by Phil Maxey
* * * * *
“Sparrow? Umm. Over.” Algorine looked at the black electronic device in her hand with disdain then clicked the talk button again. “Soldiers? Anyone?” She looked at Annabelle and Nell. “I’m not getting any reply from them.”
The three of them stood in the second-floor room of a terraced house which overlooked the rear of the bookshop.
“We should go help, yes?” said Annabelle moving towards the bedroom door, with her torch in her hand.
Algorine grabbed her arm. “Non. We could be walking into a trap, we wait to see how it plays out. If everything’s fine, we’ll hear from them soon.” Algorine returned to looking out into the night. Her eyes glowed in the darkness allowing her to see beyond what the two others next to her could make out.
“What house are you?” said Nell to the Fae woman.
“Unaffiliated,” said Algorine lifting the curtain slightly. “The dragon’s returning.” Algorine watched as the huge dark form flew over the rooftops towards them. It then landed in the parking area behind the shop, crushing a car sized mound of snow. “I think it’s safe to say the plan has failed.” She shook her head. “I knew I should have asked for all the gold up front.”
A noise came from the downstairs. Annabelle switched her light off. Algorine dropped the curtain and with Nell they both stepped out onto the landing, their weapons ready.
“Hey it’s only us!” said Vic from the gloom at the bottom of the stairs.
The women lowered their weapons and Annabelle switched her torch back on.
“What happened, did she get out?” said Vic walking up the stairs.
“No, it looks like we failed. The dragon’s outside.” Algorine ran back to the window. “Quick, everyone look.”
They all ran into the room and looked as best they could outside. Vic and Hunt, because of the NVGs could see what the Fae woman could also see, Kat being carried by two armoured creatures to the dragon. Goran limped along behind clutching his shoulder.
“Fuck . . .” said Vic.
“What the hell are we going to do now?” said Hunt to the man next to him.
When the dragon was laden with its human cargo, it’s huge wings stretched out and pushed down and up, gradually lifting the beast off the ground, causing snow, ice, and debris to skitter away from beneath it. Once it was above the rooftops it quickly moved away.
“We follow?” said Annabelle.
Algorine looked down and shook her head. “You don’t follow a dragon unless you’re on one.”
“Then?”
Algorine walked to the door. “It’s over. They won. I’m going to check if there’s anyone left alive in the sanctuary.” She looked back at the four of them looking at her. “I wouldn’t hang around here for too long, the place is crawling with things that like to eat the likes of you.” She then disappeared down the stairs. Annabelle briefly looked at the two soldiers, then ran down the stairs as well.
Vic went to say something in the direction of the young girl, but gave up and clicked on his radio. “Mills, you there. Over.”
“I’m here, sir. What’s the status? Over.”
“Missions a failure. They got the girl. They took her away on a . . . dragon. We’re going to need you to get your asses down here to the rendezvous point with the APC. Over.”
There was a pause and then Mills’s voice could be heard talking to someone else before she talked into her radio. “There’s a number of things in the streets, so we might be coming in hot. Over.”
“We’ll be ready.”
A few miles off, on a hill overlooking the town Darren paced up and down. His face felt hot despite the temperature being nearly zero in the top floor of the house.
“There’s nothing we can do! She’s gone!” said Mills.
“She can’t be gone! We need to go after her!”
“After her where? We have no idea where—”
“Then we do magic! Or you use radar. I don’t know anything!” The craziness of the new world that Darren fell into was manageable because of the young girl that was by his side through all of it. Now she was gone and how was a computer hacker going to survive against magic and dragons? “I should have stayed with her . . .” he said to himself more than the woman next to him.
“Look, there’s nothing you could have done. We need to leave. Get your shit, we’re going.”
Nothing but panic flowed through Darren’s mind, but staying in that house alone surrounded by things that could kill him in a heartbeat was not an option. He walked into the other room, grabbed his rifle along with his backpack and they both ran down the stairs and into the interior of the APC.
Mills closed the rear hatch then climbed into the front driving position. “Get comfy because as soon as I turn this engine on, and the lights, we’re going to stand out for all these bastards to see. You ready?”
“Yes.” Darren clasped his backpack and rifle together around his chest.
Mills looked back at him one final time. “Try not to shoot yourself in the head with that thing.”
“I won’t, let’s go.”
She fired up the engine, which growled then hit the accelerator. The APC lurched forward onto the snow covered road. In one movement she swivelled it ninety degrees and they were soon making good speed down the hill towards the town.
Something pinged off the outside of the vehicle as things outside roared.
“What the hell is that?” shouted Darren.
“They’re firing arrows at us, no problem. Oh . . .”
“What?”
The APC slowed to a halt.
“I’m going to need you to put your stuff down, and get on the secondary gun. You need to climb in the seat next to me.”
“What? I don’t know how to—”
“Stop whining and get up here!”
He swore under his breath, before touching the bottle in his pocket. He then dropped his things onto the ground and clambered forward and into the snug seat. “Now what?”
“You see that small window in front of you?”
“Yeah . . .”
“And you see that stick just in front of you, with the trigger at the front of it?”
“Like a computer game . . .”
“Yeah, whatever you say. You look, and when you see something big in our way, you point the gun and shoot, got that?”
“Sure.” Darren leaned forward and looked through the slim opaque plastic viewport to the world outside. At first, he couldn’t see much beyond the front of the vehicle, but then as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see them blocking the road in front. Dark humanoid shadows which stood ten feet high, and were walking towards them.
“Get ready to fire, here we go.” Mills hit the accelerator and the APC charged forward, ploughing through the snow.
Suddenly the vehicle lights lit up a creature which was almost the same height as the vehicle they were in, it’s huge arms carrying an axe the size of a small tree. As they neared, it held the weapon aloft.
“Shoot it!”
Darren hit the trigger not knowing where the gun was pointing and a stream of red neon traced across the road completely missing the thing that was about slam into them.
“You’re not hitting it!”
“I’m, trying!” Darren leaned on the joystick steering the direction of the hot metal until it strafed across the ogre-like creature causing dark blood to fly from its chest and for it to stagger backwards. The APC roared past.
“Hey I got—”
A massive crunch rang out and the APC jolted. They both lurched forward in their seats, causing Darren to hit the metal panel in front of him. Mills looked back into the cabin behind them. The rear hatch was hanging off.
Darren rubbed his forehead. “What was that!”
Mills looked forward again, trying to increase their speed. “Nothing, keep watching for any more of those things.”
CHAPTER 31
Annabelle’s torch beam swept across the wallpaper of the narrow
corridor of the bookshop. Algorine stepped forward and pushed the old, wooden, ground floor door back and they both descended the stone steps.
The two wooden torches immediately came alight, revealing the door to the sanctuary already open. Groans drifted from the space inside.
Algorine and Annabelle ran through the door. The large room looked even more battered than it had before.
Sparrow was lying next to a young warrior, whose bones were just as broken as the furniture around them. She looked up at Algorine and Annabelle with sorrowful eyes.
“I should have done more . . . He was just too strong, I thought . . .” Sparrow’s eyes looked heavy.
Algorine bent down, noticing the dark red patch on the back of Sparrows head. “You’re injured as well, we need to get you—”
Sparrow’s eyes sprung open. “I’m staying with Lorcan.” She looked into the shadows near the door. “Where are the soldiers?”
“Back at the house.” Algorine looked at Annabelle. “Get back to the house, see what’s happening with the soldiers, and get the doctor back here.” Annabelle nodded then left. She then looked back at Sparrow, noticing the blank area on her finger. “They took your ring?!”
Sparrow sheepishly shook her head. “No, I hid it in here. It’s under the . . .”
Algorine held her head up. “Stay with me. Where is it?”
“ . . . Under the pile of books near the fire, I wasn’t sure if they were coming back. Did you see where they went?” said Sparrow.
“They left on the dragon.”
“Your sisters?”
“No.”
“So they have even more beasts . . .”
Algorine could feel the defeat in the young woman’s voice. She got up and reclaimed Sparrow’s ring, then carefully placed it back on her finger. A small amount of colour returned to her face. “We can’t stay here, their forces are all over and around the town. Can you communicate with Miss Toper?”
“I already have, she said they can’t spare anymore people right now.”
Algorine scoffed. “Yeah, that’s the council for you.”
The sound of footsteps came from outside. Algorine moved to the door. Hunt and Annabelle came down the steps.
“There’s two injured,” said Algorine leading them inside.
Hunt’s expression fell flat on seeing the young man, but he knelt and inspected him anyway.
“He’s gone,” said Hunt.
Sparrow went to respond but started to slump backwards.
Hunt caught her, then looked closely at the back of her head. “She’s got a concussion, she might need a few stitches, I can patch her up, but not here. Help me get her up.”
The three of them carried Sparrow out of the large room. Algorine took one last look at Arnold Ambrose’s sanctuary then pulled the heavy door closed.
Soon they all huddled into the back of the APC. The top hatch was closed and the back hatch was just about being held on with some cable they had found. Mills and Vic were in the driver and gunner seats, while Hunt worked on the back of Sparrow’s head. Even through the metal they were incased in, they could hear growls and roars in the night around them.
The eyes of most of the travellers were distant.
“OK you got some butterfly stitches holding a two-inch gash together. Make sure the bandage stays on for a while,” said Hunt to Sparrow. He then offered her some water from a small bottle and some pills. “Take these it will help with the headache.”
She swallowed them down.
“So what’s the plan?” said Algorine to Vic at the front.
“We’re heading to the military base near Bristol. We should make it there—” A loud crashing noise came from outside. Vic looked through the small window he had on the outside world, then at Mills. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
* * * * *
Justin looked out from one of the highest points in the castle, to small fires burning across a darkened landscape. Throughout the past few days he had seen the number of men and beasts grow from a few hundred to a few thousand, each with their own tent and supplies. He had no idea where these individuals were coming from, but he knew what they were. They were an army.
At the back of the field, creating their own bursts of heat were the dragons. There were three, but one had left a few hours earlier. The two that were left were occasionally fed whole cows by soldiers that had the misfortune to be selected to take the animals to the end of the field. The black of the night had swallowed that part of the field, but if you watched long enough you would see flames igniting, signalling the scaly leviathans were still there.
Then there was the ‘circus tent’ as he liked to think of it, just visible over the crest of a far hill. A huge canopy with five, small, high points around the outside and a much higher one at the centre. Even now, in the dark there was a hive of activity around it. Tiny specks of light coming and going from its entrance. He had asked one of the guards what it’s purpose was, and was told to mind his own business.
Despite his enquiries he had asked to be given more freedom around the castle and much to his surprise his request was granted. The small room, high above the ramparts and other spires was his favourite place. His thoughts drifted to a few days earlier to when he returned to his family home. He had learned that he had always been part of this magical world, and the reality of computers and Oxford entrance exams were the actual fantasy.
He leaned out of the slim opening in the ancient stone and took a deep breath of the frosty air. Noises floated upwards from the ground five storeys below, and he looked down to see some soldiers dressed in the appropriate medieval dress, talking, and pointing to the distance. Looking upwards he wondered what the fuss was about but then he saw it, a dark shadow on the horizon just visible against the dark grey of the clouds. He quickly gathered that it was the third dragon returning.
He watched it glide down to the forecourt. A number of people climbed down from it, including two that were carrying something. Once all were disembarked the dragon turned and flew back to the join the others in the field. Men and women ran out from the castle and helped one of the people, which from the staggering walk Justin presumed was Goran. As they neared the tower’s main entrance he also saw that the ‘something’ was a someone. Although who, he couldn’t tell from this height. He wanted to know more.
Closing the window, he walked as quickly as he could down the spiral stairs, along corridors until he was at the ground level. Soldiers ran past him, as well as women he recognized as nurses. He stopped one of them.
“What’s going on?”
“Master Goran has been injured. We must tend to him.” She went to run off.
“What happened?”
“How should I know?” The middle-aged lady then joined her comrades.
Justin wondered just how much he should poke his nose into the business around him. He followed one of the women, watching her disappear into a room. Trying to look as innocuous as possible, he sauntered close to the door. He didn’t have to get any closer to hear the voices inside. One was undeniably Goran’s.
“Give me that! You have no idea how to apply it!”
The other was Arthurs.
“You did well Goran, now we have the girl and they have lost their most valuable asset. There is nothing they can do to stop the purging of this land.”
“As was prophesied, sire.” Goran grimaced, Justin could tell he was in pain, that pleased him.
“Yes, the prophecies have not failed us yet. Is there any word on the older Pendridge?”
“We believe he is still at his home in the south.”
“Send the dragon to get him, but do not bring him back unless he gives us the prophecies.”
“He will be reluctant to do so, sire, they are his only leverage.”
Goran winced.
“Don’t start to fail me now Goran, not having done so well. Bring me the scrolls. We cannot risk them falling into their hands.”
“Of course, sir
e.”
Silence followed and Justin had the distinct feeling that the door was about to open, he quickly turned and ran.
CHAPTER 32
After a number of exchanges on their hand radios, contact was established with the military base, and near the end of the third hour from leaving Glastonbury, lights appeared outside of the APC. Each of its occupants wanted to be done with the loud and bumpy ride inside of the metal shell and most sighed with relief when Vic told them they had arrived.
The APC stopped and Hunt kicked open the broken rear hatch. Around them were a series of former warehouses, but were now housing tanks, and other military equipment. Overhead the drone or helicopters crossed the sky constantly as columns of soldiers marched past through slush and ice.
Everyone climbed out, and Vic went straight to the officer standing nearby. “Take me to your commanding officer I have important intel.” He looked back at the other non-soldiers all of whom were looking at the bright lights around them. “And find these people a bunk, food, and water.” The captain nodded and ordered a private to do as asked. Vic then looked at Hunt who was looking at a sleepy Sparrow. “She need medical?”
“Right now, she just needs to rest, I’ll check in on her in the morning.”
Vic, Mills, and Hunt then followed the captain away.
A young soldier looked at the strange assortment of dejected looking people. “I’m going to have to take your weapons.”
All but Annabelle handed them over.
“Non, I keep.” she said, standing with her arms crossed, her sword still in its sheath across her back.
The soldier wasn’t sure what to do.
“It’s an antique, been in her family for years.” said Nell.
The soldier frowned. “OK, but keep it covered up. Please follow me.”
They walked between more guarded gates, until they came to a large flat building, completely filled with camping beds. Half of them were already home to people, most of whom looked like civilians.
Algorine sat down heavily on the thin mattress. Nell helped Sparrow lay back on one of the beds.
