Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

‘ N o!’ My voice echoed loud and clear across the cavern, but it could have resembled a foghorn for all the attention Athair or the Fachan gave me.

Hugo marched forward and inserted himself between the pair of them, but this was far more than a mere bar fight that required intervention. Athair snarled at him to get out of the way, and when Hugo held his ground he received a swift blow to the side of his head. As soon as it became apparent that Athair was prepared to follow up that blow with a lethal bolt of lightning, I jumped in and hauled Hugo away.

‘Stop it!’ I shouted. I appealed to the Fachan, aware that Athair wouldn’t listen to me. ‘Don’t fight him. This is my battle, not yours.’

‘It is too late, Daisy Carter. The challenge has been accepted. We must duel.’ The Fachan smiled. ‘This is a challenger worthy of my sword, if not my regard.’ He nudged me out of his way.

‘I do not suppose, daughter, that you will lend me your sword for this fight?’ Athair enquired. He had to be fucking kidding me. ‘I guess not,’ he said. ‘Do not worry. My bare hands will be more than enough.’

The Fachan blinked expressionlessly. ‘Regardless of my opponent, I always fight fairly. We can delay the battle while I retrieve a suitable weapon for you, if that is your wish. No use of magic is permitted. The battle must be on an equal footing.’

Athair paused and appeared to consider, then he snapped his wrists and used air magic to raise three of the larger loose stones into the air and throw them at the Fachan. The first one struck him from behind, smacking him between his shoulder blades. The second bounced off the Fachan’s skull, leaving a glistening smear of blood. He staggered and managed to avoid the third one through sheer luck.

‘Nah,’ Athair replied. ‘I don’t need any hand-me-downs.’ He grinned. ‘And I don’t fight fairly.’

The Fachan grunted but didn’t appear surprised or annoyed. Despite his wounds and the pain he was doubtless experiencing from the hefty blows, he twisted his sword and lifted his chin. ‘In that case en garde ,’ he said.

I clenched my jaw. Suddenly I was more than prepared to do exactly as Hugo had done and step between the pair of them to stop the Fachan getting hurt. This time, however, it was Hugo who stopped me. ‘The fight is underway. The best we can do is keep out of the way.’

I gave him a helpless look and Hugo returned it. ‘I know,’ he muttered. ‘I know.’

Otis fluttered up to my shoulder while the Fachan swung at Athair, arcing his sword over his head as if it were made of paper then slicing it through the air with a powerful swing that made it appear to be stone. Athair dodged the blow – but only just.

‘What do we do?’ Otis wrung his hands. ‘What do we do, Daisy?’

‘You and Hester stay as far back as possible,’ I said. ‘You keep out of the way.’ I pointed upwards. ‘If you need to, you fly up there and get the hell out of here.’

‘We’re not leaving you,’ Hester said, although she’d already found herself a sheltered spot well away from the fight.

I nodded: their choices were their own. I licked my lips and desperately wished I had some spider’s silk. I could certainly have done with its cold comfort right then. Instead, I nudged Otis away.

Athair was focusing solely on magic; the Fachan was only using his sword. His long, gleaming blade was far more useful against Athair’s conjurations than I’d expected; it helped, that his reflexes were faster than Athair’s lightning bolts. He blocked one after the other, swinging his blade left, right, up and down.

On three separate occasions the Fachan angled his sword so that Athair’s magic bolts were sent back towards him, bouncing off the steel in a boomerang-like fashion. Under any other circumstances I’d have cheered to see my fiendish fucker of a father struck by his own lightning bolt, but I was too scared to do anything but watch.

The Fachan blocked another arc of lightning, sidestepped to his right and spun round with a roar. The tip of his sword scraped against Athair’s bare chest and I saw a flash of pain and rage in my birth father’s blood-red eyes. He responded with a blast of fire, trying to engulf the Fachan in flames, but the Fachan was ready and leapt several metres into the air to avoid it. He landed to the side with a soft, almost cat-like thump, twirled his sword and advanced on Athair again.

‘Your kind is wholly evil,’ the Fachan said. ‘You should not exist.’

‘Neither should you,’ Athair returned. ‘How long have you been hiding in this hole? What kind of existence is this?’

The Fachan responded by executing a series of jabs, slicing with more delicacy than I’d have thought his massive sword was capable of, and nicked Athair’s skin several times. Blood was seeping from both their bodies now. Although I knew that the Fachan didn’t have the ability to kill Athair outright, I realised that they were evenly matched. The Fachan could beat Athair and maintain his honour, then I could use Gladys to execute the killing blow.

I had to be ready. I knelt down and picked her up, gripping her hilt while she buzzed with anticipation. My action didn’t go unnoticed. While Hugo nodded approval, the Fachan called out, ‘Do not involve yourself, Daisy Carter. It is not noble to interfere.’

He had barely finished speaking when Athair lifted his hands and took full advantage of the distraction I’d mistakenly provided. He directed a powerful jet of water at the Fachan’s exposed throat.

It was an intelligent – and nasty – move. The police employed water cannons to disperse unruly crowds for a reason; it was akin to being hit with a missile. The jet of water didn’t break the Fachan’s skin but it stopped his breath and sent him stumbling backwards. His pain must have been immense.

Athair swung his head towards me and winked. ‘Feel free to clap at my prowess whenever you like, daughter.’

My face contorted and I couldn’t disguise my hatred. Athair’s eyes narrowed and, as if to punish the Fachan for my feelings, he attacked him with a second jet of water. Although the Fachan was still choking and gasping for air, he was prepared and managed to dodge it by ducking.

Otis gave a shrill cry as he narrowly avoided being hit by the magicked water cannon. If the jet had hit the brownie, it would have killed him. The force when it smacked into the cavern wall was terrifying.

Athair was already preparing another magical attack and I cried out to warn the Fachan. My impotence as I stood on the side lines clawed at me – perhaps I should get involved, regardless of the Fachan’s instruction.

I lurched forward – but I was already too late.

The Fachan ran at Athair, his enormous sword high above his head. Despite his injuries, he sprinted with such speed that his movements were a blur. He feinted to his right, drawing Athair’s magic in that direction then swung to his left, his blade slicing far lower than expected. He pierced the flesh of Athair’s calf with such force that he exposed the bone.

Athair’s scream of pain was high-pitched. He spun towards his opponent and stretched out his weaponless hand. It connected with the Fachan’s flat stomach, and for a moment the fighting seemed to stop.

I couldn’t see what had happened. The Fachan’s back was to me and Athair was angled so that all I could glimpse was his arm reaching forward, but I heard the noise that Hugo made and saw his face turn grey.

Athair stepped back, blood still gushing from his leg wound and spilling onto the cave floor. That was when I saw exactly what he was holding: the Fachan’s intestines. Bile rose into my mouth and my knees felt weak. Athair had used his bare hand to claw open the Fachan’s stomach and yank out what lay inside.

A groan escaped the Fachan’s lips. In slow motion, his long fingers unfurled their grip on the hilt of his sword and it fell with a loud clatter that echoed around the cavern. That action alone answered my question. The Fachan would never allow his sword to drop, not unless the fight was over.

Athair laughed with genuine amusement and pulled harder, his fingers tangling with the bloody innards. The Fachan fell to his knees, his yellow eyeball wide and unblinking. ‘Uhhhhhh,’ he groaned.

Athair raised a bloodied hand and cupped his ear. ‘What was that?’

‘Uhhhhh.’

I gave a strangled cry. ‘Stop it!’

Athair’s lips tightened. He let go of the bloody mess and glared at me. ‘How about a little sympathy?’ he yelled. He gestured to his leg. ‘I’m injured here!’

The Fachan’s hands went to his belly and clung on to what remained inside him. I rushed forward just as he fell back and landed face up. His eyes were glazing over. ‘Hang on,’ I said desperately. ‘Just hang on. We’ll get you some help.’

Hugo had already ripped off his T-shirt and was by my side, pressing the fabric across the Fachan’s wound. It was immediately soaked with blood.

‘Stay,’ I begged the Fachan. ‘Fight. It’ll be okay. You can still heal.’

Athair laughed again. ‘No, he can’t.’ Sickeningly, I knew he was right.

The Fachan smiled up at me. There was no fear in his expression; in fact, I’d have described his face as peaceful. His cracked lips moved and I leaned in to listen. ‘Pathetic,’ he whispered. And then the light faded from his single eyeball and his body went limp.

He was dead.

Pain and horror stabbed at my chest and my eyes grew blurry with tears. No. Oh no .

Athair tutted. ‘Finally! I do not understand why so many creatures take so long to die. It’s impolite. He lost the fight – he should have displayed more honour and died with the speed and silence my victory deserved.’

The moment his words penetrated my grief and shock, cold fury ripped through me. I leapt to my feet and threw myself at him. There was no thought behind my actions, no plan. I simply wanted to kill him.

He was prepared for me. He thrust out his hand, slamming it into the centre of my chest and sending me flying. I landed on my back with a painful thud. Hester and Otis cried out and zipped towards me, while Hugo growled and conjured up a blast of white-hot fire magic.

Athair blocked it with nonchalant ease then grabbed Hugo by the throat, hauled him up until his feet left the ground and started to squeeze. My anger was immediately replaced by yet another surge of terrified horror.

I pushed myself up to a standing position. ‘Stop!’

Athair only increased the pressure on Hugo’s throat.

I snatched up Gladys and raised her high, preparing to slice down on Athair’s outstretched arm. He didn’t even look at me as he blasted a jet of air magic that forced my sword from my hand. ‘Stand back, daughter,’ he said, ‘or I will kill this one too.’

Hugo’s face had turned a nasty shade of purple and his blue eyes were bulging. I hissed. Hating myself for my lack of skill and strength, I stepped back. Athair loosened his grip slightly but he didn’t let go of Hugo’s throat.

‘You told me that you wouldn’t kill anyone for forty days,’ I spat.

Athair tilted his head. ‘So I did.’ He considered this for a moment. ‘It appears I lied.’ He grinned. ‘But it’s all your fault. You provoked me. I have shown you nothing but patience and restraint. Do not forget, daughter, that I have been waiting for you for thirty years. I can only wait for so long.’

‘Says the fucking fiend who’s all-but immortal,’ I snarled.

In response, Athair tightened his fingers around Hugo’s neck again. ‘It is time that you learned to show some respect for your elders. Speak to me like that again and the one-eyed cave dweller will not be the only death you cause. I have bent over backwards for you, shown kindness, been generous. In short,’ he said, almost sadly, ‘I have not been a good parent. Spare the rod and spoil the child.’ He shook his head. ‘I only have myself to blame.’

I looked from Hugo’s pained eyes to Hester and Otis. The brownies were ten feet away, perched on top of one of the fallen boulders. Hester’s hands were curled into fists and her face was full of rage; Otis had wrapped his arms around her waist and was trying to hold her back because she seemed determined to engage Athair in battle all on her own.

Athair would destroy her in a second with complete indifference. He’d destroy all of us.

‘I apologise,’ I said, dragging the words out of my mouth. ‘I will do better in the future.’

Athair’s hand squeezed harder.

I licked my lips. ‘I apologise,’ I repeated. And then, because it was the only card I had left, I said, ‘I am sorry, Father.’

And with that, Athair released Hugo. I started to rush forward but Athair snapped his fingers and an arc of lightning flashed towards my feet. ‘Stay where you are,’ he commanded.

I did as he said. I had no choice.

‘I have tried the carrot and that method has failed,’ he said. ‘There is no recourse now but to use the stick. Cross me again in any way, daughter, and the lives of everyone you hold dear shall be forfeit. It is time for you to fulfil your true destiny. I created you for one purpose alone – you only exist so that you can join me. It is time for you to do so. Come with me and I will spare your friends and family.’

His red eyes shone with terrifying fervour. ‘Together you and I will rule the world. Nobody else matters.’

‘I can’t,’ I whispered. ‘I won’t.’

Athair’s mouth twisted. ‘Wrong answer.’ Magic flared up again and he flicked his fingers towards Hester and Otis, conjuring up a bolt of fire. This time I managed to react and countered it with a blast of water that extinguished it before it reached them.

I jumped into the breach, the words falling out of my mouth and tumbling over each other in my haste. ‘Not yet,’ I said. ‘I can’t do this yet. I need time to decide.’

Athair smirked. ‘Time to decide whether their lives are worth your sacrifice?’ he asked. ‘I like it, daughter. You are not yet a lost cause.’

I shook my head. ‘This isn’t about them, it’s about me. Give me time. Either I will join you or you can kill me, but leave them alone. This has nothing to do with them.’

‘Fuck you, Daisy! This has everything to do with us!’ Hester yelled.

From his crumpled position at Athair’s feet, Hugo wheezed in agreement. Even Otis assented. ‘Hester’s right! We’re all in this together!’ Goddammit. This would be so much easier without their interference.

Athair looked as if he were enjoying himself. ‘Three days. You have three days to decide. If you try to run, I will kill everyone you’ve ever cared about and a whole lot of other people, too. If you refuse my offer, I will do the same. Only if you agree to join me will I let them live. You will present yourself in front of the Royal Elvish Institute by midnight on Friday and give me your answer.’

I opened my mouth to speak.

‘And,’ Athair added, ‘I will not negotiate further.’

Without another word, he tossed out a burst of powerful magic and rocketed up through the hole in the cavern roof.

He was gone, the Fachan was dead and we were all screwed.