Destroyer of Worlds

7

'Bleedin' hell! Would you look at that!' Veitch pointed beyond the circle of campfire light to the wild, dark countryside beyond. A swarm of spiders seethed towards the celebrations and Stonehenge. But they had come to a halt in a vast arc around the ancient sacred complex, swirling around an invisible wall that sent them spilling in all directions as they searched for ingress.

'The Blue Fire's holding them at bay.' Tom's faint smile was lit by the hot coal of his roll-up. 'And that's not all — look.'

The reignited leys burned across the landscape, and where they crossed the stream of spiders there were flashes of blue light as the spiders burst into flames.

'Never seen that before,' Veitch said in awe.

'Neither has the Army of the Ten Billion Spiders.' Ruth had arrived behind them. Veitch and Tom could both see she was changed in some way they couldn't quite define; she appeared to be carrying a great weight. 'This place is crackling with power, like it was before the Mundane Spell took effect. The spiders have lost their grip.'

'Yeah!' Veitch said. 'This is our turf now!'

'Don't get too wound up,' Tom said. 'Every time you have reignited the power in the land, the Spiders have changed everything to reinforce the Mundane Spell and drive the Blue Fire back into a dormant phase.'

'This is still different,' Ruth said. 'It's never been this strong. Something has changed.'

'This is what we're fighting for,' Veitch said. 'This. Here. Now.'

They were interrupted by a breathless Shavi. 'Laura has gone.'

'She's probably just on the lash with that homebrew alcohol this lot are swilling.' Veitch jerked a thumb towards the revellers singing loudly amongst the huts.

'I do not think so.' Shavi appeared devastated.

'What's wrong?' Ruth slipped a comforting arm around his shoulders.

'She was last seen walking back towards the Warp Zone. I am afraid… I am afraid she has gone to warn the Enemy of our plans. I am afraid she was the traitor amongst us.' He wiped away a stray tear.

'Nah!' Veitch said. 'She's a bitch, all right. But a traitor — no chance. Her heart was always in the right place. She'd never sell us out.' He could see Shavi, Ruth and Tom were not convinced.

'What's Church going to think?' Ruth said. 'If she has done it, I mean. Betrayed by someone we all put our faith in, someone Church was once really close to.'

'Does it destroy hope in the Pendragon Spirit?' Tom asked. 'Does it breed despair? Hope is what keeps the spirit alive.'

Before they could consider it further, the night was torn by the thunder of wings. An awed silence fell across the camp as all eyes turned to the sky. Glimmering in the moonlight, the Fabulous Beasts moved steadily towards the Warp Zone, their scales glinting like jewels, occasional bursts of golden liquid-fire illuminating the land beneath them.

'He did it,' Tom said, smiling to himself.

'Bloody hell.' Veitch's strained voice reflected the wonder that was heavy in all their faces.

'Yes,' Ruth said. 'Yes.'

'This is it.' Veitch grinned broadly. 'This is where we take the fight back to the bastards!'