Simon Green - The Man with the Golden Torc

"And mine," said the ghost of old Jacob.

"And mine," said the Sarjeant-at-Arms.

The crowd looked at the Matriarch. She looked slowly around her, taking in what she saw in their faces, and finally her proud shoulders slumped, and she turned away.

"I’m tired," she said. "And Alistair needs me. Do what you want. You will anyway."

She turned her back on me and walked away through the crowd, pushing out blindly with her hands, and again the people opened up to let her pass. No one said anything; no one jeered. She was the Matriarch, after all. And even after all that had happened, after all she’d done, to me and so many others, it still hurt me to see her humbled and broken. She was my grandmother, and she always gave me the best toys at Christmas when I was little, and nursed me when I was sick.

"Edwin leads us now!" said the Armourer, grabbing my hand and holding it over my head like a prizefighter. "The greatest field agent of all time! The truest, bravest son this family ever had! Edwin! Edwin!"

The crowd took up the chant, yelling my name, working themselves into a frenzy as the great chamber filled with the sound of the family cheering me, over and over. I found it just a bit scary. I’d never wanted to lead the family, but it seemed I wasn’t being given any choice. So I’d stick around for a while. Do what I could. And run away again, first chance I got. I eased my arm out of the Armourer’s grasp, turned to Molly, and grinned at her.

"It’s been a crazy few days, hasn’t it?" I said. I had to raise my voice to be heard over the din of the crowd. "Who would have thought we’d end up here, eh?"

"I’m glad for you, Eddie. But where do I fit into all this?"

"Wherever you want. The family is going to have to reach out to many of those who were once our enemies. I’ve seen for myself that the distance between us and the bad guys isn’t as clear and distinct as I was brought up to believe. We have to learn to work together against the real threats. Like Manifest Destiny. And who better than you to be our emissary?"

She smiled. "That the only reason you want me to stick around?"

"No," I said. "I need you here because…I need you."

"So," she said. "We are having a relationship, after all?"

"Looks that way," I said.

And that’s how I ended up running the family business. It’s a strange old world sometimes.