Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

will be dead, no matter what we do. I can't accept that, sir Warlock. There must be something we can do!'
    'There is,' said the High Warlock. 'Destroy the Demon Prince, and his plague will perish with him.'
    'This is all very interesting,' said Harald dryly, 'but we do seem to be drifting away from the point. The Demon Prince and the plague are problems for the future, assuming we have one. In the meantime, in case everybody has forgotten, we are still under siege from the demons outside our walls. As I recall, Rupert, you claimed to have some kind of answer to that problem. That was, after all, why you halted our discussion of the matter so ... abruptly.'
    'Discussion?' said Rupert derisively. 'Far as I could tell from the babble, your discussion had done nothing but divide you into two trains of thought — Brute Force And Ignorance, and Close Our Eyes And Maybe It'll All Go Away. Keep thinking like that, people, and we're all going to end up dead.'
    'I take it you've got a better idea?' said Julia.
    Rupert looked at the Princess, who was clinging ostentatiously to Harald's arm. 'Yes,' he said finally. 'I have. Father, where's the Astrologer?'
    'In seclusion,' said the King. 'He's using his magic to try to discover who stole the Curtana, and where it's hidden.'
    'The Curtana?' Rupert blinked confusedly. 'How could anybody steal that? It's still in the lost South Wing!'
    'Not any more,' said Julia. 'I helped discover a way into the South Wing. Unfortunately, when we finally got to the Old Armoury, the Curtana was missing.'
    Rupert's head whirled as he struggled to take all this in. A great deal has happened since you left, Rupert . He sighed, and firmly suppressed an urge to begin a series of questions he could tell would probably last for hours, with no guarantee he'd be any better off at the end.
    'You have been busy, haven't you, Julia?' he said finally. 'Still, we can talk about that later. In the meantime, father, you'd better send for the Astrologer. If my plan's to work, we're going to need all the magic we can muster.'
    'What do you want the Astrologer for?' growled the Champion. 'What's he going to do — read the demons' horoscopes and tell them it's a bad time of the month for attacking castles?'
    'He's a sorcerer,' said Rupert. 'And magic is the key to this whole mess.'
    'Sorcery is the Demon Prince's way,' said the Champion, glaring at the silent High Warlock. 'Fight fire with fire, and we'll all get burned. This is a time for cold steel, Sire, for human strength and valour.'
    'We tried that in the Darkwood, remember?' snapped Rupert. 'Cold steel isn't enough any more!
    Demons don't care how many of their number they lose, as long as they bring us down. There are thousands of the damned creatures outside our walls, and God knows how many more waiting to replace them when they fall. No, sir Champion, the Darkwood is a thing of magic, and must be met with magic.'
    The King opened his mouth to say something, and then looked round, startled, as the Court's double doors flew open, and the Astrologer entered the Court.
    'Sorry I'm late, Sire. While searching for the Curtana, I had something of a breakthrough. As far as I can tell, the Sword of Compulsion no longer exists. Whoever took it from the Armoury must have destroyed it. I have to admit, I'm not sure whether that's a bad thing or not.'
    A quiet muttering among the courtiers suggested they weren't sure either.
    King John pulled thoughtfully at his beard, frowning. 'That sword might yet have saved us from the darkness, Thomas. I take it there's no way of telling who stole the sword?'
    'Without the Curtana, no, your majesty.' The Astrologer turned to the High Warlock, and bowed deeply. 'It's good to see you again, after all these years, sir Warlock. What small magics I possess are yours to command.'
    'Thank you, sir Astrologer,' said the High Warlock politely. 'I'm sure you'll be a most valuable ally.'
    'Look, we can all shake hands later,' said Rupert testily. 'Right now, we've still got a few hundred thousand demons to deal with.'
    'Ah,' said Harald, 'we're back to your famous plan again, are we?'
    'Harald,' said Rupert slowly, 'you're getting on my nerves. One more interruption from you, and I'm going to knee your balls up around your ears. Got it?'
    There was an uncomfortable silence, as everyone pretended not to have heard that.
    'Your plan, Rupert,' said the King finally.
    'It's fairly straightforward,' said Rupert. 'Unlike most of you here, I've