“That’s your proof that Nevva lied to you,” Courtney continued. “Your parents will not be saved. They tricked you the way Saint Dane has tricked so many others. They tempted you with the promise of saving Second Earth. Of helping Bobby. Of protecting Halla, and of bringing your parents back from the dead. None of that will happen.”
Mark shifted. Courtney thought he was starting to sweat.
“But it’s not too late!” she exclaimed encouragingly. “That’s why I’m here. Now that you know the truth, you can stop it. You can put Halla back on its natural course. Right here. Right now.”
Mark wiped his eyes. Courtney thought he was containing his emotions pretty well, considering what she had just laid on him.
“I don’t understand,” he said in a very small voice.
“Ask me,” Courtney implored. “Anything. I know it all.”
Mark looked at her with red eyes. “I don’t understand why you’re lying to me.”
Courtney was rocked. Her mouth hung open. “I–I’m not,” she stammered. “Why would you believe Nevva Winter over me?”
“Mark?” came a woman’s voice from outside the door.
Courtney recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it.
“Come on in,” Mark called.
Two people stepped into the ward. When she saw them, Courtney nearly fainted. Her head actually went light. She didn’t understand what she was seeing. It made no sense. Her legs buckled and she sat down on the edge of the bunk.
“I was just leaving,” Mark told the new visitors.
Courtney looked up at the man and the woman who stood beside Mark. The man wore a tuxedo, the woman was dressed in an evening gown. They looked totally normal, and absolutely impossible.
“We know, Courtney,” the woman said kindly, sensing her confusion. “We know everything. Mark explained it all. The Travelers, the territories, and what happened to Bobby Pendragon.”
The man added, “We’re proud of you, Courtney. We know you’ve been under a lot of stress with the accident and all. When we get to London, we’ll make sure that all the charges are dropped, and we’ll pay for your passage. All we want is for you and Mark to finish what you started, and help Bobby stop Saint Dane.”
The woman added, “Bobby needs you. Halla needs you. Try to get some rest.”
Courtney was speechless. Her brain was doing its best to reject the fact that standing before her were Mr. and Mrs. Dimond. Mark’s parents. Alive. On First Earth.
“We’ll check on you tomorrow morning,” said Mrs. Dimond.
“Good night,” Mr. Dimond added.
They left, leaving Mark alone with Courtney. Mark looked at her like a disapproving parent. “Maybe tomorrow you’ll explain to me what’s really going on.”
He left and closed the door behind him. The screeching sound of the lock being thrown echoed through the spartan infirmary. Courtney didn’t move. Everything she believed to be true had just been turned inside out. She probably would have sat that way all night, if she hadn’t been nudged back to life by a twitching on her finger.
Her ring was activating.
Bobby’s next journal was about to arrive.
IBARA
I’m ready to explode.
All I can do is wait. It’s killing me. The next few hours will determine the future of Ibara. Of Veelox. Of Halla. It’s like waiting for a storm that’s slowly creeping closer. You know it’s going to hit but there’s no way of knowing when. Or where. I want it to hit soon, because I’m ready to hit back. Hard. The last few days I’ve spent getting ready. Days? Did I say “days”? I have no idea how long it’s been since Siry and I came back to Ibara after escaping from Rubic City. Has it been days? Or weeks? I know that makes no sense. After you read this journal, it will.
Courtney, as I’m writing this, I have to believe you haven’t found Mark. Or maybe you did, and it didn’t make any difference. What’s about to happen on Ibara now seems inevitable. I’m ready. I am so ready. I can’t predict how things are going to go, but if we lose Ibara, it won’t be because we didn’t try. No way. Right now I’m so charged up, I can’t wait for it to begin. I want to make some noise. It’s taking all my concentration to sit still and write this journal. It’s an important one. Courtney, when I write to you next, assuming I’m able to write to you again, the future of Halla will be determined. Saint Dane will either be finished, or the Convergence will have begun. Either way, I want you to know why I’ve done what I’ve done. I’m playing by Saint Dane’s rules now. Which means I’m not playing by any rules. I didn’t see any other way. Hopefully, when the dust settles, Halla will be safe once and for all. Until then, it’s going to get ugly.
Let me take you back to the night when Siry and I drove the skimmer to Ibara from Rubic City. Like I said, I don’t know if that was a few days ago, or a few months ago. Time has lost all meaning for me.
As I wrote, Siry and I landed after dark. We pulled the skimmer into the dense growth just off a quiet, rocky beach and covered it with palm fronds. From there we made our way through the jungle to the Jakill clearing. Seeing the empty clearing in the moonlight was eerie, and sad. This was a place that was full of energy and hope. Now it felt more like a memorial to failed dreams. I could only imagine how Siry felt. His dreams had been crushed. His friends were gone. I had to keep him focused and moving forward. There would be time to grieve later. There was always time to grieve.
We needed to rest. There was some food left around, so we ate what we could. I didn’t have much of an appetite. Fear of impending doom will do that. But I ate. Who knew when we’d get another chance? I also finished my previous journal. Again, who knew when I’d get another chance? I’m guessing we sat in the clearing for about three hours. Neither of us slept. The adrenaline was rushing too hard.
“This is dumb,” I finally said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m too pumped to sleep. We’ve gotta get to the tribunal and warn them of the attack.”
“That won’t be easy,” Siry said. “We’re outlaws. They may lock us up before we get the chance to say a word.”
“So how do we get to them?” I asked.
“Telleo,” Siry said with confidence. “If anybody can get Genj’s ear, it’s his daughter.”
“Will she do it?”
“I know she will,” Siry replied. Siry gave me a grave look. “Pendragon, we have to do everything we can to stop them.”
“We will,” I said, trying to sound positive.
We made our way back toward the village, guided by moonlight. We ran along narrow jungle paths. I kept my eyes on Siry. If he jumped, I jumped. If he ducked, I ducked. I stumbled and fell only once. When we hit the beach, Siry slowed down and kept to the jungle line. It was a few hours before sunrise. The village was asleep. It was the perfect time for us to get to Telleo. Siry led me past the hut where I had first woken up on Ibara, through the dark village, toward Tribunal Mountain. We finally stopped at a small hut not far from the central meeting area where Telleo and I had danced during the Festival of Zelin. Zelin. Was that some centuries-old version of Zetlin?
Siry gestured at it as if to say, “This is where she lives.” He put his finger to his lips in a “shush” gesture, then entered the hut.
The small hut had a few pieces of bamboo furniture and lots of cut flowers. Telleo liked to surround herself with beautiful things. I followed Siry as he moved quickly and stealthily through the first room and into the second. There Telleo lay sleeping on her low bed. She wore the same type of clothes to sleep as she wore during the day. Siry knelt quietly by her bedside. Telleo turned in her sleep. Siry quickly but gently clamped one hand near her mouth and nudged her arm.
“Telleo,” he whispered.
Telleo lazily opened her eyes halfway and stared at him in a sleepy haze. Then, as if shot with an electric current, her eyes blew wide open in shock. She sat up, ready to scream. Siry was prepared. He gently held his hand over her mouth.
“It’s okay,” he whispered soothingly. “It’s me and Pendragon.”
