Part 23 (1/2)

”We barely got it back,” said Leonard. ”We were never warned about that Fall.”

”No,” said Ombra. ”We were warned. For the past twelve years, the only Watcher on Earth has been working for us.”

”Peter's parents,” said Leonard.

”Very good, Lord Aster,” groaned Ombra. ”But not both his parents. Only his father. He made a mistake, unusual for a Watcher. He fell in love with an ordinary human. He married her. They had a child. That gave us the control we needed. To save his wife and child, he had to work for our side, the shadows.”

”But,” said Bakari, ”didn't your enemiesa”the powers of lighta”notice that they lost their Watcher twelve years ago?”

”No,” said Ombra. ”As I have said, their attention is focused elsewhere in the universe, and twelve years is nothing in the time span of this struggle. The powers of light have no reason to believe anything is wrong on Earth. And when they discover the effects of what we're about to do, it will be far too late.”

”What do you intend to do?” said Leonard softly.

”At last,” groaned Ombra, ”we come to the present. You have no doubt noticed the tall metal structure in the courtyard outside.”

Leonard and Bakari nodded.

”A rocket, designed by Dr. Glotz. He is quite intelligent, for a human; we have enhanced this intelligence by exposing him to controlled doses of starstuff. Since this exposure, he has been using his talents to exploit the flaw in the conduit. He has made remarkable progress. He developed a means to send up a rocket containing a small quant.i.ty of starstuff, thereby causing a Disruption that brings down a larger quant.i.ty. That is how he caused the Scotland Fall. More recently he has learned to control the location of the Fall, as he did this morning. That starstuff was located for us by the Watcher's son, Peter, who apparently has inherited at least some of his father's powers. It is a very large quant.i.ty of starstuff we now have in our possession. Tonight, Dr. Glotz will send it up in the rocket, to be released at precisely the right moment during the Leonid meteor shower. You will want to be looking out your cell window when it happens. Dr. Glotz a.s.sures me that it will be quite spectacular. But there is another reason why you should watch, Lord Aster.”

”Why is that?”

Ombra's eyes glowed brightly in the cell gloom.

”Because,” he said, ”it is the last thing that you, and all other humans, will ever see.”

The cell was silent for a moment.

”I don't understand,” said Leonard.

”You will never understand,” said Ombra. ”As I said, the limitations of your languagea”and, with all due respect, your mindsa”render the concept beyond your grasp. I will leave it at this: if Dr. Glotz is correcta”and I am confident that he isa”the extreme, sudden shock to the starstuff flow caused by the rocket tonight will cause it to reverse, like a wave hitting a wall. The result will be an immediate stop to the expansion of the universe. It will actually begin to contract. This Reversal will happen with inconceivable swiftness. In less than a moment, all light and all it has ever created, will be gone. All of ita”from the tiniest mote of dust, to your precious Earth, to the galaxies themselvesa”all gone back to before the Beginning. Before time. In their place: timelessness and nothingness. And we will rule in darkness, as we once did. Forever.”

Leonard and Bakari stared at the red orbs for several long moments. Bakari broke the silence.

”Why are the Others helping you, if it will cause their deaths?” he said.

”The Others are humans: ignorant fools,” said Ombra. ”Zarboff knows only that there will be more starstuff. He does not think beyond that.”

”But surely Dr. Glotz knows what he is bringing about,” said Leonard.

”He trusts his theories,” said Ombra. ”But he cares only about one thing: that in his last instant of existence, before the Reversal, before everything becomes nothing again, he will have proved his theory correct.”

”He's insane,” whispered Leonard.

”That hardly makes him unique among you humans.”

Again the cell was silent. When Leonard spoke again, his voice was hoa.r.s.e.

”You won't win, you know,” he said. He felt the red orbs gazing intently at him. He forced himself not to look away.

”And why is that, Lord Aster?” Ombra said.

”Because,” said Leonard, ”light overcomes darkness. A tiny match can illuminate the darkest room. As long as there is some light somewhere in the universe, you can be defeated.”

”But that is precisely the point, Lord Aster,” groaned Ombra. ”What if there is no universe?”

Ombra kept his gaze on Leonard, as if awaiting a response; Leonard had none. Finally Ombra turned and oozed back through the cell bars. Then he was gone, disappearing into the dungeon gloom, leaving Leonard and Bakari to look out the window at the bright desert day. Perhaps the last day ever.

CHAPTER 45.

DOOMED.

IT TOOK THE CHILDREN HOURS to reach Maknara”hot, thirsty hours, with the city beckoning in the distance, a mosaic of sunbaked huts, hunchbacked palms, and the glinting spires of Zarboff's palace. The sea of sand played tricks on their eyes: sometimes, as they trudged forward, the city seemed to move farther away, like a desert mirage of s.h.i.+mmering blue water.

But finally they were standing in a bustling marketplace, doing their best to look inconspicuous in their newly acquired robes. Around them swirled the sounds of people bargaining, and a hundred scentsa”acrid sweat, sweet incense, coconut, spices. The camel, which had carried Tubby Ted, Prentiss, and Molly most of the way, let out a strange humming noise. Thomas led it to a water trough, from which it drank thirstily.

”What now?” James said. He intended the question for Peter, but it was Molly who answered.

”We must go to the palace,” she said, ”and free Father.”

And be caught immediately, like a big stupid fish, observed Tink, who was hiding under Peter's robe.

”What'd she say?” asked Molly.

”She said the palace is heavily guarded,” said Peter. ”We can't just go barging in there, Molly.”

”Well, we can't just stand here, either,” said Molly. ”People are starting to notice us.”

This was true: even in the colorful chaos of the market, their group was drawing curious looks.

”All right,” said Peter. He gestured for the group to gather, whistling to Tubby Ted, who was wandering toward the food stalls. When they had all huddled together, Peter spoke, his voice low.

”As I see it,” he said, ”we need to do two things. We need to free Lord Aster and Bakari. Then we need to get all of us out of here. We need a s.h.i.+p.”

”We came by s.h.i.+p to Ashmar,” said Molly. ”But that's another long trip across the desert. I doubt we'd make it if we were being chased.”

Peter nodded. ”There are s.h.i.+ps here,” he said. ”There's a harbor below the city. That's where Ombra brought us in his underwater s.h.i.+p. There were sailing s.h.i.+ps there.”

”Then perhaps we need to borrow one,” said George, giving Molly a look.

”Do you think you could be in charge of that, George?” said Peter. He was reluctant to admit it, but George was quite good at things like getting s.h.i.+ps.