The War of the Grail (16 page)

Jack rushed to his side. ‘What happened?’

‘I am all right. Just tired. I have used too many powers in a short space of time.’

‘You fell over. I saw it.’

‘Yes, that is so. I used all of my strength against the avatar. It was too much for me.’

As if in response, the avatar roared, gargled and splashed about in the pool.

Jack could just see the steaming outline of the beast through the trees.

‘We’d better get out of here,’ he said.

Kanvar lifted his hand to his forehead. ‘Indeed. I have retrieved the horses. They are back at the pathway.’

‘You found the horses? That was quick.’

‘I had just enough strength to use a power. Call Animals.’

Jack gave Kanvar a wry smile. Call Animals sounded like a useful yantra. How many powers did the Sikh know? He was full of surprises. ‘Right, then. Let’s go.’

Jack and Kanvar rode through the night, their horses’ hooves thundering on the dirt road. The forest paraded past to either side and eventually fell away. The hills and the Mad Sultan’s fortress receded into the distance and they found themselves racing across rolling farmland.

Jack kept an eye on Kanvar. The Sikh slumped forward in his saddle and seemed barely able to keep hold of his reins. He constantly looked as though he were about to fall off, but he somehow managed to cling on.

Several times, Jack glanced back over his shoulder and scanned the dark landscape. He half expected to see the avatar bounding down the lane towards him. But the creature didn’t appear.

After they’d ridden for two miles, Jack noticed his horse was growing tired. Her legs were trembling and white sweat was encrusting her shoulders and withers. Kanvar’s charger was a cavalry steed and could gallop for miles, but Jack’s mare was an ordinary country road horse. She couldn’t keep going for much longer.

‘We’d better stop for a while,’ Jack called across to Kanvar.

The Sikh managed to nod his agreement. They slowed to a walk and then halted beneath a stand of trees. With great difficulty, Kanvar swung himself down from his saddle, then collapsed against a tree the moment his feet touched the ground.

Jack went to his side to support him.

Kanvar raised his hand, saying, ‘I am all right. I just need to rest.’ He slumped to the ground, breathing heavily, as if he’d just run a mile.

Jack squatted down. ‘You sure you can carry on?’

‘I will recover in time. It is always like this when I use too many powers.’

Jack glanced back along the road, which tumbled away across the dismal plains. ‘You reckon that avatar will get out of the marsh?’

‘I do not know. It was strong. It might be able to.’

‘It might follow us, then.’

‘Possibly. But I have seen no sign of it.’

‘Or heard it.’

Kanvar nodded, trying to catch his breath.

Jack was silent for a moment. He had a lot of questions, but he wasn’t sure whether Kanvar was strong enough to answer them all. ‘What the hell was that thing doing there? In the forest.’

Kanvar gazed across the silent landscape. ‘I do not know. It is very strange. And disturbing.’

‘Disturbing? You reckon the army must be near?’

Kanvar shook his head. ‘They cannot have reached here yet.’

‘How else could that thing have got here?’

‘It is puzzling, I agree. But what concerns me more is that I have never seen an avatar such as that before.’

Jack frowned. He’d seen plenty of avatars, and even been attacked by them a few times, but the one in the forest had been large, strong and agile. He’d never seen anything quite like it either. That said, he’d lived in Europe all his life. He’d never been to India, where he’d heard there were many more of the miraculous creatures. ‘It’s not some sort of transport avatar?’

‘It was far larger than any transport avatar. It was clearly designed for war. And war avatars are normally very small. Also, its armour was strong. My powers were weak against it. There are no yantras for creating such an avatar – that I have heard of, at any rate.’

Jack thought quickly. ‘That you’ve heard of? You think this could be to do with the Great Yantra?’

‘That is exactly what I fear.’

‘You reckon that’s the power of the Great Yantra? It creates an avatar like that thing we saw?’

‘Perhaps. Whatever the case, it is of great concern to me that the Rajthanans have been able to build such a machine.’

Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead. His people were facing not only the forces of the largest army in the world, but now also huge fighting monsters. How could the English hope to win against such a foe? ‘At least we know what killed those villagers now. And what that lord was running from.’

‘Yes. The avatar must have been terrorising this whole region.’

Jack nodded, then paused for a moment. At least one positive thing had happened in the past hour. ‘You know, I used the Lightning power. The yantra came to me.’

Kanvar stared at Jack with his unblinking eyes. ‘I know.’

‘You know? How?’

‘I sensed you use the power. That is how I found you. It is good news. Remarkable news. Do you know how you did it?’

Jack picked up a stone and toyed with it. ‘No.’

‘You cannot recall anything that might have triggered your ability?’

‘Not that I can think of.’

‘Ah. It is good nonetheless that you have been able to do it. We can take heart from that.’

‘Aye.’ Jack stood. He still had many questions. But he also didn’t like the idea of waiting around any longer. Not only might the avatar reappear, but he and Kanvar also still had a lot of ground to cover before they reached the Great Yantra. ‘Are you strong enough to carry on?’

Kanvar hauled himself upright, leaning against the tree to support himself. ‘Yes. We can go.’

They rode for a further four miles across the open farmland. Scattered huts appeared in the distance, but all of them were dark. Even this far from the lair of the avatar, there were no signs of life.

A line of light bled into the sky to the east, directly ahead of them.

Kanvar called across to Jack, ‘We will have to make camp soon. I cannot travel once it is light.’

Jack sucked on his teeth. He didn’t like the idea of stopping now. They were supposed to be at the Great Yantra already, but the avatar had slowed them down. ‘How far away is the border?’

‘I will check the map.’

Kanvar drew his horse to a halt and climbed down. He’d recovered somewhat and appeared less exhausted now. He took the map from a saddlebag, spread it out on the ground and studied it closely in the growing light. Jack dismounted and stood watching.

Kanvar consulted a brass instrument in a wooden case. Jack recognised it as a compass – he’d often seen Jhala using one as the company navigated their way through the wilderness.

Jack gazed towards the horizon for a moment. He couldn’t help recalling all those times he’d tracked the enemy in the wilds, back when he’d been an army scout. Back when Jhala had been his captain and William his comrade. When his army oath had still meant something to him. When he’d still meditated before his regiment’s standard.

When he’d still trusted Jhala.

He found himself clenching his hand into a fist. Now that he and Kanvar had left the avatar behind, his thoughts were turning again to the threat his people faced. Jhala’s men were in Shropshire already. They were mere days away from Clun Valley and Folly Brook.

God’s will was strange and unfathomable. Why had He chosen to put Jack and his guru on opposite sides of a war? What purpose could that serve? It was impossible to understand.

Kanvar folded the map and stood up. ‘We are only a mile from the border.’

‘And how far from the Great Yantra?’

‘Once we reach the border, we will have a further six miles to go.’

Jack squinted towards the east. ‘We’d best keep moving, then.’

‘We will never make it to the yantra before daybreak.’

‘We’ll just have to keep travelling during the day in that case.’

‘If we camp now, we can travel overnight to the yantra. It is not far, and Takhat will wait for us.’

‘I can’t waste any more time. The Welsh army could be marching on Clun any day now. I have to get back.’

Jack’s voice came out louder and harsher than he’d intended. But he knew this wasn’t due to anger. It was worry.

Kanvar’s eyes widened and he licked his lips.

Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He tried his best to soften his tone. ‘Let’s just ride as fast as we can and see how far we get.’

‘Very well. We will do as you wish.’

They pressed on along the road, spurring the horses into a gallop once more. Dawn seeped across the land, picking out fields, byres, a watermill and a village, all of which appeared to have been abandoned.

After they’d ridden for a mile, a forest appeared ahead of them, spreading out across an area of gently rolling downs. The trees shone emerald and jade in the morning sunshine.

‘If my bearings are correct,’ Kanvar said, ‘the border is up ahead where that forest lies.’

Jack studied the surroundings. He and Kanvar were clearly visible in the bright light. They hadn’t seen a single person since they’d escaped from the avatar. But all the same, they couldn’t count on that continuing. And there could easily be guards on the other side of the border. Staffordshire was ruled directly by the Rajthanans, who could be wary of rebels passing through from Shropshire.

‘We’d better head through those trees.’ Jack nodded towards the woods. ‘We’ll be safe enough in there.’

They rode up the lane and then veered off towards the forest. As they approached the trees, Jack spied a goat track, which he followed into the woods. Birds sang high up in the branches, greeting the sun. Bees hummed and dog-rose flowers fluttered in the breeze. The strange horror of the night before seemed like a dream to Jack now. He could almost imagine it had never happened.

After about ten minutes, Kanvar said, ‘We must be at the border now.’

Jack stopped his horse and looked around. He could see nothing but trees in every direction. ‘You sure about that?’

‘Yes, I have been estimating the distance. This is it.’

Jack noticed the ground was sloping gently upwards to their right. He nodded towards the incline. ‘We’ll go up there. Should be able to see something.’

They left the track and began to weave their way through the trees. When they reached the summit, they saw that the far side of the hill fell away sharply. Below them, at the base of the slope, the road coiled through the woods.

‘The border crosses that stretch of road,’ Kanvar said.

Jack squinted in the glare. The lane was empty. As before, not a single person travelled along it in either direction. And there was no sign of any guards. No sign of life at all.

But when Jack looked to the east, into Staffordshire, he noticed numerous cords of smoke twisting up into the sky. To get a better view, he rode along the ridge to a clearing. As he came out in the sunshine, he found he could see over the tops of the nearest trees and all the way down to the patchwork of fields spread out below. In the distance, perhaps two miles away, a collection of dark buildings smeared the ground. Chimneys jutted up from the structures and pumped smoke into the air.