Destroyer of Worlds

by Mark Chadbourn

  Church glanced back at Ruth and knew the Libertarian had won. Ignoring the futility, he turned and raced towards his future-self with sword held high. The blast from Ruth came just as he had anticipated, hurling him up into the air. Blood splattered all around from a score of wounds.

  Next to him, Caledfwlch lay shattered, the Blue Fire extinguished. The outlines of the sword blurred and changed continually, not a sword at all.

  Church tried to pull himself to his feet, spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the stone. His body felt drained of energy.

  In the distance, a pack of dogs howled, their voices joining to become one gut-wrenching, mournful cry for what was about to be lost. The Libertarian cupped his ear. ‘The Hounds of Avalon,’ he said. ‘Every time the world ends, they get to sing it out in style, and the Void has ended it many times, pressing the reset button and starting again. But this is the last. The ultimate. The end. So let them howl their hearts out one final time.’

  The Libertarian caught Church by the lapels and pulled him up. ‘Three minutes to go, Brother of Dragons. Three minutes until the final, absolute victory of the Devourer of All Things. The end of all hope for Existence. That is what you have thrown away with your stupid love.

  ‘You never realised how important you were to everything or you wouldn’t have made so many stupid mistakes. You were always the key to Existence succeeding, both as a man, in the things you did, and as a symbol of everything that Existence is.

  ‘But when I throw you into that abyss, you will be wiped from Existence. No one will remember you. You will not have existed, you will never have existed, and reality will reshape itself around the vacuum you leave behind, with me. Without you, without the very symbol of Existence, nothing can ever change again. Existence is destroyed. The Void wins for ever.’

  ‘No,’ Church croaked, ‘I’m not that important.’

  ‘You always rattled on about the power of symbols and failed to see how crucial you were. The king. The power in the land. The hope of all reality in its darkest hour. With you gone, with you never having existed, there is no hope. And without hope there is only despair.’

  The Libertarian hauled Church to the edge of the bridge. ‘I should say something poetic, like “Prepare to come to nothing, like all your dreams”, but I think I’ll settle for die, you bastard. Die, and be gone, so I can forget about you, finally.’

  6

  From the dark, Veitch watched Ruth launch her attack on Church. In the dying flare of the light, he dashed forwards and threw himself at Ruth, clamping a hand over her mouth as he dragged her back into the dark. The shock of the attack prevented her from using her Craft, and by the time she had recovered, he had his sword at her throat.

  Across the bridge, he could hear the Libertarian mocking Church as he talked about wiping him from Existence, but he kept his focus on Ruth. Her eyes crackled with power, but he continued to whisper her name and slowly the subtle manipulation of Mictlantecuhtli ebbed away to reveal the Ruth with whom he had fallen in love. Right then he understood his role in the pattern. If he and Ruth had not shared affection, she would never have responded to his quiet words, would have fought him and probably killed him. There was a reason for his heartache, and that made it a little more palatable.

  ‘It’s all right, darlin’. You’re back.’

  ‘Church—’

  ‘He’s still alive.’ Veitch could see she was aware of everything that had transpired.

  ‘You have to stop Church becoming the Libertarian, Ryan.’ Tears flooded her eyes. ‘If you kill him, Church can’t be wiped from Existence. He’ll always be a symbol. He’ll always have the power to affect things, even from death. And the Libertarian will never come into being.’

  Veitch glanced over at the Libertarian counting out the seconds as he held Church close to the abyss. ‘There’s a better way,’ he said.

  ‘You can’t take any risks!’

  He gave the cocky smile that she had always loved. ‘There’s always a better way.’

  Yet she saw in his eyes something deep and mature and very unlike Veitch and it troubled her deeply. ‘What are you planning?’

  He whispered it in her ear.

  ‘You can’t, Ryan!’ Gripping his arm, she fought to stop herself becoming distressed.

  ‘I don’t matter here,’ he said. ‘Church matters. You matter. I was always along just to make sure you two made it through to the finish line. And that’s what I’m going to do now. My last act.’

  ‘Ryan, if you go into the abyss, you’ll be wiped from Existence. No one will ever remember you.’

  He grinned. ‘Not the end of the world.’

  ‘But that was all you ever wanted - for people to remember you as a hero.’

  ‘Yeah, that was all I wanted.’ He glanced back to check on the Libertarian and Church. A minute to go. The fires of the Burning Man were growing more intense; the Void was coming. ‘I’ve learned a lot from Church, and you, and the others. I’m a better man now. I know what’s important. It’s not what’s out there, or what people think. It’s what’s inside. I’ve got a whole world in here. In the past, I could never look inside myself - it was too frightening. But now if I know I’m going out a hero, well, that’s good enough. That’s important.’

  ‘Don’t do it, Ryan—’

  ‘There isn’t any other choice, darlin’. This is the whole reason I’m here. I know that now.’ He wiped a tear from her cheek. ‘A kiss?’ he said. ‘Won’t mean anything. I know you love Church, and that’s right. I’ve got my head around it now. But it would be . . . nice.’

  She pulled his head down and kissed him deeply.

  When he broke away, his smile melted her heart. ‘I can die easy now. There’s nothing else I want.’

  He tore away from her grip as a roar began to fill the cavernous space. The heat from the Burning Man increased sharply, the flames turning a deep scarlet. Dropping his sword, Veitch ran. He thought of his father and his mother, of the mermaids swimming by his boat and the tiny people with gossamer wings who always instilled such peace. And he thought of the woman he loved more than anything else in the world, more than life itself.

  Hitting the Libertarian full force, they both went over the edge of the bridge while Church slumped against the side, clinging on. At the last, Veitch thought he saw relief in the Libertarian’s red, lidless eyes. His adversary had time for one word - ‘Ryan . . .’ - and then they plunged down into the dark.

  7

  ‘Ryan!’ Church yelled as he watched Veitch and the Libertarian fall.

  Ruth scrambled to his side. ‘Remember him, Church! Don’t let his memory die! Don’t—’

  The words died in her throat. They stared at each other in incomprehension for a moment, and then Church dragged himself to the centre of the bridge. ‘What just happened?’

  Ruth shook her head. ‘I don’t know.’ She looked around. ‘We . . . we must be . . . The Burning Man. We have to destroy it.’

  Church nodded, although he instinctively knew that was not the correct answer. ‘Where are the others?’

  On cue, Miller and Jack ran in accompanied by Shavi and Tom. ‘Hunter and Laura are guarding the entrance,’ Shavi said, ‘but there is no sign of Mallory and Caitlin. We do not have the Extinction Shears.’

  ‘Yes, you do.’ Walking along the bridge from the opposite side, the Wayfinder held high so that the blue light lit his path, came a cloaked figure.

  ‘Hal?’ Church said, baffled by his human form.

  ‘The Caretaker,’ Hal said with a smile. ‘The new one. There’s no time to explain. Here.’ He handed over the Extinction Shears.

  ‘What do we do?’ Church asked.

  ‘You use the Two Keys to destroy the holding matrix for the Void. And then you use the Extinction Shears to untether him from reality. The Void will be lost for ever.’

  The roaring became deafening: the Burning Man glowed so brightly they could barely look at it. A deep dread closed in around them, and a fee
ling that a terrifying presence was only a room away.

  ‘No time!’ Hal stressed.

  ‘The Wish-Hex in me won’t be enough to destroy that!’ Jack peered over the edge of the bridge into the fire.

  ‘I can help,’ Miller said calmly. ‘Of course. I can see why I’m here now. As the Wish-Hex starts to destroy you, I can heal you so you can keep releasing the power. You can do that?’

  ‘I . . . I think so,’ Jack said. ‘Keep the chain reaction going.’

  Miller looked around the others. ‘We always knew it was going to come to this. Don’t worry about us.’

  ‘But if you go into the abyss you’ll be wiped from Existence,’ Ruth said. ‘No one will ever know you existed.’ Just like no one knew of . . . A name began to come, then faded rapidly.

  ‘Good,’ Jack said. ‘Then Mahalia won’t feel any pain. She can get on with her life.’

  His maturity brought a swell of pride to Ruth and Church.

  ‘I wish Hunter was here,’ Jack said. ‘He was . . .’ The word choked in his throat. ‘Never mind.’

  Jack stepped onto the edge of the bridge, and Miller wrapped his arms around him tightly.

  The roaring was so loud they could barely hear themselves speak. ‘Go!’ Church yelled.

  Jack and Miller threw themselves off the bridge. Instantly, a white light washed out, and a moment later a blue glow, the two intertwining, merging. A burst of the white light rolled upwards, and the bridge shook and then cracked, huge chunks plummeting down into the abyss.

  As Church, Ruth, Tom and Shavi ran back the way they had come, Church snatched up a sword. It wasn’t the shattered Caledfwlch, and he had no idea who it belonged to, but it felt right in his hand. He sheathed it. The Caretaker was nowhere to be seen.

  As the bridge fell into the abyss and the white and blue light continued to roll out in waves, the structure of the Burning Man began to break up and fall apart. The scarlet flames leaped out with a life of their own, no longer able to maintain any shape.

  ‘We did it. The matrix is breaking up.’ Church opened the Extinction Shears and felt their pulsing energy rush up his arms and into his heart. He knew he wasn’t really holding shears. On the edge of his perception, images shifted constantly, hinting at something much bigger, something that reached across worlds. ‘Now we just need to get rid of the Void for ever.’

  As the frame of the Burning Man plunged into the abyss and the flames roiled out of control, a voice rang out far behind him. ‘Church! Stop them! Use the Shears! Stop them!’

  He didn’t turn. His concentration was fixed on the flames; he was convinced he could see a face in them that would haunt him for the rest of his days. Part of him knew the voice was Hunter’s, that the warning was important. But he didn’t turn.

  Crying out in shock, Ruth thrust Church to one side as a seemingly endless army of spiders streamed towards the furiously churning flames, their metallic bodies glinting in the ruddy furnace light.

  ‘Stop them!’ Hunter called, closer now.

  Church glanced back to see Hunter and Laura racing behind the flow of spiders. Beyond them, Cernunnos, Carlton and the Caretaker all looked on with deep concern. He realised, too late, that it was the moment his future self had warned him about so many times: when you’re in Otherworld and they call, heed it right away.

  The spiders flowed around the weakened essence of the Void lost in the flames, carving through reality to create a door in the air leading to the superstructure behind everything where the spiders moved freely across all time and space.

  As Church raced to the edge of the shattered bridge, the swirling flames were sucked through the gaping door. Falling through, the spiders worked rapidly to seal the opening behind them.

  They had taken the Void to another place, perhaps another time. They would be bringing it back.

  From the doorway behind reality, coloured lights leaked out and Church felt the very nature of the cavern alter. Mists rolled all around and suddenly he was in the Warp Zone again, and there were numerous versions of himself at different points in his history, wandering, baffled, determined, scared, fighting. Desperate to send a message to himself to change what had occurred, he raced from one to the other, calling, ‘Is this it? Is this the right time? You have to listen to me. This is a warning.’

  But, of course, he knew it was futile.

  That didn’t stop him. Confused by the shifting reality of the Warp Zone, he added, ‘Is this the right place? Am I too late?’ To the multiple Churches, he insisted, ‘When you’re in Otherworld and they call, heed it right away. They’re going to bring him back. They’re—’ Suddenly he glimpsed the spiders closing the door in the air and remembered where he was. ‘Too late!’ he yelled, racing out of the colours to the edge of the abyss.

  With only a sliver remaining, Church brought the shears together. There was a moment when everything seemed to hang, and Church felt as if he was floating in a brilliant white light. But with a sound like the crystal-clear chime of a bell, he was snapped back into the harsh reality of the cavern and flung head over heels in a rushing wind. His head hit stone and he blacked out.

  8

  ‘Will he be all right?’

  Silence.

  ‘Please come back to me. Please!’

  ‘Don’t worry - it’s nearly over. There’ll be peace.’

  ‘Peace . . .’

  9

  Surfacing from disturbing dreams, Church found himself lying out in the wastelands, surrounded by his friends. On the horizon, there was a smudge of scarlet, gold and black where the Fortress of the Enemy burned and above it the Fabulous Beasts swooped majestically, caught in the rosy light of the setting sun.

  ‘We did it?’ he asked, still dazed.

  ‘I don’t know what you did exactly, but the Enemy’s army lost all heart for the fight.’ Squatting beside him, Tom looked more at peace than Church had ever seen him. He pulled off the ring Freyja had given him and tossed it down a dune into the ochre dust.

  Looking up into the darkening sky, Church said, ‘The stars are coming out.’

  Ruth brushed a hair from his forehead. ‘I never thought I’d see that again.’

  Levering himself onto his elbows, Church asked, ‘Are we all here?’

  ‘Yes,’ Ruth replied. ‘You, me, Tom, Shavi, Laura and Hunter. Five Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, one hanger-on.’ She smiled at Tom, but it was gradually replaced by a puzzled, sad expression.

  Church understood. ‘Strange - it feels as if somebody’s missing.’ Shrugging off a sharp pang of grief, he clambered to his feet.

  Nearby the Army of Dragons and the gods celebrated loudly. The Brothers and Sisters of Dragons moved amongst the knots of strange beings, surprised by the camaraderie and the hugs and back-slaps from ones who may well have tormented them only a few days earlier. Not far away, Virginia and the other refugees stared at the sky in mute disbelief.

  Lugh saw that Church had recovered and made his way up the dune with Rhiannon close behind. ‘Brother of Dragons, you have the thanks of all of the Golden Ones, indeed of all living things in all the lands.’ He shook Church’s hand warmly.

  ‘The Void isn’t gone for good,’ Church said.

  ‘Yes and no,’ Lugh said enigmatically. ‘This is the dawn of a new age. A golden age. You will soon understand.’

  ‘It is a new age, too, for the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons,’ Rhiannon added. ‘You were forged to prevent the victory of the Void this day. You will have a new role now, and in that spirit we, the Golden Ones, have a request, equals to equals.’

  ‘Go on,’ Church said.

  ‘The great sadness that lies at the heart of our people is the loss of our homes - Gorias, Finias, Falias and Murias,’ Lugh continued. His eyes blazed with a hopeful excitement. ‘Help us find them. Help the Tuatha Dé Danaan return to their ancestral homes and bring joy to our hearts again. It would be a quest that would live up to the great legend of the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons! The filid would
sing songs of such an achievement until the stars came down!’

  Church glanced around the others and saw the silent answer. ‘We owe you for your help and sacrifice,’ he said. ‘Once we’ve rested, we’ll start to plan.’

  Lugh and Rhiannon could barely contain their joy. They thanked the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons profusely and then hurried back to the ranks of their people to spread the news. Soon their celebration dwarfed even that of the Army of Dragons and the other gods.