The War of the Grail (49 page)

His breath was short and he was sweating at the strain of trying to run. A centipede patrolled ahead of him, but he ignored it for the moment. He heard the giant avatar gargling and howling behind him and then the crunch and scrape of metal against stone.

He swivelled round and saw, to his horror, that the creature wasn’t pursuing him at all. Instead, it had bashed apart most of the wall beside it and was swinging its claws at Saleem. The lad, still holding Cecily, darted through another arch. But the beast sprang after him, smashing a second wall to pieces.

Jack shuffled back, dragging his burnt foot, desperate to move faster. After he’d gone a couple of yards, he could see deeper into the ruins and make out Saleem cowering against a wall. The lad was trapped, having run into a chamber with no exit. The avatar loomed over him, ready to strike.

Jack shouted and waved his hand in an effort to distract the creature. But its eyes were locked on Saleem and Cecily.

Saleem placed the infant on the ground, slung his musket from his shoulder and fired at the avatar. The bullet tinged against the creature’s head, but it did no damage. Saleem clicked out the firearm’s knife, but there was no way he would be able to defend himself with that.

Someone cried out from the courtyard. When Jack looked to his left, he saw that Elizabeth was standing now, although she was still beneath the oak tree. She’d seen that Cecily and Saleem were trapped, and her eyes glistened with fear. For a moment, he thought she was about to run across and attack the avatar with her bare hands. But then she stood very still, hung her head and sat back down on the ground.

Jack frowned. Was she going to continue meditating? Now? It seemed impossible, but that was exactly what she was doing. She’d already closed her eyes and placed her hands on her knees.

She’d abandoned Cecily.

Jack didn’t waste any time thinking about this, however. He hobbled on, not sure what he was going to do once he reached the avatar, but still frantic to get there.

The giant creature raised one of its claws above its head and prepared to batter Saleem. The lad was jabbing with his knife-musket, but his efforts were futile. Cecily lay at his feet. Once the avatar swung its claw down, it would crush both Saleem and the child.

Damn it.

Jack had to run faster. But he couldn’t manage it. The pain spiked straight through his body whenever he pressed down with his foot.

He wasn’t going to make it.

Saleem and Cecily were going to die.

Then Elizabeth gave a high-pitched shriek. The sound was so unearthly that Jack thought she must have been attacked by a soldier or a centipede. But when he looked at her, she appeared unharmed. On the other hand, something strange was happening to her. She was standing now with her hands raised to the sky. A glowing aura surrounded her and her skin shone like the moon.

Jack felt the sattva spiralling about him. It seemed agitated, an ocean stirred by a storm. The sweet scent was stronger than usual.

Something powerful was smelting sattva.

He stopped dead still and stared at Elizabeth. Was she smelting?

She couldn’t be.

Then Elizabeth gave another piercing ululation and light suddenly blazed around her. Her hair fluttered about her head and a gale blasted away from her.

Sattva-scented air punched Jack in the face. The force of it knocked him to his knees.

His eyes watered as the powerful wind rushed over him. But through his tears he could see Elizabeth. She seemed to be burning with silver fire, so bright he could barely look at her.

The power of the Grail. It had to be. There was no other explanation for what he was seeing.

He felt a moment of sublime joy. Perhaps the rebels could succeed after all.

And then, a moment later, fear crushed him.

If Elizabeth were using the power, did that mean she would ascend to heaven? Did it mean this was the last time he would ever see her?

A whirlwind of light and air spun about Elizabeth and then seemed to detonate. The glare blinded Jack and knocked him backwards to the ground.

He could see nothing but brilliant light and hear nothing but the wild roaring of the wind.

He opened his eyes. He was lying on his back with spots from the brilliant light dancing before him. He felt sattva flowing about him, brushing against his face. But it was no longer agitated. The storm seemed to have passed.

Elizabeth.

He sat up with a jolt. He was still lying in the ruins and everything looked the same as before. The sky was still overcast, the rotting buildings were still standing. However, what he noticed the most was the silence. He heard no shouts, muskets or gunfire. For a moment, he even thought he might have imagined the whole battle.

But then he saw a centipede lying nearby. It was completely still, a line of smoke rising from it. He picked up a stone and threw it at the creature. The beast crumbled apart into metal fragments.

He looked up then and spotted Elizabeth stumbling through the rubble as if in a daze. She was dishevelled, and no longer glowing, but she appeared unharmed.

He leapt to his feet and staggered across to her. Her eyes flickered when she saw him. She gave a little sob and fell into his arms.

Jack blinked back tears and held her tight. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes.’ Her voice was cracked.

‘What happened?’

‘I don’t know. I think … I think I used the power.’ She stepped away from him. Her eyes were focusing now and she seemed more aware of her surroundings. ‘Where’s Cecily?’

Jack felt the blood run from his face. He didn’t want to find out what had happened to his granddaughter, but he had to.

He turned and saw the giant avatar towering over the ruins ahead of him. But there was something odd about the beast. It was completely motionless. It held its claw up in order to strike but was keeping it poised, hanging in the air.

Saleem cowered beneath the creature, still holding his musket at the ready. Cecily lay swaddled in a blanket at his feet.

Elizabeth gasped and rushed towards her child. But she only went a few paces before the avatar gave a deep groan. This was followed by the sound of scraping iron. A metal plate fell from the beast’s abdomen and clanked on the ground. Then another plate tumbled off, along with several stalks. Finally, the raised claw dropped off its arm and clattered on the earth.

Saleem jumped as the claw struck the ground, grasped Cecily and dashed out of the way.

Now the whole avatar collapsed, fragmenting into chunks of metal armour that fell off, a piece at a time, making a series of groans and creaks. Finally, the beast was nothing more than a pile of iron with a trace of smoke coiling up from it. The fire in its centre had gone out.

Elizabeth ran across to Saleem and Cecily. Jack hobbled after her as quickly as he could.

Saleem was gaunt, covered in dust and shaking slightly. But he was alive. And Cecily lay gurgling in his arms, reaching up with her tiny hands to grasp her mother. Elizabeth stifled a sob and swept the infant into her arms.

Jack grinned at Saleem. ‘You did well.’

Saleem swallowed and nodded, seemingly so shocked he’d lost his voice.

Someone gave a moan nearby. Jack scanned the area and spotted something moving in the broken ironwork that was all that remained of the avatar.

Christ. Was someone trapped underneath all that? Had there been someone else nearby when the creature fell apart?

He scrambled through the broken legs, claws and armour-plating. The metal was still warm when he touched it and the heat pressed against his face as he got near to what had once been the innards of the beast.

And then he saw a figure, a man, completely naked and lying in the midst of the wreckage. He was Indian, and short and slightly flabby.

Jack froze when he realised that he recognised the man.

It was General Vadula.

Jack sank to his knees. He’d seen many pictures of Vadula. The man before him had to be the general, or someone who looked exactly like him.

The man was covered in brass tubes and pistons. And as Jack looked more closely, he saw that these weren’t merely surrounding Vadula, they were in fact piercing his skin in many places, jutting into his neck, legs, arms and abdomen. And yet these injuries weren’t drawing blood. The skin seemed to have healed around the metal, as if the wounds had occurred a long time ago.

And finally it dawned on Jack. Vadula hadn’t been near to the creature, or underneath it. He’d been inside it. Joined to it. Combined with it. Bound to it. And, no doubt, controlling it all along.

Jack had always thought there was something strange about this avatar. It had seemed far more intelligent than any he’d come across before. Now he knew the truth.

Vadula was still breathing, but he appeared weak and unaware even of where he was. His eyes focused on Jack for a moment. He seemed to be trying to speak, but there was a tube stuck in his mouth. As Jack watched, the life drained out of him and he gave a final sigh.

Jack checked for a pulse. But he already knew Vadula was dead.

B
y the time Jack, Elizabeth and Saleem made it back to the Folly Brook camp, all those in the fortress who’d survived the attack were celebrating. Despite their exhaustion, thirst and hunger, people were managing to sing and dance. Because, although many had died, many too had lived, and they’d expelled the enemy from their walls.

The crusade was still alive.

As he’d limped across the ruins, Jack had heard snatches of stories from people. It seemed that suddenly all the avatars attacking the fort had died and crumbled apart. Jack could tell this was true, because he spotted numerous broken centipedes scattered across the ground. Furthermore, the enemy siddhas – sorcerers, as the rebels called them – had stopped using their devastating powers. Disorientated, afraid and without any clear leader, the army troops had faced a fierce attack from the rebels and had fled, despite their far greater numbers. They’d retreated down the hill and rejoined the forces that still encircled the fortress.

The army hadn’t left. The siege continued. But at least the immediate battle had been won.

Godwin had survived, as had Mary, Saleem’s family and many of the inhabitants of Folly Brook. But many had also died in the fighting. Half the apprentices had been killed defending the east wall, and around thirty other villagers had been slain as they fought either at one of the walls or around the ruined palace, where they’d faced a stiff struggle against the centipedes.

The apprentices also reported something strange to Jack. They’d noticed that their powers had all waned, despite the fact that several were certain they still had a plentiful supply of sattva.

As odd as it seemed, it was beginning to look to Jack as though neither powers nor avatars would work within the fortress any longer. And he could only think that had something to do with whatever it was Elizabeth had unleashed in the courtyard.

Finally, Godwin ushered Jack into the ruined palace and over to the small chamber that had been serving as the temporary hospital. Eight villagers lay in there now, newly injured in the fighting, as well as Sonali.