Trinity hurried back inside, passing Ebenezer, Kyle and Lewis who were bringing more gear out. As Ed was stashing his sword in the boot, Lewis came over and asked if he could take a look at it. Ed shrugged and passed it to him.

‘It’s called a mortuary sword,’ he explained. ‘From the Civil War.’

‘American Civil War?’

‘English.’

‘Never knew we had one.’ Lewis was swinging the sword through the air, feeling its balance and weight.

‘Heavy,’ he said.

Ed couldn’t believe Lewis had never heard of the English Civil War. ‘You know,’ he said. ‘Oliver Cromwell, Roundheads and Cavaliers? Royalists versus Parliamentarians?’

‘Yeah? Take your word for it. Who won?’

‘Cromwell. He beheaded the English king, Charles the First.’

‘Cool. Never was too bothered about history at school. This is a well solid blade, though.’

Ed took it back off him and put it into the boot.

‘It’s almost a club, it’s so heavy,’ he said. ‘It’ll smash through anything. But it takes some lifting and if you get caught up in fighting too long it feels like your arm’s gonna fall off.’

‘I like my spear,’ said Lewis. ‘I’m not so sure about swords. I picked mine up with all this samurai gear back at the museum. You know, the place next door with all the old crap in it. The other museum?’

‘The Victoria and Albert?’

‘Yeah, that’s the joint. I mean, it’s OK, my katana, I thought it was gonna be my piece for life, but I’m more used to a spear. Sword is hard to control, man. Takes some practice. Training. A spear … A spear is a spear.’

‘You need an axe, like good old Brain-biter,’ said Kyle, coming up behind them and doing a demonstration that nearly took Lewis’s head off, like Charles the First all over again.

‘Watch yourself, man,’ said Lewis, backing away, scratching his Afro. ‘You ain’t got no finesse with that thing. It’s a mad weapon.’

‘It’s a great weapon,’ said Kyle and he kissed the blade. ‘Beats a gay sword any day.’

‘How can a sword be gay?’ Ed protested.

‘This is a man’s weapon,’ said Kyle.

‘Still reckon a spear’s the best,’ said Lewis.

‘A throwing spear is best of all,’ said Ebenezer, fixing his own stack of lighter javelins to the roof rack. ‘You won’t let the sickos get close to you with their stink and their germs.’

‘We’ll see,’ said Kyle. ‘We will see.’

‘I hope we won’t,’ said Ed. ‘I hope we won’t have to use any of these weapons again for a long while.’

‘That’d just be boring,’ said Kyle.

‘What about what that mad thing on Trinity’s back was babbling about?’ said Lewis. ‘A tidal wave of sickos coming?’

‘We’ve seen them,’ said Ed. ‘Marching into London from all around. Joining up. Shadowman reckons they’re forming an army.’