Read Online Darkest Hour (Age of Misrule, Book 2) by Mark Chadbourn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mark Chadbourn
Ads: Link
turn our back on what is expected of us than we could on life itself.”
“Speak for yourself,” Laura sulked.
“And what is expected of us?” Church said, although the answer was obvious.
Shavi moistened his lips. “To oppose the powers that threaten to drive humanity into the shadows. To shine a beacon of hope in the night. Whatever the cost.”
“Plain English,” Veitch interjected. “To overthrow the bastards or die trying.”
Ruth raised her eyes and muttered, “Thank you, John Wayne.”
They all fell silent for a long moment, and it was Laura who gave voice to the thought on all their minds. “Look at us. What can we do?”
“I can give you all the cliches,” Church began. “David and Goliath. The ant that moved several times its own weight-“
“Okay.” Laura smiled falsely. “Now let’s talk about the real world.”
“There’s some way out there,” Veitch said adamantly. “We don’t have to go out in a blaze of glory like the Wild Bunch. There’s guerrilla warfare. There’s-“
“-different rules now,” Church said. “Powers out there we can use. Like the artefacts we uncovered.” He still felt troubled that objects of such great power were in the hands of such an unpredictable race as the Tuatha De Danann.
“Guerrilla warfare,” Ruth said. “I like that. We turn our weakness into a strength. Move fast, strike hard and be away before they can respond.”
“Excuse me? Are we living in the same world?” Laura said. “These are things that can crush us faster than you can get on a high horse.”
“Get a spine.” Ruth turned to the others. “We all know what’s going to happen next.”
Every head dropped as one.
“Somebody’s got to say it-“
“Let’s not, and say we did.” Laura tried to make out it was more sour humour, but they all heard the faint undertone in her voice: fear.
Ruth looked around the circle slowly. “They’re going to try to bring Balor back. If we don’t try to stop them-“
“Why us?” Laura no longer made any pretence of humour.
“But that is why we have been brought together,” Shavi said quietly. “That is the reason why we contain this nebulous thing called the Pendragon Spirit, this thing that none of us truly understands. But it has been gifted to us so we can defend the land against this overwhelming threat.”
Laura winced. “If you can believe all that-“
“You don’t believe it?” Veitch asked sharply.
“You know what? I don’t feel any different to before I met all you. You’re just fooling yourselves, playing at being heroes. We’re normal. Some of us, worse than normal. Weak, pathetic little shits. And the only time you’re going to realise what a fantasy it is, is that second before you die in a gutter.” Her features were flinty; it was obvious she wasn’t going to back down.
There was a long period of silence filled only with the crackle of the fire. Then Tom began slowly, “It is all right to be scared of Balor. This is not some Fomorii like Calatin or Mollecht, who are frightening, but within our power to beat. As the Fomorii are to us, so Balor is to the Fomorii. He is their god, the embodiment of darkness, evil, death, chaos …” He shook his head slowly. “He is more than a force of nature, he is an abstract given form: destruction. You only have my word for this, but I can see from your faces your fear goes beyond what I say. Because you know. In the furthest reaches of your worst nightmare, in the dimmest purview of your race memory, in your primal fear of the night, he lives. If Balor returns, it truly will be the end of everything.”
No one spoke. They listened to the wind whistling across the hills of Skye and somehow it seemed harsher, colder, the night too dark.
“Then we really do have no choice,” Church said.
Laura turned away so the fire didn’t light her face.
“How are they going to bring him back?” Ruth asked finally.
“None of those ancient races truly die,”
“Speak for yourself,” Laura sulked.
“And what is expected of us?” Church said, although the answer was obvious.
Shavi moistened his lips. “To oppose the powers that threaten to drive humanity into the shadows. To shine a beacon of hope in the night. Whatever the cost.”
“Plain English,” Veitch interjected. “To overthrow the bastards or die trying.”
Ruth raised her eyes and muttered, “Thank you, John Wayne.”
They all fell silent for a long moment, and it was Laura who gave voice to the thought on all their minds. “Look at us. What can we do?”
“I can give you all the cliches,” Church began. “David and Goliath. The ant that moved several times its own weight-“
“Okay.” Laura smiled falsely. “Now let’s talk about the real world.”
“There’s some way out there,” Veitch said adamantly. “We don’t have to go out in a blaze of glory like the Wild Bunch. There’s guerrilla warfare. There’s-“
“-different rules now,” Church said. “Powers out there we can use. Like the artefacts we uncovered.” He still felt troubled that objects of such great power were in the hands of such an unpredictable race as the Tuatha De Danann.
“Guerrilla warfare,” Ruth said. “I like that. We turn our weakness into a strength. Move fast, strike hard and be away before they can respond.”
“Excuse me? Are we living in the same world?” Laura said. “These are things that can crush us faster than you can get on a high horse.”
“Get a spine.” Ruth turned to the others. “We all know what’s going to happen next.”
Every head dropped as one.
“Somebody’s got to say it-“
“Let’s not, and say we did.” Laura tried to make out it was more sour humour, but they all heard the faint undertone in her voice: fear.
Ruth looked around the circle slowly. “They’re going to try to bring Balor back. If we don’t try to stop them-“
“Why us?” Laura no longer made any pretence of humour.
“But that is why we have been brought together,” Shavi said quietly. “That is the reason why we contain this nebulous thing called the Pendragon Spirit, this thing that none of us truly understands. But it has been gifted to us so we can defend the land against this overwhelming threat.”
Laura winced. “If you can believe all that-“
“You don’t believe it?” Veitch asked sharply.
“You know what? I don’t feel any different to before I met all you. You’re just fooling yourselves, playing at being heroes. We’re normal. Some of us, worse than normal. Weak, pathetic little shits. And the only time you’re going to realise what a fantasy it is, is that second before you die in a gutter.” Her features were flinty; it was obvious she wasn’t going to back down.
There was a long period of silence filled only with the crackle of the fire. Then Tom began slowly, “It is all right to be scared of Balor. This is not some Fomorii like Calatin or Mollecht, who are frightening, but within our power to beat. As the Fomorii are to us, so Balor is to the Fomorii. He is their god, the embodiment of darkness, evil, death, chaos …” He shook his head slowly. “He is more than a force of nature, he is an abstract given form: destruction. You only have my word for this, but I can see from your faces your fear goes beyond what I say. Because you know. In the furthest reaches of your worst nightmare, in the dimmest purview of your race memory, in your primal fear of the night, he lives. If Balor returns, it truly will be the end of everything.”
No one spoke. They listened to the wind whistling across the hills of Skye and somehow it seemed harsher, colder, the night too dark.
“Then we really do have no choice,” Church said.
Laura turned away so the fire didn’t light her face.
“How are they going to bring him back?” Ruth asked finally.
“None of those ancient races truly die,”
Similar Books
