Synopsis: The Rat King (a Sir Differel adventure)

It's 1998. Three months have passed since the end of the Grendel Invasion. Sir Differel (22) is preparing for bed when alarms sound. Looking out a window in her bathroom, she sees an 18-foot tall rat-ogre staring in at her. She tries to flee, but it smashes through the wall and grabs her. It then climbs down the house and heads off into the night. As it passes the front of the house, she hears a shout and sees Holt on the third story terrace. He throws something to her and when she catches it she finds it's an army L106A1 pistol with a 90-round drum magazine.

Aelfraed takes charge. Holt reports that the creature was able to approach so closely because they are still so understaffed. The guards that did mobilize were afraid to fire because they didn't want to hurt Differel. Despite his butler's cool, Aelfraed is livid that the Director could be so easily taken and that they have no resources to pursue. They must alert the Privy Council for help, regardless of the political cost. Hopefully Differel can keep herself alive until they can find her.

By Differel's reckoning the rat-ogre walks for over two hours. She estimates its speed to be 12 mph because of its long stride. They seem to be heading east by southeast, skirting the uplands around Thetford. It's avoiding farms and villages so as to pass unseen. It's crossing overland to hamper pursuit, but she realizes the manor has nothing to pursue with. With Vlad gone, she's on her own.

The rat-ogre swings due south and approaches a barrow. At one end is a hidden entrance into a cave system. It carries her deep underground and emerges into the bottom of a high vaulted chamber, almost like an enclosed sinkhole. Stretching across the width about fifteen feet off the floor is a catwalk. The ogre rips off her nightshirt and drops her on the catwalk. There she is confronted by its master: a sorcerer who looks like a man-sized anthropomorphic rat. It announces that it has chosen her to be its bride. When she asks why, it tells her that it is ready to launch a takeover of Britain with its army of rat minions, but it understands that she and her Order pose a serious threat. It also realizes it needs a consort to produce an heir. By taking her as its wife, it hopes to kill two birds with one stone: neutralize her threat as well as make her the mother of its heir. It needs only ravish her to consummate its plan.

She threatens to kill it if it touches her, but it counters that its minion will strip her flesh from her bones, then spread out over Britain and consume every animal bigger than an ant. So she changes tactics and threatens to kill herself. That gets it to back down and it offers to compromise. That gives her an idea. She states that it kidnapping her demonstrates its desire to make her its wife. Faced with this fait accompli, she is willing to negotiate but she will not permit marriage by rape. Instead, it must woo her. It must also agree to pay a bride price and to participate in a civil ceremony to make everything legal. In exchange, she will be its consort and the mother of its children. When it asks how long the courtship would be, she agrees to make it as long as it takes to agree on the bride price. It demands that they marry as soon as the price is paid, and she agrees. She demands that it fetch her butler to negotiate the bride price, and it agrees. It then shows her to what will be the bridal chamber but leaves her alone. It tells her she may explore the caves to her heart's content, but she is unlikely to find her way out and there are many dangers she must be careful of. After it leaves, she finds a wardrobe full of gowns and dresses. She puts on a nightgown and lies down to catch a nap.

Aelfraed is meeting with Holt and Mrs. Widget. The Privy Council has agreed to place a Royal Marine commando force at their disposal. Unfortunately, all attempts to figure out where the creature went have failed, but then guards report it is coming back. Aelfraed orders them to hold fire and it doesn't attack, but comes up to the front entrance. The guards report that it is carrying someone who requests a parley. Aelfraed goes with Holt and Mrs. Widget to the terrace above the car port to talk with it. The rat-king reports that Differel has agreed to marry it, but she wants it to negotiate a bride price and has asked for Mrs. Widget as a matron-of-honour and Maggie King as a bridesmaid. The three realize this is their chance to find out Differel has been taken. Holt goes to get Maggie. When she arrives, she has a bag, ostensibly containing toiletries and other necessaries, but also guns and ammunition, and tracking devices. The rat-ogre picks up the three passengers and starts off while Holt goes down to Intelligence to track where it goes.

Differel is awakened by the rat-king announcing that her people have arrived. She receives them in the bridal chamber and they conference. She explains its plans to conquer Britain with a horde of man-eating rats, and her agreement to marry is to stall for time. She wants Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget to negotiate the bride price. They are to negotiate in good faith but to delay as long a possible while she and Maggie try to find a way out of the caverns.

The tracking device has located the rat-king's lair, but deep penetration radar from a spy satellite reveals a maze of caverns and tunnels beneath the barrow, and the layers of rock prevent an exact pinpoint location. They must reconnoiter, and that will take some time. He collects some guards and they head for the barrow.

Over the next three days, Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget negotiate during the day while Differel and Maggie explore the caverns. In the evening the rat-king wines and dines her, serenades her, reads poetry, and shows her the wonders of his underground world. She almost finds him charming despite herself, but he also describes the power that she will yield as his consort, first over Britain, then Europe, and finally the Eastern Hemisphere. That convinces her he must be destroyed. At night before they retire, she reviews their progress with her people as they decide how to proceed.

On the third day, after a near fatal accident, Differel realizes they cannot escape on their own. That evening she gets the rat-king to describe how he came by his powers. He had been an archaeologist excavating a Roman temple in County Surrey when he discovered it had been built over an ancient Celtic Briton holy site dedicated to rats. He discovered a skeleton of a gigantic humanoid being with the head of a rat, and with it the scepter. As soon as he touched it, he felt himself filled with power and the ability to command rats. The skeleton reanimated and became the rat-ogre. With his newfound power he realized he could bring peace and order to the world, so he retreated into the underworld to lay his plans and build his army. Over time he came to look like a rat and he realizes that if he waits too long he will lose his humanity completely.

That night Differel tells her people of a change in plans. Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget are to come to an agreement, but they are to make a prenuptial agreement as well, that once married but before the honeymoon she is to share in his power. When they express confusion she asks them to trust her. Then a weak call comes over the walkie-talkie they brought along. Holt has found his way into the vaulted chamber. Differel orders him to stand down until further orders.

The next day, Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget agree on the bride price: a portion of a treasure the rat-king had collected over the years to pay human confederates. He also agrees to the prenup. After the rat-ogre brings the treasure for them to inspect, the wedding commences. Differel convinces the rat-king Aelfraed is a justice of the peace and can conduct a civil ceremony. Vows and a ring are exchanged and Aelfraed pronounces them husband and wife. With that, instead of a kiss, the rat-king presents her with the scepter.

As soon as she touches it, she can feel its power flood through her. She understands what the rat-king feels and she is consumed with the desire to use that power against Britain's paranormal enemies. With Vlad gone, she is convinced this is meant to be. The rat-king is now an object of desire to her. She wants to lie with him to seal their partnership and secure their dynasty. She is convinced this is what she has been saving herself for. With them in control, Britain would be made safe forever, it could recover its lost past glory, and the Pax Britannica could be extended throughout the globe.

Then she remembered her Aunt Mandy and she realized she was about to go down that same path as her. Summoning her will, she takes control of herself and the scepter. The rat-king realizes what's happening and tries to reclaim it, but Holt appears, shooting and wounding him. They flee, but when they reach the catwalk, they are cut off by the rat horde. The rat-king demands the scepter, but Differel calls to the rat-ogre and it seizes the rat-king and tears him in half. She then uses the scepter to disperse the horde and de-animate ogre, causing it to turn back into a skeleton and fall apart. With that the glowing runes fade and Differel collapses from exhaustion, letting go of the scepter. When Aelfrae picks it up, nothing happens.

Back at the manor, Differel places the scepter in a secure vault. She then explains to Aelfraed and Holt that when she thought of Mandy, she remembered something her father had told her, a quote by Lord Acton: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." As tempting as the scepter was without Vlad, she doesn't want absolute power. That had been the rat-king's downfall. Despite his good intentions, he could never have yielded the scepter for good, and neither could she or anyone else. The power may not have been evil, but humanity is too weak to use it properly. As for Aelfraed, she speculates that the scepter is activate by the galvanic effect of bare skin, and wearing gloves he was protected. Holt states that at least the wedding was a sham, but she corrects him saying Aelfraed really is a justice of the peace and so the marriage was legal; it had to be, for her to claim the power of the scepter. But since their vows were until death did them part, she is now a widow, technically speaking. However, she doesn't believe this is something that should go beyond her immediate circle of intimates. They agree, and go about their business.

In her boudoir, Diferel opens her jacket and takes a jeweled engagement ring and a gold wedding band out of her shirt pocket. She studies them for a moment, then opens the display case to place them inside. After closing the lid she lays her hand on the glass and ponders what might have been, before leaving the room to head for her office.