'Wait!' Shavi called exuberantly. 'It is us!'
The Bone Inspector eyed them suspiciously, then slowly lowered his staff. 'These are dangerous times,' he growled. 'Upheaval. Constant change. Damned spiders coming and going. And now… this.' He nodded around him. 'We're going to have all hell on us in no time.' His steely gaze scanned every face until his eyes rested on Tom and a small smile sprang to his lips. 'I'd heard you were dead.'
'It was overrated. I came back.' They hugged each other briefly like old friends.
'Two grumpy old bastards together,' Laura muttered. 'This is hell in stereo.'
'We'd also heard you lot were gone from this world,' the Bone Inspector said to the others. 'I wanted to be sure you weren't some trick of the spiders. A Trojan Horse.'
'Who is he?' Rachel whispered to Shavi.
'You've got nothing to fear from me,' the Bone Inspector said. 'Not unless you get on the wrong side of me. I watch over the old places, the burial mounds, the wells, the stone circles, the cairns. Make sure no one interferes with the treasures they've held since the old times. From Shetland to Scilly, Neath to Norfolk, I'm there. Always have been. Will be till I die.'
'You said 'we'.' Church rubbed the bump on his head. 'You're not alone.'
'If you're here, then I suppose you need to see this.' He turned and loped into the fog, and the others hurried to keep up.
After only a few yards, the fog began to thin, turning back into the low, drifting mist, now golden in the light of the dawn sun, and within a few moments that too was gone. Behind it lay a landscape that took their breath away, so ancient and wild that it appeared as if they had walked two thousand years into the past. But when he squinted, Shavi could see pylons in the distance and the air still had the taint of petrol fumes.
Stonehenge was no longer a ruin, eroded by centuries of wind and rain and man's poor stewardship. The megaliths stood tall and proud, the lintels complete, and all around the outlying stones were erect, their surfaces gleaming and smooth as though they had been hewn by the stone-workers only recently.
A sprawling crowd faced the rising sun in silent adoration. The reinvigorating dawn rays shone brightly along the precisely aligned avenue. The people wore the Iron Age clothes of the man they had encountered in the fog, and there were young and old, men, women and children, strong and frail, all side by side in the solemn congregation.
The sun hit a point where it was framed whole and round between two stones, and a man — some kind of priest, Shavi guessed — raised his arms and called out to the sky. As one the people raised their heads. Loud drumming began instantly, a perfect, complex rhythm, but within seconds Shavi realised there was more to it than a simple celebration. The peculiar alignment of the stones created strange acoustics that amplified and distorted the pounding so that it appeared as if the stones themselves were singing to the heavens, the sound rolling and muffling, then growing louder as it shifted around the circle like a living thing. It was hallucinogenic, transcendental; though he was well away from the ritual, he was transported, and he wondered what awe those at the henge would be feeling.
When the drumming reached a crescendo, it stopped suddenly. The ringing silence was just as potent, but it only lay over the circle for a second before there was a soaring whoosh as Blue Fire burned in lines along the paths of the ancient leys. In the distance they interconnected to create the Fiery Network. Above the stone circle, the sapphire flames rushed up to create a structure that appeared to reach towards the stars, a cathedral of fire that made their chests swell and brought tears of awe to their eyes.
For a moment, they basked in the wonder of the display and then the Blue Fire washed back into hiding, but the effect it had on their emotions did not disappear. A cheer rose up from the crowd, children whooping and playing, adults hugging each other, or kissing, as they turned from the stones and made their way towards the shimmering line of the river.
As the congregation dispersed, Shavi was surprised to see several people in modern dress following the throng, their faces as alight as their ancient ancestors'.
'They'll make their way back to Woodhenge for a feast that will go on till tomorrow.' the Bone Inspector grunted. 'This is the Summer Solstice. A celebration of life and death, and how the two are tied together.' He glanced at Tom. 'Nothing ends. There is always something higher, always something beyond the horizon.'
'What's happening here?' Church asked. 'Those Iron Age people… the megaliths-'
'All time is folding together,' the Bone Inspector replied. 'Don't ask me how, but I hear this is how it is in the Otherworld.'
Rachel wiped the tears from her cheeks. If anything, she had been more affected by the sight than the others. 'I never guessed,' she whispered. 'So much potential… all around us. And we never saw it.'
'It won't last long,' the Bone Inspector said. 'The Army of the Ten Billion Spiders won't let it. Things like this could destroy the Mundane Spell in a minute. Once you've seen this, why go back to your offices?'
'We can't let that be destroyed!' Rachel said desperately.
'Then you need to get busy,' the Bone Inspector said, 'because you lot are the only people who can stop that happening.'
'The Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, you mean?' Rachel enquired.
'Humans.' He turned back to Stonehenge. 'Come on. There are people you need to meet.'
7
As they passed through the fringes of the crowd streaming towards the river, the mood of exuberance was infectious. Once their dress was forgotten, Church could have believed they were all from the modern world enjoying the festivities of some summer carnival. Many hailed him and the others as they went by and entreated them to join them at the feast.
The Bone Inspector was untouched. Keeping his head down, he marched past the last of the crowd towards Stonehenge. Electricity filled the air as they walked between the megaliths of the outer circle and into the heart of the ring. Amongst the stones, ten men talked quietly. Most were in their fifties, though a couple were very elderly indeed. They wore grey robes tied with a cord at the waist, and on their heads were circlets of oak and ivy.
Church recognised their dress from his time in Carn Euny. 'The Culture?' he said, referring to the secretive society that had guarded the knowledge of nature and the Blue Fire since ancient times. 'I thought most of them were wiped out during the Roman invasion.'
'You and me both,' the Bone Inspector growled. 'I always thought I was the last of them. But then a few days ago, they reappeared.'
One of them came over eagerly the moment he saw them. He was in his sixties, tall, with piercing grey eyes, a totemistic staff indicating he was the leader of the group.
'Brothers and Sisters of Dragons!' he said, shaking each of their hands in turn. 'We never expected to see you here! My name is Matthias, leader of the Culture.' He nodded to the Bone Inspector. 'Brother, you were wrong.'
'Sometimes I am, and this time I'm glad.'
'Walk with us,' Matthias said. 'Join the feast.'
'We've got work to do-' Church began, but Tom interrupted him.
'Not so fast. You might learn something.'
A note in Tom's voice suggested the Rhymer had some hidden knowledge. 'You've seen something in the future,' Church said.
Tom nodded slowly. 'I've seen a lot of things. This is the last step of the journey. Don't go rushing to finish it up too quickly. Savour it. Besides, it's the Solstice. The Blue Fire swirling around beneath Stonehenge is at its peak. You don't want to be going down there until it's abated, a little at least. Tonight will be fine.'
'You want to go beneath Stonehenge?' Ruth said.
Church couldn't answer. He looked briefly from face to face, searching for any hint of potential betrayal, and finally his gaze came to rest on Tom, who recognised what was going through Church's head and looked away, disgusted.
'Come on,' Tom said. 'I'm hungry, and I need a rest and a smoke.'
