made a final effort, but was then physically thrown back. I caught her in my arms as she was propelled backwards.
'It's no good,' she said, 'it's too strong. We have to find another way.'
We backed off a few paces where we could stand more easily against it. It was like being blown back by a high wind, but there was no sense of moving air.
I picked up a stick that was abandoned on the grass, possibly from a dog-walker, and leaned back to throw it at the barrier. I drew my arm back and launched it.
'No!' said Blackbird.
The stick sailed overhead, but then turned and swung back, accelerating towards me so that I had to dive sideways. It flew past me, missing my head by inches so that I heard the rush as it went past, sailing out over the edge of the hill and down.
I stood watching it sail away down the hill, lost for words.
'Everything you put in is returned threefold. If you push against it, it will push back three times as hard. If you strike it, it will strike you. It's an old warding, but nonetheless effective for that.'
'So how do we get inside?' I asked.
'We don't,' she said, looking over towards the four figures arranged in the centre.
Eve gently let the orb go, and it hung in the air where she'd left it. 'You can let go now,' she said. 'Everything is in place.'
Alex experimentally let go of the rod and it turned for a moment in mid-air, like a compass finding north, until it settled, pointing at the orb. She released the key and it simply rotated slowly where she'd released it. 'Freaky,' she said.
The others released their objects too. Gradually the objects adjusted their positions until they were equidistant from each other.
'How do they know where to go?' Asked Alex.
'How does a key know which way to turn?' said Eve.
'But a key has someone turning it,' said Sparky. He reached out a finger and touched the arrow, which slowly rotated before finding its position again pointing towards the orb.
'I told you,' said Eve. 'It's not six things, but a single key with six components. They will turn when they are ready.'
At her words, the objects stirred into life and began slowly turning around the orb, each in position relative to the others. The hole in the sky above them dilated further.
Alex shivered. 'I should have brought a cardie,' she said. 'It's getting chilly up here.'
'It will get colder,' said Eve. 'Always colder.'
Alex wrapped her arms around her body. 'When's it going to do its thing?' she asked. 'I'm freezing my arse off.'
'This is its thing,' said Eve staring at the rotating objects. 'We have set in place the key to the universe. The lock is turning. Now everything will change.'
The orb rotated with the items, the patterns on its surface falling into step with the objects that rotated around it, and then slipping out again as the pattern formed and reformed.
'Well how long's it going to take?' said Alex, her lips trembling. The others looked as cold as she felt.
Eve turned back towards them, smiling. 'Until the end of the universe.'
'The end of the universe? We'll all be dead long before then.'
'No,' said Eve, shaking her head. 'The end of time is mere hours away. All the chaos, all the fuss and nonsense of stars and galaxies, all of it will cool until the universe itself is entirely and utterly still. What you feel here is happening everywhere, and every-when. In mere hours, time itself will cease to have any meaning and there will be no more hours. They will be no future and no past. Everything will be wiped clean.'
'But you said we were changing the world,' said Alex.
'And so we are,' she said. 'Not just the world, but the entire pattern of existence. We will erase everything that ever was, or ever will be. It'll be like we never were.'
'But you said we'd have dragons,' said Sparky.
'And manticores,' said Alex, 'whatever they are.'
Alex glanced at Chipper, and saw the strangest expression. It was as if light had dawned for him. His smiled matched Eve's.
'What the fuck have you done?' said Alex.
Eve turned back to the slow ballet of spinning objects. 'Sacrifices must be made. There can be no life without death, no renewal without decay. Something must be given up in order for something to be gained.'
'But you said we were bringing back unicorns,' said Alex. 'How can you lie? Why can't I hear you lying?'
She turned back to Alex, that same quiet smile playing on her lips. 'Patience, child. From the stillness that comes, another universe will be born. You won't have to wait — time will not exist. You only wait when there's time. There will be no time.' Her expression darkened for a second. 'No one will ever make me wait, ever again.'
For a moment Alex saw something in her eyes that was beyond pain. Then it cleared and the smile returned. 'No more waiting. It is happening now, and tomorrow and yesterday, but we made it happen. She looked back to the turning objects. 'I made it happen.'
'You're fucking nuts!' screamed Alex.
She never saw the blow. Chipper back-handed her across the mouth and she sprawled backwards across the grass. 'Watch your mouth,' said Chipper. 'You don't speak to her like that.'
It was the first time Alex could remember Chipper speaking. His voice was broken and rough, as if he used it so little he had forgotten how to form words. From behind him, Sparky watched open-mouthed as he loomed menacingly over Alex.
Alex pressed her finger to her swollen lips, all the while feeling the temperature drop still further.
'You stupid sod,' said Alex. 'You're going to die. She's going to kill all of us. Don't you get it?'
Chipper smiled. 'It's you that doesn't get it. What do you think we're here for? This is it. This is everything. We'll be more famous than anyone who ever lived. We'll be the people who brought it all down.'
'You dolt,' said Alex. 'You won't be famous because there won't be anyone left.'
He smiled and looked at Eve. 'That doesn't matter.'
'Fashionably late as always,' said Blackbird.
Moving fast up the path from the base of the hill came a group of four figures. Niall easily recognised Garvin in the lead, with Tate close behind, flanked by Amber and Fionh.
'It's not like we couldn't use the help,' I said. 'We're getting nowhere fast.'
'That sort of help I can do without,' said Blackbird, but we waited for them below the crest of the hill, nevertheless.
'What's the situation?' said Garvin, not in the least out of breath as he reached us.
'See for yourself,' said Blackbird. 'The end of the universe has begun and you arrive just in time to witness it.'
'How long have you known about this?' he asked me.
'That's right,' said Blackbird. 'Start with the blame and work backwards. Don't worry, Niall. There won't be time for sanctions.'
'If you gave as much time to finding a way to stop this as you do to smart remarks,' said Garvin to Blackbird, 'we'd all be better for it.'
'Why don't the two of you go somewhere quiet and bicker while the rest of us try and find a way in,' I said. 'Wait! There's something happening.'
On the summit, the tallest of the lads stepped across to Alex and struck her. I winced involuntarily. 'They're fighting over something,' I said. It was too far away to hear the argument, but there was an obvious threat in the way he stood over her. 'Stay down,' I muttered, knowing she couldn't hear me. 'Wait your chance.'
'Tate,' said Garvin. 'Check the perimeter. If there's a way in I want to know. Amber, How high does it go? Fionh, check out the tower, see if we can use it.'
Tate slipped away, testing the edge of the warding with his hand as he moved. Fionh went the opposite way, heading around the warding to the ruined tower on the summit. Amber stood for a second, lifting her cupped hands
