Herbie Brennan - Faerie Wars

Henry took a deep breath. 'It's sort of complicated,' he said.

'Then you'd better simplify it for me,' Blue told him coldly. She waited, her eyes never leaving him.

Henry repeated the story Fogarty had told him about the demon.

He could sense her growing disbelief the more he talked. Not that he blamed her – he was still far from sure about Fogarty's story himself. Then suddenly her expression changed. 'Did you say Beleth?' she asked urgently.

'That's right,' Henry said. 'He's some sort of demon king, I think.' He regretted the choice of words at once: they sounded like something out of a Christmas panto. 'Look, I know this sounds pretty batty, but I've known Mr Fogarty for ages and he would never – '

But she cut him off. 'Beleth was the demon Brimstone called up -the one who nearly killed Pyrgus. How could Fogarty know that name? How could anybody know that name? Pyrgus didn't tell anybody. I only know because I saw it in Brimstone's magical diary. And there was another book with something to do with Beleth…' She stopped, frowning.

'You mean you believe me?' Henry asked with relief.

'I'm not sure,' Blue said. 'If you've just killed someone, then pretending you were controlled by a demon is a very convenient excuse. All the same…'

Henry knew what she meant. If demons really existed – and Blue herself seemed to accept that they did – then why shouldn't they take over people? It occurred to him it was a point he might clarify. 'You believe in demons, don't you?'

Blue blinked in surprise. 'Nobody believes in demons,' she said shortly. 'They're just there' She caught Henry's expression and added, 'In their own world, of course. Usually trying to get into this one. Nighters work with them a lot.'

'Can they take over people?' Henry asked. 'Like, control their minds?'

'Yes, of course,' Blue said. 'Everybody knows you must never look a demon in the eye.' She suddenly realised where this was going and said quickly, 'That doesn't mean I believe there's a demon loose in the palace or that it made Mr Fogarty kill my father.'

'No, but it's possible, isn't it?'

She stood lost in thought for a long time before she said, 'Yes, it's possible.'

'We need more information,' Blue was saying. 'I have to get another look at those two books.' She caught Henry's blank look. 'I don't know if he told you, but Pyrgus got involved with a Nightside sorcerer called Brimstone who tried to sacrifice him to this demon. I found that out when I stole Brimstone's magical diary and another book about Beleth. Only my father – ' she blinked, but went on without hesitation ' – didn't approve and sent the books back. I was only able to glance at them.'

'Where are the books now?'

'I think Tithonus may have them,' Holly said.

'Can you ask Tithonus for them back? I mean, if you explain they might be important…'

Blue nodded uncertainly. 'I expect so. I'll send a servant.'

Minutes later, Tithonus's manservant, a taciturn individual named Atolmis, was presenting his compliments. He wore footman's uniform with a canvas sack slung over one shoulder. 'Grave news, Your Serene Highness,' he said formally.

'What is it, Atolmis?' Blue asked sharply.

'The Gatekeeper has asked me to suggest you remain in your rooms for the moment, Serenity. He's in the Situation Room. We have received information the Nightside has launched a full-scale military attack.'

Blue's face was already pale, but Henry noticed she blanched even further. 'I should go to the Situation Room,' she said. 'There may be something I can do.'

'The Gatekeeper would prefer you to remain in your rooms, Serenity. He fears for your safety,' Atolmis said woodenly.

'My safety? Why should there be a threat to my safety?'

Atolmis had large dark eyes that never seemed to blink. He turned them on Blue now. 'Since the death of your illustrious father, my master has assumed the powers of Regent pending the return of the Crown Prince. As Regent he is now in charge of the defence of the Realm. I was at his side until a short time ago. We are – ' He hesitated, as if selecting his words carefully. 'We are experiencing some difficulties in containing the Nightside attack.'

'But they are under-manned!' Blue protested. 'My – ' She stopped. Her contacts in the Espionage Service had alerted her to the state of the Nightside armies, but she didn't want to admit that.

Atolmis said dully, 'The Nightside has been joined by demon forces.'

Blue blinked. 'How? How are the demons getting through?' There were always one or two demons in the Realm of Faerie, invited in by sorcerers, necromancers and the like, but a breakthrough by a full-scale demon army was impossible.

Tm afraid we don't know, Serenity. But they have already crossed the Teetion Valley and there is fierce fighting on the Plains of Lilk. Demon reinforcements are marching to join the advance party.' He took a deep, noticeable breath. 'Serenity, it may be only a matter of hours before they threaten the city. The safety of the Royal Family is my master's prime concern. May I assure him you will remain in your rooms?'

Blue nodded soberly. 'Yes, Atolmis. Yes, you may.'

'Thank you, Serenity,' Atolmis said. He half turned to take his leave, then turned back and drew a cloth-wrapped package from his canvas sack. He held it out to Blue. 'The books you requested, Serenity.'

'It sounds serious,' Henry said when Atolmis had gone.

Blue glanced at him. 'That's stating the obvious,' she sniffed. She caught Henry's hurt expression and added quickly, 'But there's nothing we can do directly and it only means it's more important than ever to find Pyrgus.' She untied the ribbon enclosing the package. 'Come on – you can help me study these books.'

The book felt unpleasant the moment he took it in his hand. It was bound with boards, covered in some sort of animal skin that was smooth and pink and hairless, a bit like… a bit like…

It couldn't be a baby's skin, could it? Henry almost dropped the book in panic. Only the thought of Blue's contempt stopped him. But the closer he looked at it, the more he felt it, the more he thought it must be a baby's skin. It had the right texture, the right feel and if you peered really closely you could even see the little pores. It was stamped in old gold leaf with the words, The Book of Beleth. Henry shuddered.

All the same, he opened the book.

It was like nothing he'd seen before. For a start, the paper was strange. It was thicker than ordinary paper and had a funny smell. The surface was rough to the touch, slightly porous. And it wasn't a printed book. Somebody had handwritten every word, hand-drawn every picture. Different inks had been used, including one that looked suspiciously like dried blood. On the page he had opened, there were crude drawings of an eye, a hand, a foot, a crown, a crest and a set of long, curling horns. To one side of them were peculiar sigils. One that looked like the Roman letter I falling forward on its face was captioned 'Oblique'. Another, which consisted of six lines cross-hatched, had the word 'Manifold' beside it. None of it made any sense to Henry.

He closed the book and opened it again at the beginning. There was a sigil on the first page, inked in black and composed of curls and loops so that it looked for all the world like somebody doodling. Except there was a deliberate feel about it that made him certain it was no doodle. Below the sigil were six words that made the hair crawl on the back of his neck: Beleth holds the keys to Hell.

Henry found himself in the peculiar position of holding a book that actually scared him. He couldn't shake the feeling it was like something out of a horror movie. In his mind's eye, he could see the innocent young hero stumble on a tome like this in some vampire's crypt. Open it, or even touch it, and the minute you turned your back it would start to glow. Shortly after that, smoke would billow out to form something with large teeth and long claws.