He strode out of the darkness with a long, lolloping gait and fixed his one bulbous eye on me. His expression gave nothing away; he didn’t even blink.
‘This is Hugo,’ I said. ‘And Hester and Otis. You’ve met them before.’ Briefly: they’d been with me the second time I’d bumped into the Fachan, although they’d left very quickly when some fiends had shown up.
‘You called Daisy pathetic,’ Hester said helpfully.
The Fachan rumbled, ‘Sheispathetic.’
Hester held up her hands. ‘I’m not disagreeing.’
Hugo stepped forward and stretched out his hand. ‘It’s nice to meet you properly.’
The Fachan pursed his lips. ‘Ah, good. A new challenger. Bring out your sword.’
‘No,’ Hugo said. ‘I?—’
The Fachan’s head whipped towards me. ‘The boy smells of you.’
‘Uh—’ I didn’t know what to say and I floundered for the right words. ‘Uh, he is mine. That’s why.’
‘He belongs to you?’
I hesitated. ‘Um, yes, I guess he does.’
Hugo raised his eyebrows but thankfully didn’t argue. It wasn’t really the time.
‘I see.’ The Fachan sniffed, reached for the sheath at his back and slid out a massive gleaming sword. He pointed it at Hugo. ‘He is definitely not here to fight?’
‘Definitely,’ I said.
‘And neither are you?’ he enquired.
‘Nope.’
The Fachan pondered this for a moment then broke into a huge, unexpected smile. ‘I did not think so, Daisy Carter.’ He bowed his head. ‘It is good to see you again.’
Relief washed over me: he wasn’t going to demand a battle to the death after all. I smiled back and my shoulders relaxed. ‘You were injured last time we met,’ I said. Baltar had wounded him badly before I’d shocked all of us and killed the fiend outright. ‘Have you recovered?’
His eye twinkled. ‘I have.’ He gestured to his long, sinewy body. ‘And without any scars to show for it. You also appear to have recovered from your injuries.’
For a moment, I had no idea what he was referring to and then I realised: he must have spotted the tell-tale silver circles around the pupils of my eyes from the spider’s silk. Those thin lines no longer existed; within two weeks of stopping using the drug, they had faded away.
I inclined my head. ‘I have.’
‘I am pleased.’ He thrust his sword towards me and its tip reflected the gleam of the fireballs. Hugo stiffened protectively at my side but I nudged him with my elbow. He didn’t need to worry.
‘And where is Gladius Acutissimus Gloriae et Sanguinis?’ the Fachan asked.
Otis squinted. ‘Huh?’
‘He means Gladys,’ I explained. I fumbled in my waterproof bag and pulled her out. As soon as she was fully exposed, she gave a high-pitched whine. I blinked: I’d never heard my sword make that sound before and I had no idea what it meant.
The Fachan grinned broadly. ‘It is good to see you again,’ he said.
I knew instantly that he wasn’t talking to me. I twisted Gladys and offered her hilt towards him.
‘No,’ he replied immediately. ‘She is not for me to touch. She belongs to you now.’ And then, scolding me, he added, ‘You should not permit anyone else to touch her, not even me.’ He glanced at her blade. ‘You have been taking good care of her butshe remains thirsty for blood.’ He rolled his massive shoulders in a shrug. ‘Such is the way of swords.’
I didn’t really have a response for that so I smiled awkwardly and let her drop back by my side. ‘Thank you for coming to greet us,’ I said.
