Mark Chadbourn - Destroyer of Worlds

When the drumming reached a crescendo, it stopped suddenly. The ringing silence was just as potent, but it only lay over the circle for a second before there was a soaring whoosh as Blue Fire burned in lines along the paths of the ancient leys. In the distance they interconnected to create the Fiery Network. Above the stone circle, the sapphire flames rushed up to create a structure that appeared to reach towards the stars, a cathedral of fire that made their chests swell and brought tears of awe to their eyes.

For a moment, they basked in the wonder of the display and then the Blue Fire washed back into hiding, but the effect it had on their emotions did not disappear. A cheer rose up from the crowd, children whooping and playing, adults hugging each other, or kissing, as they turned from the stones and made their way towards the shimmering line of the river.

As the congregation dispersed, Shavi was surprised to see several people in modern dress following the throng, their faces as alight as their ancient ancestors'.

'They'll make their way back to Woodhenge for a feast that will go on till tomorrow.' the Bone Inspector grunted. 'This is the Summer Solstice. A celebration of life and death, and how the two are tied together.' He glanced at Tom. 'Nothing ends. There is always something higher, always something beyond the horizon.'

'What's happening here?' Church asked. 'Those Iron Age people… the megaliths-'

'All time is folding together,' the Bone Inspector replied. 'Don't ask me how, but I hear this is how it is in the Otherworld.'

Rachel wiped the tears from her cheeks. If anything, she had been more affected by the sight than the others. 'I never guessed,' she whispered. 'So much potential… all around us. And we never saw it.'

'It won't last long,' the Bone Inspector said. 'The Army of the Ten Billion Spiders won't let it. Things like this could destroy the Mundane Spell in a minute. Once you've seen this, why go back to your offices?'

'We can't let that be destroyed!' Rachel said desperately.

'Then you need to get busy,' the Bone Inspector said, 'because you lot are the only people who can stop that happening.'

'The Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, you mean?' Rachel enquired.

'Humans.' He turned back to Stonehenge. 'Come on. There are people you need to meet.'

As they passed through the fringes of the crowd streaming towards the river, the mood of exuberance was infectious. Once their dress was forgotten, Church could have believed they were all from the modern world enjoying the festivities of some summer carnival. Many hailed him and the others as they went by and entreated them to join them at the feast.

The Bone Inspector was untouched. Keeping his head down, he marched past the last of the crowd towards Stonehenge. Electricity filled the air as they walked between the megaliths of the outer circle and into the heart of the ring. Amongst the stones, ten men talked quietly. Most were in their fifties, though a couple were very elderly indeed. They wore grey robes tied with a cord at the waist, and on their heads were circlets of oak and ivy.

Church recognised their dress from his time in Carn Euny. 'The Culture?' he said, referring to the secretive society that had guarded the knowledge of nature and the Blue Fire since ancient times. 'I thought most of them were wiped out during the Roman invasion.'

'You and me both,' the Bone Inspector growled. 'I always thought I was the last of them. But then a few days ago, they reappeared.'

One of them came over eagerly the moment he saw them. He was in his sixties, tall, with piercing grey eyes, a totemistic staff indicating he was the leader of the group.

'Brothers and Sisters of Dragons!' he said, shaking each of their hands in turn. 'We never expected to see you here! My name is Matthias, leader of the Culture.' He nodded to the Bone Inspector. 'Brother, you were wrong.'

'Sometimes I am, and this time I'm glad.'

'Walk with us,' Matthias said. 'Join the feast.'

'We've got work to do-' Church began, but Tom interrupted him.

'Not so fast. You might learn something.'

A note in Tom's voice suggested the Rhymer had some hidden knowledge. 'You've seen something in the future,' Church said.

Tom nodded slowly. 'I've seen a lot of things. This is the last step of the journey. Don't go rushing to finish it up too quickly. Savour it. Besides, it's the Solstice. The Blue Fire swirling around beneath Stonehenge is at its peak. You don't want to be going down there until it's abated, a little at least. Tonight will be fine.'

'You want to go beneath Stonehenge?' Ruth said.

Church couldn't answer. He looked briefly from face to face, searching for any hint of potential betrayal, and finally his gaze came to rest on Tom, who recognised what was going through Church's head and looked away, disgusted.

'Come on,' Tom said. 'I'm hungry, and I need a rest and a smoke.'

They joined the tail of the group processing along the river towards the Durrington Walls henge and the nearby Woodhenge. It was going to be a beautiful day. The sky was a clear blue and an age-old peace lay over the fields, copses and hedgerows; five thousand years wrapped up in one moment. Church wondered briefly if the magical transformation that had come over the site had something to do with the power infused into the land through generations of reverence, a store of sacred energy that, right at the end of time, had started to transmit.

His thoughts were brought to a halt by their arrival on a ceremonial path leading from the river into a bewildering chaos of noise and activity. For thousands of years the site, unlike Stonehenge, had been buried beneath the rolling Wiltshire countryside. Now temporary roundhouses and ramshackle huts stood side by side, specially constructed for the Solstice celebrations of life and death as they had been in the distant past. Within a week they would all be dismantled, the tribes that had gathered there returning to their homes across Britain, and even across the sea to mainland Europe.

It reminded Church of the Glastonbury Music Festival, families and friends gathered in small communities amongst the larger sprawl of their people, campfires everywhere, the smell of cooking food, impromptu music performances with drum and voice, and a general sense of celebrating life.

The contemporary people Church had witnessed earlier wandered around the camp in a dream, welcomed by their ancestors and called to the fireside where they were offered meat carved from the roasting animals.

Shavi beamed. 'If only it was always like this.'

While Shavi took Rachel, Ruth, Laura and Veitch to explore the camp, Matthias and the other members of the Culture guided Church and Tom to a peaceful enclosure slightly removed from the chaos. Allowing himself one backward glance as Veitch took Ruth's arm, Church fought a pang of jealousy.

In a roundhouse, beside a fire, a warm herb infusion was served in wooden bowls while the Culture sat on the straw. Church was increasingly concerned about Tom, and couldn't shake the feeling that the Rhymer was receiving visions he didn't want, or couldn't bear, to share. Occasionally, he would drift into a reverie, jerking himself alert a moment later with tears in his eyes.

'It is good to be back in the world,' Matthias said when all had received their drinks. 'Our society has existed since the dawn of mankind. You knew of us, True Thomas, before you were stolen from your home, but by then we were only spoken of in whispers.'

'I could have done with you then. We all could have over the last few centuries,' Tom said. 'We were left alone, without teachers. That made us children trying to find our way in a dangerous world.'

'If we could have found a way to survive here, we would have,' Matthias replied. 'But it wasn't gods or beasts who tried to destroy us, it was our own kind. Fragile Creatures. The seekers of power. The warmongers. Our work was to cater to the spiritual needs of the people, to guard the knowledge they need to grow and prosper, and to stand as sentinels, and guides, to the invisible worlds that cluster close to our own. We were a tremendous force for good, yet we were seen as a threat by those who wanted control.'