Bentley was always James’ car as well as Jack’s,” said Melanie. “So of course he gave me the secret override codes, for emergencies.” She turned to look at the other elves. “Take him down. Hold him securely. Hurt him if you have to, but don’t kill him. We need him alive, as a bargaining chip.”
“You think James would have wanted this?” I said.
“James is gone,” said Melanie. “And after the way your family treated me, I have no time for any of you. I will do whatever it takes to get my James back. He can forgive me afterwards.” She glared at the other elves. “Don’t just stand there! Take him captive!”
“Not going to happen,” I said.
She ignored me, turning to the elf nearest her. “Contact Drood Hall. Tell them what they must do.”
The elf nodded, then disappeared. Melanie Blaze looked at me coldly.
“Surrender,” she said. “It will go easier for you.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m a Drood. You should remember that we’ve never given a damn for doing it the easy way.”
I subvocalised my activating Words, and my armour flowed out and over me in a moment. I concentrated, and heavy spikes rose on my arms and shoulders. A long golden sword blade extended from my right hand. The elves murmured loudly, staring at me, fascinated. This was new to them. They only knew the old inflexible Drood armour; now they had to wonder what else this new armour could do. Melanie studied me carefully.
“Your armour is . . . different,” she said. “Changed radically since my time. Strange matter! Interesting. Strange matter comes from places like this.”
I did wonder then if that meant Ethel might come from a place like this . . . but I made myself concentrate on the matter at hand. I reshaped my armour to make it more martial-looking and more threatening, and the watching elves murmured loudly again. I swept my golden blade back and forth before me.
“Take me down,” I said. “Go on, give it a try. See how far it gets you.”
The elves stepped forward, drawing their enchanted blades. Slender swords and heavy axes that shone brightly in the night, crawling with elven magics. Anywhere else, I would have backed my strange matter armour against any number of elven blades; but this wasn’t anywhere else, and I wasn’t sure of the ground rules here. If the elves really had fashioned this world through willpower alone, it could be that the rules were whatever they decided the rules were. But on the other hand . . . I was here now, and I had a pretty strong will of my own. The elves moved in, and I braced myself.
The nearest elf launched himself at me, moving impossibly quickly, raising his glowing battle-axe and swinging it down with vicious force. I put up my golden sword to block it, and the enchanted blade shattered against it, falling away in a dozen pieces. If strange matter really did come from around here, apparently it had the home advantage. The elf cried out in shock and horror as his axe fell apart, and then he backed quickly away from me. The other elves looked at him, and then at one another; and made no move to approach me. I swept my long golden blade back and forth, waiting.
“There’s only one of him!” Melanie said loudly. “And an army of you!”
“One Drood is enough,” I said.
And then the elf who’d disappeared, sent to make contact with Drood Hall, suddenly reappeared. He hurried forward and spoke quietly and urgently with Melanie. And just like that, all the strength and purpose went out of her. She looked older, and terribly tired. Almost haggard. She gestured sharply at the other elves and they sheathed their weapons. Then Melanie Blaze looked at me.
“It’s over,” she said. “You can go, Eddie. It doesn’t matter any more.”
“What?” I said. “I don’t understand. What’s happened?”
“Go home, Eddie.”
She gestured briefly and a Door appeared, not far from the Bentley. A Door back to the spatial dimensions. I could tell. I looked at the elves standing between me and the car, but they were already walking away. I pulled my sword back into my golden glove and hurried over to the Bentley. I sat behind the wheel and armoured down, as the seat belts snapped into place. I fired the car up and headed for the Door. Before Melanie could change her mind.
I looked for her, but she’d already disappeared. One by one, the other elves