Eighth Circle

'I told you my name was Tom.'

'No. You said you were called Thomas.'

Balduur was lying. Tom wondered why.

'When did you see Father?'

'Who?'

'Crispin's father ... the man who has just divorced your beloved.'

'You mean Heather?'

'I'm talking about the queen.'

'Heather is such a nice name. It is a shame no one uses it. They always want to call her Majesty. That is not a name. She deserves a proper name like you should be called Thomas ...'

Tom looked around. They appeared to be alone. But no one was alone in the palace. Walls had eyes and ears. It was said they could even smell. If that was the case, they would be smelling Balduur now. He smelt like a male deer and was blathering on, avoiding all the difficult questions, reducing everything to trivia.

'How did you get to know Heather?' Tom asked.

'The chancellor introduced us.' Balduur fluttered his cloak in a gesture of respect. 'He is such a nice man. Very considerate. And so is Father. They are worried about her future.'

'Will you be taking Heather to the Seventh Realm?'

'Of course, Thomas. That is the plan. I shall be King of Kings and Heather will be my queen. Everybody will love her.'

'And will they love the guardians who will be going with you?'

'Of course, Thomas.' Balduur threw out his arms expressively. 'I can't wait to make the journey. I have told Heather what will happen. First the death trolls will enter the whirlpool that is the gateway to the sacred pathways that lead to my old realm. Then, the guardians will follow. Down and down they will go. Round and round. You know what it is like when you make the passage between realms.'

There was a twinkle in Balduur's eye.

'Yes.' Tom nodded. 'I know what it's like and my contingent of guardians will enjoy the same exhilarating experience when they enter the whirlpool that is the gateway to the sacred pathways that lead to my old realm.'

He glanced at his tablet.

'It's been nice meeting you again, Balduur. Please convey my best wishes to Heather and say how happy I am for both of you. I wish I could congratulate her personally but pressing engagements require my immediate attention.'

***

Crispin and Peter were waiting in the marine science laboratory. It was as good a place as any to break into the guardians' central command system and set the trolls fighting one another. The research vessel might seem a safer place but a security pod could zap in and land on the deck. The maze of iron staircases, linking one part of the research laboratory to another, was far harder to negotiate.