Page 83 of Fiendish Delights
‘No,’ I agreed. ‘But with three of them out for the count, we can get it to safety before any more appear.’
‘Make sure you do, Daisy Carter. You should not underestimate the fiends’ capabilities.’
‘I won’t.’ I licked my lips. ‘Have you met the one called Athair?’
The Fachan stiffened. ‘Athair is involved?’
‘I heard the name mentioned by him.’ I nodded at Baltar’s unmoving body.
‘If you encounter Athair, you should run,’ the Fachan said. ‘That one is unstoppable. It has been many decades since he and I fought. He is strong; if we met again, I do not know if I could beat him.’
Shit: that was quite the pronouncement given he’d just despatched three fiends in quick succession. ‘Okay,’ I said. I crossed my fingers for luck. Fortunately, running was something I could do.
The Fachan smiled suddenly. ‘It was good to see you again, Daisy Carter. Until next time, I bid you adieu. I shall return to my home via the underground passages that run the length of the country. I suspect you will prefer the open air.’
He suspected right. I smiled at him – but as I did so, out of the corner of my eye I saw Baltar’s hand twitch.
I reacted quickly – but not quite quickly enough. Baltar was not as wounded as he appeared. He withdrew a small daggerfrom beneath the folds of his trousers and at the same time rose upwards with such speed that I knew he’d simply been biding his time and waiting for the right moment.
He knew exactly which spot to aim for.
I shouted a warning at the exact moment that the dagger pierced the Fachan’s skin in the same spot as his existing wound. Baltar followed it up with a walloping blow to the side of the Fachan’s head and he staggered backwards, fell to one knee and dropped his sword.
Panic overtook rational thought as Baltar cackled and raised his other hand, which held another sharp dagger. As the Fachan lifted his hands to block the blow, I sucked in a sharp breath and launched myself at Baltar’s back. As I screamed, I raised Gladys and drove her tip forward. It wasn’t elegant and I didn’t know what I was doing. The meagre training I’d had with Miriam had fled from my mind and I acted out of nothing more than instinct.
Baltar turned, his eyes widening. He clearly hadn’t expected that I would get involved. He prepared to block me but my lack of training confused him. He probably thought I’d throw a series of carefully timed lunges but I didn’t – I simply slammed Gladys forward and threw her at him with a howl of rage.
She was more aerodynamic than I’d realised. She left my hand and spiralled straight ahead until her tip slammed into Baltar’s throat. He blinked once in astonishment then he keeled over backwards, landing first on top of the Fachan then slipping to the ground with a dull thud.
Horst’s disembodied head scowled. ‘Baltar?’
I ignored him and vaulted towards the Fachan. Baltar’s dagger remained deep in his flesh, and bloody ripped skin surrounded the wound. The Fachan gasped and stared up at me. ‘This is … unexpected.’ He raised his hand. ‘Help me up.’
‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea.’
‘Help me!’ he ordered, steel in his voice.
Okay, okay. I swallowed and did as he asked. It was an effort to get him back on his feet and he staggered several times, almost knocking me over. Eventually, however, he was upright. He grimaced and touched the dagger embedded in his body. Before I could protest, he yanked it out. Cumbubbling bollocks. Another untimely surge of nausea attacked my weak body.
‘Well done, fiend,’ the Fachan muttered. ‘You got me.’ He glanced down at Baltar then his expression transformed from pain to shock.
Horst’s head was still talking. ‘Baltar? Are you alright?’
From somewhere in a dark corner where the other fiend’s body parts lay, a second voice drifted across. ‘What’s wrong? What’s happened?’
Horst was starting to sound panicky. ‘Baltar? Baltar!’
I frowned and looked down at the fallen fiend’s face. His eyes were open and his face was slack; frankly, he looked dead. I waited a beat, half expecting him to rise up and attack again. When he didn’t move, I reached forward and yanked Gladys out of his throat. He didn’t blink; he didn’t even twitch.
The Fachan gave me a long look. Clutching the wound in his side, he knelt down by Baltar and his long pale fingers touched the fiend’s golden skin. I kept Gladys at the ready; the fiend wouldn’t surprise me again.
After several seconds, the Fachan rose slowly. He was clearly in a lot of pain but he was doing his best not to let his wound get the better of him. ‘Tell me,’ he said. ‘Tell me what you did.’
I wrinkled my nose. ‘What do you mean? I threw Gladys at him. That’s all.’
‘Did you use magic also?’
No, though I probably should have done. I hadn’t really been thinking straight. ‘No.’
