Doctor Who_ Wolfsbane - Jac Rayner [86]
On the far side of the cave, George Stanton reclined on a throne of rainbow-coloured quartz. It couldn‟t have been very comfortable, but he didn‟t seem to care. His stockings were ripped and he‟d lost the cloak-dress, but he now wore a wreath of ivy round his neck, and had daisy-chain bracelets around each wrist. On his head was a circlet of wild-rose thorns, which Harry, carrying the chalice which legend said had once held the blood of Jesus Christ, thought was a bit blasphemous. George waved a broken branch as a sceptre.
Behind his throne, there was an archway.
„What ho, what ho!‟ he called to Harry. „So, you‟re not dead then. That‟s good. Sorry about having to try to kill you earlier, just one of those things. Sometimes a king has to get his hands dirty. But no harm done, what?‟
Harry growled under his breath, still feeling the ache in his head, as George continued. „Come to pay your respects, have you? Jolly good. Jolly impressed you found me, actually.
Mother -‟ he jerked his head back at the opening behind him
- „said no one would be able to come to my coronation, and I did think that was an awful shame. Although she did say that she‟d make everyone come to my other coronation, the big one in London.‟ He leaned forward and hissed confidingly at Harry: I don‟t actually know that much about coronations, do you? I mean, I might be king, but this is my first one. I was wondering if you had to have a cake, like at a wedding, because I haven‟t got one and the cook‟s disappeared.‟
„I don‟t think you have to have a cake at a coronation,‟ said Harry, slowly edging around the cave. „They just need to crown you. And perhaps sing a few hymns.‟
„Ah, whoops,‟ said George, removing the thorn structure from his head. „Didn‟t realise I wasn‟t supposed to be wearing that just yet. Now, what hymns do I know? Had to go to church every Sunday, show willing don‟t you know, but blow me if I haven‟t forgotten every single one.‟
Harry made to move forwards, towards the far opening. But George barred his way with the branch. Harry‟s fist was itching for a right hook, but he made himself take deep calming breaths. George had shown himself to have the proverbial strength of a madman before. Harry couldn‟t risk another attack, not when nothing less than the future of the whole country was at stake. There was only one thing to do.
Harry cleared his throat, raised his somewhat rusty tenor, and began:
„We plough the fields and scatter,
„The good seed on the land,
„But it is fed and wa-a-tered...‟
George clapped in delight. „That‟s it! Bravo!‟ He rose from his throne and began to bellow loudly, face lifted to the ceiling in ecstasy.
As Harry crept through the opening, George‟s tuneless voice rose up behind him, telling of warmth swelling the grain and soft refreshing rain.
There was a second cavern through the opening, smaller than the first. This one had walls of pink, and Harry thought of the name „rose quartz‟. But there were still candles, and the flames still danced within the crystals. No bluebells here, but the floor was carpeted with lilies-of-the-valley, as delicate as the other flowers but as white as snow.
In the middle of the cave stood Hester Stanton. George‟s singing echoed round the walls and she surely could not help but hear it, couldn‟t help but know that Harry had found her hiding place, but she showed no sign. The would-be sorceress‟s hair was loose and flowed over her shoulders and back as she raised her face to the ceiling. Her eyes were shut, and she called out words that Harry did not know, a look of triumph on her face.
Harry didn‟t have the faintest clue what to do now he‟d found her.
Desperately wishing that this task had fallen to anyone but himself, he held out the Grail before him. „Er... stop,‟ he said.
Lady Hester‟s eyes flew open. She looked at him as if he were a worm, or a maggot, and continued her chanting.
„I told you to stop!‟ called Harry, advancing on her.
She