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Authors: Sarah Pinborough
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who he was any more. Mr Dublin’s mouth twitched in disgust. ‘Why does he have no Glow ?’ he repeated.
‘Is this what we have come to?’ Mr Craven trembled. ‘The First is a drooling, gibbering idiot?’
In response, the old man began to cry quietly, parts of words lost in the snotty mess of his face.
‘Let’s not be hasty,’ Mr Bright said. ‘He’s only just awakened. He make take time to recover.’
‘You’re a fool, Mr Bright.’ Mr Craven spat the words out. His hands were trembling as he pointed a finger at the silver-haired man. ‘You promised us – you said the First would wake and all would be restored to its former glory. We would be restored to our former glory.’ He looked down at the figure in the bed. ‘And this is what you deliver us.’
‘The First with no Glow .’ Mr Dublin spoke softly. ‘How can that be? What does this mean for the rest of us?’
‘It means we’re all dying,’ Mr Craven snapped. ‘Not just me and the others, but you too one day. This whole crumbling kingdom: we’re decaying, and there lies your proof. The glorious First – our leader, the shining one. What would the rest say if they saw him now? We should finish him off. Give him some of his dignity back.’
‘I think perhaps,’ Mr Bright retained his calm, ‘it’s best we keep the news of his awakening to ourselves for now. Give us time to evaluate the situation.’
‘Give you time to come up with a way to explain yourself, you mean.’
‘I don’t need to explain myself, Mr Craven,’ Mr Bright said. ‘Don’t forget who I am.’
‘We’ll keep it quiet for now,’ Mr Dublin cut in, ‘but not for long. And I must warn you, Mr Bright’ – he carefully moved his fine blond hair out of his eyes – ‘that between this and the Dying, many of our number are going to want to find a way home. Rightly or wrongly, they will blame you for the decay around us.’
‘Thank you for your concern,’ Mr Bright said. ‘Now I think I’d like a few minutes alone with the First.’
He saw the look that flashed between the two men before they turned towards the door. There was an alliance forming there – Mr Dublin didn’t like Mr Craven, that was clear, but that wouldn’t stop them discussing this, and plotting how the cohorts should move forward. It was exactly as Mr Bright had expected. There was danger there, for sure, but he wasn’t prepared to show his full hand yet – not until he was absolutely certain that all had gone according to plan. And anyway, Mr Dublin would be a fool to ally with Mr Craven; the latter would hedge his bets. The two would want to approach things differently, and they’d realise that soon enough. They could cause him problems, that was certain, but they would never work together, not like he and Solomon and the First had done, and alone they could never take him on.
When the door had clicked shut he pulled his gloves off and laid them on the side-table before taking a tissue from the box and carefully wiping the old man’s face. The crying got worse as he touched him. Mr Bright let his hand rest for a moment on the hot, dry forehead.
‘Try not to be afraid,’ he said, giving the thing in the bed a kind smile. ‘I will look after you – I will put you somewhere safe.’
Fresh tears sprang into the old eyes, and Mr Bright’s heart squeezed slightly with pity and more than a little guilt. If only the other realised the burdens he’d had to bear for them – for all of them. He wasn’t a monster, but he’d done monstrous things on their behalf.
He squeezed the old man’s hand and felt it weakly pull away. He wondered if he should get the nurse to sedate the creature in the bed, but decided against it. A return to anunconscious state might have disastrous consequences. He would wait and see for now. He stepped back and smiled. It had been a long wait, but he was quietly confident that the plan they’d formed when the First had started ailing was all coming
‘Is this what we have come to?’ Mr Craven trembled. ‘The First is a drooling, gibbering idiot?’
In response, the old man began to cry quietly, parts of words lost in the snotty mess of his face.
‘Let’s not be hasty,’ Mr Bright said. ‘He’s only just awakened. He make take time to recover.’
‘You’re a fool, Mr Bright.’ Mr Craven spat the words out. His hands were trembling as he pointed a finger at the silver-haired man. ‘You promised us – you said the First would wake and all would be restored to its former glory. We would be restored to our former glory.’ He looked down at the figure in the bed. ‘And this is what you deliver us.’
‘The First with no Glow .’ Mr Dublin spoke softly. ‘How can that be? What does this mean for the rest of us?’
‘It means we’re all dying,’ Mr Craven snapped. ‘Not just me and the others, but you too one day. This whole crumbling kingdom: we’re decaying, and there lies your proof. The glorious First – our leader, the shining one. What would the rest say if they saw him now? We should finish him off. Give him some of his dignity back.’
‘I think perhaps,’ Mr Bright retained his calm, ‘it’s best we keep the news of his awakening to ourselves for now. Give us time to evaluate the situation.’
‘Give you time to come up with a way to explain yourself, you mean.’
‘I don’t need to explain myself, Mr Craven,’ Mr Bright said. ‘Don’t forget who I am.’
‘We’ll keep it quiet for now,’ Mr Dublin cut in, ‘but not for long. And I must warn you, Mr Bright’ – he carefully moved his fine blond hair out of his eyes – ‘that between this and the Dying, many of our number are going to want to find a way home. Rightly or wrongly, they will blame you for the decay around us.’
‘Thank you for your concern,’ Mr Bright said. ‘Now I think I’d like a few minutes alone with the First.’
He saw the look that flashed between the two men before they turned towards the door. There was an alliance forming there – Mr Dublin didn’t like Mr Craven, that was clear, but that wouldn’t stop them discussing this, and plotting how the cohorts should move forward. It was exactly as Mr Bright had expected. There was danger there, for sure, but he wasn’t prepared to show his full hand yet – not until he was absolutely certain that all had gone according to plan. And anyway, Mr Dublin would be a fool to ally with Mr Craven; the latter would hedge his bets. The two would want to approach things differently, and they’d realise that soon enough. They could cause him problems, that was certain, but they would never work together, not like he and Solomon and the First had done, and alone they could never take him on.
When the door had clicked shut he pulled his gloves off and laid them on the side-table before taking a tissue from the box and carefully wiping the old man’s face. The crying got worse as he touched him. Mr Bright let his hand rest for a moment on the hot, dry forehead.
‘Try not to be afraid,’ he said, giving the thing in the bed a kind smile. ‘I will look after you – I will put you somewhere safe.’
Fresh tears sprang into the old eyes, and Mr Bright’s heart squeezed slightly with pity and more than a little guilt. If only the other realised the burdens he’d had to bear for them – for all of them. He wasn’t a monster, but he’d done monstrous things on their behalf.
He squeezed the old man’s hand and felt it weakly pull away. He wondered if he should get the nurse to sedate the creature in the bed, but decided against it. A return to anunconscious state might have disastrous consequences. He would wait and see for now. He stepped back and smiled. It had been a long wait, but he was quietly confident that the plan they’d formed when the First had started ailing was all coming
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