Destroyer of Worlds

1

When Church looked back at the cemetery cavern, it wasn't a cemetery at all, just bare rock covered by a thin, grey dust. Lost in the shadows of the upper reaches, the Morvren flew, calling to each other in voices that reminded Church of grief-stricken mourners at a funeral. The three gods were nowhere to be seen.

A distant roaring was revealed to be an underground river that lay at the end of a short tunnel. Their path continued along the bank.

'Don't go near the water — it's poisoned,' Tom cautioned as he examined the oily, foul-smelling flow.

Church took him to one side and asked, 'I understand you can't tell me any details of what your visions are showing you, but is there anything you can give me that might help?'

'Everything hangs in the balance. It could go either way.'

'If I choose to become the Libertarian.'

'Yes.'

'The Void wins.'

'For all time. Existence won't recover.' Weary, Tom's shoulders sagged. 'I'm sorry. It was always my role to be your guide. I was supposed to help you become the person you were always meant to be, but I'm not much use.'

'You made the right choice in Norway when you did that deal with Freyja. We wouldn't have the Two Keys, Ryan would probably still be a threat to us and Ruth could well be dead.'

'It might be better if she was dead.'

Church flinched. 'How can you say that?'

'Love has two faces. It gives us the power to do remarkable things, and it can turn our minds from the right choices and damn us for ever.'

Church gripped his shoulders. 'Let me teach the teacher. I've learned a lot of things since I found myself back in the Iron Age. It's not about good and evil — it's not that simple. Everything has two faces, like Janus, like Cernunnos, like me with the Fabulous Beasts and the scary, carrion-eating Ravens of Death. Different views of the way forward, one always influencing the other. The trick is walking a fine line between the two. It all comes down to how skilful we are at staying on the path.'

'It sounds odd.'

'What?'

'Wisdom coming out of your mouth.'

'I've got one more question.' Church steeled himself. 'Is anyone else going to die?'

Tom hesitated, then replied, 'Yes. Don't ask me any more.' He walked quickly away before Church could pursue that line of questioning.

'It's getting hot,' Ruth said. A mist rolled across the river and the walls dripped with moisture. 'Does that mean we're getting closer to the Burning Man?'

'There is movement ahead.' Shavi came to a halt, two fingers resting against the bottom of his alien eye as he searched deep into the dark.

A low, mournful, wolf-like howl rolled along the rocky walls.

'I know that sound.' Church recalled a smoky London night in the middle of the Blitz.

Bounding from the shadows on all fours came a lithe figure that could have been either man or beast. Grey hair trailed behind it, pupils glowing golden in the gloom. Snarling lips curled back from rows of gleaming fangs.

'Loki!' Church called to the others. 'Trickster and shape-shifter! Don't trust what you see!'

As Veitch braced himself, sword drawn, the god barrelled towards him, shifted onto the rock wall without missing a step and then continued forwards along the tunnel roof. Wrong-footed, Veitch clumsily swung his blade upwards, but Loki had already passed overhead. He dropped behind Veitch, lashed out with a long, muscular arm that sent Veitch flying towards the river's edge and turned instantly on Shavi.

Shavi dived beneath raking claws that would have taken his head off. Rolling along the ground, he helped Veitch to his feet.

As Church attacked, Loki flashed a lupine smile and disappeared.

Baffled, the next thing Church saw was a golden eye mere inches away from his own, and then pain erupted in his chest as claws raked upwards. Staggering back, he saw blood spread across his ragged shirt. Loki lashed out again, and though Church pulled back at the last, he caught a glancing blow that made him see stars. His vision cleared when he was on his back, Loki hunched over him, ready to tear out his throat.

The blast of Blue Fire blinded him.

Blinking, he saw Loki's smoking, twisted body lying on the river's edge. The god was still alive, but he had lost control of his form; it oozed like melting toffee into turrets and sticky strands. The golden eyes still rolled in a head filled with holes.

Ruth moved towards him, though it took a second for Church to recognise her, so altered was she by the raw power of the Craft, her eyes all black, her hair snaking.

'You won't hurt him!' she raged.

The transformation had been so rapid that Church was stunned. How close to the edge was she if she could become so elemental so quickly? She reminded him of the Ruth who had almost been consumed by her power during the Battle of London, the same erosion of rational thought, the same passion for the sheer coruscating force she wielded.

Clutching at his stomach wound, Church sat up and croaked, 'Ryan, she's losing it. Talk her down.'

'Ruth, darlin', you've beaten him, all right?' Veitch ran to her side.

She turned her fierce gaze on him, and for a second both Church and Veitch thought she was going to kill him on the spot.

After a moment some connection was made and her power receded, her eyes returning to normal.

'Oh, bravo.' The Libertarian stood further along the river's edge, clapping mockingly. 'What a fine fighting force you are! A conflicted leader, a psychopath, a woman on the edge of a breakdown and…' He glanced curiously at Shavi and Tom. 'Not quite sure what you two are. Irrelevant, I suppose.'

With mounting unease, Church saw the crackling force around Ruth begin to grow more intense again; her face darkened, her eyes glared.

'Oh, look. The trickster has torn open your true love,' the Libertarian said to Ruth mockingly. 'Why, it's a miracle he still lives. Ah, but then wait and see what little surprise I have waiting for him next-'

In her anger, Ruth lost control once more. Eddies of Blue Fire crackled above her head as she levelled the Spear of Lugh and released a blast of energy that the Libertarian avoided easily.

'Is that the best you can do? He'll be dead before you know. Frankly, you all will.'

'Ruth!' Church called. 'He won't kill me! If I die so does he!'

Filled with fury, Ruth didn't hear. Floating an inch above the floor, she raced towards the Libertarian, who stood, arms folded, unmoved.

Church couldn't understand what the Libertarian had planned until he saw emerald clouds unfolding rapidly further along the river channel. Rushing forwards, churning, the clouds were accompanied by the sound of doors being slammed open.

Lurching to his feet, Church called Ruth's name as Janus appeared from a door in the air beside the Libertarian, his dual faces shifting between black and white.

As Ruth bore down on the Libertarian, Janus used his key with a flourish and another door opened in the air directly in front of her. She disappeared into the gulf, and after a brief, mocking wave, the Libertarian followed, shouting, 'I really do need a new queen — that last one got a little damaged. And now I have one!' Within a second, Janus was gone too, and the only sound was the door in the air slamming with a terrible finality.