played you false!’
I close the gate! thought Dow.
‘In whose name?’ A voice in his mind.
He could think of no demon’s name, his thoughts drowned by an inner scream.
In mine. In Dowzabel’s. I close the gate to Hell.
The scraping, that terrible noise. The devil released its grip on the rich man. Everyone put their hands to their ears but Dowzabel, hands still tied, was forced to bear it.
Bardi fell to the floor, clutching his arm and howling.
‘When the gate opens again, I will be waiting!’ The voice was tormented, distant.
‘Give me the boy!’ the demon bellowed.
Edwin all but threw Dow over the powder of the circle. Dowzabel could not stand, he was so exhausted, so cold and so frightened and his ankle would not support his weight.
Help me! Dow screamed with his mind.
The demon stretched forward a burning finger to the wound on Dow’s chest. Dow felt a searing pain and flinched away, howling in agony. Exactly where the priest had branded him, the demon had burned him again.
‘You will help yourself. We who are now free have work to do.’
You have betrayed me! You have burned me. You are the same as the men of Îthekter !
But the demon didn’t seem to hear him. It folded its arms over its chest. ‘I go to pursue Free Hell’s destiny; I have places to go, bad men to see.’
The wind stirred the ashes of the demon’s body and it began to blow away, stripping him to nothing until he was no more than a trail of sparks flying into the night sky.
Bardi kicked a gap in the circle of powder and the remaining little creatures that surrounded them blew out, flowing up towards the black sky like so much smoke.
Edwin collapsed, sitting back on the rim of the crater.
Bardi stumbled over to the ravaged bodies of Pole and Arigo. His arm was a tattered mess and he held it close against his body, wincing with pain even as he spoke.
‘Well, broadly speaking,’ he said, ‘I’d call that a success.’
Orsino stood up. He had recovered his wits. ‘You’re a bastard, sir, if you call this success. Arigo was my friend.’
‘Watch your tongue, Orsino,’ said Bardi, ‘unless you want to lose it. Though considering the circumstances, I’ll forgive you this once.’
‘I don’t want to work for you any more, sir.’
Bardi sat on the floor, clutching his arm. ‘Then gamble less or sell your family’s home and pay your debts. Remember, your mother and your sisters sit secure for as long as you are useful to me, or for as long as I live. You are mine until you can pay your debts.’
‘What is our debt now? And where is your profit? We open the gates of Hell and allow demons that God locked away to come crawling into the world. A great man dies. My friend too,’ said Orsino.
‘The gate to Hell is closed and will remain so while I have the key,’ said Edwin.
‘Perhaps that’s best in the short term,’ said Bardi. ‘We got what we wanted. Nothing worth having is without cost.’ He turned to the priest. ‘Your spirit was right about the boy, father.’
The priest bowed his head to his knees, hugging himself, sitting on the lip of the pit and staring into space. ‘Who was that devil, Bardi? He knew you.’
‘The fire demon knew Pole. It means nothing. I’ve never seen the other one before.’
Orsino went to Dow. The boy tried to stand but he was too weak. The soldier supported him.
‘We can let the boy free now?’ said Orsino.
‘I need him,’ said the priest. ‘He is going nowhere. He has a rare command of these demons. He will come with me and help me learn about Hell. If he can open the gate to Hell, he can get more from my devil than I have achieved.’
‘Your devil at St Olave’s wants him dead,’ said Bardi.
‘A good enough reason to keep him alive. We can strike bargains with it. We may pull more truths from it yet.’
‘The demon said England’s liberation was in the Drago. Use your art to find it,’ said Bardi. ‘Everything depends on it.’
‘Everything? If a
I close the gate! thought Dow.
‘In whose name?’ A voice in his mind.
He could think of no demon’s name, his thoughts drowned by an inner scream.
In mine. In Dowzabel’s. I close the gate to Hell.
The scraping, that terrible noise. The devil released its grip on the rich man. Everyone put their hands to their ears but Dowzabel, hands still tied, was forced to bear it.
Bardi fell to the floor, clutching his arm and howling.
‘When the gate opens again, I will be waiting!’ The voice was tormented, distant.
‘Give me the boy!’ the demon bellowed.
Edwin all but threw Dow over the powder of the circle. Dowzabel could not stand, he was so exhausted, so cold and so frightened and his ankle would not support his weight.
Help me! Dow screamed with his mind.
The demon stretched forward a burning finger to the wound on Dow’s chest. Dow felt a searing pain and flinched away, howling in agony. Exactly where the priest had branded him, the demon had burned him again.
‘You will help yourself. We who are now free have work to do.’
You have betrayed me! You have burned me. You are the same as the men of Îthekter !
But the demon didn’t seem to hear him. It folded its arms over its chest. ‘I go to pursue Free Hell’s destiny; I have places to go, bad men to see.’
The wind stirred the ashes of the demon’s body and it began to blow away, stripping him to nothing until he was no more than a trail of sparks flying into the night sky.
Bardi kicked a gap in the circle of powder and the remaining little creatures that surrounded them blew out, flowing up towards the black sky like so much smoke.
Edwin collapsed, sitting back on the rim of the crater.
Bardi stumbled over to the ravaged bodies of Pole and Arigo. His arm was a tattered mess and he held it close against his body, wincing with pain even as he spoke.
‘Well, broadly speaking,’ he said, ‘I’d call that a success.’
Orsino stood up. He had recovered his wits. ‘You’re a bastard, sir, if you call this success. Arigo was my friend.’
‘Watch your tongue, Orsino,’ said Bardi, ‘unless you want to lose it. Though considering the circumstances, I’ll forgive you this once.’
‘I don’t want to work for you any more, sir.’
Bardi sat on the floor, clutching his arm. ‘Then gamble less or sell your family’s home and pay your debts. Remember, your mother and your sisters sit secure for as long as you are useful to me, or for as long as I live. You are mine until you can pay your debts.’
‘What is our debt now? And where is your profit? We open the gates of Hell and allow demons that God locked away to come crawling into the world. A great man dies. My friend too,’ said Orsino.
‘The gate to Hell is closed and will remain so while I have the key,’ said Edwin.
‘Perhaps that’s best in the short term,’ said Bardi. ‘We got what we wanted. Nothing worth having is without cost.’ He turned to the priest. ‘Your spirit was right about the boy, father.’
The priest bowed his head to his knees, hugging himself, sitting on the lip of the pit and staring into space. ‘Who was that devil, Bardi? He knew you.’
‘The fire demon knew Pole. It means nothing. I’ve never seen the other one before.’
Orsino went to Dow. The boy tried to stand but he was too weak. The soldier supported him.
‘We can let the boy free now?’ said Orsino.
‘I need him,’ said the priest. ‘He is going nowhere. He has a rare command of these demons. He will come with me and help me learn about Hell. If he can open the gate to Hell, he can get more from my devil than I have achieved.’
‘Your devil at St Olave’s wants him dead,’ said Bardi.
‘A good enough reason to keep him alive. We can strike bargains with it. We may pull more truths from it yet.’
‘The demon said England’s liberation was in the Drago. Use your art to find it,’ said Bardi. ‘Everything depends on it.’
‘Everything? If a
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