The Burning Man

1

Early morning sun reflecting off glass and steel gave London a brassy newness. The city was awake and ready. Exhaust fumes and noise rose up from the clogged streets, and the offices and stores were filling with people preparing for slow, uninspiring toil. This was the modern age.

From the highest viewing point atop St Paul’s Cathedral, Church watched the humdrum ritual of a sleepwalking world. He’d cut his hair, shaved cleanly, in the hope that he’d be able to merge into the somnolent mass, but every time he looked in the mirror he could see the scars of two thousand years of struggle. It made him an outsider, and if it was visible to him, it would be visible to the Enemy, too.

Drawing himself out of his reverie, he made his way down the wroughtiron steps to the quiet seclusion of the Whispering Gallery. Inside the dome, the atmosphere was charged, protective. He was relieved he had chosen the right meeting place. Safe locations were few and far between in an enemy landscape.

Ruth waited amidst the susurration. ‘Shavi’s just arrived with the last one. They’re ready for you.’

‘They’re cooperating?’

‘I’ve not heard any arguments so far. I think they felt it instinctively, like we all did.’

‘They don’t know what we’re going to ask of them yet.’

‘They’ll live up to it, you know they will. That’s why they were chosen.’

She kissed him. After so long yearning for her, and fighting to get back to her, he still couldn’t believe they were reunited. Her memory of their previous life together still hadn’t returned, so everything had the freshness of new love as she explored him, finding little details and quiet touches that cemented their feelings for each other.

They made their way down into the vast body of the cathedral, and then down further into the crypt. At the eastern end stood the Church of St Faith-below-St Paul, a chapel that had been established in the crypt of a church pulled down in the thirteenth century when the cathedral was enlarged. The atmosphere of sanctity that infused the whole building was even more potent there. To one side, Shavi and Laura waited with Mallory, Sophie, Caitlin and Hunter.

After introductions had been made, Hunter said, ‘Congratulations. Very clandestine. I could find you lot a job. I’d have preferred somewhere with more alcohol and women, though.’

‘We’re safe here,’ Church said.

‘Speak for yourself. I’m normally run out of this kind of place with a pitchfork.’ Hunter leaned against the wall, arms folded. He was grinning, but his eyes searched Church’s face for any hint of weakness.

‘He’s right. Can’t you feel it?’ Sophie pressed one hand against the cool flags. ‘There’s something here … some kind of power.’

‘That’s it exactly,’ Ruth said. ‘A power that runs through the land. It’s focused at certain nodes, in places that have been considered sacred for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. Cathedrals and churches, yes, but also stone circles, wells, lakes, hilltops-’

Hunter snorted. Ruth flashed him a glare, and grew more annoyed when he only laughed out loud.

‘You have to see it-’ she began.

A lick of blue flames across the floor cut her short. Within seconds they had risen up into a wall of fire that separated the chapel from the rest of the crypt.

‘I wish I could claim credit for that,’ Ruth said.

Hunter reached out tentatively, then plunged his hand into the fire. ‘Cold,’ he said. Withdrawing his hand, he looked puzzled. ‘I feel kind of … good?’

‘I remember this,’ Caitlin said dreamily. ‘But long ago. Was I a child?’

In the flames, the figure of a man gradually formed. His features were indistinct but, strangely, they could all tell he was smiling.

‘Hal,’ Church said.

‘Yes, it’s me, your favourite genie,’ Hal said wryly. ‘Don’t worry — nobody will see the Blue Fire if they come into the crypt, but they won’t approach the chapel either. It’ll give us a few minutes of privacy.’

‘Who the hell are you?’ Hunter said. ‘The Human Torch?’

Hal laughed. ‘I’m one of you, Hunter. You’d know exactly who I was if your memory hadn’t been wiped. Existence chooses groups of five to fight for Life. The four of you, and me … we’re the last Brothers and Sisters of Dragons.’

‘The last?’ Church echoed.

‘After this group is gone, there won’t be any more.’ An odd note in Hal’s voice made Church uneasy.

Hal turned to Mallory, Sophie, Caitlin and Hunter. ‘The Void made you live false lives so you wouldn’t remember who you are and what you’re capable of. I escaped into the Blue Fire.’

‘Where you … what? Get to chip in with gnomic comments from time to time?’ Hunter said.

‘Something like that. But I’m here now because you’re at the start of the next phase of your journey.’

‘And this journey,’ Hunter pressed, ‘is to usurp the god who really rules the world?’

‘The Void,’ Shavi said. ‘Although it has many other names.’

‘Everyone on the planet is held by the Mundane Spell,’ Hal said. ‘It makes them think the things they do are normal and reasonable, however ridiculous they might be.’

‘Like striving for money and power,’ Shavi added wryly.

‘They’ll never be able to break the spell because they can’t contemplate anything beyond what they see around them,’ Hal continued. ‘You can change that. You can make them open their eyes.’

‘But how are we supposed to destroy a god?’ Caitlin asked.

‘There are two forces at work in this world — two polarities, if you like,’ Hal replied, ‘but they’ve been out of balance for a long time. The Void isn’t omnipotent. It’s aware of the force you all represent. It respects it … it’s wary of it. If you want to unseat the Void, you need three things. The Extinction Shears, which can cut through the warp and weft of reality. They can untether the Void, and reshape everything. But to get the chance to use the Shears, you need two Keys. Two people hidden by Existence, somewhere in the world. One has the power of destruction, the other the power of creation.’

‘Hidden somewhere in the world,’ Hunter said sardonically. ‘Amongst six billion plus people.’

‘You’ll find them,’ Hal said.

‘An optimist. I like that. Or maybe you’re a fantasist. I’m not entirely sure.’

‘Can’t you help us?’ Sophie asked.

‘You need to do this yourselves,’ Hal said.

‘Oh, yeah.’ Laura snorted. ‘We haven’t told you about the whole learn-while-you-burn thing.’

‘The act of finding shapes us into the people we need to be to use the things we find,’ Church said. ‘Which is a mouthful, but that’s the rule we’re stuck with. We may get a push here and a prod there, but basically it’s down to us. We can’t do it on our own-’

‘Especially with our number depleted,’ Ruth said.

Church eyed her, but didn’t explain. ‘We need you. Will you help us?’

‘Hang on,’ Mallory said. ‘You’ve obviously elected yourself leader-’

‘That’s not how it is.’

Mallory shrugged. ‘If the Void controls the whole world, how can we move around without being seen?’

‘Not easily,’ Church admitted, ‘but the Blue Fire offers us some protection in the places where it’s strongest — which, frankly, at the moment isn’t very many. But when we’re on the lines of force that link the nodes, the Blue Fire pretty much blinds the Void to us.’

‘So it’s cathedrals from now on?’ Mallory said. ‘I’m with him.’ He jerked a thumb towards Hunter. ‘Cathedrals and me don’t go together very well.’

Sophie silenced him with an insistent wave of her hand. She appeared to grasp what Church was saying. ‘We stick to the lines of force and the nodes of power as much as we can. But apart from that we just have to keep moving, right?’

‘That’s about it,’ Church said. ‘I’ll be honest, we’re always going to be at risk-’

‘From the spiders,’ Hunter mocked.

‘Trust me, they’re not like any bugs you’ve seen before,’ Mallory said.

‘We all get that you’re a cynical smart-mouth, Hunter,’ Laura said. ‘But this is the point where you need to lever that massive ego to one side for a while.’

‘Well, you’re a woman of hidden depths, aren’t you? Selflessness now, is it?’

‘If I can do it, anyone can. Even you.’

‘We’ve got an obligation here,’ Church said.

‘The only obligation I’ve got is to myself,’ Hunter snapped, ‘and frankly I’ve not heard anything here that makes me think this is going to turn out anything other than disastrous.’

‘We have a plan-’

‘No, you haven’t. You’ve got half a notion, a little bit of an idea concocted from a brew of rumours, innuendos and hints. Even if I laughably consider that there’s the vaguest glimmer of truth in what I’ve heard, the possibility that we could do something about it is beyond my comprehension.’

‘Don’t you feel it?’ Caitlin persisted. ‘You know in your heart there’s something bigger going on. Why don’t you trust them?’

‘I don’t trust anybody. And I don’t feel anything. I can see you’re all doing the evangelical bit, and you give a good sermon, really. But this doesn’t work for me. I wish you well, but I’ll be honest, I’m not going to lose any sleep over leaving you to it.’ He nodded decisively and glanced at Laura, who returned his look haughtily, and then walked through the wall of Blue Fire and away.

‘You’re not going to let him go?’ Ruth said to Church. ‘We need him.’

‘We can’t force him to help us.’

‘We could try,’ Mallory said hopefully.

‘We need all the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons we can muster if we’re going to stand a chance,’ Ruth continued. ‘What are we going to do now, Church?’

Church looked to Hal, but he shook his head. The flames had begun to die down, retreating towards the ground. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I can’t help. You’re on your own.’