He froze. He could smell it, a trace of perfumed sattva. It was faint, perhaps coming from a distance. But it was unmistakeable.
Another howl blasted through the forest, this time so close the air itself seemed to quiver. The horses neighed, stamped their feet and rolled their eyes.
Jack swung himself up into his saddle. ‘Back to the road. Now.’
This was all he could think to do. They couldn’t stay in the forest, and they couldn’t continue along the track. On the road, they would be out in the open and exposed. But at least they would be able to move at a gallop and hopefully outrun anyone or anything they encountered.
They turned their horses and rode back the way they’d come. Jack took the lead again – he could see better in the dark than Kanvar. Moonlight speared through the canopy ahead of him, but this did little to force away the shadows. Caverns of darkness loomed in every direction. He urged his mare to move faster, but the undergrowth grasped at her legs and she tripped on tree roots and potholes.
Christ. They had to get back to the road as quickly as they could. The howling had stopped, but the quiet was almost worse. In the silence, Jack had no way of knowing whether whatever had been making the noise was moving away from him … or getting closer.
He heard a threshing in the woods to his right. Twigs snapped and bushes rustled, as if something large were moving through the trees. He stared into the blackness but could see nothing, no sign of any movement at all.
The path widened slightly and the undergrowth thinned, so he urged the mare into a canter. He stared into the branches to his left, searching for the bank along the side of the road. But he still couldn’t see it.
Damn. Where was the road? It should be close now.
A great bellow rolled through the forest.
Jack’s heart raced. The sound was close. Perhaps just yards away.
He looked back over his shoulder and saw that Kanvar was around twenty feet behind him now, the Sikh’s turbaned head only just visible in the gloom.
There was a cracking sound, followed by a thrashing of foliage and a thump that sent a shudder through the earth. A tree had fallen somewhere. What could be strong enough to knock over a tree?
Jack glanced wildly to either side of him but could make out nothing through the interlaced branches. He jumped when something slapped him in the face. But then he realised it was only hanging vines.
Where was that damn road?
Then a shattering roar erupted nearby. A giant, shadowy form smashed out of the woods and stood blocking the path ahead of him. He caught a glimpse of segmented legs and claws, and two green lights that hovered close to each other. The thing gave a metallic scream and a wall of sattva, hot air and coal smoke blasted Jack in the face.
The mare squealed and reared up on her hind legs. Jack grasped at the reins, but they slipped from his fingers. For a moment, he managed to stay in the saddle, but then he was flying backwards through the air. He landed hard on his back and the wind was punched from his lungs. A wave of pain surged down his spine.
He heard his horse whinnying and crashing away through the greenery.
He tried to sit up, but a tide of blackness whirled over him. He couldn’t move. He was slipping into unconsciousness.
He heard a deafening shriek and a great blot of darkness passed over him. The smell of sattva and coal was overwhelming. He glimpsed iron plates, rivets, tubes and pistons …
And then purple spots spun before his eyes and he felt himself drifting away.
His last thought as he fell unconscious was that he knew now what had been making the sound, what had been pursuing him and Kanvar through the forest.
An avatar.
He woke a moment later. He was certain it was only a moment. He’d barely shut his eyes, when the avatar gave a roar that rippled through the earth and jolted him back to consciousness.
He was still lying on his back on the path. Branches arched above him and the moon, bright as polished metal, glinted through the mesh of leaves and twigs.
He sat up, wincing at the streaks of pain running down his back. He looked around and couldn’t see the avatar anywhere. His musket seemed to have slipped from his back when he’d fallen. He fumbled about for it and finally spotted it glinting on the side of the track. He scurried across, lifted it up and examined it in a shaft of moonlight. It appeared undamaged. Thank Christ.
The avatar bellowed behind him. He spun round and scanned the darkness. He felt faint for a second, but shook his head to keep himself from passing out. The path snaked off into the gloom, but he could see no sign of the avatar, his horse … or Kanvar.
Where was Kanvar?
Musket in hand, he jogged back along the track, keeping low and sticking to the deep shadows on the side of the path. Ahead, the avatar continued to shriek and slash at the woods. But Jack could still see nothing.
Someone shouted. A bolt of dazzling green lightning streaked through the trees. The glare lit up the forest, and for a second Jack could see Kanvar standing in a clearing on the edge of the track, his knees bent and his mouth open as he cried out the words of some mantra.
The lightning vanished instantly and darkness slammed over the woods again. Jack stumbled forward, partially blinded for a moment by the flash.
Kanvar shouted again and a second burst of lightning blazed from his fingertips.
This time, Jack almost tripped over when he saw what the green glare had lit up. On the far side of the clearing, opposite Kanvar, stood a beast that was straight out of a nightmare. It was larger than three or four elephants combined and was something like a spider and something like a crab. It was covered in iron armour and its head was a mass of feelers, stalks and whirring mandibles. Smoke puffed from its sides and a red fire burnt deep within it, just visible through the gaps in its carapace. It snapped at the air with a pair of monstrous claws, and two green mounds – which appeared to be eyes – glowed on top of its head.
The lightning struck the creature in the face, making a clanging sound. The avatar roared and stepped back.
When the lightning blinked out, Jack staggered on through the darkness and reached the edge of the clearing. In the moonlight, he made out the dim figure of Kanvar, who still stood directly in front of the beast. The avatar screeched, its eyes throbbing a brilliant green.
Kanvar held up his hand and barked the words of a mantra. A speck of gold fire shot out from his palm and smacked the avatar just below the eyes. The beast shrieked and shook its head, but it didn’t retreat.
Jack was about to call out to Kanvar, when the Sikh suddenly collapsed, a marionette whose strings had been cut. He lay still on the ground, but his chest was rising and falling. He was alive. But what was wrong with him?
The avatar growled and lunged forward. It was about to strike the prone Sikh with its claws.
Jack’s old army training took over. In a single, fluid movement he lifted the musket to his shoulder and, without thinking or pausing for even a second, pulled the trigger. The firearm flashed, kicked and coughed smoke. The bullet tinged against the creature’s abdomen. This seemed to do no damage, but the beast paused and turned its head. Its eyes glowed more brightly as it appeared to notice Jack for the first time.
But it only halted for a moment before it swung back towards Kanvar, screamed and raised its claws.
No.
Kanvar would be crushed to death instantly within those pincers.
Jack had no time to reload the musket and he had no other weapon with which to fight the creature. Sweat poured over his forehead and his heart battered in his chest.
He had to do something.
Now.
Without thinking, without planning, he gave the loudest shout he could, waved his arms above his head and ran out into the glade.
He charged straight at the beast, with no idea at all what he would do once he reached it.
9
The avatar remained poised, its head a great blot of darkness against the night sky. It
didn’t react to Jack’s shouting, but it didn’t attack Kanvar either.
Jack bellowed more loudly, paused for a second, plucked a rock from the ground and hurled it at the creature. With a sound like a gong, the rock struck the side of the beast. The avatar gurgled and, with a metal creak, turned its head to face Jack again.
Jack continued running, but he slowed his pace. He still held the musket in one hand, but he hadn’t even clicked out the knife and his palm was sweating so much he thought he would drop the weapon at any moment.
The creature’s mouth concertinaed open, the layers of mandibles peeling back to reveal an array of steel blades within. Its eyes blazed, it drew itself up taller and then it blasted Jack with a scream so loud that it made his ears ring. A pulse of hot, coal-scented wind smacked him in the face.
He skidded to a halt.
The avatar sat back on its haunches and swung its claws up above its head. It gave another shriek, and then sprang forward, lurching towards Jack on its spindly legs. It moved fast. Faster than he’d thought possible. Within seconds, it would be upon him.
He whirled round and charged back the way he’d come. He sprinted to the edge of the glade and plunged into the woods. He didn’t look back. He didn’t have to. He could hear the creature’s legs thudding on the ground and the cracking sounds it made as it smashed through twigs and branches. It couldn’t be more than ten yards behind him.
And it was getting closer.
He darted this way and that, leaping over tree roots, rabbit holes and clumps of bracken. In the dark, objects loomed suddenly before him and he had to make split-second decisions in order to avoid them. A shrub might leap up in front of him, or a boulder block his path, and he would have to either jump or dodge to the side without a moment’s hesitation
He couldn’t afford to make a mistake. If he slipped over, the beast would pounce on him.
His heart flew and his breath was like fire in his lungs. Sweat streamed over his face.
He had no plan. His only aim had been to draw the avatar away from Kanvar and now he had no idea which way to run. At first, he headed towards the path that led back to the road. But he soon realised he must have struck off in the wrong direction as the path didn’t appear. Nor could he see the road.
He was lost.
A fallen tree appeared ahead of him, blocking the way. The ancient trunk was far too high for him to jump over. He could run round it, but from a quick glance he could see it stretched for at least ten yards in both directions. The beast would set upon him before he managed to get to the other side. His only option was to slide underneath, through the small gap between the trunk and the ground.
But it would be a tight squeeze. The gap was only about a foot high, and he wouldn’t have much time to get through.
He flung himself to the ground and slid into the cramped space. Damp earth and rotting leaves pressed against his face. With his head turned to the side, he could see back the way he’d come.
And he could see the avatar.
The creature bounded out of the darkness, moving more like a giant dog than an insect, despite its six legs. Moonlight streamed over its black iron surface, its maw flickered open and its myriad feelers danced about its head. It gave a shriek, which then mutated into a roar.
Christ. The thing had almost reached the fallen tree. He had to get through the gap right now.
He pressed himself hard against the ground, hauled himself sideways … and then he was stuck.
His heart shuddered and his head reeled. The space was too tight. He couldn’t get through.
The avatar was less than five yards away. It was so close he could smell the coal smoke and sattva billowing about it.
He scratched frantically at the ground with one of his hands and cleared away some of the earth and debris. He jammed himself further into the gap, praying he would be able to fit through.
The beast’s face rushed towards him …
But now there was enough space for him to move. He wriggled to the other side just as the beast shoved its maw up to the tree trunk.
He shot back upright, whispering a Hail Mary. But the creature was large enough to reach right across the tree. It was already leering over the trunk and jabbing at him with one of its claws. The pincers were wide open and he could see the serrated steel along the inner edges.
He danced to the side and the claw slammed into a branch protruding from the tree trunk. The pincers snapped shut and sliced the branch clean off, despite it being thicker than a man’s waist.
The creature immediately swung its other claw down at Jack, using the outer edge like a mace. Jack stumbled back from the tree as the claw smacked into the trunk. Bark and splinters flew into the air and a crack snarled right through the wood.
The creature had almost cleaved the trunk in two.
Jack spun round and bolted into the forest. But he only managed to go a few paces before a tree root snaked out in front of him and tripped him up. He flew through the air, hit the ground and skidded along the forest floor. He dropped the musket and it spun away into the undergrowth.
The beast howled behind him.
He flipped himself over in time to see the creature leap over the tree and swing its claw at him again. He cried out and rolled to the side. The claw whistled through the air and thumped into the earth a few inches from his face, dashing soil in his eyes. He could feel the heat from the metal on his cheek.
He rolled into the bushes to his left and scrambled to his feet. He heard another whistle and ducked instinctively. This was just as well, because the claw whisked past above his head – the wind of its passing ruffling his hair – before thumping into the tree beside him. Chunks of wood went flying and fissures fanned out through the trunk.
Jack lurched forward and glanced over his shoulder. The beast towered above him, smoke and steam haloing its head. It whirled its claw at him again, smashing through a branch that blocked its path.
Jack staggered backwards and the claw bashed apart a shrub just in front of him.
He turned to run, but he found his feet skidding on a slope of damp leaves and soft earth. He flailed with both arms but could do nothing to stop himself toppling forward, crashing through a thorn bush that tore at his skin, then rolling down a short incline. He struck a tree, which sent pain shooting up one arm, before he hit the ground at the bottom of the slope.
The avatar screeched and flung itself down after him, battering through the bushes that clung to the scarp. Jack leapt to his feet, ready to run, but something punched him hard in the back. He flew forward and landed on the ground. Pain welled where he’d been struck. He tried to blot it out, gritted his teeth and spun himself over.
The beast stood poised above him. One of its legs hovered in the air inches away from him – the creature must have used the limb to knock him over.
He went to roll away, but the avatar slammed the base of its foot into his chest and pinned him to the ground. He grasped at the leg, struggling to move it aside. But it was locked in place.
He was trapped.
The avatar pressed down harder. Jack gasped. Pain racked his body and he felt as though his ribs were about to crack. He could barely breathe, could only gulp tiny strands of air into his lungs. Sweat dribbled into his eyes and he fought away a tide of darkness that threatened to sweep over him. He wriggled and kicked, but he couldn’t free himself.
The avatar’s head lowered until it was no more than a foot from his face. With a steely ring, its layered mandibles peeled open and a trickle of oil ran out of its mouth and pattered on to Jack’s neck. A gust of air issued from the maw, as if the creature were exhaling. Jack smelt ancient coal and sattva so strong that it made his nostrils burn.
The creature’s eyes glowed more brightly now. He could see they were made up of hundreds of beads, like the eyes of a spider. He had a strange sense for a moment that he was being observed by … what was it? A mind? That seemed impossible. An avatar was a living machine, but it was no more i
ntelligent than an animal.
And yet this avatar seemed to be studying him.
He knew enough about these creatures to know that this one was different. The way it had pursued him, the way it had hunted him and attacked him, suggested a beast that was capable of more thought than the lumbering creatures he’d seen in the past.
The avatar observed him for what seemed like a minute but must have only been seconds. Then steam wheezed from somewhere along its abdomen and smoke welled from gills on either side of its face. It drew its head back and raised one of its claws. The pincers creaked open.
Jack stared up at the giant claw. Those pincers would be able to shear him in half without any effort.
The leg pinning him to the ground pressed down harder. His chest screamed with pain and all the air was forced from his lungs.
He could see no way out of this now. He was trapped, and all the strength was draining from his body. Black pools expanded before his eyes. He made one last attempt to free himself, gritting his teeth and straining to shift the ironwork holding him in place.
But his efforts had no effect at all. The beast was immensely strong. There was no hope.
With his eyesight fading, he took one last look at the massive claw. Soon it would strike. And that would be the end of it.
He wouldn’t reach the Great Yantra and he wouldn’t find the Grail …
He saw Elizabeth for a moment, standing on the edge of Folly Brook with Godwin, Saleem and Cecily. What was worse than the pain in his chest, and the fact that he would soon be dead, was that he wouldn’t be there to defend his family, or the village, if the Rajthanans came. He’d let Elizabeth and Cecily and everyone else down. They were waiting for him to return, waiting for him to come back with the answer to all their problems … and he wasn’t going to reappear. Not this time.
He saw Jhala striding down the trench at the battle of Ragusa, drawing his scimitar and stepping up on to the fire step …
Elizabeth as a child running towards him across a field, her long black hair flowing behind her …
The War of the Grail Page 10
