Night Fall

  A gun appeared in each of his hands, aimed at James and Jack. The two dead men stared steadily back at him.

  “It’s over, Cedric,” said James.

  “You need to come with us now,” said Jack.

  The Sarjeant dropped to his knees. The guns disappeared from his hands. He sighed once, as though he were very tired, and fell forward to lie on his face. He didn’t move again. The watching Droods stood very still. The elves moved a little closer together. Molly came forward to stand with Eddie as he stared unbelievingly at James and Jack.

  “You killed him. That isn’t what I brought you back to do!”

  “You brought us back to do what needed doing,” said James.

  “To do the one thing you could never do,” said Jack.

  “And now, it’s time for us to go,” said James. “We’ve already stayed longer than we should and done more than we should have.”

  “But you always were our favourite nephew,” said Jack.

  The Hereafter Door was suddenly standing behind them. The ranks of watching Droods made a soft sound of surprise, then awe, as the Door opened to reveal it was full of Light. The elves murmured among themselves. James and Jack walked back through the Door. And at the very last moment, just before they disappeared into the Light, Eddie saw the ghost of Cedric walking between them, shaking his head at how wrong he’d been. The three of them laughed silently together, and then they were gone. The Door closed and disappeared. Eddie wondered if it had gone back to the old chapel, or whether James and Jack had taken it with them. He rather hoped they had. Some things were just too powerful, even for Droods. Perhaps especially for Droods.

  The Matriarch addressed the waiting family, her voice full of her old authority. “The war is over. I will talk to the Authorities, and we will work together on how to solve the problem of the Nightside’s shifting boundaries. No recriminations, no crime or punishment on either side. You will all return to the Hall and wait there till I come for you.”

  The Droods rose to their feet and bowed briefly to her. Because how could they argue with a Matriarch who could bring back the trusted dead to shame them? The Matriarch had her future Merlin Glass open a Door back to the Hall and nodded to Conrad, the only surviving troop leader. He led the Droods back through the Glass in a steady stream. It was going to take awhile, given how narrow the opening was. They took the Sarjeant’s body with them.

  While all that was going on, the Matriarch turned to Eddie and Molly.

  “Where can I find the Authorities? Tell me you know where they are.”

  “We’ve been hearing things,” said Eddie. “Or at least Molly has; she still has connections here. All the Authorities are dead now except one. Julien Advent. You’ll find him at the Hospice of the Blessed Saint Margaret.”

  “Julien . . . good,” said the Matriarch. “He always was the sanest of them. You think he’ll bear a grudge, after everything that’s happened?”

  “Almost certainly,” said Molly. “But he won’t let that get in the way of stopping the fighting. It will help that the Sarjeant, the author of all this death and destruction, is dead.”

  “But before we can go there, we have business here,” said Eddie.

  They all turned to look at Puck and his elves. Puck stared unflinchingly back at them. His usual meaningless smile didn’t waver once as they moved over to stand before him.

  “Save your talk of peace,” he said. “I came here for a war, and I will have one.”

  “You started this war,” said Eddie. “Didn’t you?”

  “Well,” said Puck, “I might have had a little help . . .” He laughed softly, mockingly. “Now you’re sending your army away, how are you going to stop my elves? There’s more than enough of us to conquer what remains of the Nightside.”

  “My army is resting, not disbanded,” said the Matriarch. “I can still ally it with the Nightside, against you. Do you really believe you can take both of us, working together?”

  “You’d be surprised at what I’m capable of,” said Puck.

  He vanished, along with all his elves, leaving just an empty open square. Molly blasted lightning bolts through the space where the elves had been, vivid energies that crackled viciously on the air. Molly lowered her hands, looked at Eddie and the Matriarch, and shrugged.

  “Just checking, in case they were still there, hiding behind a glamour. But no; they’re gone.”

  “Where have they gone?” said the Matriarch. “Are we still going to have to fight them?”

  “I shouldn’t think so,” said Eddie. “Puck promised his people an easy victory, and that’s just blown up in his face. I think the plan was . . . they take the Nightside, with the help of the Droods, then turn on the weakened Droods. But now . . . I think Puck’s army will just slink back to wherever it came from. They were just the dregs, after all. The real warriors went to Shadows Fall and the Sundered Lands.”

  “Why did Puck want this war in the first place?” said the Matriarch.

  “Something I plan on asking him at the first opportunity,” said Eddie. “Preferably with my foot on his throat, to make sure he tells the truth.”

  “He made it sound like he had help,” said Molly. “Of course, that could have just been him messing with our heads, but . . .”

  “But maybe we have been missing something all along,” said Eddie. “If Puck does have a partner, who could it be? Who is there left that we haven’t heard from? Who’s missing from this photograph?”

  * * *

  • • •

  Eddie and Molly went straight to Saint Margaret’s Hospice, via the Merlin Glass, to speak to Julien Advent. At the last moment, the Matriarch decided not to go with them. Partly because she believed the Droods needed her, back at the Hall, but mostly because she felt it would be a lot easier for Julien to speak to someone who hadn’t smashed up his Night Times offices. Eddie and Molly appeared in the car-park outside the hospital. Eddie put the Glass away, and Molly grabbed his arm, painfully hard.

  “What?” said Eddie, looking around quickly. “What is it? There’s no one else here!”

  “We are not alone,” said Molly, staring fixedly before her. “My Sight is showing me rows and rows of ghosts, standing between us and the hospital. And they do not look at all happy to see us.”

  Eddie focused his Sight through his torc and jumped despite himself as an army of shimmering forms appeared before him.

  “Okay . . .” he said quietly to Molly. “What should we do now?”

  “Well, I plan on standing very still and not doing anything that might upset them.”

  “They’re just ghosts,” said Eddie. “What could they do to hurt us?”

  “You really want to find out?”

  “I am going to stand extremely still,” Eddie decided. “And hope there’s a second part to this plan of yours.”

  “I was thinking . . . maybe sneak around the back?” said Molly. “And then knock, very politely.”

  The front door to the hospital opened, and Julien Advent came out. He walked right through the rows of ghosts and didn’t flinch any more than they did. He stopped before Eddie and Molly and nodded curtly.

  “I thought it must be you. The ghosts told JC Chance, and he told me, that a Drood and a very scary witch had just appeared in the car-park. So what do you want?”

  “We’re here to negotiate an end to hostilities,” said Eddie. “No, wait a minute. Very scary witch? The ghosts are afraid of Molly?”

  She beamed happily at the shimmering ranks. “I am so proud.”

  “And JC Chance?” said Eddie. “What the hell is a Ghost Finder doing here?”

  “Helping protect this hospital from your family,” said Julien. “When he isn’t sitting around stuffing his face with free food. An end to hostilities . . . Really?”

  “Really,” said Eddie. “The Sarjeant is dead n
ow, and the Matriarch has given me full authority in this matter. We should never have gone to war in the first place. Both sides were tricked into this by Puck.”

  “And possibly someone else,” said Molly. “We’re still working on that.”

  Julien nodded, tiredly. “The elves . . . I should have known. Very well. You agree to whatever terms I want, and I’ll agree to whatever terms you want. But officially this war is over right now. I’ll have to get the other Authorities to confirm it . . .”

  Eddie and Molly looked at each other. They’d really hoped he would have heard, by now.

  “I’m sorry,” said Eddie. “The others are dead. You’re the only Authority left.”

  Eddie ran quickly through what he’d heard about the true situation, including the threat posed to the Nightside by the changed boundaries, and Julien nodded.

  “All right. Let it go. I have enough personal authority to stop any more fighting by the Nightsiders as long as you Droods stay away from them. And get the hell out of the long night as soon as possible.”

  “That’s the plan,” said Eddie. “We’ll stay long enough to help you put the boundaries back where they should be . . . and then we’re out of here.”

  “I have to get back to the Night Times,” said Julien. “We need to put out a new edition, telling everyone the truth about what’s happened.” He looked steadily at Eddie. “You’re sure the elves are gone?”

  “They have no reason to stay,” said Eddie. “Though I would be the first to admit that there’s a lot to this situation I don’t properly understand yet.”

  “You should talk to John Taylor,” said Julien. “He’s had dealings with the elves, and Puck in particular.”

  Eddie pulled a face. “John and I didn’t get on too well the last time we tried talking.”

  “Testosterone,” Molly said airily. “It’s a curse.”

  “Hopefully, things have changed now,” said Eddie.

  “I’ll write you a note,” said Julien.

  “That would help,” said Eddie.

  * * *

  • • •

  John Taylor and Suzie Shooter came up from the World Beneath and walked back through the private garden to find Eddie Drood and Molly Metcalf waiting for them at the gate. They all looked at each other for a long moment.

  “How did you know to find us here?” said John.

  “I told the Merlin Glass to take us straight to you,” said Eddie. “The war is over. The Droods have made a truce with Julien Advent. I have a note.”

  “Why would he agree to that?” said Suzie, scowling suspiciously.

  Eddie took a deep breath and launched into his explanation of everything that had happened one more time. When he finally got to the end, John just looked at him.

  “Read the note,” said Eddie. “Julien vouches for me.”

  “No need,” said John. “Puck . . . I should have known.”

  And then John and Eddie looked at Suzie and Molly, who were glowering fiercely at each other. Eddie and John shared a smile. Suzie and Molly caught the smile and immediately calmed down. If only because they refused to be predictable. The four of them talked together for a while, cautiously searching out common ground. They were pleasantly surprised at how many friends, and enemies, they had in common. There was still a lot of work to be done, cleaning up the mess on both sides, as well as dealing with the Nightside boundaries, but none of them doubted it could be done, now they weren’t distracted by the war. It wasn’t going to be easy. They’d all lost too many people.

  And then Suzie cried out suddenly, clutched at her head, and swayed on her feet.

  “Suzie?” said John. “What is it?”

  He reached out to her, but she staggered backwards, gesturing for him to stay away. “The sword is in my head! Wulfsbane doesn’t want this to be over; it doesn’t want the killing to end. Its voice is so loud I can’t hear myself think . . . It’s taking control, and I’m not strong enough to stop it any more!”

  John looked quickly at Eddie and Molly. “Wulfsbane is an Infernal Device. It’s trying to possess her.”

  “That’s what she’s got on her back?” said Molly. “I’ve heard of them, but I never thought I’d get to see one . . . We have to get it away from her.”

  “You can’t!” said Suzie. She showed her teeth in a death’s-head grin. “It won’t let you.”

  And then all expression disappeared from her face as something else looked out from behind her eyes. Wulfsbane leapt out of the scabbard on Suzie’s back and dropped into her waiting hand. The long blade glowed bitter yellow, poisoning the night with its presence. Suzie laughed breathlessly, sweeping the Infernal Device back and forth before her.

  “The war isn’t over till I say it’s over. Not while there’s still so much killing to be done. I’ll start with you. The murder of three such famous names should be enough to get the war going again. I will stoke the flames of fear and hatred, and walk back and forth in the Nightside, killing and killing till there’s no one left; and then . . . I will walk out into the world and soak it in blood and suffering. It’s what I was made for.”

  Eddie armoured up. Molly’s hands closed into fists, and magics sparked and coruscated around her. John stared helplessly at Suzie.

  “Fight it!” he said.

  “She can’t,” said the sword.

  “Don’t let the blade touch you,” John said to Eddie and Molly. “I’ve seen it cut through Drood armour, and even the smallest wound would be enough to kill you. But you can’t fight Suzie; she’s due to give birth anytime now!”

  “Then think of something,” said Eddie. “Because I am all out of other options.”

  John thought frantically, then stepped forward to face Suzie, putting himself in front of Eddie and Molly.

  “I won’t fight you, Suzie,” he said. “And I won’t let them fight you. I’m just standing here before you, with empty hands and no defences. So it’s up to you. Either you fight off the sword, or I’m a dead man. You can do it, Suzie. I have faith in you.”

  The thing in Suzie’s head smiled at him and drew back the sword for a killing thrust. And then her hand opened, and Wulfsbane dropped from her fingers. The long blade clattered heavily on the ground. Suzie looked at it, as though she couldn’t understand what had just happened, and reached down to pick up the sword. But one leg bent suddenly, and she stumbled sideways. Her face convulsed, and she fought to get back to the sword, but something inside wouldn’t let her. She cried out loud as forces within her went to war in her head and in her heart. Her need to kill against her need for John, but in the end perhaps it was just that Suzie had always been her own woman, and always would. She stood very still, breathing hard, her face pale and drawn and slick with sweat. But her eyes were her own again. She slowly straightened up and nodded to John.

  “I’m back . . .”

  The Infernal Device leapt up and hung upon the air before them, supported by its own malevolent power and implacable will. The long blade glowed brighter than ever, an unearthly light that sickened them just to look at. A voice rang inside all their heads, a sound that was not a sound, a voice within nothing human in it. If I can’t have you, Suzie, I’ll take your baby. Poor defenceless little thing. I’ll curl up inside its head, like a worm in an apple, and you’ll never get me out. Your child will be my child, and oh the things I’ll make it do . . . Unless you take me back, Suzie. And let me do what I was made to do.

  Suzie’s face was cold and utterly focused as she drew her shotgun and placed the barrels firmly under her chin. “Get out of me. All the way out. Or I will pull the trigger. I’ll kill us both before I let my child be a slave to something like you.”

  John started forward, then stopped himself. He had no doubt she’d do it.

  “No need to be so dramatic,” said Molly.

  She had wrapped herself in the bark of trees f
rom her wood between the worlds, ancient primeval trees from when the world was young and magic and nature walked hand in hand. The bark sealed her in from head to toe, like living armour, insulating her from all outside influences. Molly grabbed hold of Wulfsbane, the hilt and the blade, with her armoured hands. The sword fought to possess her, to take control, but it couldn’t reach her past the protection of the trees. Molly broke the sword in two with one convulsive effort, and they all heard the Infernal Device scream horribly as it died. The two pieces of the sword stopped glowing, and suddenly it looked like just another sword. Molly threw the pieces away, and they clattered harmlessly on the ground. The bark of the living armour disappeared, back to where it came from, and Molly nodded easily to Suzie.

  “I’m not just here for the bad things in life.”

  Suzie lowered her shotgun, breathed steadily, and put the gun away. She patted her bump.

  “Back to sleep. False alarm.”

  She nodded her thanks to Molly, and Molly nodded back. Which was as far as either of them would go.

  “I swear, living in the Nightside puts years on you,” said John.

  “I had noticed,” said Eddie. “But we still have work to do. We need to find Puck and get the truth out of him.”

  “Finding things is what I do,” said John. “My mother told me that if I wanted to put the Nightside boundaries back to what they were, I needed to talk to whoever changed them.”

  Eddie looked at him. “You spoke to your mother? Recently?”

  “Only briefly,” said John.

  He raised his gift and reached out, but the elf had serious protections in place. John struggled, trying to focus in on what he needed to know, but it felt like someone else was there, standing between him and Puck. Hiding the elf from John’s gift.

  “Someone’s with Puck,” he said to Eddie. “I can’t get past them . . .”

  Eddie placed his armoured hands on John’s shoulders. The power of Drood armour boosted the power of John’s gift . . . and it dashed suddenly away in a different direction. If it couldn’t find who it was looking for, it would find someone else who could. And just like that, Gaea was standing before them. Mother Earth herself, manifesting as just a good-looking woman in a business suit. She wasn’t smiling.