substance.
At the same time, Ahken was altering into something that filled Church with dread. Clasped hands became hooked claws and the smell of the grave intensified, but Church only had an instant to glimpse it, for there was a flash of blinding light and then utter darkness.
The carriage door opened with a sound like escaping steam, and Church instinctively propelled those nearest to him out into the bright daylight. As he sprawled in the dust, he saw the others urged unceremoniously out around him, before a flash of brown sealskin bolted out to pause close by his ear. He looked deeply into yellow eyes and saw world upon world before their colour changed.
'Grasped from the jaws of dark disaster. You, merry wanderer, are the Puck's prime spark. Enjoy your good fortune, happy fool and lover, for falling so neatly in my purview.'
'Thank you,' Church said, still shaken by what he had sensed in the carriage.
'No, thank you, Brother of Dragons. It serves me that you serve me, but the Puck cannot always be on hand to pluck you from the fire. The end can only be achieved by your own devices, and perhaps not even then. That is the way of the weft and the weave, and we are all at its mercy, even the Oldest Things in the Land.'
In the space between thoughts, the Puck was gone. He had saved and guided them several times, but Church feared he was shepherding them towards an uncertain future that would benefit only the Puck.
With a belch of steam, the Last Train raced away. Amidst the billowing cloud and the rising dust, Church had the impression that it wasn't a train at all, but a long black insect scurrying across the land, the roar of its wheels an angry cry that promised retribution another day.
'I saw the Puck, too,' Shavi said, helping Church to his feet. 'He plays a long game, but at this moment I am glad he has chosen to act as our protector.'
'Until the time arises when he needs to sacrifice us to achieve his ends,' Church said. 'We're always pawns and I'm sick of it.'
The now-excited guards hastily ushered the Seelie Court through the gates, while others rushed to collect Church and the others. To one side, Etain and the other Brothers and Sisters of Spiders stood, stiff and isolated by death and their former allegiance. Church hadn't even realised they were on the train.
He tore his attention from Ruth wiping the dust from Veitch's cheek and turned to Tom. 'What did Ahken mean, that you've traded away your future?'
'Stop asking fool questions!' Tom adjusted his glasses in a manner that Church had come to recognise as defensive.
'You can't keep secrets from me any more, Tom.'
'I can do what I damn well like. I should be dead by rights, and you've made my life a misery by bringing me back. I've got no purpose here now. So don't you start telling me I need to speak my mind to you. It's you that owes me to keep your nose out of my business. It's the least you can do for the pain you've caused.'
Church winced, and Tom instantly appeared to regret his words. 'There's a more pressing matter,' he said. 'On the train, I encountered a boy who, I'm told, is dead. He said his name was Carlton, and he told me something you ought to consider.'
Church saw that Tom's hand was trembling. He tucked it quickly in his jacket pocket.
'He said, in the battle ahead there are people we can trust and people we can't.'
'You believe him?'
'Who knows what to believe in this madhouse? But if I were you, I'd keep a close eye on those around you. And the ones at your back.'
6
The streets of the Court of the Soaring Spirit were filled with a cheering throng that left the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons baffled and embarrassed by the obvious adulation they were receiving. Many of the disparate races of T'ir n'a n'Og were represented, from the Tuatha De Danaan, whose calls had an uneasy edge of desperation, to animals that walked and talked like men, squat, dour mountain folk, bat-winged, sable-skinned people from the Forest of the Night, short, tall, fat, thin, bizarrely attired.
Veitch was surprised by his reaction. He had forgotten the peculiar, rich, uplifting qualities of the Far Lands, the potent scents — spices, fruit and perfumed candles — colours more vibrant than his home and the rich textures of the stone, metalwork and carvings demanding that he touch them. It felt as if he was in a dream; it felt like coming home.
'What are you smiling at?' Ruth asked him between nods to the well-wishers lining the way.
'Do I need a reason?'
'You? Usually.'
At the Palace of Glorious Light, drenched in the mid-morning sunlight, they were guided to chambers that had once been occupied by Niamh, the court's former queen, where Mallory, Hunter and Caitlin now waited.
'I didn't believe it when the guards told me,' Mallory exclaimed. He shook Church's hand forcefully, and then the two groups hugged and greeted each other like long-lost friends.
Laura and Hunter adopted a blase attitude, but were soon sequestered together deep in conversation, their eyes gleaming, oblivious to the high emotions that whirled around them.
After the reunion, Mallory said, 'We couldn't find the Extinction Shears. We failed. I failed.'
'That's because you were looking in the wrong place,' Church said reassuringly. 'The Market of Wishful Spirit is in the Grim Lands.'
'Why on earth would it be in the Land of the Dead?' Caitlin asked.
'It doesn't matter. We'll start working on a plan to get to them immediately, ' Mallory said.
'Not going to be that easy, mate,' Veitch interjected. 'We come in and out of this place like it's a tourist destination, but there are strict rules about getting to the Grim Lands. I've been there twice. The first time I brought the Void back and caused all this mess. And the second time I had to die to get there.'
Leaving the others to share stories, Mallory led Church along the sun-drenched corridors to Doctor Jay's laboratory. As they neared, the constant low-pitched hum set their teeth on edge.
When Church saw Jerzy, unconscious, silver-coated eyes wide and staring, his heart went out to his friend. 'What's wrong with him?'
'I've got Math… everybody… working on it. No one has any idea.'
'It's got to be linked to the Void's return in some way.'
'Yeah, but… Jerzy? What could he have to do with anything?'
'The Puck took an interest in him. Even kidnapped him for a while. That could be it-' He cursed under his breath. 'I'm useless. All these important details, and I never see them at the time. Why didn't I question why the Puck got involved with Jerzy?'
'What would you have been able to do?' Mallory led Church out of the chamber and closed the door to muffle the unsettling noise. 'All these connections… half the time they could be random. No one sees their importance till after the fact.'
'I hope he's going to be all right.' Church cast one last glance back at the door separating him from his friend; it had been too long since they'd spent time together.
'Yeah, he's one of the good ones,' Mallory replied, 'so this is going to sound harsh, but we've got too much else to worry about right now. Doctor Jay is doing what he can for Jerzy, and if there's any significance to this change we'll find out quickly.'
'We saw the Enemy's army all over the Far Lands,' Church said.
Mallory nodded. 'They'll be here soon. We've already been softened up by the Riot-Beasts. The Enemy's going to throw everything at us. There's an assassin loose in the city, trying to pick us off one by one. We've got strategies in place to tackle it — no Brother or Sister of Dragons travels alone, trebling patrols — but sooner or later someone will make a mistake.'
'Tonight we rest, and plan,' Church replied. 'Tomorrow we start fighting back.'
