into the spreading pool of the others’ blood.
“No,” Richard moaned. “No!” He crawled over to him and crouched over the rounded form of his master. “No, no, you’re fine, you’re fine.”
But Lucian could already see the professor’s empty stare, the glazed eyes, the same look he’d seen countless times in his life and haunted his dreams.
“Finish it,” Lucian said to James.
James shook his head. The hollowed horror of his exposed cheekbones tightened. “The rest of you are staying here. I want you to watch us march away and know they’re all dying, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Once you feel something like that, you see things more clearly. You see the truth.” He was backing away, and his ruined face twisted with a shadow of old pain. “You’ll see.”
Then he disappeared from sight, and they were left with the bodies and the blood and the lingering vortices of black smoke.
*
James signalled for his guard to follow and walked amongst them along the cliff edge when Jason appeared from the forest. Afar, he could hear a great clatter of stumbling feet and clanging metal.
“The boy’s doing his job,” Jason said.
“Good.”
Jason looked to the tent. “You left some of them alive?”
James didn’t answer.
“All this time you’ve been hollering about the great evil of their ways, and how we got to stop it. We burned half the sods from coast to coast to beat them down. We got their ringleaders right here in front of us. We could end this now.”
He didn’t seem perturbed, more intrigued, as though seeing James in a new light. “Or maybe you just said what had to be said for a shot at getting back at your shit-crazy big brother.”
“Are they ready?”
Jason picked at the dirt under his fingernails with his foot-long knife. “Every one of them. Just say the word. You’re sure you don’t want to finish them?”
“Leave them.”
“Fine.” Jason swaggered forth and descended the cliffside path, heading for the campfires. “More fun for me.” His voice dripped with sick delight.
James nursed the pigeon upon his shoulder, and watched as the dark hordes slowly crested the distant hills. It was time to end this.
ELEVENTH INTERLUDE
James burst out into the lacklustre daylight that lay lank and drooping on the rocks and trees, and picked out Alex’s shadow not far from where he’d left him. He didn’t stop running. His fingers curled into fists so tight that his nails cut into his palms.
Alex registered momentary surprise at the sight of him rushing forward, but then James collided with him and they both went crashing into the damp moss and heather, James bellowing all the while. He landed on top of Alex and his arms were pumping before he knew it, beating his face again and again. Stars of pain exploded along the skin of his knuckles as he made contact with nose, brow, chin and cheek, striking again and again.
He was yelling without end, hitting as though he would never stop.
And Alex just lay there and took the beating. While his skin split and his face crumpled into bloodied pulp, he didn’t raise a hand to defend himself.
“How could you?” James was yelling, wailing. His vision blurred with tears. “What have they done to her? Tell me!”
“James,” Alex said, then spluttered as James landed another blow, tearing his bottom lip. “James!”
James raised his arm yet again, but this time he cried out and his fist just hovered there beside him. He choked a few times as the world span in front of him, then he said, “Tell me, now.”
Alex groaned in pain and coughed. “Malverston. The Tarbuck sister, she tried to kill him. The town rose up. He came for Beth, took her. He’s going to … make an example.”
“How long have you known?”
“James …”
“How long?”
Alex swallowed. “Since Northampton.”
James’s jaw fell ajar. By now they could have her all the way back to Newquay’s Moon. “No,” he said. “You can’t do this to me.”
“What did you find down there?” Alex said. “What happened?”
Fol and the tunnels seemed so far away now that James could barely understand the question. “Why would you do this? You didn’t even want to come here.”
“You needed to come here. We’re so close to signing the treaty. We’re so close. I needed you to have a clear head.”
“You were going to let her die.”
“The mission demands sacrifices.” Alex swallowed. “I make no apologies. I did what I’ve always done, what I had to.”
“I can’t put people I love into danger for