Herbie Brennan - Ruler of the Realm

‘How is it you know her?’ Pyrgus whispered to Kitterick.

‘I fear I’m not at liberty to say, sir.’

Pyrgus blinked at him, then said, ‘Oh. Some mission for Madame Cardui?’

‘Something of that sort, sir.’

‘But you know her well?’

Kitterick smiled a little, with his poison fangs retracted. ‘Very well, sir. Very well indeed.’

Pyrgus opened his mouth to push further, then decided better of it. Instead he said, ‘You don’t think you could get her to tell you about the crystal flowers, do you?’

‘Don’t be silly, sir,’ Kitterick said politely. ‘She’s extremely loyal to her husband. In certain matters. Besides, I doubt she’d know anything about them. Halek men are notoriously chauvinistic. They tell their wives nothing, nothing at all. I’ve often thought it a most admirable characteristic.’

‘You two can stop whispering about my bottom,’ Genoveva called cheerfully over her shoulder. ‘Can’t help it if I have a healthy appetite.’

‘I would suggest, sir,’ Kitterick said softly, ‘in relation to the crystal flowers, you tell Veva – Madame Ogyris – that you have an interest in Halek architecture and would like to see over the house. She will issue you with a pass that will permit you entry to any area you wish. If someone stops you, just produce it. I shall keep her chatting in the kitchen until you return.’

‘She won’t just let me wander through her home,’ Pyrgus protested. ‘She doesn’t know me from Firstman.’

‘Oh yes she will, sir,’ said Kitterick confidently. ‘It’s a tradition of Halek hospitality.’

‘What happens if she wants to go with me? Give me a guided tour?’

‘She won’t, sir. You can take my word on that.’ Kitterick smiled.

‘’Ere we are, boys,’ Genoveva said, opening the kitchen door. ‘Fume and scones, and if you’re very good I might find you a pot of my home-made squing preserve.’

‘Try not to take too long, sir,’ Kitterick whispered. ‘I don’t know how long I can distract her.’

Pyrgus followed them into the kitchen. The plan seemed insane, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of a better one.

‘Hello, Blue,’ Henry said and smiled coldly. ‘I told you they were coming.’

He was flanked by demons. All but one of them was manifested in its spindly, grey-skinned form. They turned their huge black eyes upon her. Blue tried to jerk her head away, but moved too late. She felt her will begin to drain.

The exception was skinny and tailed and naked except for a covering of black fur. It had budded horns and pointed ears and sharpened teeth and glowing yellow eyes. It grinned at her and loped across to take her hand. Its fur felt soft and comforting, like a cat.

‘Go with John, Blue,’ Henry said.

Go where? It was a stupid thought but the only one that occurred to her in that chill instant. How could you go anywhere when the only door from the room led right back in again?

Then other thoughts were smashing down on her like a tidal wave. Henry wasn’t working for Lord Hairstreak. Henry was working for the hordes of Hael. Which meant Henry hadn’t betrayed her. Because nobody like Henry worked for Hael of his own free will. The demons were controlling him!

It was crazy, but she actually felt relieved.

The relief lasted less than a second. They were both in big trouble and Henry didn’t even know it. If they were going to get out of this, it was up to her. But she was already caught up in the same web as Henry. Could she claw back control of her mind now she’d looked a demon in the eye?

Beside her, the foul little creature squeezed her hand encouragingly.

Blue looked carefully at what was happening to her. She didn’t feel any different to the way she usually did, but that was an illusion – and a subtle trap. However she felt, she was standing quietly holding hands with a demon, in a room full of demons. She should be running or fighting or screaming – anything except standing quietly. So when the demons took control of your mind, they made you feel you wanted to do what they wanted you to do.

Could she use that insight? Did she have any of her own will left?

She tried moving her left arm a little. It moved easily. She pushed down the sudden surge of elation. What did that prove? The demons wouldn’t care about her left arm. And why muck about with a small movement anyway? Why not try to run and see what happened? That would be a real test. Except she didn’t want to try to run because she had to go with John, as Henry said.

The thought seemed so natural that she chilled.

There was a beam of blue light pooled on the floor. She couldn’t see where it was coming from. The thing beside her crawled into her mind and fondled the surface of her brain.

‘I’m Black John,’ it told her silently. ‘Let’s walk together to the light.’

That was just what they should do, of course. She took a small step forward, then another. Henry was watching her. His eyes were closed to slits and he was smiling.

Blue tried to remember what Pyrgus had told her about being possessed by the demons. When it happened to him he’d tried hard not to think of his name, because once they knew your name, they had total control. Fat lot of good that information was. They knew her name already. Queen Blue, Empress of the Faerie Realm. Now walking like a child into a pool of light.

It occurred to her that this was not the time to resist them. They were actively controlling her, making her walk. Later, perhaps, when their attention was on something else, she might seize an opportunity to escape.

Hand in hand with Black John, Blue walked forward.

Blue was drawn elegantly along the beam. Such strange spell technology. There was nothing like it in the Realm. It made you so relaxed and dreamy, carried you so gently, up and up and up.

She reached the wall of the cubical chamber and passed through it as if it were mist. All the while Black John’s little cat-claw hand held hers.

The sudden glare blinded her and hurt her eyes. She gasped and jerked her hand away. At once Black John gripped her mind savagely and she stood stock-still, unable to move, unable even to close her eyes. Black John took her hand again and her paralysis broke.

Blue stood blinking tears from her eyes. She felt icy calm. The incident had taken less than a second, but she’d learned something. While the demon creature held her hand, he could control her actions gently. When she jerked her hand away, his response had been close to panic. Locking up her mind and body was an overreaction. He still had control, but it was a crude, brutal control.

Blue forced herself to ignore the pain in her eyes and think. The problem was nobody really knew much about demonic possession. Faeries of the Night had techniques and spells to guard against it, but even they didn’t know exactly how it worked. Henry was under demon control, obviously had been for some time, and nobody was touching him. Mr Fogarty had been possessed by a demon when he killed her father, but none of the creatures had been with him – touching him – at the time. Why did this thing need to touch her now? Henry and Mr Fogarty were both human. Perhaps it was different for faeries.

She wracked her memory to recall what exactly had happened to Pyrgus. He said the demons had jumped on him, so there’d been contact then. But had one held his hand after that? He hadn’t mentioned it, although that didn’t mean it didn’t happen. Besides, Pyrgus had been possessed while he was in Hael – the demons’ own world. It might work differently in Hael too.

No matter. She still thought she’d learned something. Here and now, the demons seemed to need contact to control her properly. That was knowledge she might use.