety of an alley before anything spotted them, leaning up against the wall and brushing futilely at the soot that covered them.

  “That was no ogre,” Luke said. “That explosion had to be set off by someone, or something.”

  “John,” Red said, leaning her head back against the wall.

  “He was alive?” Rapunzel came at her, punching her hard in the side of the head. Red let her have the shot, but when she drew back for another Cheveyo grabbed her elbow.

  “That’s enough. He knew what he was doing.”

  “He told me to get you out,” Red explained. “He was dying and he knew it. Better for us to get out than all die when the dragon decided to burn it down instead. At least this way we took out about a hundred more of them as well.”

  “She’s got the right of it.” Luke nodded to her, and she saw that same soldier’s understanding in his eyes. “Now we need to get back.”

  “There are other places in need of our help,” Che said to Rapunzel when she continued to look furious. “Mourn the dead, but don’t forget those still living who need us more.”

  It was a silent and sombre group that returned to the headquarters.

  *

  The situation was no better when they returned. The hole in the wall had been widened by something, and now almost the entire wall was exposed to the city. At the very least it gave Belle a good vantage point, and when they entered she was surveying the city through an ornate telescope.

  “No time for rest,” she said when they came through. “We have a real problem.”

  “What?” Red collapsed into a chair as she reloaded, barely noticing when Goldilocks slipped next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

  “I’m not sure, but it’s something big and it’s heading this way. Right now it’s at Perrault Square, and it just brought down Gepetto’s.”

  “What’s even left that could do that sort of damage?”

  “I’m not sure.” She swept back to her map. “Cheveyo, Red, Goldie, Rapunzel, Adam. You need to go and check it out. Whatever it is, stop it. Philip, I need you in the Industrial District. Zhurong’s holding it alone. Luke, Simão could use a hand with the defence of this place, then both of you are to relive Toma at the southern bridge. He’s been out there too long and I need his report.”

  They all nodded and left to carry out their assignments.

  *

  The second they arrived at Gepetto’s it was obvious what had done the damage. The entire street was in ruins, and ahead was a human figure three stories high, dragging a wooden club that seeme
d to be an entire tree trunk.

  “Right,” said Rapunzel. “Giant. What now?”

  “Don’t die?” Goldie said.

  “I sort of meant how do we bring it down?”

  “Sorry, still working my way through terror, I’m not gonna be much help.”

  “Both of you shut up,” Cheveyo said, but there was no sting in it. “We need a plan.”

  “Red?”

  “Why me?”

  “Four horsemen,” Rapunzel said, gesturing to the three of them. “You’re the leader.”

  “Hey, Adam’s the general.”

  Adam was still watching it amble slowly down the street. “We need to bring it down before we can hope to do any damage that matters. The only other option is climbing up to its level, but then it’ll just bring down the building we’re on.”

  “Sounds like a plan. How do we bring it down?”

  “Get ahead of it, then use whatever you can, cars, explosions, anything.”

  “Just my sort of plan,” said Rapunzel. “Not really a plan at all.

  “You’re supposed to be the great improvisers,” he said as they started to move forwards. “Impress me.”

  Unfortunately, they were still behind it when it suddenly turned, sweeping its hammer through the second story of a warehouse. In doing so it noticed them on the ground behind it, and its face broke into a lumpy smile as it realised what they were.

  “Oh perfect,” Rapunzel muttered as it raised its gigantic club.

  Chapter Twenty-Five: End in Sight

  “Get down!”

  The Pure scattered as a tree trunk crashed down into the middle of them. Che recovered first, rolling onto his back and firing up at the giant that towered above them. Philip was next, chucking a grenade that barely scratched the giant’s skin.

  Adam staggered to his feet, holding out a hand to help Red to her feet as well. “This guy won’t go down easy,” he told her.

  “Can anyone remember how to actually kill these things?”

  “Jack was the only one who ever managed it.”