The Tapestry (28 page)

    ‘I did all this for her you know, can you believe it?’ his laugh was more hysterical now.

    ‘They knew, Pinky and Craig, they knew I was a mad man in love with a doll... how they must have laughed about me. But I got my revenge for them burning my stupid fucking doll’ He held his hands up to cover his face in despair. ‘What have I become, if not a monster’

    Clara had no words to soothe him so brought him into her arms as he wept. She led him out of the room, not wanting to look back.

    Once out of the room Gavin seemed to gather himself a little more.

    ‘I’ve not much time left Lala, but I can help you, right now Saul is trying to crush you underfoot, but you are being protected by dark forces known only to Satan, he has shown me how to defeat him but we...’

    Clara looked aghast at the very thought.

    ‘What? You are surely not being serious, why on earth would Satan be protecting me? I would have thought he would be chomping at the bit for the gates of hell to be opened... why would he help us... and furthermore, why should we trust him, have you gone completely mad?’ she felt a slight blush of embarrassment at her last comment... but still?

    ‘Contrary to what most people believe, Satan doesn’t want to rule over earth, he is quite content to rule over Hades or hell as we know it. The war in the heavens when he last fought God and his archangels proved to him that as mighty as his powers were, he was not a match for the strength of God himself. So he has left us alone, he is quite content with the stories that are spread of him just to keep us believing in him. To take Gods land would be an affront to God himself, he does not want that, but he also does not want Saul to have the glory, even for the short time that it would be, so he has shown me how to defeat him’

    ‘A likely story, I don’t think... so how are you intending to defeat him’

    ‘I think it’s best I show you, I don’t have much time and your dragon is being slowly pulverised’

    Clara came to and took in the scene before her, the dragon and Saul were still ripping chunks
out of one another, it was clear they were growing weary, their strength equal to one another. She stood tall and called her Trident to her, she clasped it in one hand and planted it in the ground at her side, Gavin stood with her.

    ‘Whatever it is you’re planning, then do it now brother’ she said.

   ‘I love you sis’ he said and ‘I’m sorry’ Clara’s face was a picture of puzzlement,
why was he apologising again... now?
But there was no time to ponder such things.

    ‘Demon, come forth to meet your end’ she called defiantly through the storm. He turned to see her and rejoiced that she had finally woke from her slumber.

    ‘Aha, the little would be God is awake once more, how was your sleep, are you ready to make that a more permanent situation’ He held the mighty Dragon in his claws, it had all but given up, Saul was just playing with it now. He finally brought the Dragons neck up to his face and planted his sharp fangs beneath its scales ripping the lifeblood from the Dragon. It slumped in his arms as the blood ran down Sauls chest.

    ‘I have beaten your mighty Dragon, what challenge do you
pose me little one?’ Gavin stepped forward.

    ‘She may pose no threat to you, but I will be a more troublesome little ant’

    The Demon laughed at this little show of bravado.

    ‘What
? You are nothing more than my little puppet, there is nothing you can do to harm me, this world is now mine’ Gavin took another step forward and brought the knife from his sock.

    ‘I may have been your puppet
, but no more, now you are my little puppet, for your blood runs through my veins now, remember and I have a knife chiselled from the stone of Agartha, kissed by Satan himself. He has bound our blood together, as one... which means. Gavin took the knife and sliced it across his palm and the Demon cried out in pain, as the wound streaked its way across his claw.

    ‘No... no this can not be, how did you come by this’ although the realisation was already settling in. Before Gavin could take another strike Saul was at him with lightning speed and knocked him into the rubble of the pub, the knife flying from his hand. Clara ran for the knife dropping the Trident and gripped it in her hands, Saul turned on her and she threw it past his massive torso, hoping it would land near Gavin before Sauls mighty fist came down on her head. This time she felt real pain, she felt her skull shattering as she fell to the ground, her vision swamped with blood, her last thought was that she should have trusted her instinct, not to make a deal with the prince of lies. He had only protected her until he no longer needed her. Her consciousness was ebbing away from her with her blood as she saw Gavin hold the knife up above his head and
sink it deep into his own chest, repeatedly plunging the blade into the bloody mess that his chest had now become.

    As he did, Saul let out an almighty roar that could have been a cry of anguish or a cry of pain, he was defeated, he fell to the ground in a slump and his body burned up in a whirl of flame before her consciousness took her elsewhere.

    It took her above the hills and they smelled sweet, of honeysuckle and lavender once more. She looked across the city and the Dragons showed her that there was no more pain, no more suffering, all was as it should be.

    ‘So, they don’t know what happened then’ she asked

    ‘No, peace has been restored and the battle shall has been wiped from the memory of Man, no lives were lost, thanks to you Guardian’

    ‘
And what of Gavin, will he burn?’ The dragon lifted his mighty head and smiled as he looked beyond her.

    ‘No, he is right behind you’ she turned to see her brother looking like the man she had known all those years ago, before the illness, before Saul. She rushed to hug him.

   ‘My god, I thought that you would be... you know, down there’

    ‘It would seem I paid my dues’ he said with the biggest grin he had ever worn. He picked her up and swung her round.

    ‘Go now’ the dragon urged, you have family waiting for you. They saw the golden light and, for the first time in years, she saw Stan, waving them to join him.

    ‘I’m coming my love’

                                                     
EPILOGUE

    What had happened over the last few days had been wiped from peoples minds, everything seemed to have been wiped from history, never to be mentioned again. The buildings were no longer rubble and the children were all safe. It was as if nothing had happened at all. That was apart from one man who was rudely awoken by a pub landlord the following morning.

    ‘Oy... oy you, I don’t do bed and board, get the hell out of here’ and he shooed the rather dazed man out of the pub, who staggered to the top of Trident Hill.
His senses began to flow back through his new, if temporary body and the man felt a primal surge of excitement take over as he surveyed the land below and all around him knowing, that soon it would be his. The body he wore was repairing itself at an accelerated rate and fortunately, the little ant that had once controlled the body was now trapped inside like a spider under a glass. There was no saviour for this little ant but he was already proving to be useful. Inside his mind were his memories, and those memories were going to lead the way to “The Tapestry”

    I’m going to lea
ve you now although there is still one question I know you feel I must answer. Who am I? Well I was there that day, but I died, only to be awoken by a dark soul in peril. You have probably guessed my name, but would you dare voice it I wonder? And if not then lets just say maybe you will see me in your dreams, or maybe not... would you know the difference?

    With this thought I bid you goodnight, sleep tight.

                                  
                        
THE END