Cecil bowed. *Your Highness, these are indeed the worst of times. Our hopes of bringing Dr Dee home to bolster our defences have been dashed by our Enemy's cunning. We feared an impending invasion.' He moistened his lips, measuring Elizabeth's mood from half-lidded eyes. *And yet in my encounter with those black-hearted fiends 'pon the frozen Thames, I spied a sliver of hope. Or, at the least, a moment to catch our breath.'

*You almost lost all our lives there and then with your play of defiance, you fly-bitten whey-face,' Ess.e.x muttered just behind the spymaster's shoulder.

Ignoring his rival, Cecil continued, *In recent times, our Enemy have shown no desire to negotiate. They take what they want. And yet they come to us demanding that we bring their Queen to them. Why do they not storm this palace and seize her themselves?' He paused for effect, raising his chin. *Because they cannot.'

*If the threads of Dee's defences still hold, they will not do so for much longer, Little Elf. The inevitable has only been delayed.'

*That is true, Your Majesty.'

*Then what use is the time you have bought us?' The Queen leaned forward on her throne, her brow knitting beneath her auburn wig.

*Majesty, I would suggest a final, desperate gamble.' Cecil had thought long and hard about the options left to them while he waited for the Queen to make her way to the council chamber. He knew Elizabeth well. She was not weak. In times of anger or fear, she had a strong stomach for courses that would be unpalatable to many.

*Speak,' she said. *Even dry bread is a feast to a beggar.'

*You are right to say our defences will crumble soon, without Dr Dee to bring his magics back to them. Yet we have one thing of value, one thing only, but it is a jewel beyond measure: the Faerie Queen herself.'

*She will not offer us mercy,' Elizabeth snapped.

*No. But she has one other thing to offer us . . . her life.' A shocked murmur ran through the black-gowned men at his back. Cecil watched the same shock light Elizabeth's eyes. Yet she had steeled herself once to order the execution of another Queen, and that Queen her cousin; could the removal of one as despised as their immortal Enemy really be a step too far? Certainly, they had never encountered a more desperate time. *My counsel, Your Majesty, is that we build a pyre to the very top of the Lantern Tower. Should the Unseelie Court threaten us further, we set it alight and burn their Queen alive in her prison.'

*And watch her die as we ourselves go down in flames?'

*The Unseelie Court would not risk losing the only thing of value to them. It is a balance-'

*It is a foolish notion!' The Queen's eyes blazed. *Do you think we can keep the Unseelie Court at bay for ever while our men stand by with brands? Once the defences collapse, they will be working their magics in every corner of the land. They will attempt to steal me out from under your nose, Sir Robert, and place me on a pyre, tempting you to blink first.'

Cecil bowed his head for a moment, allowing the monarch to calm, and then he replied in a quiet voice, *It is all we have, Your Majesty.'

Elizabeth slumped back in her throne, her chin falling to her chest.

*This may not hold for ever, Your Majesty. In the end, we may all go down in flames, though knowing we have inflicted a wound that will burn our Enemy for all time. And yet, the Unseelie Court are cautious. Time, as their representative told me, means nothing to them. They will not take rash action. And so we may earn respite for a day, a week, a month, a year, while we search for some new defence.'

*And live in dread? Never knowing if each night will be our last? I would rather . . .' The Queen caught the word in her throat and shook her head. *While there is life there is hope. But only Dr Dee has ever found a way to shut out those foul creatures. Where will we turn in this hour of need?'

Cecil knew he had no answer, but he was spared a hollow reply. Outside the door, argumentative voices could be heard. Elizabeth scowled at the disturbance. *What is the meaning of this intrusion?' the spymaster called. With a flamboyant sweep of his white cloak, Ess.e.x strode over and threw the door open. The two pikemen who guarded the entrance to the chamber had crossed their weapons to bar a young man. It was Swyfte's a.s.sistant, Nathaniel Colt, flushed and sweating, his forehead streaked with the dirt of the road. Behind him, the spymaster glimpsed the young woman Grace Seldon. The news of her friend's death had clearly sloughed off her with surprising speed, for her face had hardened and she looked to have recovered her fire. She pressed the a.s.sistant forward against the pikes. The young man saw the Queen on her throne and bowed his head. *Your Majesty,' he murmured, playing with his cap.

*Have you lost your wits?' Cecil demanded. *Do you wish to call the Tower home?'

*Sir . . .' Nathaniel stuttered, *I . . . I must speak to you.' He glanced back at Grace and found new strength in her determined look. *On a matter of great urgency,' he continued with a deep bow. *I have a message from my master.'

CHAPTER TWENTY.

THE RISING SUN had set the sky ablaze. Gulls wheeled in the salty wind blowing from the east, greeting the morn with hungry cries. The forest of masts silhouetted against the red glow swayed as the great vessels strained at their anchors in Tilbury docks on the wide, grey Thames. The slap of sailcloth and the crack of rigging accompanied the shanties of the sailors on the only galleon abuzz with activity. To most of those who crowded into the taverns lining the quay, the Tempest was a ship of mysterious purpose. None knew the vessel had been set aside long ago for use by the secret service, a ghost in the ledgers of the quay master and the Queen's tax men, often coming and going under cover of the night with a crew that rarely mixed with the other sea-dogs.

Shielding his eyes against the bra.s.sy dawn light, Will Swyfte allowed himself a tight smile of approval. His black and silver doublet was still smeared with ashes and soot from the fire aboard the Gauntlet, and the ends of his hair were singed. A small price to pay, he knew. *You have done us proud, Sir Walter,' he said with a nod.

*And you are a cunning dog, Master Swyfte, and a man after my own heart.' Raleigh clapped his hands together, grinning at the success of the deception. In his lime-green doublet and ochre cloak, he looked out of place on the quayside with its barrels of stinking pitch, dusty piles of ballast and heaps of dung from the merchants' carthorses. *Two ships provisioned, one by the Queen and one by the School of Night, one in full view and one in secret.'

*Keep a door open for a quick exit, that has always been my code.' Will closed his eyes and saw once again the wall of orange flame that had engulfed the Gauntlet. But they had been ready. The rowing boat towed along behind the galleon had always been their planned escape route should they come under concerted attack. While the other seamen leapt into the river, only to be consumed in a white-water frenzy by the ferocious creatures swimming there, he had battled through the flames with the other three spies. At the sterncastle, he, Launceston, Carpenter and the young spy, Strangewayes, had slid down the oiled rope into the dinghy and rowed away, an insignificant speck beside the blazing ship. The fast current had swept them towards Tilbury where Nathaniel awaited them, ready to be despatched to the Palace of Whitehall.

Raleigh eyed the other man askance. *You knew the Unseelie Court would be lured by the Gauntlet. And once that vessel was destroyed, they would have no reason to believe you had prepared a second ship. A strong plan, a winning one.' He paused. *Have you made your peace with the loss of the good men who died in the attack?'

Will raised his head to watch the sailors climbing the lines like monkeys, as if he had not heard. *Every war has its casualties. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten,' he said after a moment. Though Raleigh nodded, the spy could hear the unspoken codicil: the men had not been asked to give up their lives, and would not have accepted if they had. With each day, it seemed he made another accommodation with his conscience. How far was he prepared to go to bring Jenny home; how many lives was he prepared to sacrifice? He had no answer, though he wondered if the Unseelie Court's bleak judgement of human nature was true. He cast an unsettled glance back along the winding Thames. *I fear I must take my leave. Time is of the essence. Our Enemy will not be blind to my guile for much longer and we must reach open water before they give pursuit. But I thank you for your aid. I am in your debt.'

Raleigh tugged at his beard and smiled. *You are indeed, Master Swyfte. Do not forget our agreement.'

Raleigh played a long game, not so far removed from the machinations of the Unseelie Court, Will realized. The information he brought back from the New World a should he ever return a would be more valuable than gold to the School of Night. The great men who made up the numbers of the secret society could translate knowledge into power with ease. But what were they plotting? Why was the New World so important to them? Raleigh would certainly never tell. With a smile and a nod, the explorer slipped into the shadowy alley beside the shipwright's workshop where he had tethered his horse.

Turning back to the Tempest, Will pushed past the queue of men carrying the last of the provisions up the plank. At the p.o.o.p deck rail, he searched the broad river to the west where the grey fug of London's home fires tainted the sky. No sign yet of any pursuit, but it would come. The wolves of the Unseelie Court would sniff the wind and know their prey was loose.

*Master Swyfte. We are ready to sail.' The booming voice cut through the raucous singing of the labouring sailors. Captain John Courtenay was a giant of a man, seasoned by the sun and the salty wind, his brown beard and hair proudly untamed. No other could be trusted to lead the expedition into the dangerous uncharted waters that lay ahead. A veteran of the New World, he knew all that had yet been learned of that mysterious place. He knew of the trade routes where they might encounter heavily armed Spanish galleons bringing their rich hauls of silver and spices back to Europe, and of the river inlets bristling with fleets of small boats filled with Indians with blowpipes. He knew, too, of the plants that brought sickness and death, and of those that supplied bountiful fruit; of the taste of the wind that heralded a tropical storm. He had helped claim Nova Albion for the Crown and had been at Sir Francis Drake's side during the sacking of Cartagena and the capture of San Augustin in Spanish Florida.

And yet there were some who believed him quite mad. b.l.o.o.d.y Jack, they called him, the sea-dog who tore out the throats of his enemies with his teeth and dyed his beard blood-red before every battle. Will wondered if that wild nature was the result of the torture the captain had received at the hands of the Spanish, his mind as scarred as his face, which was marred by a ragged pink X that ran from temple to jaw. Yet for what lay ahead, a madman was the sanest choice of all.

*Unfurl your sails, captain. We cannot depart soon enough.'

*Do ye have a course for me yet?'

*Soon. Take us out of the Channel and into the wide Atlantic, and then I will have what you need. But I must warn you a we venture close to the very home of the Unseelie Court.'

He waited for the captain to berate him for embarking on a quest that could only be suicide for every man aboard. Instead, Courtenay laughed, too loud. *Finally we shall take the battle to those pale b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Too long have we cowered, Master Swyfte. Let them come in their thousands, with their magics and their creatures and their phantoms, let them drag me down to h.e.l.l, I will take down a hundred for every man we lose and die with no fear in my eyes.'

Will saw the unsettling gleam in b.l.o.o.d.y Jack's eye. No other man would go so willingly to the source of the nightmares that had plagued humankind since Eden. He knew then he had made the right choice. b.l.o.o.d.y Jack threw his arms wide and burst into song, striding back to the main deck to watch his men swarming up the rigging to the yards.

Will stared into the distance, the hairs on the back of his neck p.r.i.c.kling. The sun was turning gold in a cloudless blue sky and haze hung over the river where it flowed towards the sea. It was a good day, and likely to be warm for the season. He frowned. His spirits should have been soaring, but all he could sense were the shadows closing in on every side.

On the quarterdeck, Carpenter and Launceston stood against the rail, bickering. Will had seen the signs and he feared Carpenter's mood was growing darker still. The Unseelie Court had a way of infecting men with a creeping despair that usually ended in death. Carpenter should have been stripped of his duties and given time to recover, yet here Will was, taking the wounded man to the very heart of the thing that was slowly destroying him. As for Launceston a who knew what moved in his dark depths? Yet did that give Will the right to lead the Earl by his nose to his potential doom? And there on the forecastle was Strangewayes, still struggling to come to terms with the haunted world in which he found himself. Will had stolen him from Grace, denying two people happiness in one fell swoop, and hurting one whom he had professed to protect.

He turned away from his men, feeling the weight of his decision. Had he d.a.m.ned everyone he knew and his own soul in the process? He wondered if it was the natural order for men to become as terrible as the things they fought. Yet the stakes were high, and no reward was easily bought. This was the path he had chosen and no other would lead to victory.

As the wind filled the sails and the anchor rose from the river in a cascade of glittering jewels, the Tempest began to pull away from the quay, gathering speed. Will leaned on the rail, watching the fields move away from him, and the oaks and elms, and all that he knew. And he wondered if he would ever see England again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

THE p.o.o.p DECK heaved on the heavy swell and a good wind filled the sails. Under blue skies, the Tempest scudded towards the New World, bearing down hard on the darkness and the mystery. Yet Will and Captain Courtenay stood at the rail and looked out across the choppy water at their back. They watched a wall of grey cloud rolling across the white-topped waves on the eastern horizon, keeping pace with the galleon. Both men felt uneasy.

*Master Swyfte, I fear we have a problem.' Captain Courtenay removed the beechwood and bra.s.s tele-scope from his eye. *If that is a natural formation, then I am a toad-spotted skains-mate.'

Will took the tele-scope and studied the drifting fog. Even so powerful a tool as Dr Dee's most recent invention could not pierce that dense cloud. No sign of pursuit had troubled them as the Tempest sailed out of the Channel, past southern Ireland and into the wide Atlantic. But when that strange cloud appeared one hour ago, Will had felt the first p.r.i.c.kle of unease. *Does it appear to you to be drawing closer?' he asked.

*Hard to tell. The ocean plays tricks on the wits. I have seen seasoned sailors look at the green waves and believe them the fields of their home. They step out to walk a while and sink straight to the bottom.' b.l.o.o.d.y Jack took back the tele-scope and shoved it into the waist of his salt-stained breeches. *And islands that seem a cannon-shot away can take days to reach.'

*Then there is little we can do but watch and wait,' Will replied. *And if it is some threat unleashed by the Unseelie Court, we must be prepared to act.'

Courtenay threw his head back and laughed. *You have indeed led us by the nose into h.e.l.l, Master Swyfte. Should we fight the devils at our back or flee towards the devils that lie ahead? Now that is a choice!'

As the captain made his way to the main deck, angry cries rose up from the crew. A hooded figure wrapped in a plain brown woollen cloak flew out of the doorway to the lower decks and sprawled across the sandy boards. The first mate prowled out a moment later, a swarthy man with a drooping black moustache and only one eye. Brandishing his sword, he loomed over the fallen figure.

*A stowaway, lads, stealing the food from our barrels,' he roared. *Over the side with 'im!'

*Stay your hand.' Will bounded down the steps from the p.o.o.p deck. With the cold efficiency for which they were known, two sailors had already hauled their captor half over the rail. They glanced back towards Will, unsure.

*Do as 'e says,' the first mate muttered. He eyed the spy from under low brows, making no attempt to hide his irritation at being overruled.

The sullen sailors dragged the writhing stowaway back from the brink and threw the cloaked figure to its knees. When the first mate yanked back the hood to reveal the stranger's ident.i.ty, a shocked murmur ran through the watching crew.

*A woman!' the first mate exclaimed.

*Grace?' Will uttered, stunned.

The young woman looked up at her former protector with defiance. *I could have remained hidden for days longer, if not weeks, if that rat had not startled me. What a foolish girl I am.'

The spy reeled. *Are you mad?' He couldn't help but think of the dangers she now faced.

At the outcry, Strangewayes, Launceston and Carpenter stumbled from below deck where they had been drinking sack and playing cards in the captain's quarters. The young spy gaped when he saw his love.

*Say nothing,' Grace snapped, eyes blazing, *or I will be forced to show you the edge of my tongue.'

Launceston shook his head, bored. *I thought this would be a matter of interest that might relieve the tedium of this long journey. Who would choose a life on the waves? Only jolt-headed malt-worms, that's who.' He eyed the crew with contempt, either oblivious or uncaring of the murderous glances they shot back, and sauntered below deck once again.

*This woman of yours will not be satisfied until she has ended all our lives,' Carpenter blazed. *I knew it from the moment I first laid eyes on the reckless sow.'

*Still your tongue,' Will ordered. Grace feigned an air of haughty indifference and looked away.

*From this day on, we will have to risk our own necks to keep her safe. As usual,' Carpenter continued.

*I said, be silent.' Will's voice crackled with anger.

Strangewayes' face had drained of blood. He held out a hand to help the woman he loved to her feet and she took it as if she were accepting an invitation to dance. *Why did you do this, Grace?' he murmured.

*I am no weak little thing,' she said with defiance. *If this matter concerns my sister, I would be a part of it.'

*Your sister?' Carpenter said, baffled. *Have you taken a knock to the head?'

Will's heart sank. Was that what she had taken from their parting words? His conscience was already on its knees, and here was another burden for it.

Strangewayes stepped closer to her and hissed in her ear, *You are aboard a ship full of l.u.s.tful seamen who will not feel a woman's soft embrace for many months.' He looked around the silent crew. *But that is the least of your worries. Do you have any notion of the terrible situation you have placed yourself in?' His voice cracked with despair, and he looked at Will. *We must turn back.'

*No,' Grace exclaimed, her eyes widening. *You cannot abandon this voyage because of my . . .' Will watched her choose her words carefully, *foolishness. Too much is at stake. Too much invested in this expedition. You would not be able to raise the funds for another voyage for months, if at all.'

*She is right,' Carpenter whispered in Will's ear, bracing himself against the movement of the deck beneath his feet. *If we turn back, we lose everything. You have no right to make that decision to save this woman, however much she means to you.'

*Please,' Strangewayes begged, arms outstretched. The word was almost lost beneath the creak of the rigging and the boom of the wind in the sails. *Grace has been foolish but she should not pay for that error with her life.'

Will hid his dismay and beckoned to Grace. Carpenter was correct; he had no choice. Holding her chin high, she followed him back on to the p.o.o.p deck where the crew could not overhear their conversation. *What have you done, Grace?'

*I can cope with any hardship. I have in me the heart of a lion, like our Queen.' She turned away from his d.a.m.ning gaze and looked out over the heaving blue-grey swell.

*You have led a sheltered life-'

She spun round, her cheeks colouring. *Sheltered? My life was destroyed when my sister was torn from the heart of my family, as was yours. If I can survive that misery, I can survive anything.'

Will saw her pain, still raw after all those years, and changed his approach. *I know there is steel in you. But even with all that you have endured, you have barely sc.r.a.ped the surface of the dangers that exist in the world. You must trust me on that.'

Seeing that he had only her well-being at heart, she softened. *I know you wish to protect me, as you have always done, but I have had my fill of being pushed aside like a girl and told only what is good for me. I believed Jenny dead, but your unwavering faith has given me hope and that, somehow, is more painful by far.' Tears stung her eyes. *Over the years, I have grown to understand the secrets hidden in your words, and between your words and behind them.' She laughed, brushing the teardrops aside. *Perhaps I would make a good spy.'

*And what secrets have you learned?'

She lowered her eyes and whispered, *The ones in your heart, the ones in mine. I would rather be dead than suffer any longer in this twilight world filled only with ghosts and what-might-have-beens.'

Will understood, completely, and hated himself for it. *You vex me, Grace,' he sighed.

She smiled, taking it as a compliment. *When Nat returned to the palace with your message, I made him tell me what you had planned.' She saw his face harden and added hurriedly, *Do not blame Nat. He is a good soul and I can twist him round until he tells me anything. He thought he was doing me a kindness by telling me you had survived, but while his back was turned I took a carriage to Tilbury.'

*And you crept on board and hid away.'

*On the orlop deck, sneaking down to the bilge when anyone came.'

Despite himself, Will felt some admiration. *You are very determined,' he said, showing a stern face. *But now you have created a great problem for me. I fear what you might see on this terrible journey. And whatever you may say, my men cannot help but try to protect you when danger arises, and by doing so they will put their own lives at greater risk.'

*I would not see any of them hurt on my behalf.'

*Nevertheless, that is the grave situation in which we now find ourselves. How to proceed?' His brow knit, he glanced out to sea, but saw only that strange, troubling cloud on the far horizon. What had already seemed dire was now fraught with even greater dilemmas. *I must think on this awhile. Go to Tobias, but do not distract him from his duties. He will find you a berth in the captain's cabin and curtain it with sailcloth. You must stay away from the men at all costs, do you understand?'

She nodded. In her brightening eyes, he thought he saw a glimmer of excitement. For all the danger, she was enjoying her great adventure. At the top of the steps, she glanced back. *Will, I am sorry if I have angered you, but to ease this pain in my heart, I would risk anything.' He held her gaze for a long moment, and then she descended to find Strangewayes, ignoring the lingering stares of the crew.

*Master Swyfte,' Courtenay bellowed from the main deck, *I would have that course now. The Atlantic is not the pond at Baldock Green. We can sail around here till Doomsday without ever stumbling across our destination.'

*Prepare your charts, captain,' Will called back. *I will have your settings in no time.' His hand fell to the leather pouch hanging at his side, feeling the weight of the secret he had concealed. All the risks he had taken, all the deceptions, and all the plans he had made, were coming to a head. This ship of fools had pa.s.sed the point of no return and only darkness lay ahead.