Mark Chadbourn - The Burning Man

‘I am ready,’ Shavi said.

After a long moment of silence, the Jade Emperor said, ‘The season has turned, Brother of Dragons. It is your time now.’ He reached out to the scar on the cavern wall and there was an explosion of Blue Fire that knocked Shavi from his feet.

When he regained his equilibrium, Yu Huang was gone. Blue Fire gushed through an opening, filling the reservoir in the cavern, and rushing out across Vietnam, across China and the Far East, across the world.

Shavi was stunned. As he struggled to comprehend why he was still alive, Hal’s voice rang out warmly. ‘Looks like the king has returned to the land, just as he did in the Age of Misrule. Congratulations, Shavi. The Fiery Network is back. And commiserations — you’ve just ushered in the most difficult time of all. It’s going to be war, hard and brutal.’

Through the gap leading to the source of the Blue Fire, Shavi could make out movement. They came through with the flow, writhing sinuously as they struggled to adapt their nascent bodies to the new environment. The newborn Fabulous Beasts slipped into the stream one by one and made their way into the world. Shavi was overwhelmed by euphoria as their essence touched him in passing.

‘Come on,’ Hal said. ‘Let’s get you back to the others.’

Church came round to find Tom shaking him roughly.

‘Bloody hell, Tom. I was dying a few minutes ago.’

‘Shut up. You’re alive now, aren’t you? Stop being a little girl.’

Tom hauled Church into a sitting position. Rubbing the back of his head, Church recalled what had happened. ‘Shavi?’

‘Gone. He reached his potential — I always knew he would. The man’s as quiet as a mouse, but he’s got the heart of a lion. You probably didn’t realise, bickering with your girly like a lovesick teen.’

Ruth came over, choking back sobs. ‘He went in my place-’

‘Your sword,’ Tom interjected. ‘Look at your sword.’

The blade had been cold since Church had left Veitch, but now tiny blue flames flickered around the edge. They grew stronger until, with a whoosh, they roared out like a torch. Tom pointed across the cavernous hall to where a tidal wave of Blue Fire rushed towards them.

‘Dammit, he did it,’ Tom said in awe.

The flames crashed against the stone lip of the pool, but didn’t wash over the companions. A second later, Shavi stepped out of the cold inferno, grinning broadly. Ruth threw her arms around him, no longer holding back her tears.

‘Yu Huang sacrificed himself in my place,’ Shavi said.

Tom reeled. ‘The Jade Emperor sacrificed himself in your place?’

‘Yes.’

‘The ruler of the Chinese pantheon — the highest of the high in this Great Dominion?’

‘He said “yes”, you old fool,’ Ruth said sharply.

The flaming outline of Hal appeared in the Blue Fire, this time sharp and clear. Church had an impression of a shy young man overcome with the optimism that was spreading through them all.

‘All right, team, you’re on the last leg,’ he said. ‘Get the two Keys together, and then it’s backs to the wall for the fight to end them all.’

‘But we are still trapped in the Forbidden City with the spiders outside the walls,’ Shavi said.

‘I told you, for people like … people like us — there’s always an exit. Right, Tom?’

‘Your magic disappearing act,’ Church said. ‘That’s right. You know how to jump along the lines of earth energy, move between the nodes-’

‘No,’ Shavi cautioned, ‘it is too dangerous. I have heard tell that once you immerse yourself in the Blue it is so wondrous, so magical, you could lose yourself in there for ever.’

‘That’s right,’ Hal said. ‘The Blue is very seductive. It’s the place we all want to go home to after a hard day’s work, where we can finally rest. But you have to know there will be time enough for that later. You can free yourself from the pull of the Blue if you stay focused on your mission.’

‘It can take us straight to New York?’ Church said.

‘It can take you anywhere.’

‘Then let’s do it.’ Church turned to Tom. ‘You know how to get this thing going?’

Tom nodded, crouching next to the pool, his head bowed.

‘Church …’ Ruth began hesitantly.

‘Don’t worry. We’re going to be all right.’

‘We need to talk.’

‘When we get to New York.’

There was a whoosh as the Blue Fire swirled in a vortex. ‘Come on,’ Tom said. ‘It’s not going to stay open for ever.’

‘Good luck,’ Hal said. ‘I’ll be with you all the way. And beyond. The real journey starts here.’

Hal faded into the flames as Tom stepped into the vortex and was gone. Shavi followed.

‘Church,’ Ruth said forcefully, ‘I’m not going with you.’

In her face, he saw a glimpse of the earlier betrayal and knew the truth. ‘You’re staying with Veitch.’

‘I have to. I can’t explain now.’

‘You don’t need to.’

‘You’re right there.’ Veitch stepped from the shadows in the tunnel. Behind him, Miller cowered. ‘Bad pennies and all that.’ The black flames sucked hungrily at the Blue Fire in Caledfwlch.

‘You’re not going to take her,’ Church said.

‘She’s making the choice, mate. That’s always how I wanted it. I never wanted to force her to do anything.’

Ruth wouldn’t meet Church’s eyes.

‘See, you’re all better, just like I said.’

‘So you can try to kill me again?’

‘Nah, I just wanted to teach you a lesson. Make you feel some of the pain I felt. You see, now I’ve won. You’ve lost. Game over.’

‘It’s not over,’ Church said coldly.

‘Ooh, scary talk.’

‘Church, leave it,’ Ruth pleaded.

Veitch entered the hall and stood next to Ruth. When she didn’t move away from him, Church felt as if Veitch had stabbed him all over again.

‘I just needed you to do the dirty work, open up the path into the Blue,’ Veitch said. ‘It’s the smart way to travel.’

Church raised his sword, ready to fight until one of them died. And then Ruth did come over to him, but just as he convinced himself that she had changed her mind, she whispered, ‘Go,’ and thrust him into the vortex.

As he was whisked away into a soothing sapphire world, he saw Veitch take Ruth’s hand and prepare to follow. Still reeling from the revelation that he and the Libertarian were one and the same, this was the final blow. He wondered if disappearing into the peace of that blue world for ever might be the only way to soothe the pain.

The prison stood in the shadow of the great watchtowers that flanked the entrance gate to the Court of the Soaring Spirit. In a grim city, it was the grimmest building of all, built of gargantuan blocks of stone with only a smattering of windows, each barely bigger than a hand. Even in the dark, no light escaped from it, and no sound, but a reek of damp, blood and excrement hung over all.

In an alleyway that offered some respite from the driving rain, Mallory watched. There was only one way in and out, and it was blocked by iron gates with armed guards beyond. But Jerzy was in there somewhere, and if what Mallory had heard about the Hall of Bright Beyond was true, the Mocker needed to be rescued sooner rather than later.

Nearby, an old mare whinnied and stumbled slowly through the thick mud of a roughly built pen next to a smoky shack. Picking up a coil of rope, Mallory also took a thick woollen cloak that hung in an adjoining shed and wrapped it around himself before leading the mare out of the pen. He rode the animal towards the prison, hunched low over its neck with the hood of the cloak pulled forwards to obscure his features. Anyone seeing him would have thought him wounded or dead.