'Don't leave her,' Mallory pleaded. He knew. If the Morrigan left the body it was a clear sign that it was too late for Caitlin; the goddess would move on to another mare to ride. 'Please. Stay here. She'll live. Really.'
The shadow hovered for a moment, and then slipped away. Once it had gone, Caitlin stirred and gained a degree of alertness, but she appeared oblivious to Mallory and was staring into the dark as if she could see something. 'The Knight. He's here. And… and…' She gave a warm smile, which lingered for a while, and then her life slipped from her.
Mallory stifled a sob, and reached out for her still hand. His own life was draining from him fast, but he didn't feel sad. It would be good to expunge the one terrible thing he had done in his life, to rest finally, free from the struggle and the worry. His only regret was that he wouldn't be there to help Church and the others win. But he still had the Extinction Shears, and soon one of his Brothers or Sisters would find them and use them as they were intended. He had no doubt about that.
He closed his eyes, listening to the slowing beat of his heart. Steady. Easy. Finally. But after a moment he realised he was no longer alone.
Standing beside him, smiling fondly, was the young boy the others had discussed. The one who had died, but hadn't, who was now one of the Oldest Things in the Land. He searched for the name in his fragmenting mind. Carlton.
'That's right, Mallory,' the boy said.
'You can read my thoughts?' Mallory said weakly.
'Thoughts aren't as ephemeral as you might think.' He laughed.
'That's a big word for a kid.'
'I'm not a child. Never was, really.'
'What are you, then?'
Carlton only smiled.
'So, what? You're an angel? Here to take me by the hand and lead me to the Promised Land? You ought to know I don't believe in God.'
'I know. You don't believe in anything.'
'That's served me well. Why are you here?'
'Because you've reached the end of your story.'
'I know that. I'm ready.'
'And you've accounted for the thing that troubles you the most.'
'How would you know? You're a kid. But thanks anyway.'
Carlton broke into a grin. 'I like you, Mallory. You were always a lot of fun.'
'We've never met before.'
'Oh, we have. Many times.' He waved gently to catch Mallory's fading attention. 'I want to show you something that no living person ever gets to see.'
Carlton motioned towards Caitlin. She was still dead. The dark pool around her had become a sea, and he realised that much of the blood was his.
'Look closely.'
Darkness pressed in around his vision. He peered at the still form of his friend and saw a hint of movement — not in Caitlin, but on her — and a strange light in the vicinity of her belly that had no clear source. The light coalesced, grew harder, became solid: a silver egg emerged from Caitlin as though it was insubstantial and passing through her. It lay on her for a second, then ran like mercury into a new shape before moving quickly away into the dark of the corridor.
Mallory knew he had seen such a thing before. He searched his memory — thought of Miller and Salisbury and a strange yearning in the office of Steelguard Securities — and then it came to him. 'A Caraprix,' he said. 'What… what was it doing in Caitlin?'
'There's one in you too, Mallory. Indeed, in all humans.' Carlton knelt beside Mallory and brushed the hair tenderly from his brow. 'Before you go, I wanted to let you into a secret. A big one. Part of the huge pattern that nobody ever gets to see while they're alive. You've earned it.'
'There's a Caraprix in all of us? Like the gods?'
'The Caraprix is in you. The gods only get to be friends with them for a while. What did you think they were, Mallory? Where do you think they came from?'
'No idea. Don't care.'
'The Pendragon Spirit is an amazing thing. A shard of Existence lodged in every human being, a reminder of their potential and their potential all wrapped up in one. But it's even more than that. It's a seed, waiting to be nurtured. Every experience a human has in their life is sunlight and water to that seed. It grows, and develops, and becomes something wonderful.'
'The Pendragon Spirit becomes the Caraprix?'
'Humans tend them, and grow them, and then, at the point of their death, set them free. And if they've done a good job in their life, the Caraprix thrives and moves off to its destiny. That's the point of life, Mallory. That's the reason for the tough road, the hardships and the suffering and the misery. As you fight to overcome them, you're growing these wonderful, brilliant things.'
'But what do they do? What are they for?'
'You'll see, Mallory. You'll all see. And then you'll understand why human beings and their fragile, hard lives, and their loves and friendships, their troubles and strife, their passing irritations and great achievements, their lows and highs, their fears and wonders and awe, are all so absolutely vital, and so amazing, and so much more important than you ever dreamed while you were going through them.'
'There's one in me?'
'There's one in you, Mallory. It'll be emerging soon, and it'll be a remarkable thing because you've nurtured it so well. It'll be one of the strongest, and it will have a part to play.'
'Well, that's weird… and… unexpected. And I still don't believe in stuff, but…'
Carlton laughed.
The world had grown dark.
'You close your eyes now, Mallory, and be content. You've done a great job, everything that was expected of you and more. You're a hero, Mallory. You won't be forgotten, ever.'
Mallory died.
Carlton watched him for a moment, studied the growing light and then gave a satisfied smile. He had been right.
Afterwards, he picked up the Wayfinder and blew on the dying spark that burned at the end of the wick. It winnowed into a small flame, and then grew larger and stronger until finally it burst from the lantern as it had when Hal attacked the Hortha with the last of his strength.
This time the flame folded in on itself and disappeared with a zzzzip, leaving a bemused Hal staring at his hands in incredulity. He was human, exactly as he had been up to the moment when he gave up his body to enter the Blue Fire.
'What?' he said, dazed. 'I'm here.'
'I'm sorry to pull you from the Blue Fire, Hal. I know exactly what you've lost. But you had it for a while, and that's more than anyone else.'
'Of course,' Hal said. 'But… I thought I was dying. I'd given up every part of me.'
'Exactly. Like every Brother and Sister of Dragons, you've been on your own personal road to enlightenment and transformation. Everything you've experienced has been preparing you for this moment. And your last, great sacrifice was… the final exam, I suppose. You passed.'
'Yeah?' Hal thought for a moment, and then said, 'I miss it, but in a way I'm still part of it. I was a part of it for all time.'
'Exactly.'
'What now?'
Carlton handed Hal the Wayfinder. 'Existence needs a Caretaker, Hal. Someone to walk the boundaries, watch over the fabric, close some doors, open others. Someone to turn on the lamps of hope in the dark of the night, and extinguish them when dawn's light touches the sky. Will you accept?'
Hal took a moment to assimilate the magnitude of what Carlton was offering him, and then he beamed. 'Of
