She looked up at Ruth for guidance and saw her friend was not going to back down. Ruth was changed; the terrifying elemental forces crackling around her appeared infinite, reaching deep into the heart of creation. Though she looked exactly the same, the others were convinced it was no longer Ruth, but what had replaced her, they were not sure.
In that instant, Laura knew it was the moment of which Cernunnos had warned. If Ruth gave in to her hatred and killed Callow she would be lost; the immense power she had been gifted would be corrupted and would consume her.
Laura had only a second to act. She threw herself at Ruth, knocking her down hard. The lightning Ruth had been calling up erupted from the ceiling and missed Callow by a hairsbreadth.
And then Ruth turned her attention on Laura. Her face was unrecognisable, her eye black and empty like space. 'Mine,' she hissed.
Terror washed through Laura. Ruth began to focus the power towards her.
Laura had only a slim chance to defend herself. Instead, she rolled round towards Callow and concentrated until green vegetation rippled from her fingers across the floor, lashing up Callow's body. As he ranted and raged, it twirled briefly around his neck and then jerked. The head came free and bounced away into the shadows.
Laura waited for the blow to strike her. When nothing came, she looked back to see Ruth slumped in a daze, her eyes no longer black. 'Thank you,' she said weakly.
Church could feel Ruth's eyes on him as he rose, desperate for comfort after her experience, but he couldn't meet her gaze. And then it was too late. The room was quickly filled with twisting flashes of yellow light. The throb became a constant drone.
They all stared at the chest blankly: they had overcome so much, over so many months, and had still failed at the last. The light washed over them, almost soothing in its way.
Before they could say their goodbyes, Niamh flicked open the chest and removed the Wish-Hex. It was so bright it hurt their eyes and they were forced to turn away.
Church was closest and only he heard Niamh say, 'This is the way it must be.' It was a simple statement, but it brought a shiver to his spine. She pressed the Wish-Hex to her stomach until the light began to dim. He was shocked to see that somehow it was disappearing inside her. The sight was too strange to comprehend, but he knew exactly what she was doing; she had told him, in her own way.
When the Wish-Hex was finally gone, for the briefest instant she stood exactly as he remembered her from that first, misty appearance in his childhood bedroom. Her face open and honest and filled with unconditional love.
The droning noise ended. For a second her body shimmered and distorted, as if he were watching her on an out-of-tune TV, and then she was replaced by a massive cloud of golden moths that soared up into the shadows of the ceiling, twinkling like stars before slowly fading out.
Like Tom, she had known the moment of her death, Church was sure of it. That was part of her desperation that their love affair bloom. Somehow he knew she believed that if it happened, the course of events would be changed; that she would have a happy life.
He recalled the moment he told her they would never be together. How would that have felt? Not just rejection by the one she truly loved, but the announcement of her death sentence. And she had not complained, or attempted to change his mind.
And even after all the heartache he'd dealt her, she had still sacrificed herself so alien, weak, violent, spiteful, greedy, deceitful Fragile Creatures could move along the road towards their destiny.
Her act was humbling, but she had shown him an important lesson: that no race should be judged by the worst elements. That however bad humanity was at times, it could always be redeemed by the best.
Ruth was at his side, her arm around his waist. 'She did that for us? God, I feel so guilty!' She appeared honestly shaken by what she had witnessed.
Church looked down at Ruth in growing dismay as the repercussions of Niamh's actions slowly fell into place. They had been given another chance; now he couldn't simply let things run their course to a bitter end. He had to take whatever action was necessary to ensure their success, and that meant dealing with Ruth when she attempted to betray them. What would he do? Kill her? He had faced that terror when she had been a host to Balor, but that was before he had realised the true depth of the feelings they had for each other.
Ruth grabbed his hand. 'Look at you-you're shaking,' she whispered. 'Don't worry, we're all scared.'
'This is like Ten Little Indians,' Laura said morosely. 'Bags not being next.' She looked round and fixed on the Bone Inspector. 'Oldest first, I say.'
He gave a dark, triumphant smile. 'Ah, but I'm not going in there. That's your job.'
In his sly way, he had pointed them back on track. They turned as one and stared at the door, then looked to Church.
'Okay,' he said. 'Let's do it.'
As they collected the artefacts in silence, they were constantly aware of the door, like a sentient creature watching them malignantly.
'What's the plan?' Veitch asked Church.
'We have to use the talismans as soon as we get in there.'
'That's a plan?'
'We might not even get a chance,' Ruth said. 'He's so powerful he could strike us down in a second.'
'The talismans should offer us some protection.' Church was aware he had to sound as positive as possible. 'Individually, they're powerful. Together they'll be incredible. And with the head, the Luck of the Land…' He shrugged.
'So, we're winging it, right?' Laura's grin eased the mood a little.
'Just remember the legends,' Church said. 'He was always described as having a single eye-if he turned it on you it would cause death in an instant. I don't know if that's for real or symbolism, but there's a reason it was passed down the years. Keep it in mind.'
'So what's it like in the land of the dead, Shav-ster?' Laura asked.
'It's like Jamaica, but with free drink.'
'Really?'
'No.'
'You could have lied, you know.'
As they turned to face the door, Veitch stepped in close to Church and said quietly, 'I'm glad I'm with you, boss. You've done right by us all the way down the line.'
His face had the same childlike innocence that had made Church warm to him in the first place; for all his flaws, and there were many, that saved him.
'I'm okay, you know,' he continued. 'About you and Ruth.'
Church winced.
'I feel like I've been stabbed in the gut, but that's not important. I want her to be happy. And I want you to be happy. Whatever happens here, I'm going to be a winner. For the kind of life I've had, that's the only thing that matters to me. And I've got you to thank for it, mate.' He took Church's hand and shook it forcefully, hesitated a second, then stepped in and gave him a stiff hug. The others pretended not to notice.
'Will you lot get a move on.' The Bone Inspector marched around anxiously. 'The gates will be open any moment, and then it will all be-'
'Make sure you cheer loudly so we can hear you from way back here,' Laura said acidly.
Finally, it was time. Church gripped the door handle. Before he swung it open, he cast an eye on Ruth. Her move would undoubtedly be made at the worst possible moment. But could he face up to Balor and watch for an attack from the back as well?
The answer would come soon enough. He opened the door in one swift movement and stepped over the threshold.
The room was as silent and still as night. Darkness clustered on every side, but the sapphire glow from the talismans gave them enough light to see by. The pounding of the blood in their head drowned out all thoughts and sensations for the first few seconds before everything fell into stark relief.
They each had their own idea of what monstrous form Balor would take, so they were all left floundering around when their eyes fell on a small boy, standing with his arms behind his back in the centre of the huge, empty
