Simon Green - The Man with the Golden Torc

I walked confidently through the hallways and corridors with Molly at my side. People rushed by, shouting and gesturing, but none of them paid me any attention. To them I was just another Drood, anonymous in my armour. And if Molly was with me, well, then she must be just another authorised guest. In an emergency, people have time to see only what they expect to see.

I led Molly deeper into the Hall, and she oohed and aahed as she took in all the luxurious furnishings, the portraits and paintings, the statues and works of art, and all the other marvellous loot my family has acquired down the centuries. I grew up with it all, so I still mostly took it for granted, and I had to smile as Molly went ecstatic and rapturous over this rare piece or that. I actually had to drag her away from a few things she wanted to examine more closely. We had to keep moving; time was not on our side. Molly pouted rebelliously, but she understood.

"Colour me majorly impressed," she said. "I’d heard stories about this place, but…I had no idea. There are things here they haven’t even got in museums! Paintings by major artists that aren’t in any of the catalogues! So many beautiful things…and probably wasted on you, you philistine. No wonder Sebastian had such excellent taste…I’m not leaving here without stuffing a few things in a bag."

"Later," I said. "We have to get to the Armoury."

"Why?"

"Because there’s something there I need. Something I can use to bring the house down."

The Armoury should have been closed, shut down, sealed and guarded, according to the emergency protocols. I’d half expected to have to fight my way through armed guards and force the blast-proof doors open with my armoured strength. Or have Molly use her magics. But in the end the heavy doors stood wide open, entirely unguarded, which was…unheard of. I edged over to the blast-proof doors and peered cautiously through into the Armoury. It gave every indication of being deserted. I insisted on going in first, and Molly made her disapproval clear by crowding close behind, almost stepping on my heels.

The cellars were deserted, all the workstations shut down. The quiet was eerie. None of the usual fires or explosions or sudden surprised cursings. One man was waiting for us, sitting at ease in his favourite chair right in the middle of everything. He watched, smiling wryly, as Molly and I cautiously approached him. A tall middle-aged man with a bald pate and tufty white eyebrows, wearing a stained white lab coat over a T-shirt bearing the legend Guns Don’t Kill People—Unless You Aim Them Properly. The Armourer. My uncle Jack. I should have known he would stand his ground when everyone else had fled.

"Hello, Eddie," he said calmly. "I’ve been expecting you."

He held up something in his right hand. A simple clicker in the shape of a small green frog. He snapped it once, and my armour went back into my collar, just like that. I gaped at the Armourer, shocked speechless, and he laughed softly.

"Just a little toy I put together long ago and kept for myself. After all, you never know when it might come in handy…When I heard all the alarms go off at once, I knew it had to be you, Eddie. You always did have a taste for the dramatic. Why did you come back? You know it’s death for you to be here, now you’re rogue. And why have you brought one of your oldest enemies into the most confidential part of the Hall?"

"I’m not sure who the enemy really is anymore, Uncle Jack," I said.

"You know Molly Metcalf?"

"Of course I know who she is, boy. I know all the names that matter. I was an agent in the field for twenty years, and I still leaf through all the reports. How else would I know what to design for agents today? What is the infamous Molly Metcalf doing here, Eddie?"

"Why does everyone keep using that word?" said Molly. "I am not infamous!"

"She’s with me," I said.

The Armourer smiled suddenly. "Oh, it’s like that, is it? Well, it’s about time." He grinned charmingly at Molly. "Delighted to meet you, my dear. I’m afraid I only know you by reputation, and quite a fearsome reputation it is."

"I earned it," said Molly. "Though I’ve always preferred to think of myself as a fun person."

"Did you really turn the whole Berkshire Hunt into foxes for forty-eight hours?"

"Of course," said Molly. "I thought it might give them a little insight."

"Good for you, girl," said the Armourer. "Never did approve of foxhunting. Barbarous sport, mostly followed these days by inbred aristos and nouveau riche arriviste arseholes. So, Eddie…you finally brought a girlfriend home to meet the family. I was beginning to worry about you."

"She is not my…well…" I said. "We’re still working on what we are."

"Right," said Molly. "It’s…complicated."

"How do you feel about him, Molly?" said the Armourer, leaning forward.

"I’m fond of him," she said thoughtfully. "Like a big shaggy dog that no one wants, that’s come in out of the rain, and you haven’t the heart to drive out again."

The Armourer winked at me. "She’s crazy about you, kid."

"Woof woof," I said.

"Now then, lad," said the Armourer, briskly back to business. "What the hell are you doing here? And whatever possessed you to phone ahead? The Matriarch went mad. She’s been beside herself, issuing orders for you to be killed on sight. I’m committing treason against the family just for talking to you like this." He sniffed loudly. "Like that’s going to stop me. I’ve never needed someone else to tell me what’s in the family’s best interests. If you ask me, Mother’s not all there, these days. But even so, you can’t expect me to actually assist you in…whatever you came here for. You should never have come back, Eddie. What did you think you’d find here, for God’s sake?"

"Armourer," I said, "I came here looking for the truth. Just like you always taught me, Uncle Jack."

He sighed heavily and clicked his green frog again. "Oh, all right; there’s your armour back again. I just know I’m going to regret this…I always was too softhearted for my own good. Why did you come down here, Eddie? What do you want from me?"

"I need to discover the real reason why I was made rogue," I said slowly. "I was never a traitor to the family, Uncle Jack. You know that."

"Yes," the Armourer admitted. "I know that. Anyone else I might have believed, but not you, Eddie. You were always so honest and open about your doubts…I couldn’t believe it when they told me. Wouldn’t believe it, till they told me to shut up and do as I was told. Something’s happening in the family, Eddie, that I don’t understand. Factions, infighting, deep divisions over arguments I can’t even follow…And now different parts of the family are actually keeping secrets from each other. I’m being deliberately kept out of the loop, as well, and that’s never happened before. Mother would never have permitted it…She always used to trust my judgement. But things have changed dramatically in the years since you left, Eddie, and not for the better. Do I really need to tell you that stepping down as Armourer in favour of dear little Alexandra wasn’t my idea? Thought not."

"I need your help, Uncle Jack," I said. "I need you to trust me."

"I’m really not going to like this, am I?" He rose to his feet and clapped me on the shoulder. "You’ll probably do less damage if I help you. Look, if you want answers, you need the library. Everything’s in there, somewhere." He fished a key ring out of his pocket, and took off one small key. He handed it to me. "The library will have gone into automatic shutdown once the alarms started, but that key will open all the doors for you. Take good care of that key, Eddie; I want it back. Now get the hell out of here before someone comes in and catches me talking to you."