Live and Let Drood

any of the Hall’s usual exterior defences; they didn’t travel along with us. Most of the family are out manning the perimeter, doing what they can with all the weapons we could find in the Armoury, some of which are being field-tested for the first time even as we speak.” He scowled briefly. “We’ve lost some good people.And a lot of the weapons are running out of ammunition. I don’t want to open the Armageddon Codex, but I will if I have to. I will destroy this world before I let it destroy us.”
    “Spoken like a true Sarjeant-at-Arms,” I said.
    The whole hallway was suddenly full of a rose red glow as Ethel manifested, bestowing her peaceful and calming presence on us.
    “Hello, hello, hello, Eddie!” said the familiar disembodied voice. “I’m so glad you caught up with us at last! Isn’t this an absolutely fascinating world? I’ve never seen creatures this ugly before, and I’ve been to dimensions you don’t even have concepts for! I’m sure if some of these things would only stop trying to kill us, just for a moment, we could have some really interesting conversations!”
    “You can talk to them?” I said.
    “Well, no, not as such,” Ethel said reluctantly. “I keep trying, but all I get is this mental static.…They’re just so different! I’ll keep trying, though. But first things first. You need your armour back, Eddie.”
    And I cried out loud in relief as armour poured out of my torc and formed around me. I’d forgotten how good it felt after the cold embrace of the rogue armour. I revelled in the feeling for a moment and then reluctantly armoured down again. But before I could say anything, the rose red glow seemed to concentrate around Molly, as though Ethel was studying her closely.
    “That’s a very interesting torc you’ve got there, Molly,” said Ethel. “Where on earth did you get it? It’s not one of mine. I can see it contains armour, but it’s not strange matter. It tastes funny. I don’t like it.”
    “I don’t like it, either,” said the Sarjeant-at-Arms. “Only Droods are supposed to have armour.”
    “This was a special case,” said Molly.
    “I needed armour,” I said steadily. “And you were gone with the Hall, Ethel. So I went with the only armour that was left. The armour in the hedge Maze. Moxton’s Mistake.”
    The Sarjeant just frowned, but William’s head came up immediately. He looked at me sharply, and I thought he was going to say something, but he didn’t.
    “Still doesn’t explain why she turned up here wearing it, and not you,” said the Sarjeant.
    “It’s complicated,” said Molly.
    “I want to know what it is!” insisted the Sarjeant.
    “It’s rogue armour,” I said. “Created by a previous Armourer to be intelligent, self-aware and to operate on its own. It rebelled and killed a whole bunch of Droods. That’s why it was imprisoned in the hedge Maze for so long. But I made a deal with it: service in return for freedom. And since I spoke with Drood authority, Sarjeant, you will abide by my decision in this matter.”
    The Sarjeant scowled at Molly’s torc but said nothing.
    “How did you get here, Eddie?” said William. “How did you find us?”
    “The Merlin Glass, combined with some useful information I picked up along the way,” I said. “Which I really do need to get to the Armourer. Defend the Hall, Sarjeant. Buy us time to get the dimensional engine working again. Regent, Patrick, Diana: You come with me and Molly. You’re about to see a part of the Hall we don’t normally show people.”
    “Not back in the Hall ten minutes, and already you’re barking orders,” said Molly.
    I led them all down to the Armoury, that great stone cavern set deep in the bedrock underneath the West Wing. It felt weird, hurrying through deserted workstations and abandoned firing ranges, with not a single overenthusiastic lab assistant to be seen, doing something unwise with something dangerous. It reminded me too much of the deserted Armoury in the ruined Hall. I found the trapdoor lying open at the far end of the Armoury, and we all gathered around it. Nothing to be seen but the top part of the iron ladder leading down into an impenetrable darkness. I didn’t give any of them time to think about it, just started down the ladder without looking back. I was quietly pleased that one by one they followed me down, without saying anything. There was no light anywhere, and several times I had to stop and feel for the next