Mark Chadbourn - Jack of Ravens

Behind her, the ranks of the Seelie Court parted to admit two attendants bearing items lost behind a blinding white light. The glow faded as the queen took the first and handed it to Church. ‘Do you recognise this?’

‘The sword Caledfwlch.’ Blue flames danced along the blade and Church felt them calling to him. He took the sword in his hand and felt its power surge through him as exuberantly as it had done the last time he had held it, more than 2,000 years ago.

‘Dark times lie ahead.’ The queen had grown sombre and Church felt an ominous but indefinable weight behind her words. ‘ This is a weapon of the gods, and too great for most Fragile Creatures, but you will need it for what is to come.’

‘Thank you. I aim to repay your trust in me.’

Church thought he noticed a hint of sadness flicker across the queen’s face, but she quickly turned to take the second item. Now the glow had gone, Church could see it was a spear, the wood carved with mysterious runes.

‘To the tribes this was known as the Spear of Lugh,’ the queen said. ‘Another weapon of power.’ She held it out.

It took a second before Ruth realised the queen was offering the spear to her. I don’t deserve this,’ she stuttered. I wouldn’t know how to use it.’

‘Nevertheless, Sister of Dragons, it is yours. Your awakening has already begun. Great things lie ahead for you.’

Ruth took the spear hesitantly. Church could see from her face that she was experiencing the same sensation that had coursed through him when he took the sword.

‘Can you feel it?’ the king said suddenly. ‘Can you feel it?’

From nowhere, a bitter wind rushed over them, as cold as if it had blown from the Arctic. When it had passed, the king and queen both appeared grave.

‘Across this land, the Army of the Ten Billion Spiders is gathering its strength,’ the king continued. ‘It fears you, but it will not rest until you are destroyed. Wherever you go you will be hunted. Your safe havens will be few and far between.’

‘We know what we’re up against,’ Church said. We’re not going to turn away.’

The king nodded. ‘I knew that would be your response, Brother of Dragons.’

As the Seelie Court moved off towards the biomes, Church saw lights appear amongst the trees like fireflies wherever they passed. Soon the whole of the Eden Project was alive with flickering blue will-o’-the-wisps. Ruth, Shavi and Laura were transfixed by the spectacle, but Church had seen it before, long, long ago and far away in the megalithic complex on the road out of Rome.

‘The spirits of the dead,’ he said softly.

The atmosphere was exhilarating and filled with the promise that everything would be all right. Emotions rushed through him, but the strongest was hope, and when he looked around he could see that the others were feeling the same. He slipped his arms around Ruth’s shoulders and she fell in close to him. He revelled in the scent of her hair and her skin and the warmth of her next to him.

‘It’s going to be all right, isn’t it?’ she said.

‘It’s all right now. We’ll deal with the future when it comes.’

Nearby, one of the wisps took on more substance until it became a figure of burning blue flame. Church recognised the smiling features.

‘Hal,’ he said. ‘My own little genie.’

‘The god in the machine,’ Hal replied, the flames sizzling with each word. You’ve done well, Church, all of you have. But it’s only what I expected.’

‘I’m guessing you’re not about to give us time off for good behaviour.’

‘What, when you’ve just emerged from your chrysalis? You’re ready now for the big struggle that lies ahead.’

‘It doesn’t feel like it.’ Church felt uncomfortable giving voice to the doubts that he had long buried. How are we supposed to stand up to the Void? Four miserable little humans against … what? A god? The ultimate force in this universe?’

‘Do you really think Existence would have brought you to this point if there wasn’t a hope? In you, in everyone, there is a little sliver of that original force for good that existed at the beginning of time. Most people don’t get to find it, or put it to some use. But you and your little group have done that. If you could see what I see, Church … You, the four of you, you’re burning like stars. You can all tap into the power that opposes the Void, you just haven’t yet learned exactly how much you can do.’

Church took a deep breath and felt the peace of the night fill his lungs. Hal’s words had steadied him. ‘All right,’ he said, we carry on. But what do we do next?’

‘You take the battle to the Void. You’re knights of light, dispelling the darkness. The Void isn’t omnipotent, Church. Duality, remember? It’s all there in Janus — two faces, equal. Sometimes one looks, then the other. You have to turn away the face of the Void and by doing so usher in a new golden age. Drive back the Kingdom of the Spider, and raise the standard of the Serpent.’

‘Okay,’ Laura said, ‘I’ll ignore the fact that I’m talking to a pillar of fire and ask — are you going to give us any specific help, or just talk in wanky generalisations?’

‘He can’t tell us anything,’ Church said, ‘because knowledge is only power if you earn it.’

Laura snorted derisively. ‘What a waste of space.’

‘I may not be able to tell you anything much, but I can point you in the right direction,’ Hal said. ‘Your battle can be helped by two young men. One is imbued with a force for destruction, the other with a force for life. Existence has hidden them from the Void. You have to find them, bring them back into contention.’

‘Anything else to go on?’ Church said ironically.

‘The force for life goes by the name of Jez Miller. He has the power to heal. The other one is another Jack — yes, just like you, Church. I wonder what that means.’

‘Surname?’

‘He didn’t have chance to find out before the Court of the Final Word snatched him from his cradle and implanted a Wish-Hex inside him, and that is a very powerful force indeed. With those two, and the Extinction Shears, anything is possible.’

‘That’s not enough to go on,’ Ruth protested. ‘We wouldn’t know where to begin.’

‘The last generation of Brothers and Sisters of Dragons who came after you — of which I was one — will be able to help you. Seek them out.’

‘You’ve got a lot of faith in us,’ Church said. ‘I hope we can live up to it.’

Hal didn’t reply.

‘I’m just sorry so many Brothers and Sisters of Dragons had to die to get us to this point,’ Church continued.

The blazing figure smiled as it raised one hand to indicate the will-o’-the-wisps flickering all around. ‘Death is not an ending, Church. Your fallen comrades are here in the vast blue eternity, supporting you in your struggle. Lucia was right when she told you not to mourn. Take strength from their sacrifice. I’m going now, Church. Good luck to all of you, and remember, we’re here. We’re always here.’

Hal flickered and then slowly faded away, but he left behind an atmosphere so strong and uplifting that Church could almost touch it. Everyone remained silent for a moment as they weighed what they had heard, and as Church looked around at their bright, open faces he knew that whatever lay ahead, he would be proud to stand beside them.

‘I suppose this means you want to be the leader,’ Laura said. ‘You’re such a show-off.’

‘Do you really think we have a chance?’ Ruth asked.

‘We’ve earned ourselves a breathing space today,’ Church said. ‘I can’t guess how this is going to turn out, but we’ve been given a huge responsibility and we can’t turn away from it, whatever lies ahead.’