Darkest Hour (Age of Misrule, Book 2) (50 page)

“I don’t know how I feel,” he said honestly.

“You are fortunate.” More sadness. “To know and not to have is the hardest thing.”

He tried to find something comforting to say, but nothing came.

She looked around, at the rolling summer fields, and some of the sadness eked away. “This world is changing. Soon it will be a land of myth once more, where magic lives in every turn.” She turned back to him, her smile sweet once again. “A land where anything can happen.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “When you put it like that, it doesn’t seem such a bad thing.”

“How can I help you, Jack?”

He felt almost guilty asking for something when she had bared her soul to him. But once he had told her about Maponus, and seen her face register surprise, then darken, all other thoughts were wiped away.

“The search for the Good Son has never ended,” she explained. “The Golden Ones were riven by despair when he was lost, the brightest of all our bright stars, our very hope for the future. There was no knowledge of his disappearance-he was simply there, then not. Of course we must bring him back to us. There will be much rejoicing, scenes of wonder not witnessed since the victory celebrations after the second battle of Magh Tuireadh.” The notion excited her greatly, but gradually her face darkened as the implications of Church’s information wormed their way through. “If he has been so severely damaged by the Night Walkers, there may be little even the Golden Ones can do to restore the Good Son to his former glory. The Night Walkers’ revenge is swift, cruel and usually irreversible.”

“But you will attempt to get him back to Otherworld?”

“Of course. He is the jewel of the Golden Ones.” She was positive, yet Church could see she was troubled. “Yet he is so powerful.” Her voice faded into the wind.

“You’re saying even your people might not be able to restrain him?”

“He could cause great destruction to this world. Your people will fall before him like-” she looked around “-like the ripe corn.” She turned to Church with fleeting panic in her eyes. “You must not go anywhere near the Good Son. Do you understand?”

“At the moment I’m going where I’m called. We have an obligation-“

“You have an obligation to defend this world. You cannot do that if you are no more.”

“I’m asking you for help.” He looked her directly in the eye; her irises seemed to swirl with golden fire.

“Then I will help. But I ask something of you in return.”

“All right.”

“A chance to show you my heart, to prove that universes can be crossed. To show that the love of a Golden One and a Frail Creature can surmount all obstacles.”

Church searched her face; suddenly events seemed to be running away from him.

“I know you have a dalliance with another Frail Creature. You must end it. You must give your love solely to me for a period. A chance, that is all I ask. And if our romance does not rise up to the heavens, then we will go our separate ways.”

Dismally, Church thought of Laura, how much it would hurt her. Could he do that when there was still a chance they were right for each other? Could he hurt her, knowing how much she would suffer? And once more he thought of Ruth, and wondered what she would think of him. Niamh was watching the play of his thoughts with innocent, sensitive eyes.

He wondered why he was even bothering to deliberate; there was no real choice. He couldn’t afford to let Shavi leave. And if he could do anything to stop Maponus’s rampage, he had to try. He had learned through bitter experience over the last three months that he couldn’t put his own feelings first; that was the burden of his leadership. Sacrifices had to be made. Always. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll do what you say.”

The sudden swell of emotion in her face surprised him, and in that instant he wondered if he really could feel something for her. She took his hand, an act that to her was obviously filled with meaning; it was as if she was some Victorian heroine whose every gesture was infused with import to make up for her stifled emotion. “Much deliberation will need to take place if we are to bring Maponus back with us,” she said. “I will need to devote myself to the planning and to attending my brethren in this. You will not see me for a while. But then …” Her cool fingers grew tighter around his hand and her smile deepened. She nodded politely, stood up and walked slowly away. Briefly she turned and flashed him a smile weighted with emotion, and then she was gone in the blink of an eye, as if the sky had folded around her.

Laura and Veitch didn’t quite know how they ended up interviewing villagers together, but they managed to do it with as little communication between the two of them as they could manage. If anything, Veitch seemed to Laura a little contrite in his body language and whatever gruff comments he made, but after his rage in the gorge, she wasn’t taking any chances. She was thankful for her sunglasses which hid the fear she knew was flickering in her eyes.

Eventually, though, they found themselves walking alone down the sundrenched High Street and there was nothing for it but to make conversation. “Nothing new there, then.” Laura broke the silence, stating the obvious because she couldn’t think of anything else to say that wasn’t heavy with all sorts of difficulties. “Another morning of my life wasted.”

Veitch grunted. His own cheap sunglasses gave nothing away.

Laura was suddenly struck by the absurdity of the image. “Look at us. It’s like Tarantino meets Enanerdale.” That brought a smile to him. It was only a chink, but she felt she had to give it a shot. “About the other day-“

“I’m sorry, all right.” It was as if someone had pulled the blinds down on his face. “I’ve got a bleedin’ awful temper and half the time I can’t control it. I don’t know where it came from. I never used to have it.”

“Stress, probably. But that wasn’t what I wanted to say. You’re right for worrying about one of us selling the others down the river. Nobody else seems to worry about it too much, but it’s there-can’t ignore it. But it’s not me, all right? That’s what I wanted to say. It’s not me. I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I’ve got to say it out loud. I’m a big fuck-up-and I’ll deny I said that if you ever bring it up-but I wouldn’t screw over any of us in this group.”

Her normal reticence made the honesty in her words palpable. Veitch was taken aback for a moment, but he didn’t show it. “Who do you think it is, then?”

She paused, unsure whether to continue, but it wasn’t worth turning back at that point. “Are you going to bite my head off?”

“No.”

“Okay. I know you’ve got the hots for Ruth, I know she’s been through the worst fucking shit imaginable, but I think it’s her.”

“Bollocks.”

“Thank you for that measured response.” She bit her tongue; she could feel the power in his hard body at her side. “I’m not just being a jealous bitch, which I am, but not right now. Here’s what I think. She’s been waking up with nightmares about what those bastards did to her-“

“Wouldn’t you?” He was already starting to bristle. She had to get to the point.

“I think those nightmares are caused by something real. You remember what the Bastards did to Tom under Dartmoor? They stuck one of those creepy little bugs in his head so he’d do everything they wanted.”

Veitch’s head snapped round. For a second Laura’s blood ran cold until she saw the troubled expression on his face. “You think they did that to her?”

“Makes sense.”

He considered it for a moment, then shook his head vehemently. “Bollocks.”

“Just think about it, that’s all. It could’ve happened. Someone needs to keep an eye on her, and seeing as you’ve appointed yourself official judge, jury and executioner-” She caught herself. She’d done enough. She could tell from Witch’s expression that the notion was already burrowing its way into his head.

“Come on, I need you.” Ruth caught Veitch’s arm when they all met up outside the pub. She pulled him over to one side where the others couldn’t hear them, oblivious to the odd way he was looking at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I want us to have sex.”

Witch’s expression was so comical she had to stifle a giggle and that wouldn’t have helped at all; he was sensitive enough as it was. His mouth moved, no words came out; his whole, stumbling thought process was played out fleetingly on his face. “You’re taking the piss now.”

That was the first response she expected. “No, I’m not. I’m deadly serious.”

Veitch shook his head. There was a pink flush to his cheeks. He was eyeing her askance, still trying to read her motives.

“When we started out on this whole nightmare I was just a normal girl, but I’ve changed, like we’ve all changed. I’ve learned some things. Powerful things. How to change the world around us, things … things I don’t want to talk about because I can hardly believe it myself. You know the owl that followed me around?”

His eyes ranged across her face; he seemed to be trying to peer into her head. He nodded.

“That wasn’t just an owl. It was … Well, I don’t really know what it was. I’m not making much sense, am I? I wish I could understand it all better myself.” She became lost in her own confusion of thoughts briefly. “Look, the owl’s some kind of familiar. You know what that is? A demon … I don’t know … Some kind of supernatural creature, anyway. That took the form of an owl to be with me. But when the Fomorii had me under the castle I found out what it was really like. Not what it looked like. I mean, I couldn’t see it. But … it taught me things-“

“What kind of things?”

Her mind sparked and fizzed with wild current when she considered the answer to the question; it was suddenly as if she could look into the infinite. “Things that could help us. Only the trouble is, now the familiar has gone away and I don’t know why, but there are still so many things I need to know.”

“Well this is all very fucking nice, but what’s it got to do with us shagging?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I really am making a mess of this, aren’t I? Let me try again. Sex is at the heart of all magic. Throughout history it’s been used in all sorts of rituals. The earth energy, the blue fire in the land is the same energy we have inside us. In our spirits, our souls. It runs in grids over our bodies the same way it does in the land. Like the stone circles are areas where it’s at its most powerful, there are places on our bodies where the power is strong. In eastern religion they’re called chakras-” She watched him start to glaze over and quickly picked up the pace of the conversation. “Normal sex fills us with this energy which we can use. But a particular kind of sex-it’s called tantric sex-supercharges these chakras and-“

“And you know how to do this?”

“The familiar told me. I mean, I’ve never tried it, but-“

“There has to be a first time.”

“Right. Look, I don’t want to take advantage of you. This isn’t an emotional thing. But you get a good screw out of it and all the experiences you could want. And I get-“

“What?” His brow furrowed. “If you don’t want it to be anything serious, what do you get out of it? You’re not some slapper-“

“You’re so sweet,” she said with a mock smile. “I get knowledge, hopefully. Power I can bend to my will.”

The incomprehension was chiselled into his face. He felt uncomfortable. It wasn’t what he wanted, in the slightest, but it seemed important to Ruth.

“Look, don’t waste time thinking about it now. If you’re up for it, I’ll fill you in as we go along. Are you?” He nodded, unsurely. “Right. Then let’s do it.” Back in the pub bedroom she drew the curtains and locked the door. None of the others would even think of disturbing them at that time of day. They were downstairs in the bar, picking over the remainder of their lunch, having a quiet drink, chewing over the village’s problem. Her breath was ragged from apprehension and, if she admitted it to herself, a sexual charge.

“You’re sure about this?” She could hear faint nervousness in Witch’s voice. She sensed that if she called it off he would be more than happy.

“I am. Are you?”

“Yes.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but what did she expect. “I know this isn’t how you expected, Ryan. It’s not exactly every maiden’s dream either. Not that I’m a maiden.” She blushed, looked away. “But it’s the only way I can think of-

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain any more.” She smiled; underneath it all he was quite sweet. “So how do we start?” he continued.

“Take our clothes off first, I suppose.”

It felt unduly uncomfortable, so artificial in the way it was drained of all passion, but she knew she couldn’t afford to be self-conscious, for Veitch’s sake. If he saw her being embarrassed, the atmosphere would completely fall apart and he probably wouldn’t be able to perform. She set her mind and tried to act as brazen as possible. She pulled her T-shirt over her head and threw it on the bed, then unhooked her bra. Her nipples were already hard; her breasts almost ached. She tried to fool herself that her instant and powerful arousal was because it had been so long, but she knew in her heart she was physically attracted to Veitch. As he pulled his own T-shirt off she let her gaze run over his lean, muscled torso, watching the flex and ripple of the tattoos, like cartoons in animation. There was a hardness to his body she hadn’t experienced in any of her previous lovers; it wasn’t even the kind of hardness that came from working out in a gym. It was the kind of compacted yet supple muscle that came only from a life lived at street level, in onerous situations that tested the body on a daily basis in a way the fitness trainers couldn’t even imagine. His own nipples were hard; that excited her even more. Briefly, his clear, powerful eyes caught hers and there was no embarrassment there at all. Energy crackled between them. She saw his own passion laid bare as his gaze dropped to her breasts.

She undid her loose belt, unpopped the buttons and dropped her jeans to her ankles. In the same motion she slipped down her briefs and stepped out of them. She felt the chill of the wetness between her legs send a tingling fire into her belly.