Herbie Brennan - Ruler of the Realm

‘But you were attracted?’

‘Yes, but nothing happened.’

‘So you didn’t…?’

‘Oh, no. Oh, no, definitely not.’ Then, because truth between them was suddenly important, he said, ‘Well, I kissed her once, sort of, and she…’

The ghost of a smile was playing across Nymph’s lips. ‘Kissed you back?’

‘Punched me on the nose,’ said Pyrgus; and this time they both laughed out loud.

They were hand in hand as they crept to the top of the rise to spy out what the Trinians called the Fluid Dark.

Pyrgus froze. Beneath them, stretched for miles across the desert plain, were Beleth’s demon legions. They stood waiting with inhuman patience, armed and armoured. Hell hounds crouched by every foot. Lines of giant transport beetles carried heavy armaments. A city of tents provided shelter.

The red reflection of the magma flows on metal surfaces made it look as if they’d never left their native Hael.

Blue asked, ‘Do you trust him?’

Fogarty shook his head. ‘Hairstreak? Of course I don’t trust him.’

Madame Cardui said, ‘Except he’s telling the truth about Beleth’s legions. They’ve already entered the Realm.’

Blue stared at her in surprise. ‘Why didn’t I know about this?’

Madame Cardui said mildly, ‘Pyrgus only called in and confirmed it a few minutes ago. After Lord Hairstreak arrived. From his description, it’s not just a few demons. It sounds like the entire demon army – a much stronger attack force than anything they’ve ever mustered here before. With that amount of help from Beleth, the Faeries of the Night will win the war. Probably within weeks.’

Blue felt the entire weight of her office pressing down on her. This was a mess. It was getting worse. And a small voice deep inside her kept insisting it was all her fault. If she hadn’t put a Countdown in place, her uncle might not have ordered the Nighters to attack. But if she hadn’t gone to see her uncle in the first place, the demons might not have had a chance to kidnap her and she wouldn’t have learned about their plans.

Except she didn’t know enough about their plans. She couldn’t remember Henry saying anything about whether Beleth’s plans involved the Faeries of the Night. Or when he planned to attack. She needed Henry here to make it clear, if he could. In the meantime…

‘You don’t believe Lord Hairstreak then?’

Madame Cardui sighed, shook her head, then shrugged. ‘I simply don’t know. None of this is making much sense. The Nighters have been allied with Hael for generations. Why should it be any different now?’

‘Why would Hairstreak claim it’s different now?’ Gatekeeper Fogarty put in. ‘He says the demon invasion has nothing to do with him or any of the Nighters.’

‘My deeah, I would not believe a thing Lord Hairstreak said if he swore it on his mother’s grave.’

‘Neither would I normally,’ Fogarty agreed. ‘But that man is frightened and I’ve never seen him frightened before. You heard what he said. He doesn’t just want peace between the Lighters and Nighters – he’s asked for an alliance against Beleth. He’s never done that before.’

‘Or ever needed to,’ Blue mused thoughtfully. She looked at Madame Cardui. ‘Get Henry here.’

‘Henry, deeah?’

A horrifying thought leaped into Blue’s mind. ‘You have released him, haven’t you? He’s not still under sentence of death?’

‘No, of course not, deeah. He’s in the infirmary recovering from his little operation.’

‘Then bring him here now, Cynthia,’ Blue hissed impatiently. ‘He’s the one who can tell us if this offer’s genuine. He’ll know exactly what the demons are planning – he was linked to the Haelmind.’

‘What’s the Hellmind?’ Fogarty asked.

Blue ignored him. She was still looking at Madame Cardui. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’m afraid Henry will be under sedation.’

Much as she loved Madame Cardui, Blue could have killed her. But murder was a luxury she couldn’t afford at that moment. ‘When will he wake up?’

‘Probably not soon enough,’ said Madame Cardui. ‘It may be that we’re going to have to make this decision without him.’

Blue fought hard to get her anger under control. ‘Very well. Send somebody to check. In the meantime, what’s your opinion?’

‘Beleth’s forces are massed in the Eastern Desert,’ Madame Cardui said. ‘Exactly where they need to be to aid Yammeth Cretch.’

‘Or invade it,’ Fogarty pointed out. He parked his backside on the arm of a chair and said, ‘Let’s just look at what we’ve got, see if that makes it any clearer. OK with you, Blue?’

Blue nodded.

Fogarty began to tick points on his fingers. ‘First, Beleth’s army is camped in the Eastern Desert. His whole army; a massive attack force.’

‘Yes.’

‘Lord Hairstreak says this has nothing to do with him. He didn’t call on Beleth, he didn’t ask for Beleth’s help, he didn’t know the Hael portals had reopened. When he found out the demons were there… what?… he decided Beleth was about to attack him and came here to ask for our help? That doesn’t make sense.’

‘Which is what I said, deeah. Surely if your old ally turns up again, you race out to welcome him with open arms? Why did His Lordship not do that?’

‘Is Hairstreak still in the palace?’

Madame Cardui nodded. ‘Refused to leave, even after Blue dismissed him. He’s in an antechamber now, hoping we will talk to him again.’

Fogarty said, ‘Then let’s ask him.’

Hairstreak, when he entered, looked as if he hadn’t slept for months, but he still managed to retain his composure.

‘Have you seen sense yet?’ he snapped at Blue.

Fogarty cut across him. ‘When you discovered Beleth had arrived, why didn’t you send someone to meet him?’ he asked bluntly. ‘He’s your old ally, after all.’

Hairstreak gave a small, cold smile. ‘Oh, I did. Of course I did. I assumed he was here to help our cause – the Nighter cause, that is. So I sent Burgundy to greet him, escort the demons into Yammeth City.’ The smile turned into a chill, hollow laugh. ‘It seemed like an extraordinary piece of luck.’

After a moment, Madame Cardui said, ‘And what happened?’

Hairstreak looked her directly in the eye. ‘He sent me back Burgundy’s head in a sack.’

It was strange, Blue thought: Hairstreak suddenly looked small. He was still the same man, but he seemed strangely shrunken, as if life was leaking out of him like a punctured balloon. As Mr Fogarty said, there was fear in his eyes. She’d never seen her uncle afraid before.

Madame Cardui said, ‘They have not attacked Yammeth City…?’ She was speaking of Beleth’s demon hordes. It was half musing, half a question.

‘Not yet,’ Hairstreak said.

‘Or anywhere else in the Cretch?’

Hairstreak shook his head. He was answering Cynthia, but his eyes were on Blue.

Blue said nothing, watching and waiting. She was hoping against hope something would come out of the discussion that would clear her mind. But all she could think of was that here they were, holding a strategy conference with her uncle. Even as a child she’d been taught to think of him as her wicked uncle, like a character in a mythic tale. Now, suddenly, he wasn’t the enemy any more and nor were the Faeries of the Night. Or so it seemed.

‘Why do you think that is?’ Madame Cardui asked. ‘It seems he has his forces well in place. No more than an hour’s march from your city walls from what I understand.’

‘And why did he tip his hand by killing Burgundy?’ Fogarty put in. ‘Why not just accept your invitation, bring his whole army in from the cold and then attack you by surprise from inside your defences? That’s what I’d have done.’