‘Hello, Blue,’ Henry said and smiled coldly. ‘I told you they were coming.’
He was flanked by demons. All but one of them was manifested in its spindly, grey-skinned form. They turned their huge black eyes upon her. Blue tried to jerk her head away, but moved too late. She felt her will begin to drain.
The exception was skinny and tailed and naked except for a covering of black fur. It had budded horns and pointed ears and sharpened teeth and glowing yellow eyes. It grinned at her and loped across to take her hand. Its fur felt soft and comforting, like a cat.
‘Go with John, Blue,’ Henry said.
Go where? It was a stupid thought but the only one that occurred to her in that chill instant. How could you go anywhere when the only door from the room led right back in again?
Then other thoughts were smashing down on her like a tidal wave. Henry wasn’t working for Lord Hairstreak. Henry was working for the hordes of Hael. Which meant Henry hadn’t betrayed her. Because nobody like Henry worked for Hael of his own free will. The demons were controlling him!
It was crazy, but she actually felt relieved.
The relief lasted less than a second. They were both in big trouble and Henry didn’t even know it. If they were going to get out of this, it was up to her. But she was already caught up in the same web as Henry. Could she claw back control of her mind now she’d looked a demon in the eye?
Beside her, the foul little creature squeezed her hand encouragingly.
Blue looked carefully at what was happening to her. She didn’t feel any different to the way she usually did, but that was an illusion – and a subtle trap. However she felt, she was standing quietly holding hands with a demon, in a room full of demons. She should be running or fighting or screaming – anything except standing quietly. So when the demons took control of your mind, they made you feel you wanted to do what they wanted you to do.
Could she use that insight? Did she have any of her own will left?
She tried moving her left arm a little. It moved easily. She pushed down the sudden surge of elation. What did that prove? The demons wouldn’t care about her left arm. And why muck about with a small movement anyway? Why not try to run and see what happened? That would be a real test. Except she didn’t want to try to run because she had to go with John, as Henry said.
The thought seemed so natural that she chilled.
There was a beam of blue light pooled on the floor. She couldn’t see where it was coming from. The thing beside her crawled into her mind and fondled the surface of her brain.
‘I’m Black John,’ it told her silently. ‘Let’s walk together to the light.’
That was just what they should do, of course. She took a small step forward, then another. Henry was watching her. His eyes were closed to slits and he was smiling.
Blue tried to remember what Pyrgus had told her about being possessed by the demons. When it happened to him he’d tried hard not to think of his name, because once they knew your name, they had total control. Fat lot of good that information was. They knew her name already. Queen Blue, Empress of the Faerie Realm. Now walking like a child into a pool of light.
It occurred to her that this was not the time to resist them. They were actively controlling her, making her walk. Later, perhaps, when their attention was on something else, she might seize an opportunity to escape.
Hand in hand with Black John, Blue walked forward.