Deep in the lake of Blue Fire, the dark shapes swam closer, some large, some small.
'Tell me,' he began, 'how the pattern developed. Then maybe I can work out how it's going to end.'
'In the beginning, tiny shards of Existence were placed in every Fragile Creature. Hidden in plain sight from the Devourer of All Things. These sparks, in some, would eventually fan into the blue blaze of the Pendragon Spirit.'
'And in everyone, over time,' Church added. 'That's part of the Gnostic secret… and the key to humanity reaching the next level. That's why the Tuatha De Danaan were so afraid we would equal, then surpass them.'
'Fragile Creatures gradually ascended, shaped by their experiences, and the spark inside them flickered into a flame, still beyond the perception of the Devourer of All Things. Forged by the many challenges in the crucible of life, the Pendragon Spirit became stronger, and Fragile Creatures became stronger and more able to face the demands that would be made of them.'
'Existence set everything going from the start,' Church realised. 'The good and the bad. A cascade of events, each one impacting on the next.'
The woman smiled.
'Everyone has been manipulating everyone else — the Tuatha De Danaan and the Fomorii manipulating humanity. But you and the Void were manipulating them, and us, and each other. Nothing is clear. It's all movements in the fog, and you only find out the consequences much later.' He considered this. 'The Tuatha De Danaan used the Fomorii so that the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons would bring about the Golden Ones' return. And the Fomorii god Balor was supposed to stop humanity rising up the ladder. But… but… because we got involved, Shavi ended up getting killed and Veitch went to the Grim Lands to bring him back, and that break in the rules of the universe attracted the attention of the Void. And brought it back here. And that's exactly what you wanted!' His thoughts raced away with him, and he had to steady himself. 'Existence arranged for the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons to play a part in all of this, and you directed the Tuatha De Danaan behind the scenes because you wanted the Fall to happen.'
'The Fall removed your Brothers and Sisters of Dragons from the heart of the pattern so that a new Five could arise, who would also play a vital part. Mallory, Caitlin, Hal, Hunter and the Forgotten One, brought together with particular skills so they could operate, for a time, beyond the perception of the Devourer of All Things. So they could bring their peculiar skills to this time, this fight, at the End.
'This was all present, right from the start. The Golden Ones had legends of this happening. So did humanity. The final pattern was fully formed at the beginning, and embedded in everything, from the smallest part to the greatest. There to be discovered-'
'If you only had eyes to see,' he repeated. 'So, right back in the Iron Age… me setting up the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, the rise of the Culture, who are here now, protecting this site, and you, the formation of the Watchmen… you directed all that, with a subtle push here and another there.' His proximity to the reservoir of Blue Fire soothed him, but there was still a dull spike in his gut. 'All the pain we suffered, all that terrible heartache, you caused that. Indirectly or not.'
'To a definite end.'
'That doesn't make it any easier!' Steadying himself, he tried not to think of all the awful things he had gone through to become the force that Existence wanted. It felt so unfair. He could have lived a quiet life, untouched by strife, lived and died and left no mark by his passing, but he could have been content.
'Is being content enough?' the woman said, reading his mind. 'In the final reckoning, do you judge the value of your life by what you had, or by what you could have had?'
His head knew the answer; his heart dragged him in another direction.
'That is the eternal dichotomy of the Fragile Creature,' the woman said perceptively. 'The curse and the gift.'
'What happens at the end, when we can all see the final pattern?'
'That is up to you.'
'How did I guess?' he said bitterly. For a moment, the ringing cavern was filled only with the faint hiss of the flickering Blue Fire, and then Church said, 'I came here to take you to the Far Lands with me.'
'And I have been waiting for you to come for me, Brother of Dragons. We are joined, inextricably, for all- time-to-come, and all-time-gone.'
'Then let's go.' His thoughts were still swimming, but everything that had been planned for so long was so close to a resolution that he could put his doubts and fears to one side. It all came down to him; whether he was capable of navigating what lay ahead, whether he had learned enough; and whether he was prepared to make the final sacrifices that would be demanded of him.
Church strode from the cavern. Behind him, he could hear the tornsailcloth sound of wings, growing louder, not just one pair, but more, and more joining every second until the sound was deafening, and the cavern shook.
Emerging into the summery night in the moon-shadow of the ancient stones, Church was surprised to find the Morvren waiting for him in an eerie crescent of blue-black feathers, unmoving, every beady eye fixed upon him. They had always appeared as a portent, following him in a detached manner. This was different. As he looked around the semicircle, he felt a similar connection to the one he had experienced in the cavern. They were a part of him now, this symbol of death joining him at the same time as he had raised the spirit of life. Two sides, two faces.
'I am the Raven King,' he said, quietly. 'I can do anything.'
He smiled. The heavy beat of a different kind of wings grew louder far behind him, tearing out of the hidden caverns of the soul and into the harshness of the real world. Underneath his feet, the Blue Fire surged into the land. It was now so powerful in the leys that he could see it glowing through the grass.
Battle had been declared.
7
'Bleedin' hell! Would you look at that!' Veitch pointed beyond the circle of campfire light to the wild, dark countryside beyond. A swarm of spiders seethed towards the celebrations and Stonehenge. But they had come to a halt in a vast arc around the ancient sacred complex, swirling around an invisible wall that sent them spilling in all directions as they searched for ingress.
'The Blue Fire's holding them at bay.' Tom's faint smile was lit by the hot coal of his roll-up. 'And that's not all — look.'
The reignited leys burned across the landscape, and where they crossed the stream of spiders there were flashes of blue light as the spiders burst into flames.
'Never seen that before,' Veitch said in awe.
'Neither has the Army of the Ten Billion Spiders.' Ruth had arrived behind them. Veitch and Tom could both see she was changed in some way they couldn't quite define; she appeared to be carrying a great weight. 'This place is crackling with power, like it was before the Mundane Spell took effect. The spiders have lost their grip.'
'Yeah!' Veitch said. 'This is our turf now!'
'Don't get too wound up,' Tom said. 'Every time you have reignited the power in the land, the Spiders have changed everything to reinforce the Mundane Spell and drive the Blue Fire back into a dormant phase.'
'This is still different,' Ruth said. 'It's never been this strong. Something has changed.'
'This is what we're fighting for,' Veitch said. 'This. Here. Now.'
They were interrupted by a breathless Shavi. 'Laura has gone.'
'She's probably just on the lash with that homebrew alcohol this lot are swilling.' Veitch jerked a thumb towards the revellers singing loudly amongst the huts.
'I do not think so.' Shavi appeared devastated.
'What's wrong?' Ruth slipped a comforting arm around his shoulders.
'She was last seen walking back towards the Warp Zone. I am afraid… I am afraid she has gone to warn the Enemy of our plans. I am afraid she was the traitor amongst us.' He wiped away a stray tear.
'Nah!' Veitch said. 'She's a bitch, all right. But a traitor — no chance. Her heart was always in the right place.
