Андреа Хёст - The Pyramids of London

It was also one of the largest circles, dozens of feet across, and each of the stones the height of two or even three people together. This at least meant there was no difficulty in roaring right in, barely slowing down until the last moment, so that they skidded to a stop near the centre, in a cloud of dust and powdered grass.

Safe.

The thing that wanted to kill them crashed against the Burning Circle like a green-grey wave meeting a breakwater. Hands of mist groped and snatched, but withered as soon as they crossed the bounds, and briefly the hunter flickered away to nothing, but then surged and swept onward, a formless intangibility reaching, grasping, until it completely surrounded the whole of the wide circle of stone. There was a noise, words that Eluned could not distinguish, constant as rain.

“Something under the ground?” Li Zhi panted, as out of breath as if he’d been running.

“If we’d been on foot…” Griff slipped off the courser, took two steps toward the edge of the circle, then retreated back to the exact centre.

People were streaming out of and around the compression dome, but wisely stopped at a distance as the green-grey tide waxed higher. It was as if the thing’s failure to gain its prize was causing it to swell and double in force with every passing moment.

“Who in the Fifteen Hells and Thousand Heavens did you annoy?” Li Sen asked.

“Romans,” Griff said. “Or…I didn’t really understand what they were saying.”

“I think it was their accent, or a dialect,” Eluned said, and let out a sobbing little laugh because what did that matter right now? “Pray,” she suggested, as one of the triskelion-inscribed stones tilted, and another began to sink. “Pray!”

Sulis rarely answered prayers directly. She worked her will through the Trifold, and the most supplicants could hope for was a nudge to their fortunes in the areas that were Sulis’ particular domain. As Eluned tilted her face to the sun and fumbled for words, she wondered if she should be calling on Cernunnos instead. But the airfield was singularly clear of trees, and all hint of the Great Forest had left her. Surely Sulis would find this affront to one of her circles an act worthy of response.

“Dimity!” Griff gasped, finding his own form of prayer. “Please come help! Dimity. I‑i‑EE!”

Eleri joined in. “I‑i‑EE! Dimity, for Sulis’ honour! I‑i‑EE!”

Two of the standing stones rose several feet, and then heeled over. Another was only half its former height. The grasping hands were reaching further into formerly safe territory, but were not yet able to entirely breach the circle. The incomprehensible words grew in volume, though Eluned still could not make out what was being said.

“Stay back from us and they might ignore you,” Eluned said hurriedly to Li Sen and Li Zhi, then joined Eleri and Griff in calling out the name of a faceless pinwheel that had so loved to hear its name that Eluned could still remember the reflected joy.

“But what are you trying to do?” Li Sen asked, making no move to gain any distance—though there was precious little area outside the centre that was now not threatened by snatching hands.

“It’s solstice singing,” Li Zhi said, adding his own voice. “I‑i‑EE!”

“I‑i‑EE!” they all sang, as one of the great flat stones was dragged completely under. They clung to each other and sang louder, voices rising above the constant whispering as both coursers started to sink.

I‑i‑EE?

The blue and white triskelion burst into existence, whirling in a narrow circle in what little clear space remained between children and snatching mist. The hands recoiled, but then simply dropped lower to the ground, reaching for ankles.

I‑i‑EE!Dimity spun faster, and was joined in a wave of heat by red and gold with a trill of O‑o‑O!, and a yellow and green O-e-oo-a!.

And then, far far above them, one of the greater triskelion emerged, its wings deep black, their reach so vast that the airship that had recently taken off was visible below it, buffeted by the downdraft.

A-a-a-A-a-a-A-a-a-A-a-a-A-a-a-A-a-a!it sang, washing half of London with heat.

And then it vanished again, leaving only a tumult among the clouds, but all three of the smaller triskelion remained, and had turned from horizontal to vertical to drive along the ground, cutting through the grasping mist and setting the withered grass alight.

“I think it worked!” Li Zhi said, coughing. “The noise has stopped.”

The smoke made it difficult to be entirely certain, but Eluned thought he was right. The standing stones were no longer shifting, and no hint of reaching fingers remained.

“Help me with the coursers,” Li Sen said urgently, and they hastily came together to haul the rear wheel of one out of the dirt, and then push both vehicles out of the remains of the circle.

I‑i‑EE?

“Thank you, Dimity!” Eluned called, as the three triskelion rose rapidly into the air. “Thank you, Toroco, and, uh—”

“Lorenoola,” said a woman, mildly informative. They turned to discover the leading edge of the crowd had reached them, a number armed with buckets and blankets, and at their head was a small woman dressed neatly in overalls, who tossed water briskly onto the smoking grass.

“With the triskelion so frequently called here, we are well drilled with grass fires,” she said, looking with interest at the two coursers. “Are those out of Nathaner’s? I heard they were doing new things with motorised velocipedes.”

“Yes, dama,” said Li Sen, pride competing with reaction to the near escape. “These are the prototypes, but we’ll be going into production with the coursers soon.”

“That wheel looks damaged. Bring them into Workshop Two and we’ll see what we can do with it before the police arrive.” She cocked her head at the scene behind them, and added: “Along with a representative of the palace, I expect. And the Sun Keepers. And, of course, airfield security.”

Eluned turned because these last were just arriving, stopping to stare at the wreck that had been the Burning Circle, one of the most famous in Prytennia. At least half the stones had fallen, and two were shattered. One was missing altogether while the top quarter of another poked out of the ground like an emerging tooth. Beyond, the airship buffeted by the greater triskelion was hastily landing. Above, the clouds had twisted into a gyrating swirl, and the remaining smoke from the grass streamed every-which-way in the suddenly pounding wind.

“Send the palace representative in to me when they arrive, Joshua,” the short woman said to a man beating out lingering flames with a blanket. “Come along you five.”

Eluned hung back a moment. “Please, dem, could you tell the police to go to the Ficus Lapis workshop? We think that’s who sent that…whatever, and they looked like they were leaving.”

“Over on Fitchley?” said the man, and glanced at the woman, who nodded.

“Good thought,” the woman said. “I’m Trevelyan, by the way.”

Lady Aranxta Trevelyan, the Minister for Science and Technology. Eluned could almost see Eleri prick up her ears at this news, for Lady Trevelyan was on Eleri’s very short list of people she might consider working for, before starting her own workshop. The Minister had a formidable reputation as a physicist, but also a passion for aeronautical mechanics, and her workshops were at the forefront of development in Prytennia. Eluned was glad for her calm authority, and the way that she blithely led them away from all the people who wanted to exclaim at and interrogate and perhaps yell at them, even if it was clear that she was doing so to ask questions herself. Most fortunately she started by taking them to her book-choked office, sitting them down, and pouring tea into them until they all—and Griff particularly—stopped looking quite so peaky.