Faerie Wars 03 - Ruler of the Realm (47 page)

'That's what Henry told me,' Mr Fogarty said. 'The business in the desert was a diversion.'

'More like a distraction,' Blue said. 'He wanted to keep everyone so worried you wouldn't suspect what was really happening. It was a very complicated plan.'

'What went wrong with it?' Fogarty asked.

'I'm not sure,' Blue said honestly. She pushed herself up in the bed and gave a small, bleak smile. 'When they put that thing in my brain, I actually felt attracted to Beleth. But it was more than that. I thought the marriage would be good for the Realm. It felt as if it was my duty.'

'When did you stop feeling that?'

Blue said, 'When Beleth attacked Henry.'

Fogarty rolled the cylinder in his fingers. 'Know what's interesting? I had a look at this thing when they took it out. The insides are burned out.'

'Are they?' Blue asked mildly.

'It takes a lot to burn out one of those implants -almost impossible, in fact. You must love him very much,' Fogarty said quietly.

'Yes,' Blue said. 'Yes, I do.'

After a moment Fogarty said, 'Henry says you cut Beleth's throat.'

Blue's eyes glazed slightly as she nodded.

'Weren't you afraid?'

'Very.'

'You must have thought the demons would tear you limb from limb - you and Henry.'

'Yes.'

'Why didn't they?' Fogarty asked curiously.

'It's their custom to accept any new leader strong enough to kill the old one. Beleth ate his father to accede to the throne.'

'Strange creatures,' Fogarty said. 'Are you going to leave the portal open?'

'It's not a portal,' Blue said. 'It's old magic from the time before the faerie. I don't know how Beleth got hold of it. But no, I'm not going to leave it open, not if I can find out how to close it down.'

Fogarty pushed himself out of his chair. 'Feel strong enough to get up yet?'

'I think so. Why?'

'The others are waiting. We need you to talk to the Generals.'

'Hand me that dressing gown, Mr Fogarty,' Blue said.

General Creerful bowed mutely as they entered the Situation Room. He nodded briefly to Pyrgus, ignored Mr Fogarty and Madame Cardui completely, and said, wooden-faced, to Blue, 'Lord Hairstreak's main forces are in retreat, Ma'am. There was some opposition, but we have now penetrated deeply into the Cretch and are approaching Yammeth City. I anticipate we will have captured it within hours.'

There was no protecting Yammeth City now, Blue saw at once. One of the largest globes showed the entire city from an elevated perspective. For a capital at war the place looked tranquil, its streets largely deserted. Until, that is, you looked towards the eastern sector where Nighter troops and engines of war were concentrated in vast numbers. Clearly her uncle still had not realised the demon forces in the desert were an illusion. It occurred to her suddenly that Beleth must have murdered Burgundy because he had found out.

She said bluntly, 'We must withdraw.'

Creerful's shock was palpable. 'Withdraw, Majesty?'

'Immediately.'

'Queen Blue, the Faeries of the Night are at our mercy. We may never have this opportunity again.' Blue said tiredly, 'The Faeries of the Night are our cousins, not our enemy. Our real enemy has already been defeated.' She glanced at the globe again. 'Are we in communication with Lord Hairstreak?'

A wary look sprang into Creerful's eyes. 'No, Majesty.'

'How long before we can contact him?'

'Perhaps an hour with runners - the CC network is closed down. It will depend where he is.'

Madame Cardui asked quickly, 'What's happened to the CC network?'

General Creerful was joined by General Vanelke, who fielded the question: 'We suspect sabotage. There have been several acts of rebellion by Faeries of the Night living in the capital. We're working to repair the damage, but it may be some time before we're operational again. Runners might be faster at this stage.'

Blue said, 'Dispatch runners then, General. Coded message, of course. Inform my uncle of our withdrawal. Tell him his offer of an alliance is accepted.'

They were walking together in the gardens of the Purple Palace. It was evening and pinpoints of light were just beginning to flare in the distant city streets. Night stocks were releasing their scents, an alien medley that had now become familiar.

Blue asked, 'What's wrong, Henry?'

What was wrong was that he'd soon have to go back. He'd have to explain to his mother where he'd been. He'd have to explain to Anais how he'd managed to disappear before her very eyes. He'd have to live with the guilt about what he'd done to Blue. She was being very nice, but he was certain she could never forgive him.

He shrugged. 'Oh, you know ... going home,' he mumbled. He didn't want to go.

Unexpectedly, Blue said, 'I'd like to meet your family.'

Henry glanced at her in surprise, then suppressed a lunatic urge to giggle. He thought of his mother and her lesbian lover. He thought of his father, now living with a girl young enough to be his daughter. He thought of Aisling, his selfish brat of a sister.

'Oh no, you wouldn't,' he said with heartfelt emphasis. 'Take my word for it, you wouldn't!'

'Don't you like them?' Blue asked.

'Not very much. Dad's all right, I suppose. But Mum -' He hesitated. Actually he didn't know what to say about his mum. After a moment he went on, 'Mum sort of tells you what to do all the time. She knows better than everyone else about everything.' Then he added sourly, 'But she's still managed to make a mess of her marriage. She chucked Dad out and made him think it was for the best.'

'So you really don't want to go back?'

'Not even slightly,' Henry said, then grinned to try to lighten the conversation.

Blue looked away from him. He couldn't be sure in the half light, but something made him think she might be blushing.

'Why don't you stay here?' Blue asked.

Henry stared at her in astonishment.

Key:

FOL: Faerie of the Light

FON: Faerie of the Night

HMN: Human

Analogue World (a.k.a. the Earth Realm).
Names used in the Faerie Realm to denote the mundane world of school and spots and parents who look like they might end up getting divorced.

Antiopa, Nymphalis (Nymph).
Daughter of Queen Cleopatra, Princess of the Forest Faerie.

Apatura Iris.
(FOL) Father of Prince Pyrgus and Queen Blue. Was Purple Emperor for more than twenty years.

Asmodeus.
A smelly demon.

Atherton,
Aisling.
(HMN) Henry Atherton's younger sister and pain in the ass.

Atherton, Henry.
(HMN) A young teenage boy living in England's Home Counties who first made contact with the Faerie Realm when he rescued the faerie prince, Pyrgus Malvae, from a cat.

Atherton, Martha.
(HMN) Headmistress of a girl's school in the south of England. Wife of Tim Atherton, mother of Henry and Aisling.

Atherton, Tim.
(HMN) Successful business executive. Husband of Martha Atherton, father of Henry and Aisling.

Beleth (a.k.a the Infernal Prince; the Prince of Darkness).

Prince of Hael, an alternative dimension of reality inhabited by demons.

Black John.
A demon.

Blue, Queen Holly.
(FOL) Younger sister of Prince Pyrgus Malvae and daughter of the late Purple Emperor Apatura Iris.

Border Redcap.
Sentient fungus that inhabits rocky areas of the Realm wilderness and sprays psychedelic spores when attacked.

Brimstone, Silas.
(FON) Elderly demonologist and former glue factory owner.

Cardui, Madame Cynthia (a.k.a the Painted Lady).
(FOL) An elderly eccentric whose extensive contacts have made her one of Queen Blue's most valued agents.

Chalkhill, Jasper.
(FON) Business partner of Silas Brimstone and, secretly, former head of Lord Hairstreak's intelligence service.

Channel.
A military medium used for communications.

Chevalier.
Realm equivalent of a Knight.

Cleopatra.
Queen of the Forest Faerie.

Comma, Prince.
(FOL/FON) Half-brother of Prince Pyrgus and Queen Blue. (Same father, different mothers.)

Cossus Cossus.
(FON) Lord Hairstreak's former Gatekeeper.

Countdown.
A dangerous military precaution against kidnapping.

Creen.
What Haleklind natives call Haleklind.

Demon.
Form frequently taken by the shape-shifting alien species inhabiting the Hael Realm when in contact with faeries or humans.

Endolg.
An intelligent animal that looks much like a woolly rug. Endolgs have a unique ability to sense truth, which makes them popular companions in the Faerie Realm.

Faerie of the Light (Lighter).
One of the two main faerie types, culturally averse to the use of demons in any circumstances and usually members of the Church of Light.

Faerie of the Night (Nighter).
One of the two main faerie types, physically distinguished from Faeries of the Light by light-sensitive cat-like eyes. Make use of demonic servants.

Faerie Realm.
A parallel aspect of reality inhabited by various alien species, including Faeries of the Light and Faeries of the Night.

Feral Faerie.
A wild, nomadic faerie people who live and hunt in the depths of the great primeval forest that covers much of the Faerie Realm. The Feral Faerie are not known to hold allegiance to either the Faeries of the Light or the Faeries of the Night.

Firstman.
In Realm mythology, the first sentient creature created by the Light in the Garden of Haedon.

Fizz Parlour.
Fashionable establishment specialising in giving patrons a mind-expanding experience.

Fluid Dark.
What nomadic Trinians call demons.

Flyer, personal.
A Realm aircraft roughly equivalent to a flying sports car.