Hot tears burned paths down Mallory's cheeks. Here it was, then.
Over to his right there was a sound like thunder and the stone door with the carved surround stood there incongruously in the snow with no walls to support it. Lightning danced around its edges; the thunder rolled out from it repeatedly.
One more door to pass through.
It was dark and he had a gun. He hated guns, but really, he had no choice. The barrel bit into his temple. How do you do these things? he thought. No one ever tells you, so you go with the movie version. What's to stop you ending up like one of those freaks they used to feature in the Sunday Sport, with half their face missing, not able to talk, but with their brain as active as ever. Wouldn't that be hell? But what did he care about hell? It didn't exist. No hell, no heaven, nowhere better and you couldn't get much worse, no chance to put things right, no going back, and now no going forwards.
But Sylvie would get the money and Jemas would get everything he needed to do Stevens. That was the best he could do, and it didn't come anywhere near to wiping out the debt of what he had done. But it was the best he could do, and he had no choice. He pulled the trigger.
The burst of fire was like the breath of a Fabulous Beast in the dark, filled with purifying flame. It imprinted on his mind and there it was, high over the city, high over London, destroying the Tower of London, destroying all the corruption and the filth and everything that was bad about this life. And you know, he thought, it looks like a better world.
'Take my hand.'
The Caretaker gripped Mallory's wrists tightly; all around was darkness. 'You have a choice,' he intoned gravely.
Mallory didn't have to think. 'I want Sophie… I want a chance to put things right… to be who I could be. I want a better world.' The Caretaker nodded slowly. 'Very well.'
He breathed a lung-full of cold air as if it was the first breath he had ever taken. Every sense was heightened: the snow so bright it was almost blinding, the dazzling colours in the dawn sky, the smell of woodsmoke on the wind; and the crunch of snow behind him, like explosions drawing nearer. He whirled, sword singing as it leaped from the sheath; the blue glow from the blade gave him comfort, helped to focus his mind.
The Hipgrave-thing swept across the lawns from the cathedral like fury, like rage and hate and bitterness. Mallory saw eyes and teeth and wings and claws. He swung the sword with the full force of his strength, felt the vibrations slam into his shoulders as the weapon smashed into the monstrous force. The blade bit deep but didn't slow the thing's progress.
It powered into Mallory, sent him flying head over heels. He skidded in the snow, rolled and came up on his feet, winded and dazed but still ready.
This time he side-stepped and struck at the same time. A chunk of something flew through the air and landed in the snow, sizzling.
Teeth-rattling sounds were coming off the Hipgrave-thing, screeches that flew off the register and deep bass rumbles, each one triggering a specific emotion — fear and horror and despair. Mallory fought them down, hacked again.
With each strike, the thing became even more furious, its reactions faster, its strength greater; it was obvious to Mallory that he couldn't beat it, couldn't even hold it back for much longer.
On the next sweep, it was impossible to get out of the way. He felt a rib snap; pain flared up one side. He flew backwards, crashed to the ground, lost consciousness.
When he awoke, the Hipgrave-thing was rising above him like a tidal wave of oil. A bone-numbing cold radiated out over him.
Mallory turned his head and yelled to Sophie, who was watching, horrified. 'Call him!'
She realised instantly what he meant, though the panic that crossed her face showed that she knew it was already too late. She bowed her head, began to mutter.
Mallory fumbled for the sword and held it ready to ram into the thing when it came down, hoping he could do at least some damage, to save Sophie with his dying stroke.
The crash of the gates falling signified that Sophie didn't have to call out; the powers had been watching. The Hipgrave-thing was wavering, distracted, as if it sensed something Mallory couldn't. Through the broken gates came a tremendous flood of bodies: the pale-skinned, black-eyed army of little people, moving hastily as if fearful of the coming light, and like a stallion amongst them was Old Shuck with its gleaming red eyes.
The Hipgrave-thing pulled away from Mallory, who was now the lesser threat. Its attention was fixed on Old Shuck, which had broken away from the swarming little people and was moving ominously towards Mallory.
Everything was like a dream, hazy, fractured, sometimes moving too fast, sometimes in slow motion. The little people appeared to be scattering something across the cathedral compound. Soon after, there was a rumbling in the ground as of some great beast stirring. Green shoots burst through the snow, sprouted, prospered, became creeping strands of ivy, saplings, bushes, flowers. The ivy soared up the walls of the cathedral, beginning to smother the lower storeys of the other buildings.
The Hipgrave-thing was hypnotised by the activity. Mallory saw his moment. Despite the pain flooding his side, he pulled himself to his feet and moved behind the creature. With the last of his energy, he heaved the sword over his head and thrust it so hard into the thing's back it burst out through its chest.
It trembled for a moment, the sensations taking their time to reach whatever passed for a mind within it. Then it crashed to the ground like a falling tree. It was clear that even then Mallory had not delivered a killing stroke, for it writhed and thrashed, screeching insanely.
Mallory scrambled backwards, found Sophie, her arms going around him easily. He dropped down into her lap, watching what would happen next, too weak to play any part.
Old Shuck advanced until it was close to the Hipgrave-thing. It bent forwards, peering with those flaming eyes as though it could see into the creature's head. Mallory had a sense that on some level communication was taking place. Whatever had happened, the Hipgrave-thing slowed its wild movements as though sedated.
The little people swarmed around, lashing ropes with the thickness and strength of wire across the beast. Within minutes, it was completely caught. The strain of the ropes was taken by a hundred small hands, and with great effort, the Hipgrave-thing was hauled gradually towards the gates, Old Shuck keeping pace, never taking its red eyes away. Left behind in the snow was a desiccated husk that had once been Hipgrave; and it was missing one hand.
When the cathedral compound was finally deserted, Mallory and Sophie felt as if they had awoken from a strange dream. She looked into his face, her smile wiping away the strain and worry. 'You did it,' she said, brushing the hair from his forehead. 'Not bad for a man with a penis substitute.'
He tried to lever himself up, but the flaring pain in his side sent him crashing back down. 'Broken rib,' he said weakly.
'Don't worry — we can sort that out. A few herbs, something really foul and disgusting to drink… back on your feet in no time.'
He rolled his head to see Miller, who lay like death next to them. 'How is he?' he asked. The guilt rose in him again; he knew he would never be able to forgive himself for this.
Sophie felt the pulse in Miller's neck. 'Nearly gone, I think,' she said sadly. 'I liked him. He was decent.'
They were disturbed by a strange, melodic fluting. It drifted through the thick vegetation that now covered the compound, haunting and oddly unearthly. They eventually located the source: sitting amongst a copse of young trees, almost lost against the pattern of leaves and branches, was the Green Man, trilling gently on a set of pan-pipes.
Mallory and Sophie listened to his music for five minutes, strangely comforted, but then he stopped and said, 'You have redeemed your people.'
'They're not my people,' Mallory said.
'No. But you have redeemed them.' The Green Man rose and walked towards them, shoots wriggling through the snow wherever his feet fell. 'This was my place, long before the Church came,' he said. 7 can share it
, for its power should be available to all.' The implication in his words was clear.
'You've won,' Mallory said.
'There is no victory here, only grief, and pain, and destruction.' His voice sounded like the wind through the trees, and despite the cold of the morning, Mallory and Sophie felt as though they were basking in the warmth of a summer's day. 'Now is the time for new shoots,' he continued, 'for hope and growth, for all living things to thrive as they are infused with the mysteries of Existence.'
'The creature… the creature that was Hipgrave…'Mallory couldn't find the voice to continue; the pain had put him on the edge of blacking out.
'There are things beyond this place that occasionally pay an interest in your world. It is best not to discuss them.' He stared towards the dawn, his eyes reflecting the morning light. 'But something has stirred beyond the lip of the universe and it has noticed you… something so terrible that even the Golden Ones fear it.' He looked to Mallory and Sophie sombrely. 'And it is coming this way.'
Sophie shivered. 'That thing-'
'It is an outrider, a scout, the merest thing compared to what it serves… lying here since this place was newly formed. In recent times, it was awakened.' A robin alighted on his shoulder; he watched it askance with a touching warmth. 'It was mindless, easily manipulated. It could not be allowed to abide, and so-'
'You used it,' Sophie said, 'controlled it. And now-'
'Now it will be destroyed. But that is not the end of it.' He waved his hand as if to wipe away all talk of dark things. 'The darkest time of year has passed. Now we look to the light.' He stooped down and plucked the box from where Mallory had dropped it. He smiled as the blue light flooded out and the tiny Fabulous Beast wriggled into the palm of his hand. 'Is it not wonderful?' he said. 'Is this not something that should be raised up to bring warmth into all hearts?'
'It's dying,' Mallory managed.
The Green Man squatted down next to them. 'It is beyond that. It is life. It is a part of Existence itself.' He looked from Mallory to Sophie and in his vegetative face they saw something powerful and moving. 'Hope, Brother and Sister of Dragons. Hope and life.'
He pressed his face close to the Fabulous Beast, then leaned over and threw the blankets off Miller before carefully laying the creature on the still form's belly. Mallory and Sophie watched in puzzlement. The brilliant blue glow began to pulse, gradually at first but then with increasing speed, growing brighter all the time until they had to shield their eyes. When it reached a peak, the tiny black shape at the heart of the glare appeared to be melting. A few seconds later, Mallory realised that this was not the case: it looked as if it was sinking into Miller's belly. When the last of the dark smudge disappeared, the light winked out and all was as it had been. There was no sign of the Fabulous Beast.
The Green Man had retreated to the nearest copse, and when he spoke his voice was rich and florid; he was smiling warmly. 'We shall meet again when there are five of you. And then, once again, the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons shall stand shoulder to shoulder with the Golden Ones in the name of Existence.' And then he was gone, swallowed up by the vegetation as if he had simply allowed his essence to dissipate amongst it.
Mallory and Sophie were transfixed until the sound of rustling disturbed them. Miller was sitting up, puzzling as to why he had been lying in the snow. His cheeks were full, his skin pink with the flush of contentment.
He looked from one to the other, then said, even more puzzled, 'Why are you crying?'
Epilogue
Beautiful Day
'If you see things as they are here and now, you have seen everything that has happened from all eternity. All things are interrelated Oneness.'
— Marcus Aurelius
The Christmas bells rang out across Salisbury, lying sedate and gleaming beneath a thick covering of snow. The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun shone brightly. In the cathedral, the brothers gathered to give praise to their saviour. Many were too weak to stand, but after Mallory had arranged for rations to be brought in from the city, they had at least pulled back from the brink.
Compared with the massed ranks that had greeted Mallory and Miller on their arrival, the congregation was small. Some had died; many had simply wandered away, their faith broken. But the biggest departure had been the followers of Stefan, who had gone off to maintain their strict creed elsewhere, away from the corruption of sinners.
The mysterious buildings that had sprawled out from the cathedral were gone; indeed, no one seemed to remember that they had been there, apart from Mallory and Sophie. But there was much marvelling at the mass of vegetation and mature trees that now grew all around the grand old building.
Miller had little remembrance of his suffering during the last few days. He was flushed with a new sense of vitality that manifested as unbounded joy, bringing a smile to everyone who met him. He confessed his crime to anyone who would listen, and professed his desire for salvation; he was forgiven by all.
But the biggest change was only noticed later, just before noon. A ripple of excitement ran out from one of the old wooden shacks where the brothers lived. Mallory was drawn, wheezing in pain from his heavily bandaged ribs, to find Miller slumped in a chair and several brothers gabbling excitedly over a scrawny man who lay weakly on one of the rough beds.
'What's up?' Mallory asked, wondering what stupidity Miller had offended them with now.
'He cured him!' one of the brothers proclaimed, hands raised to the air.
'Get a grip,' Mallory snapped.
'No, really.' The brother motioned to the man in the bed. 'He was one of the last to come here before the gates were sealed. In the last few days, he developed some kind of plague. He was sealed up in here…' He lowered his eyes in shame before the excitement gripped him again. 'Miller came in to care for him this morning and-'
'I cured him.' Miller sounded tremendously weak, but he was grinning like an idiot. 'He was covered with the marks of the plague. But when I touched him, this blue light came out of my hands in a flash. It blinded me, I tell you. But when my eyes cleared, he was…'He nodded to the man on the bed, who looked remarkably healthy, if exhausted. 'Though I couldn't do it again in a hurry, I reckon. I'm knackered.'
'Stop grinning, you'll hurt your jaw, you stupid idiot,' Mallory said before marching out. Alone in the beautiful morning, he thought he might cry again.
In the afternoon, he sought out Daniels who had taken a shack near to the cathedral. Gardener was there, sitting quietly next to the bed in which Daniels slept peacefully. The Geordie looked up, but his face gave nothing away.
'What do you miss about the old days, Mallory?' he asked by way of greeting.
'I miss never being able to hear The Wannadies again. And all the other oldies.'
Gardener mused. 'I used to like The Animals, meself. Local lads, you know.' He glanced at Daniels and seemed happy that his breathing was regular. 'It seemed simpler back then. I mean, the bloody world was a mess, right? But it was simpler. When you did something, you pretty much knew what the repercussions would be. And they were never that bad… know what I'm saying? Never life or death.'
'Yeah, these are bastard times, Gardener.' Mallory noticed that the Geordie's hands were shaking continually. 'How's he doing?'
'Aye, he's a strong lad… for a queer, y'know.' He bit his lip. 'I'll be keeping an eye on him… making sure he pulls through.' 'He's got a tough life ahead of him. One eye. No…' He nodded in the direction of Daniels' groin.
'I'll be keeping an eye on him.'
There were a million things Mallory could have said — accusations, castigation, blame — but he could see that Gardener had been through them all himself. He settled on, 'You staying here?'
'I think he'll be sticking around. The reasons why he came here haven't changed. He'll be needing some company, I suppose. Some of the blokes around here, they're right miserable bastards. They won't understand him.' A juddering sigh made him catch his breath. 'How about you?'
'Moving on. Pretty much outstayed my welcome, I think.'
'You'll be missed, Mallory.'
'Yeah, but not by you, you Geordie bastard.' He made to go, but had the urge to speak the truth, for once. 'There's hope for you yet, Gardener.'
The gratitude in Gardener's face was so intense it was almost childlike. 'We all want saving, Mallory,' he said. 'All of us.'
At four p.m., Mallory was saddling up the horses he had bought in town with an excessive chunk of the cathedral gold. He'd also acquired some food, a tent, cooking utensils, a blanket, and couldn't think of anything else he needed in the world — apart from Sophie. As he finished up, James wandered into the stables looking ten years older than the last time Mallory had seen him.
'Are you sure you won't stay?' James said, after they'd got the usual perfunctory conversation out of the way. 'There's even more of a need for the Knights Templar now.' He smiled. 'More importantly, there's a need for good men like you.'
'You're such a bullshitter, James. God knows how you got wrapped up in all this religion shit.'
James laughed heartily.
'See, you're not even offended. They'll be drumming you out of the Christian Army.'
'Well?'
Mallory checked the straps of the pack on the horse so that James couldn't see any truth in his eyes. 'No. Despite all your flattery — and believe me, I love to have my ego massaged — I've got places to be.'
'Oh?'
'Yeah, Sophie — the bane of my life, apparently — she's leaving that Celtic Nation bollocks to the rest of her shiftless, lazy clan. She's decided we ought to be searching for the other three Brothers and Sisters of Dragons so all us losers can get together for a party. Or something. She thinks it's important. And if it keeps me off my knees, praying, I'm all for it.'
'You'll make a good Brother of Dragons, Mallory.'
'Shut up, you old fool.' He stifled a laugh. 'You're a sucker for punishment if you're thinking of maldng a go of it here.'
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