Page 59 of The Death Wish

But any answer was lost when Lalassu decided, in her wisdom, to instigate a trot. There were cries and curses from all three passengers, most vocal from Charlie who truly was in a terrible position upon the mare for such things. How Lalassu could stand all the banging about on her back, uneven tempos at that, Christ only knew.

The ludicrous journey went on for a near intolerable ten minutes. The hillside they had seen as a shadow drew ever clearer. A fell of considerable steepness, slate spilling down the slope like grey tears, whilst crags of gathered rock sat higher up. After another few minutes, when Pitch was threatening to burn himself free if the trotting did not stop, Lalassu finally drew to a halt.

There were groans of relief from everyone. Silas peered up at the hillside.

‘Now to top this delightful day off, you are going to tell us we need to climb that wretched mountain, aren’t you, Charlie?’ Pitch fumed.

‘It’s more of a hill, but yes, I am, I’m afraid. There’s the Priest’s Hole, that darkness there at the top.’

It was barely visible, but if Silas squinted just so, he could imagine he saw evidence of the cave high up. Very high up.

Lalassu released them. Charlie simply slid off over her tail, Silas went next, offering Pitch an unnecessary hand, but the daemon did not berate him for it. He jumped off Lalassu, and his free hand went at once to his groin.

‘Thank the gods I still have an arsehole for you to play with, Silas, for my balls are flattened beyond measure.’

Despite his own discomfort Silas chuckled.

‘Ready?’ Charlie had already made his way to where the scattering of shale was thickest. ‘Be careful, the rock slides easily.’

‘Did you hear that, Silas? No lumbering. You must be nimble, because if you slide back down into the valley, I’ll not be coming after you.’

They both grinned at the obvious lie.

‘Fair enough. Will you be alright with the height, though, or shall you faint, as you are prone to do?’

‘How dare you, sir.’ Pitch put on a show of righteous indignation and followed after Charlie, who had already begun to climb. At first, the prince refused to use his hands to balance himself on the steepness, and it made for amusing viewing. Watching Pitch’s arse was pleasant distraction from the incline, which was rather more formidable than Silas had anticipated. Lalassu picked her way carefully behind him, which was comforting, as he doubted the mare would allow any of them a dangerous slide. The Pale Horse had the advantage of her tail for extra balance, the strands spread behind her like the roots of a ghostly tree.

The traipse up the hillside loosened shale, and several times Silas had to adjust his course as either Charlie or Pitch dislodged stones and sent a cascade down the slope.

They scrambled. There was no more dignified a word for it. All three of them on hands and knees as the soil gave way to craggy rock which was as likely to offer a foothold, as to twist and break an ankle with its crevices.

But the darkness of the cave drew nearer each time Silas paused to glance upwards. They were making decent headway, with Scarlet the only one among them who was travelling easily, sitting upon Pitch’s shoulder, despite his chiding of the wisp for it.

‘Nearly there,’ Charlie panted. ‘Only a few more feet to go.’

Silas went to answer. A rush of trepidation swept him, as surely as the breeze itself, cold in his blood, churning fear. Lalassu snorted, and stone clattered behind him as the mare stomped. He turned.

‘Look out!’ Pitch shouted.

Silas was enveloped by a storm-cloud of Lalassu’s mane, a surge of horsehair that rose up high above him, and curled forward like a giant crashing wave. Silas lunged forward, throwing himself towards Pitch who in turn had also lungedfor Charlie, grabbing at the lad’s ankle. Dragging him down the rock.

‘Pitch, what the hell are you doing?’ Charlie cried.

The blast struck a heartbeat later. An enormous shift of air that flattened Lalassu’s mane against them, like a thick, wet blanket, pummelling them into the hard rock. The mare went onto her knees, a strangled, terrible wheezing sound coming from her but she held their cover valiantly.

Incandescence engulfed their position, a brilliance that dared any eye to remain open.

‘What is happening?’ Silas bellowed, blinded, but reaching for where he’d last known Charlie to be, protected beneath Pitch’s body as the daemon covered him.

‘This is gods-damned angelfire.’ The brilliance of white was now shot through with flame. ‘Michael has found us.’

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

MICHAEL MUSTbe drunk. Or he’d become a fucking terrible shot, since last Pitch had been anywhere near him in a battle. Charlie sought to lift his head from the ground, where Pitch had the lad pressed beneath him.

‘Stay down, idiot.’

‘Who is out there?’ Charlie’s voice quavered with distress.