roasted vegetables, branded snacks that had a desirable rarity post-Fall — and cider. They were uncommonly cheerful; most of the people Mallory encountered in life were surly, suspicious, broken or downright violent. Probably all on drugs, he thought, yet he felt oddly disturbed that they were genuinely pleased to see him, and never once questioned who he was or from where he came.
At one point, an impromptu music session broke out, with guitars, harmonicas, saxophones and makeshift percussion, intermingling old pop songs and traditional folk tunes. It was the first time he had heard them since the Fall and he was surprised at how powerfully they tugged at his emotions.
But there was also something about the idyll that irritated Mallory: they had no right to be so content when the rest of the world had a cast of misery. 'So who's in charge here?' he said. 'Or is it one of those idealistic communes where everything starts to fall apart the moment the washing- up rota comes into play?'
Sophie thought briefly, then said to Rick, 'How is she?'
'She'll probably be asleep.'
'Let's check. She likes the night.' She stood up and motioned for Mallory and Miller to follow. They picked their way amongst the tents, past many smaller fires, to a larger tent outside which two torches blazed.
Sophie disappeared inside, emerging a moment later to say, 'She'll see you.'
The interior of the tent was shadowy, warm and perfumed with lavender. The front section contained a few chairs, rugs, pot plants — one of them cannabis, Mallory noted — and ornaments with a faintly occult bent, including the skull of a cow.
The second section lay behind a purple velvet drape. Here, it was even gloomier and it took a second or two for their eyes to adjust. There was a large wooden bed that appeared medieval in origin and must have been brought from somewhere in the city, and on it lay a woman in her late forties, her long black hair streaked with silver. Despite the heat emanating from a brazier in one corner, she sprawled beneath several thick blankets. Her face was nearly white and drawn, as though she had some debilitating illness. Her gaze, though, was incisive, and she fixed instantly on Mallory.
'This is Melanie,' Sophie said quietly.
Mallory introduced himself and Miller. The woman gave off a peaceful air, as if whatever lay in the ground at that site had been absorbed by her.
'I hope my friends have been looking after you.' Her voice was hoarse, almost a whisper.
'You've got a good crowd here,' Mallory said.
That appeared to please her. 'Sophie seems to think the two of you are very likeable, too.'
Mallory glanced at Sophie who blushed and looked away.
'We're trying to fit in with the locals,' Melanie continued. 'We want people to see that what we're doing here is right.' She ended her sentence with a deep, tremulous breath.
'Mallory here is very sceptical.' Sophie eyed him slyly. 'He doesn't believe in ley lines or the power in the land. And he especially doesn't believe we can create a boundary that will make us invisible to Fabulous Beasts.'
'Sophie, dear, not everyone is a forward thinker, even in this newly enlightened age.' She smiled weakly. 'I'm sorry, Mr Mallory, I'm teasing you. If you're hard and fast in your views, I wouldn't dream of trying to change them. But this is the way it was told to me. Millennia ago, the power in the land flowed freely through everything and everyone. We call it the Blue Fire, but it has many other names: chi to the Chinese…' She waved a hand to suggest this wasn't important. 'It healed, but it could also be destructive when used against the enemies of life. It could be shaped and directed by will alone and it could cause effects at a distance.'
'Magic, in a word,' Mallory said.
'Very perceptive,' Sophie said, with mild sarcasm.
'The Blue Fire formed a global network that kept the world… nature… healthy. It was fuelled by spirituality, by the faith of ancient people in tune with the land. They erected the standing stones and established die old sacred places at points where the Blue Fire was the strongest. But as civilisation advanced we lost touch with the energy. It became increasingly dormant, and the land suffered accordingly. There were still people who could use it to achieve things, but it was hard work and the effects were both hit or miss and not particularly great. The Craft, we call it. The great Wiccan tradition.'
Miller gasped audibly and took a step back. Mallory saw a glimmer of panic in his face. Please don't shout, 'Bum the witch!', Mallory thought.
Melanie smiled at his reaction. 'Forget the old cliches. We're not all double, double, toil and trouble. This is a religion, if you will. We have our rituals, the same as the Christian Church. We have our ministers and silly little trappings that make us feel happy. And we do good works. But I digress-'
'The Blue Fire is back in force.' Sophie's eyes gleamed, her voice quiet but intense. 'And we can do great things again.'
'Just like that,' Mallory said.
'Yes. Just like that.' She looked to Melanie. 'When everything changed with the Fall, it regained its old vitality. The Fall was a signifier that we'd moved into a new age-'
'The dawning of the Age of Aquarius,' Mallory joked.
'Not everyone has the ability to work subtle magics, in the same way that not everyone can be an artist. But those who are able are very, very able. Supercharged,' Melanie said.
'I remain to be convinced,' Mallory said.
'Of course you do,' Melanie replied. 'This is a hard topic for many people to swallow. They get taught things when they're young… things about the way the world works… and they don't like to give them up easily. It makes them feel uneasy. Destabilised.' Melanie nodded to Sophie. 'Darling, be a dear and tell Mr Mallory about Ruth Gallagher.' Her eyelids drooped shut.
'I've heard that name,' Miller said.
'You should have. Everyone should have, but the word is still getting round.' Sophie tried to read Mallory's face to see if he had become any more receptive. 'After the Fall, there was a group of people who fought for humanity. They were heroes. And one of them was Ruth Gallagher. The gods gifted her with a tremendous power. She became an ultimate adept at the Craft-'
'An Uber-witch.' Mallory couldn't restrain himself, but Sophie was unfazed.
'She could do amazing things. She could shake the world if she wanted. After the final battle, she set out across the land, spreading the word, teaching those who came to her. And Melanie was one of the first. They met in the Midlands, near Warwick, and Melanie took to it phenomenally. Her potential was off the scale. And she taught me.'
'And Sophie's potential is great, too.' Melanie's eyes were open once more, but she looked even more weary.
'I still think you're fooling yourself,' Mallory said. 'But I'll bite. Go on, show me.'
'No,' Sophie said indignantly.
'We don't perform, Mr Mallory.' Melanie threw a scrawny arm over her eyes. 'We use the Craft sparingly and for the right reasons. We use it as Christians would prayer. It's not something to be taken lightly.'
'Oh, well, then, that's all right. You can show me, you just don't feel like it,' Mallory said. 'You've convinced me. I'm a believer.'
'Are you always like this?' Sophie's eyes blazed.
'Actually, he is,' Miller said.
Mallory flashed him a look that suggested he was a traitor. 'As you said earlier, everyone out there thinks they know the way the world works. And they're all wrong. So why should you be right?'
Miller moved to the foot of Melanie's bed. His curiosity had been caught by the way the blankets were lying; it didn't look right. 'If you don't mind me asking,' he said gently, 'what's wrong with you?'
Sophie's face grew hard. 'What's wrong with her?' Rick suddenly appeared near to tears. 'She was trying to do some good and she was attacked and beaten for it!'
'I'm sorry,' Miller said. 'We have access to medical care… well, herbs and the like. If we can help-'
'There's not much that can be done, I'm afraid.' Melanie gently pulled back the blankets. Both her legs were missing from the knee.
Miller recoiled. 'My God, what happened?'
'She was attacked by a group of bastards from the cathedral!' Rick said, his eyes brimming over.
Miller blanched, glanced at Mallory in disbelief.
