The Stronghold

Ding Dong, Wedding Bells

"Okay," I said, giggling. "Okay, let's not."

I set Georgina on the ground and looked around, seeing the others in the distance. Sophie put Lulu down and the little dog raced across the grass towards us, barking. She jumped up at me and I scooped her into my arms, protecting my trousers from paw prints but getting one on my face instead.

"Photos!" the cameraman yelled, kneeling in front of us and snapping a few pictures. Lulu scrabbled to be let free and I put her down, leading the way into the reception hall.

*

"It's time for the best man's speech," a steward called.

"Ladies, gentlemen, Lulu and peasants," Shaade said, standing on his chair, waving a few speaker cards around. Immediately I went a few degrees colder, afraid of what he was about to say.

"When rather forcefully told that I was being best man," he began, "I was afraid. Then smug. Then afraid again. You see, I had no idea what to put. I'm vaguely aware that this speech thing is meant to be funny and contain embarrassing stories about the bride and groom but I really can't think of any. Well, apart from the internet scandal." He grinned and winked at me as Georgina buried her head in her hands.

"The internet scandal," Shaade explained, "is what happened when the internet in the Stronghold mysteriously stopped working. No one could work out who had turned it off or where the router was. Not even Kevin, the fabulous hoverpod, knew what was going on.

'Pepper, being the totally-not-arrogant genius he is, decided he would disable the WiFi completely. That was not a very good idea. Running around apologising, wearing pyjama shorts with purple hair, unaware that there were cameras on him Pepper was under fire from Georgina who had woken up with no internet, the worst thing that could happen to a person.

'Pepper finally managed to turn the internet on and then found out that Georgina turned it off in the first place, purely so that she could attack him with a cushion. But that is not the end!" He went on to recite even more tales that made me go redder and redder, eventually sending me to the table in shame. The audience were howling with laughter and even S was in tears, grinning and noting things down. I caught his eye and he mouthed to me:

'I am so bringing this up next governing meeting.'

I groaned and sank down in my chair just as Shaade finished his speech to applause. He sat back down and grinned at me, clicking his fingers and turning the tablecloth pink.

"I hate you," I said, glaring at him.

"I know."

*

That night, after the reception and the dance - the song was 'All About Us' - I went back to the hotel room early. My head was hurting and I needed a rest, deciding to sleep the adrenaline off. Waving goodbye to everyone and giving Georgina a kiss I walked away, dragging myself up the stairs.

Yawning I let myself into the hotel room, flopping onto the bed and sighing. I didn't want to leave early but the pounding in my head was unbearable.

Loosening my tie and unbuttoning the top of my shirt I lay back, closing my eyes. Immediately I was transported to dreamland, normality shrouded in nonsense.

A figure stood a few feet away from me, hands behind his back. His skin was blue and his hair was black, eyes a piercing red. Patterns swirled over his skin and a green cape flowed behind him, drifting about in a cold breeze. Where he stood ice splintered away, snow trickling down from an invisible source.

"Who are you?" I asked. It was one of those dreams where you know that you're in a dream and control what you do. Only me?

"You don't need to know my name," he stated, in an articulate English accent. "Only what I come to speak of."

"I know you," I frowned. "Your voice... Are you my subconscious?"

A smile flickered at the man's lips. Walking closer to me I realised how tall he was, about six foot with broad shoulders and a slender build, armour covering his chest.

"Sort of," he replied. "I reside inside of you, living after my death."

"You're dead?!"

"My body is. My mind, however, is not, staying on using magic."

"Okay... So why have you infiltrated my brain?" I asked, frowning.

"Because I need to give you a message," he said seriously.

"And what is that?"

"If you make that machine," he said, "the demon-human machine, then you'll kill yourself. Shaade and Josh cannot live without their demons as the demons need a host to live in. You, being the selfless friend you are, would see their pain and then take the demons yourself. That would result in you dying."

"Why?"

"A third demon will be released into the world and will promptly kill you."

"Oh. Can't I just let them die?"

"Would you really do that?"

"No. Is there a chance I won't end up dead?"

"A nought point one percent chance, I suppose."

"Good enough for me," I grinned, waking up, my brain whirring. "But now I need a plan."