'We're taking the fight straight to the Void,' Veitch said, 'starting right now. Decebalus is going to lead the Army of Dragons, the gods and the Tuatha De Danaan against the Enemy forces.'
'Our troops can be organised before the Enemy reaches the city?' Ruth asked.
'I reckon. Decebalus is a big bastard. He's not going to let people drag their feet. In the meantime, we're going to split into two teams. One lot is going to get the Extinction Shears. Once they've done that, they're going to rendezvous with the other group, who are going straight into the Fortress of the Void.'
'When you say it like that, it sounds simple.' Hunter looked around the room. 'Does anybody else fancy some wine?'
'Hunter's right,' Laura said. 'You've already made it clear: the rules say nobody gets into the Land of the Dead. And that Fortress must be swarming with the Enemy, never mind the Burning Man hanging right over the top of the place. What are you going to do — walk up to the front door and ask nicely?'
'Actually, we'll be using the back door,' Church said. 'A group of colonists in Roanoke back in Elizabethan times were kidnapped and taken to the Fortress. One of them was Virginia Dare.'
'That little girl?' Laura said.
'She escaped from the Fortress,' Church continued. 'She knows a secret way back in-'
'You can't take her back there,' Ruth protested. 'Laura and I both spoke to her last night. She's completely traumatised by what happened to her in that place. It would be cruel to make her go back.'
'It's not like I haven't wrestled with this, Ruth-'
'Church. No.'
'We don't have a choice,' he said firmly. 'There's too much at stake.'
'She's just a little girl.'
'She's stronger than you think,' Caitlin said. 'If this has to be done, we'll protect her as much as we can.'
'So it's a suicide mission,' Hunter said. 'Into the Fortress, blow up the Burning Man. Last post and medals all round. Delivered to the ones we leave behind, of course.'
'And what part do Miller and Jack play in this?' Shavi asked.
A touch of weariness was evident in Church as he shook his head. 'Math's been trying to work that out. All we know is that the Two Keys are needed along with the Extinction Shears to stop the Void.'
'So we're winging it,' Veitch said, with what the others thought was an alarming note of relish. 'We trust our instincts once we get in there. That's what we do, right?'
'I usually prefer what we in the security business call a 'plan',' Hunter said. 'But I'm willing to try your way for the novelty.'
'Death wish,' Laura muttered.
'I'm going to take Virginia, Miller and Jack to the Fortress alone-' Church began.
Mallory, Hunter and Veitch all cut him off but Ruth's voice was louder. 'You don't get to play hero on your own,' she said.
Church saw the truth in their faces. 'You don't trust me,' he said. 'You know I'm fated to turn into the Libertarian and you think I'm going to sell you all out.'
'It's not that,' Mallory said unconvincingly. 'We just don't want to take any risks. The more of us we can get in there, the better chance we'll have.'
The sting of betrayal was evident in Church's face for a brief moment before he continued, 'Then we all choose the two teams. I'm going to the Fortress, so the other team needs a leader. Mallory?'
Mallory nodded. 'I've seen Stoke. After that the Grim Lands is the only place left to visit.'
'Ryan?' Ruth suggested. 'You told me the dead worship you as some kind of hero. Sounds like you could use that to our advantage. They should know where the Market is in their own home.'
'No,' Mallory said firmly. 'I don't need to be looking over my shoulder all the time in a place like that.'
'Fair enough,' Veitch replied. 'Your loss, mate.'
'I'll go.' Caitlin flashed a brief smile at Mallory. 'We make a good team. We trust each other. And two of us should be enough. Travel light, travel fast.' Mallory began to protest, but Caitlin silenced him. 'Don't try to protect me. I've got a goddess of death inside me, you goon.'
'Okay, that's a plan,' Hunter said. 'And it only leaves one question outstanding. How do they get to the Grim Lands?'
After a long moment of silence, Veitch said, 'The same way everybody else does. They die.'
2
The great council chamber in the Court of the Soaring Spirit was almost as large as the Colosseum, with marble pillars supporting a domed glass roof that brought shafts of morning sunlight onto the chamber floor. Bas- reliefs of events from the long history of the Tuatha De Danaan lined the walls, and high overhead Gothic carvings of strange beings echoed the works of the master medieval stonemasons. The building's enormous scale generated a reverential atmosphere, and even though it was almost full, barely a whisper ran around the tiered seating.
Caitlin stood on the floor of the chamber next to the Speaker's Wish-Post, turning over what Veitch had said. The chatter of her three personas had stilled for long periods since the Morrigan had joined with her, but she could always feel the goddess's brooding presence at the back of her head. The Morrigan was a being of contrasts: cold of will and hot of passion, death-dealing and life-affirming, but always dangerous; very, very dangerous.
Mallory entered the chamber with Lugh, Rhiannon and two other gods Caitlin didn't recognise. With each passing day, she found Mallory more impressive as he rose to the challenge of dealing with the responsibilities that had been thrust upon him. Yet she was troubled by the deep sadness that now suffused him. There appeared to be no cause for it, but it had gained such a powerful grip on him that it was almost as if he had decided that the best of his life now lay behind him, and only duty and sacrifice were ahead.
He was concerned about her too; it was visible in his face whenever they were together, and after their decision to travel to the Grim Lands it had become even more intense.
Mallory believed the Morrigan was a corruption that would eventually eat away the essence of the Caitlin he knew. How could she explain to him that she finally felt whole? With the Morrigan inside her, doubts faded like the morning mist. Her slowly creeping, black despair was now walled off. Her mind was clear and fresh, her thoughts sharp, and she fizzed with an energy and unshakable vision. It was almost like a drug. It was almost as if it was meant to be.
Mallory took her to one side. 'Church and the others are getting a briefing from Decebalus on the gods and the readiness of the Army of Dragons, but he'll be along if you need him.'
'I'm fine.'
'You're sure?' he pressed.
'As a Sister of Dragons, they'd listen to me, but you know they've got a deep-seated prejudice against Fragile Creatures. With the Morrigan inside me, though, I'm one of them — they have to listen. Doubly so, because they're scared of the Morrigan, and a Sister of Dragons and the Morrigan combined is just too much for them to contemplate.'
'If you can't win them over with rational argument, give them your spooky stare and terrify them into submission. Nice strategy.' He squeezed her hand. 'Good luck.'
As Mallory left, Hunter sauntered up, seemingly oblivious to the weight of the historic occasion. 'Still no sign of the last two courts,' he noted.
'So we're missing the Unseelie Court and the Court of the Final Word.'
'Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath for that last one.'
'Oh.'
'We had a bit of a falling out.'
'That's never stopped them before,' Caitlin said, puzzled.
'They had a lot of big plans. But in the end they came to nothing.' Hunter smiled tightly.
Caitlin shrugged. 'Apparently the Unseelie Court hates everybody, and they've got a real grudge against the human race from hundreds of years ago.'
'So this is it — eighteen of the twenty Great Courts.' He looked around at the silent ranks glowing in the sun
