Frank had been standing nearby, and he came over now. The short man – but don’t call him a midget – tiptoed so he could see over the guard tower’s wooden railing. The structure abutted the rooftop of the castle and, being the highest point, was where most of the lookouts stationed themselves.
“You nay trust that one, do ya?”
Ted gave Frank a pained sigh. “He’s one of them.”
“He ain’t done us no harm, kidda. W’out him, we wunt have built half the stuff we ’ave. Fella’s strong as ten men.”
Ted nodded. It was true. Sorrow had made himself an asset since arriving, no doubt about it. The demon could carry ten-foot logs as if they were broom handles, and his tireless runs up and down the fortifications had sped things up monumentally. Sorrow was a one-demon lumberyard.
But he was still one of them.
Right inside their camp.
But there was an even worse threat that plagued Ted’s mind. A fallen angel existed somewhere beyond the forest, a giant beast intent on destroying mankind. It had appeared on that dreadful day, months ago now, when a gate had appeared beneath the surface of their lake. A young boy, Nathan, had saved everybody by throwing himself into the water, but not before a massive creature had emerged and then retreated to lick its wounds. One day, it would be back, Ted knew it. He could feel a fight coming – felt it in his bones – and it was going to be bad. He’d been no soldier in his former life, but nowadays he was on constant high alert, always sensing danger and predicting attacks. If the people at Kielder weren’t ready to fight when the time came, they would all die.
And that’ll be on me.
Ted turned to Frank, who had recently taken to chewing twigs to ease his smoker’s cravings. The camp still had cigarettes, but they wouldn’t last forever, so a two per day rule had been implemented. Ted was glad he’d never caught the habit based on how many twigs Frank gnawed each day.
Folding his arms to show he wanted an honest answer, Ted asked, “Frank, how prepared do you think we are?”
Frank shrugged, an odd gesture with his slightly offset shoulders. “None of us are born fighters, Ted, but we are survivors. Everyone’ll step up when the time comes. Death has lost its horror after so much of it. There ain’t no cowards here.”
“You think we have a chance then?”
“Are yow kidding me? We’re more prepared than ever. We ’ave weapons, walls, manpower. We even have our own demon, which I personally think is bostin! Whatever happens, there’s nowt more we can do about it. Maybe it’s our fate to die, but last time we sent the buggers packing, dint we?”
Ted nodded silently.
Frank saw his sadness and frowned. “What’s got into yow, kidda? Yow’s a fella with practical solutions, not a worrier like this.”
“All I do is worry, Frank. I feel like everything is on my shoulders, and if we don’t make it, it’ll be because all my planning, all my big ideas weren’t good enough. People look to me to keep them safe, but the truth is I don’t think I’ve done anywhere near enough.”
Frank gave him a firm pat on the back. “Yow’ve done more than most. If anyone has better ideas, they can speak up, can’t they? I would soon tell you if I had something on my brain.”
Ted tittered. “Yeah, I can always rely on you to speak your mind, Frank. Thank you for that.”
“Yow’s welcome. Oh, bugger it, I forgot to say, Doctor Kamiyo wants to speak with yow at the infirmary.”
“Okay, d’you know what about?”
“Nah, but he seemed hot and bothered about something. Yow best be quick.”
Ted nodded and got going. Quick wasn’t something he would’ve managed a year ago, not with his age and substantial beer gut, but nowadays he was a lean, wiry, grey-haired man of action. He liked who he’d become, but it pained him that his daughter, Chloe, wasn’t alive to see it.
You would have loved this place, sweetheart.
Ted headed out of the castle and through the sally port in the inner wall. A wooden palisade dissected the steep grassy hill halfway down, and Ted had to wait while a pair of sentries opened the gate from above. One of the sentries was Scarlett, the demon’s ward. Sorrow seemed to be her bodyguard, and for the first couple of days at Kielder, he had refused to leave her side. Only recently had he relaxed enough to give her some breathing room.
The girl waved to him. “Hey, Ted, Doctor Kamiyo was looking for you. He’s in—”
“The infirmary, yeah. Thanks, Scarlett. Um, are you okay today?”
“Yeah, I really need to pee, but I think I can hold it a bit longer. You’ve got this place really buzzing. Any demons are gonna have a hard time taking us in a fight.”
“I hope you’re right. Your, um, friend… Will he be willing to fight against his—”
Scarlett smirked. “His fellow demons? Yah, no problem. I’ve seen him do it before. He’s a badass, and he’s ours. You can trust him.”
Ted passed no comment and headed through the outer gate. Despite the girl’s assurances, he didn’t think he could ever trust a demon. Especially not one with jet-black wings the length of two minibuses. Even his name was evil – Sorrow. How much of that had it caused serving in Hell?
It was done now though. The demon had ingratiated itself with the population. The children loved it, asking Sorrow to perform feats of strength or perform magic. Women, too, were under its thrall. Someone had to remain suspicious, even if it was only Ted.
I won’t ever trust that thing. It will never be one of us. It doesn’t understand what it is to be human.
The infirmary was located inside the activity centre, chosen because the upper floor contained multiple bedrooms, each with open fireplaces. It would be the only way to
