“Well . . . I mean, they will be joyous when they do.”
“Is that Thornlees’s message?” Harold asked.
“Lord Thornlees hadn’t heard the news when he sent me either, Your Highness. He is holding the wall but is under attack from the Calidorians, who vastly outnumber him. He asks that you send your boys’ brigades to his assistance.”
“So that’s where Thelonius has sneaked off to.”
It was hardly sneaking off to be fighting your enemy, but Pullman wasn’t quite so foolish as to contradict Harold.
Harold turned to March, who would have far preferred to be left out of this conversation. “You know Thelonius better than us all, March. What’s in his mind? Why has he left his castle to go to fight at a wall?”
“I’m no strategist, Your Highness.”
“Answer me!”
“While my knowledge of strategy is limited, my knowledge of Thelonius tells me much.” March struggled to think of things to say. “He will do everything to defend his country, defend his borders. He trusts in his castle. I’m sure he never expected you to take it. He possibly didn’t even know we were coming, as we ran so fast through Abask. He probably knows it now, but too late, as he’s committed his forces to the attack on Thornlees. If he wins the wall back, he believes you will be trapped in Calia . . . with limited smoke . . . and when that runs out . . . he will only have to fight fewer than a thousand boys.”
Harold’s face was impassive. “Sometimes, March, I do believe you’re not as vacant as your pale eyes imply.” He lifted his boot and flicked a speck of dust off it. “It looks like we’ll have to return to save Thornlees and show Thelonius what we can do.”
The relief showed on Pullman’s face—relief and regret that he was somehow dependent upon the whims of this boy.
Harold stood and smiled. “It was getting very dull here. March, tell the brigade leaders to get their boys together. We return to the wall. We’ll show these old men how to win against the Calidorian army.”
TASH
DEMON TUNNELS
JUST THINK of the smoke store.
Tash tried to focus but nothing happened. It was hard to concentrate, but she had Geratan and Ambrose and the Pitorian army depending on her. She had to forget about the danger, even forget about what they were trying to achieve. All she had to do was concentrate . . .
Think of the cage.
Still nothing happened.
Bottles in a cage.
Bottles, bottles, bottles!
The stone before her didn’t change at all.
Shits.
She took a breath and rested her head on the stone. She’d had to widen the tunnel all the way back from the surface. And she’d got herself to the surface before that. She’d found Geratan, which was great, but Rafyon was dead. And lots of images were swimming in her head; she was exhausted.
Are you all right? Geratan asked, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.
Tash stood upright. Yes, fine. Just need to concentrate.
Of course. Yes. We’re all grateful for what you’re doing, Tash. You’re amazing.
I’m alive—that’s amazing. In a demon tunnel in a demon world. Who’d have thought that?
Tash, I’m trying to give you a compliment. When someone praises me for my dancing, I take their words into my heart. Bringing someone pleasure is a wonderful thing to do. Please take my compliment into your heart.
She had no idea how to do that. Sure. Right.
You can thank me for it too, if you like.
Oh. Right. Thanks.
It’s a pleasure.
Tash was still uncertain what else to say, but it did feel good. No one had ever said nice things about her before, not even Gravell.
I’ve got to think of the smoke store now.
Of course.
Thanks, though.
I’ll be right behind you if you need me.
Tash felt a little stronger. A little happier. She held the vision of the smoke store in her head. A specific place too—she wanted to come up from below, inside the cage.
And finally the stone began to move away—almost like a curtain being drawn aside—and the tunnel sloped down, swinging in a wide arc and then beginning to rise.
The vision in Tash’s head was getting clearer—they were close to the store. She closed her eyes and thought of coming up inside the cage, and almost as soon as she thought it, the stone above her opened up and a bottle of smoke fell toward her. Tash caught it, then slowly raised her head up through the hole. She was