The rebels would have a hard time fighting against this creature. And he’d seen what the avatar was capable of, seen the villages it had destroyed in north Shropshire.
Damn it.
Whichever way Jack looked at it, the chances of the rebels surviving were looking slimmer than ever.
PART FOUR
29
‘Rao will come.’ Sonali shivered. ‘The treaty …’
Jack bent closer to her. ‘Just rest. You mustn’t use up all your strength.’
He’d already told her Jhala had dismissed the idea of the treaty, but there was no point repeating that now.
Sonali swallowed. Her face, as was always the case now, was bathed in sweat and her cheeks were hollow. Her eyes searched the roof of the chamber. ‘Mahajan’s here.’
Jack took her hand. ‘He’s not. You’re not in his castle any more.’
She frowned slightly. ‘Oh.’ Her eyes focused on Jack again. ‘Are we in Folly Brook?’
Jack held her hand more tightly. ‘You must rest.’
‘Oh.’ She eased her head back and closed her eyes.
She’d been lying in this room for three days. All the other injured had died and been buried in the communal grave beside the north wall. But Sonali still clung on, lasting for longer than Jack had ever thought possible.
But she was slipping in and out of consciousness, often speaking about things that made no sense. Dreams and the past and the present seemed to be muddled up in her mind.
She opened her eyes again and licked her lips. ‘I’m thirsty.’
Jack’s eyes strayed to the tankard standing beside the sleeping mat. It was empty. She’d finished her day’s water ration already and had even had his share. In theory, she would have to wait until tomorrow before she could have any more.
He grasped the tankard. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’
He left the chamber and walked down the narrow corridor. A couple of shells burst in the distance, but the bombardment was lighter than it had been in previous days. He’d even been able to move around the fortress without feeling in great danger, as he had before.
Saleem stood guard outside the storeroom, a musket at his side. The food and water had to be protected at all times now to ensure no one took more than their fair share.
Jack waved the empty tankard. ‘Sonali needs water. I’ll take my ration for tomorrow now. She can have that.’
Saleem’s eyes widened. ‘If it’s for Sonali, you could take some extra.’
‘No.’ Jack spoke sharply. ‘No one gets extra, you understand?’
Saleem’s eyes widened further and he stared at the ground.
Jack sighed and said more gently, ‘Thanks for the offer. But we can’t go breaking the rules for me, Sonali or anyone else. It’s not fair on the others.’
Saleem nodded and stepped aside to admit Jack into the storeroom. Jack walked across to the barrel, lifted the lid and gazed for a moment at the dark water. The light from the single candle danced on the surface. His mouth felt as though it were full of sand, and his throat was so dry it burned. He wanted to stick his head in the barrel and drink until it was empty.
He stood there gazing for perhaps too long, because he noticed Saleem watching him with concern.
He pulled himself together, plunged the tankard into the water, brushed past Saleem and went back to Sonali’s side. He pressed the tankard to her lips and she drank until there were no more than a few drops left.
When Jack saw the melee taking place near the gatehouse, he immediately clambered up a set of stairs that led to nowhere and stood at the top, as if at a pulpit. Below him two factions were pushing and shoving each other. A cache of food and water had been discovered in a shelter where the roof had collapsed, killing all inside. Two groups had already laid claim to it. They were arguing heatedly and would soon come to blows, by the look of it.
Jack raised his hand. ‘Stop!’
At first, no one paid any attention to him. They were too busy fighting over the supplies.
Jack tried again. ‘Stop! Now!’
The crowd calmed and the two opposing sides shuffled apart from each other. Everyone stared up at Jack. He was struck by how thin, drawn and dirty they all appeared. They looked like vagrants who’d been wandering the countryside for years.
He cleared his throat. He felt so thirsty black spots were circling before his eyes. But he had to say something now, had to rally his people.
He’d never been good at this sort of thing. For a moment, he thought of William. His friend had been a rebel leader and had inspired many to join the crusade. Jack had seen William give a speech in London before Vadula’s attack.
What would William say now?
Jack raised his hand again. ‘We should not be fighting amongst ourselves. The enemy are just outside these walls. We have to remain together if we’re going to survive. We are all brothers and sisters.’
He motioned to the small collection of barrels and sacks that everyone had been fighting over moments before. ‘These will be shared out evenly throughout the fortress. I will make sure of that. In the meantime, all of you need to be prepared to defend this fortress at a moment’s notice. Keep your muskets and cartridges with you at all times. Be ready both day and night. Our situation might look difficult, but our people have faced many challenges in the past, and we will overcome the challenges we face now. We must all pray to God to deliver us.’
He looked about him at the gaunt but now hopeful faces staring back at him.
He raised his hand in a fist. ‘God’s will in England.’
‘God’s will in England,’ the crowd murmured back.
Jack heard footsteps. Three people were approaching – two of medium height, and one shorter.
He opened his eyes and saw Saleem, Elizabeth and Mark walking through the archway in the east side of the courtyard. They were carrying muskets and Jack was surprised to see Elizabeth also had Cecily in her arms.
‘Thought we’d find you here,’ Elizabeth said. ‘You trying the Grail again?’
‘Aye.’ Jack stood up, dusted himself off and picked up his musket. ‘Still no luck.’
‘I told Mark about the Grail,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Hope you don’t mind.’
‘Course not.’ Jack gave Mark a tight smile. ‘It’s not a secret any more.’
Mark stepped forward. ‘I thought I might try the yantra, Master, if you’ll allow it. Elizabeth showed me the necklace.’
Jack rubbed his eyes. It felt as though he had grit in them. He’d only slept for a few hours at odd times over the past few days. ‘You can try, if you like. But you won’t have had time to memorise the design, will you? I would have mentioned it to you before, if I thought there was a chance of you using it.’
‘I would still like to try,’ Mark said. ‘You never know.’
Jack nodded wearily. There was no harm in Mark trying. He gestured towards the spot beneath the oak tree. ‘You’ll be in the Great Yantra over there.’
Mark took the necklace from Elizabeth, walked across to the oak, sat down and crossed his legs. He held the necklace up before him, staring at it intently as if he could somehow lock it in his mind just through force of will.
Jack stood watching beside Elizabeth and said to her, ‘You brought Cecily out.’
Elizabeth rocked the child. ‘She hasn’t been outside in days. I wanted her to see daylight again.’
Jack cast a wary look at the sky. ‘Not sure it’s safe.’
‘There’s been no fighting for more than a day. I thought I could take a chance. I can’t keep her hiding in the dark for ever.’
Jack nodded stiffly. Elizabeth had a point. Jhala’s artillery had been strangely silent for the past twenty-four hours. But all the same, the firing could start again at any time. He would have preferred Cecily to have stayed in the shelter of the palace.
Mark placed the necklace in his lap, shut his eyes and straightened his back. He sat like this for around three minutes before finally
opening his eyes again. ‘It’s too difficult. I don’t know the yantra well enough.’
‘It’s all right,’ Jack said. ‘We should get back now.’
‘I’ll try one last time. If you don’t mind.’
Jack was about to say that he did mind and that they weren’t going to wait around any longer, when he was cut short by the far-off clap of a gun and the faint whoosh of a shot.
‘Right, we’re going.’ He grasped Elizabeth’s arm. ‘Now.’
Several more guns boomed and missiles began to whistle in the air.
Mark abandoned his meditation and Jack led the small group through the archway. Just as they came out in an open area that must once have been a garden, a shell bounced across from the left, struck a wall and came to a halt, spinning on a paving stone.
They all stopped and stared at the ball.
Jack felt the blood drain from his face. The bomb was less than ten feet away. It was circling, circling on the stone, making a scraping sound as it revolved.
Once it burst, the blast would catch him and the others, including Cecily. There was no chance of them escaping. The only thing he could do was throw himself on it and hope to block as much of the explosion with his body as he could.
His heart was beating hard. He was about to run forward and hurl himself on the missile when he noticed the fuse wasn’t lit.
He felt the colour come back to his face. The shell wasn’t going to explode after all.
Then he heard a second whistle coming from somewhere behind a ruined building. A moment later, another shell rolled across the ground and stopped about thirty feet away. As far as Jack could see, the fuse on this one wasn’t lit either.
Strange. A fuse could fail to ignite in one shell. But two in such a short space of time? That was unlikely.
The shells hadn’t been fitted with fuses. That was the only explanation.
‘Come on.’ Jack grasped Elizabeth’s arm again and led the way across the open space, giving the shells a wide berth.
But Saleem suddenly stopped and pointed at the first shell. ‘What’s that?’
Jack paused and followed Saleem’s gaze. And now he saw there was a crack running down the side of the ball. As he watched, a second fissure split the casing, making a metallic grating sound. The bomb was cracking like an egg.
Christ. Jack had never seen anything like it.
A third fissure snaked down the side of the shell and now Jack stared in disbelief as a set of iron feelers emerged from inside. The stalks flicked, swayed and then a head and a segmented body scuttled out of the crack. The creature looked like a centipede, although it was the size of Jack’s hand and constructed of metal. It circled about the shell as a second centipede crawled out.
Elizabeth gasped. Mark muttered a prayer and crossed himself. Saleem grabbed the musket from his shoulder and pointed it at the beasts.
‘Don’t shoot,’ Jack said. ‘It’s best we get out of here quickly.’
They turned to press on towards the Folly Brook camp, but quickly halted again.
Jack cursed under his breath. There were two further centipedes scuttling across the ground ahead. The creatures froze, raised themselves up on their hind legs and then shot across the ground towards Jack and the others.
‘Back this way,’ Jack said.
He led the group through the archway and back into the courtyard. But when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw the creatures were still rippling across the ground in pursuit.
Damn it. He could try shooting the beasts, but he didn’t want to risk it. Not yet. Attacking them might draw more attention from any other creatures in the area.
He scanned the surroundings and spotted a ledge running along a building on the north side of the courtyard. It would be possible to climb up there and hide amongst the stonework.
‘Follow me.’ He led the others across to the building.
As they reached the other side of the courtyard, Mark suddenly cried out.
Jack spun round, whipping the musket from his shoulder. Mark was hopping along, grasping his ankle, his face twisted with pain. A centipede was clinging to his leg by its mandibles. It must have been hiding in the grass.
Jack grasped Mark’s shoulders. ‘Stay still!’
Mark stopped jumping up and down, and Jack studied the creature that had latched on to the lad’s leg. The mandibles were lodged deep in the flesh, drawing beads of blood that soaked into Mark’s hose. The creature made a soft clicking and hissing sound, its feelers swivelling on its head.
Jack didn’t spend any time thinking what to do. He simply gripped the avatar at the back of the head and yanked it off. The creature came away more easily than he’d expected, but it twisted and writhed wildly in his hand. He quickly dropped it and stamped on it before it could dart away. It gave a final screech as it shattered beneath his boot.
When he looked up, he saw Elizabeth and Saleem staring at him, their faces blanched.
And now he heard more hissing behind him. The centipedes he’d seen earlier were racing through the archway and into the courtyard. Worse, he spotted another creature crawling over a pile of rubble where the yard’s south wall had collapsed long ago.
The beasts were surrounding them.
He turned back to the building. ‘Follow me!’
He grasped the edge of what must once have been a window frame and dragged himself up. The ledge was two storeys above him, but the climb was easy, with plenty of hand- and footholds along the way.
Elizabeth followed him halfway, then passed Cecily up to him before continuing. Saleem clambered up quickly, but Mark found it more difficult. His ankle clearly hurt from where it had been bitten, and he could barely put any weight on it. Jack had to reach down and help him up the last few feet.
They all sat panting on the ledge and watched as the centipedes below were joined by a steady flow of others. There were now around ten of the beasts patrolling the courtyard.
Jack stood up and gazed across the ruins. He was high enough to get a good view over much of the fortress. The guns had fallen silent again, but he could hear distant shouts and screams. Two people ran across the open space just beyond the courtyard’s walls. A few seconds later, a wave of around ten centipedes wriggled past in pursuit. Several muskets crackled further off, nearer to the hospital.
It seemed the fortress was now infested with the creatures. He stared to the east, across the broken roofs. Somewhere over there lay the Folly Brook camp, the other villagers … and Sonali.
How would the villagers be faring? Would they be able to defend themselves against the avatars?
If he were alone, he would have tried running back to the camp. But he couldn’t risk it when he had Elizabeth and Cecily with him.
Mark groaned. The lad was now lying prone along one side of the ledge. He was bathed in sweat and his features were waxy. Jack crouched beside him, took out his knife and cut away the hose around the ankle. There were two punctures in the skin where the centipede had bitten. The small wounds no longer bled but they were now surrounded by a purple bruise that was spreading up the leg.
Jack didn’t like the look of that.
He put away the knife and said to Mark, ‘You hold on. We’ll get you out of here as soon as we can.’ Then he turned to Saleem and Elizabeth. ‘Don’t get bitten by those things.’
Both Saleem and Elizabeth nodded silently as they stared wide-eyed at Mark’s leg.
A hissing floated up from below. Jack spied a centipede wriggling up the wall.
He slung his musket from his shoulder, considered firing at the avatar, but instead waited until it crawled up onto the ledge before crushing it with the butt of the musket. The creature squealed and shattered, a black substance oozing out of it. Jack kicked the remains back into the courtyard.
Elizabeth yelped and kicked away a second creature that came slithering over the lip of the ledge.
Jack looked down and cursed. There were four more creatures scuttling up the wall already.
Mark cried out in agony and began convulsing.
Jack gestured to Saleem and Elizabeth. ‘Keep those things away from us.’
Then he bent down beside Mark. When he had cut the lad’s hose open further, he saw that the dark bruise had seeped all the way up to the waist. Mark’s face was pure white, his eyes rolled about in their sockets and foam was bubbling in his mouth.
Jack grasped Mark’s shoulder. ‘Stay awake, all right? Don’t drift off.’
Mark’s eyes focused on Jack for a moment and he managed to nod, but then his eyes glazed over and he shuddered so violently that Jack had to hold him down.
Saleem and Elizabeth were knocking away centipedes with their muskets. Elizabeth had placed Cecily down on the floor behind her. Jack wanted to pick the child up and protect her, but he also had to stay with Mark.
Mark’s eyes rolled white.
Jack gripped the lad’s shoulders. ‘Stay awake!’
But Mark went suddenly rigid. His face twisted in pain and then went still. His lips turned blue and his eyes stared up lifelessly.
Jack searched frantically for a pulse. But he found nothing.
He lowered his head. Mark had been his apprentice for two years and had even helped to build the House of Sorcery. He’d told Jack several times that he was an orphan and that he’d never had a home.
‘Well, Mark, you’re home now.’ Jack shut the lad’s eyes and crossed himself.
Elizabeth gave a muffled shriek. Jack swivelled round and saw several centipedes crawling down the masonry above. One plopped onto the ledge and rattled towards Cecily.
Nerves shot through Jack’s chest. He swept the infant up in his arms and stamped on the avatar, crushing it in the middle. The beast’s head continued squealing and writhing for a few seconds, then slumped.
‘There are too many of them,’ Elizabeth said.
Jack looked around him. There were scores of avatars clambering up from the courtyard and ten or more descending from above. He, Elizabeth and Saleem were surrounded on all sides.
The War of the Grail Page 30
