World's End Read Free Page A

might actually
be
Eric, and his heart beat fast. Who the woman was, he had no idea. But when the drake’s body angled forwards, he saw clearly that Loup was on its back. ‘Loup!’ he yelled, loud as he could. ‘Down here!’
    But his voice was drowned out by the high deathly shrieks of a thousand war mages. They poured from scores of the castle’s windows, blackening the skies like great streaks of shadow.
    â€˜They come for us,’ said Anfen mildly. ‘Farewell, Sharfy. My redeemer has willed it.’
    â€˜What? No! Get us in the quiet. They can’t see us there.’
    â€˜Let it end. I am tired.’
    â€˜Give
me
that armour then. Quick, before they come.’
    Anfen made no move to do so. Above them Eric and the woman had got nearly halfway to the castle when they changed direction. Steadily they floated skywards, away from Vous. Two Invia flew wide circles about them as they were carried higher and higher, until lost from view in thick clouds.
    The war mages were soon close enough that the yellow gleam of their slitted eyes could be seen through faces of twisted ropy beard. As one, the mass of them shifted direction and flew up,in pursuit of Eric and Aziel. From a distance it looked as though the flocking mass of them assumed a formation of an arm and fist rising from the castle to strike skywards. Vous’s beautiful sung note grew mournful, as if he were sad that Eric and Aziel were no longer coming towards him.
    Sharfy knew he’d live, for the moment at least. He also knew he owed Anfen no thanks for it. ‘If that was really Eric,’ he said, ‘that’s the last of him. Never seen that many war mages. We have to get under cover. They’ll come back. Fuck you and your redeemer. Stay here and die.’ He left him sitting there without a moment’s pause, nor the faintest hint of guilt or regret.
    Anfen stared up at a high castle window, and did not appear to have heard or noticed.

2
SKY PRISONS
    As strong as the cold wind through Eric’s hair was the sense of unreality which blasted from his mind the present moment, the past, and every experience he’d had since Vous’s eye peered through the little red door’s keyhole, fell upon him and named him Shadow.
    None of it was real any more. The wind numbed his skin with its cold and ruffled his clothes. He was just an object being moved; that was all. The ground was lethally far beneath. The castle looked like a huge white dragon, huger than huge, tail curled round about itself, head resting on the ground, its great mouth opening out onto the Great Dividing Road. From innumerable windows came reflected glints of lightning. On the balcony with arms spread, Vous sang beautiful notes after them.
    Beings on the grass, tiny with distance, stared up at Eric till the cloud concealed them. Close by the storm spat lightning at the castle or tossed it about with great flickers of white. The air held him and Aziel aloft as easily as someone’s invisible palm, slowly raising them away from the castle, where Vous had attempted to draw them to himself.
    Aziel’s voice brought Eric back to himself. He missed what she’d said. She clutched at him in fear, fingernails digging intohis skin hard enough to leave small crescent cuts. He took her hand and told her a lie – they’d be all right – and a truth – it would all be over soon.
    He made himself see the air’s magic and was overcome by the frantic movements of fierce colour, a many-armed wheeling star spinning slowly and enormously about the castle. One arm passed right through them, though they felt nothing more than the cold of the wind. His last sight of Vous before the clouds took them was of the man-god’s eyes, two points of light, locking onto his own, seeing him but not understanding what they saw. At once Vous was fascinated by and deathly afraid of Eric. Eric had thought it a dream long ago, when he’d