The Absolute Book

by Elizabeth Knox

‘Do you remember what my demon was shouting before you turned into a dragon and carried us off?’ Shift tilted his head. A gesture of birdlike attention. ‘“Hell is the homeland,”’ she quoted, and watched him think. She saw the spark catch, and his eyes go the green of a mythical first springtime. ‘It’s not Hell that wants the Firestarter,’ she said. ‘It’s the demons.’ ‘But why?’ ‘You said they have masters. Fallen angels, I presume. I imagine you and I are on the same page about how Hell is organised. According to the stories.’ ‘Yes.’ ‘The fallen angels arrived in Hell when they were thrown out of Heaven?’ ‘That’s right.’ ‘They took over.’ ‘A small number of angels is stronger than a great number of demons. They’re like the men with the guns. Except no one can take their guns.’ ‘Okay,’ Taryn said. ‘Then “Hell is the homeland” is the rallying cry of an independence movement.’