The Power and the Glory

Book 4 Chapter XXII: The Mousetrap

Author's Note: Well, here's the end of book four! Like all of this book it turned out very differently than I expected, and it means there'll be a book five at some point.

They will be like shadows, they will be like wraiths, grey members of a congregation of nightmare... -- Angela Carter, The Company of Wolves

Before a terrible storm the world seemed to hold its breath. All sounds were muted and all movement stilled. Abi remembered the first storm she'd seen in Seroyawa, and the way the rain came rushing in from the sea. Somehow her memories got mixed up with unfamiliar ones, of a plain with hills in the distance, and the rain sweeping down from the hills. She knew those were Ilaran's memories. She couldn't tell whether the feeling of being utterly alone against a large and deadly enemy was his memory or what she was feeling right now. Probably both.

What's that memory about? she asked, mainly to distract herself from this awful waiting and the stinging of the wound on her arm.

The battle on the plain of Cselthamáz, Ilaran said.

What happened?

For the next few minutes her attention was absorbed by his account of the battle -- a battle that hadn't actually happened because he used geography to his advantage[1].

Pity we can't trick the monsters into leaving without a fight, she thought.

Abi caught a whisper of Ilaran's reaction: Pity you created them in the first place. To her surprise he made an effort to keep that to himself, which he really didn't need to. She knew as well as he did that she was solely to blame for all of this. There was no point in trying to hide from that.

Irímé hovered far overhead, where he could see over the city and keep Shizuki out of harm's way at the same time. Abi stood in his shadow so that she was out of the increasingly-hot sun. When his shadow suddenly moved she looked up. He'd turned to the left and appeared to be staring intently at something. Then he gave a low, rumbling roar.

Abi didn't have to understand what he said to know what he meant. She looked up at Lian. He nodded grimly and stepped out of the doorway so nothing would see him until it was inside the theatre. Even though she knew he was still there Abi suddenly found it hard to see him. It was as if her brain was trying to convince her that he wasn't there any more.

I wish I could do that, she thought.

In the distance she heard a faint noise. It became louder and louder. Soon it was unmistakeably the sound of running feet. Abi turned into her phoenix form and flew up to Irímé's level. From here she saw a large swarm of the monsters rushing towards them. Another group followed a little way behind them. There were only about a hundred in all. Obviously there were more monsters that hadn't answered her call yet. Destroying all of them would take longer than she'd hoped.

Abi turned to Irímé. Shizuki was still coiled around his neck and watching events unfolding with interest, she noticed. Lian and I are going to lock of them as we can into the theatre. You can burn them, and I'll deal with the ones that come later.

She flew over to perch on the wall overlooking the road. Lian climbed up beside her, staying far enough away to be out of danger from her wings. In one hand he held a rope. The other end was tied around the door handle to keep it open.

"When they're all inside I'll close the door," he said.

The two of them watched as the monsters approached. Without looking up the first group streamed through the open door and down the aisle between the rows of seats. They clambered up onto the stage. Some of them flung themselves down and began to lick up the drops of Abi's blood. The second group reached the door as the last of the first group went through it. Both groups swarmed all over the theatre.