No. Oh no.
She buzzed with hatred, making no attempt to disguise how she felt at being handled by a fiend. Sentient or not, though, she couldn’t prevent Athair from using her against me. She altered her buzz to a high-pitched whine but he only chuckled.
‘Killed by your own father with your own sword.’ He clicked his tongue. ‘And to think of all you could have been.’ He raised her blade, angling it towards my chest.
I sucked in a breath as time seemed to stop. Then a loud voice boomed out across Charlotte Square. ‘Wait!’
Hugo. I looked up and saw him standing on the roof of the Royal Elvish Institute in exactly the same spot where I had been when I’d confronted Athair up there. Suddenly a huge grin spread across my face. ‘He’s got it,’ I said. ‘He’s ready.’
‘What?’ Athair asked. ‘What are you babbling on about?’
‘Hugo’s got the ring. The one we took from William Hausman’s corpse in Culcreuch Castle.’
As my words sank in, Athair’s eyes widened a fraction and he lowered Gladys an inch – but he didn’t let go of her. ‘You’ve been to Culcreuch?’
I almost laughed. ‘You think we don’t know where you live? You think we’re stupid?’ I shook my hand free of the remaining water and winced. The skin was already blistering; unfortunately there was only so much the water could do.
‘We didn’t find King John’s crown jewels at Sutton Bridge because we realised we didn’t have to,’ I said. ‘William Hausman had already been there. You punished that poor man for hunting for the treasure that could destroy every fiend in existence, treasure marked with the emblem of three lions to signify the power and might of England, King and country.’
I paused for no reason other than dramatic effect. ‘The ring that was on William Hausman’s finger when you threw him into that dungeon has the same emblem. That’s what I gave to Hugo earlier and that’s what he’s holding aloft right now.’
Athair hawked up a ball of greenish phlegm and spat it on the ground. His disgusting show of defiance didn’t fool me because I’d seen the way his fingers had tightened around Gladys’s hilt. He believed me, believed every word because everything I’d said was the truth. Athair could scent a lie in a heartbeat and I hadn’t lied.
He growled, ‘I don’t know how you learned about King John’s jewels, Daisy, but the item you’re talking about is a sceptre, not a ring.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Please. You’re six hundred years old. You know better than anyone how fluid language is, how words change shape and meaning. You understand that words become metaphors and vice-versa. According to the stories, it was the sceptre in Bad King John’s crown jewels that possessed the power to get rid of all enemies and kill all fiends. But you also have to think about what a sceptre is and what it symbolises.’
Athair whispered the words. ‘The power of a monarch.’
‘The power of acountry,’ I said in a near shout. ‘You weren’t alive when those jewels were lost and you took the old stories at face value. But don’t beat yourself up for being wrong. You don’t have the time.’
A strange blue light was emanating from Hugo; his hand – and the ring he was holding – were glowing bright blue and lighting up the rooftop. He looked like an ethereal vision from heaven. Hell, Hugo looked like agod.
As if to complete the image, Athair slammed out a fork of magical lightning but it didn’t even get close to hitting Hugo. The ward around the Royal Elvish Institute included the rooftop; we’d made sure of that.
‘What will it be, Daddy Dearest?’ I asked. ‘You can strike me down, you can kill me – we both know you’re capable of that. But if you delay then Hugo will use that ring long before you can get to him and prevent its true power being invoked.’
I affected a brief sigh. ‘If you let me live, you still might not make it to him in time. The ward around that building is strong and it won’t be easy to break, no matter how much magic you fling at it. The choice is yours. Sweet revenge – or complete annihilation?’
Athair’s red eyes flashed. ‘Pathetic,’ he hissed. ‘You’re fucking pathetic.’ He turned away, already gathering his power as he prepared to throw everything he had at the magical barrier.
Something inside me hardened. ‘You do not get to call me that,’ I said icily. I reached into my pocket, found the little knife I’d taken from Amy and leaned forward, then I stabbed it into Athair’s broad, golden neck.
He threw his head back and screeched as his hands scrabbled at the knife that was embedded in his flesh. In the process, he dropped Gladys. I didn’t waste a second. I scooped her up and she offered me a welcoming hum in return.
Athair grunted as he yanked the knife out of his neck. With blood spurting from the wound, he turned and threw it at me. His intent was obviously to hurt me in the same way I’d hurt him but I was ready for him. I raised Gladys up and the knife bounced uselessly off her blade.
‘Hang on, Daisy!’ Hugo cried. ‘It’s almost there. A few more seconds…’
Athair snarled. Still bleeding copiously, he slammed his hands forward and threw everything he had at the Royal Elvish Institute – and Hugo. Fire. Wind. Lightning. Air. Earthquake. Athair tossed each violent blast of magic in quick succession.
The ward around the building was stronger than any other potential barrier except against blood magic, but it wasn’t foolproof. Not against a fiend’s powers and certainly not against Athair’s. A loud crack filled the square and the air in front of the institute glowed bright green. Then there was a wild gust of warm air as the ward finally snapped.
‘It’s happening, Daisy!’ Hugo shouted. ‘Now!’
The bright blue that surrounded him increased in intensity and Athair covered his head with his hands. I tensed, adrenaline shooting through my veins. My bones quivered and my hands trembled. Gladys hummed loudly.
Nothing else happened.
