6
From the dark, Veitch watched Ruth launch her attack on Church. In the dying flare of the light, he dashed forwards and threw himself at Ruth, clamping a hand over her mouth as he dragged her back into the dark. The shock of the attack prevented her from using her Craft, and by the time she had recovered, he had his sword at her throat.
Across the bridge, he could hear the Libertarian mocking Church as he talked about wiping him from Existence, but he kept his focus on Ruth. Her eyes crackled with power, but he continued to whisper her name and slowly the subtle manipulation of Mictlantecuhtli ebbed away to reveal the Ruth with whom he had fallen in love. Right then he understood his role in the pattern. If he and Ruth had not shared affection, she would never have responded to his quiet words, would have fought him and probably killed him. There was a reason for his heartache, and that made it a little more palatable.
'It's all right, darlin'. You're back.'
'Church-'
'He's still alive.' Veitch could see she was aware of everything that had transpired.
'You have to stop Church becoming the Libertarian, Ryan.' Tears flooded her eyes. 'If you kill him, Church can't be wiped from Existence. He'll always be a symbol. He'll always have the power to affect things, even from death. And the Libertarian will never come into being.'
Veitch glanced over at the Libertarian counting out the seconds as he held Church close to the abyss. 'There's a better way,' he said.
'You can't take any risks!'
He gave the cocky smile that she had always loved. 'There's always a better way.'
Yet she saw in his eyes something deep and mature and very unlike Veitch and it troubled her deeply. 'What are you planning?'
He whispered it in her ear.
'You can't, Ryan!' Gripping his arm, she fought to stop herself becoming distressed.
'I don't matter here,' he said. 'Church matters. You matter. I was always along just to make sure you two made it through to the finish line. And that's what I'm going to do now. My last act.'
'Ryan, if you go into the abyss, you'll be wiped from Existence. No one will ever remember you.'
He grinned. 'Not the end of the world.'
'But that was all you ever wanted — for people to remember you as a hero.'
'Yeah, that was all I wanted.' He glanced back to check on the Libertarian and Church. A minute to go. The fires of the Burning Man were growing more intense; the Void was coming. 'I've learned a lot from Church, and you, and the others. I'm a better man now. I know what's important. It's not what's out there, or what people think. It's what's inside. I've got a whole world in here. In the past, I could never look inside myself — it was too frightening. But now if I know I'm going out a hero, well, that's good enough. That's important.'
'Don't do it, Ryan-'
'There isn't any other choice, darlin'. This is the whole reason I'm here. I know that now.' He wiped a tear from her cheek. 'A kiss?' he said. 'Won't mean anything. I know you love Church, and that's right. I've got my head around it now. But it would be… nice.'
She pulled his head down and kissed him deeply.
When he broke away, his smile melted her heart. 'I can die easy now. There's nothing else I want.'
He tore away from her grip as a roar began to fill the cavernous space. The heat from the Burning Man increased sharply, the flames turning a deep scarlet. Dropping his sword, Veitch ran. He thought of his father and his mother, of the mermaids swimming by his boat and the tiny people with gossamer wings who always instilled such peace. And he thought of the woman he loved more than anything else in the world, more than life itself.
Hitting the Libertarian full force, they both went over the edge of the bridge while Church slumped against the side, clinging on. At the last, Veitch thought he saw relief in the Libertarian's red, lidless eyes. His adversary had time for one word — 'Ryan…' — and then they plunged down into the dark.
7
'Ryan!' Church yelled as he watched Veitch and the Libertarian fall.
Ruth scrambled to his side. 'Remember him, Church! Don't let his memory die! Don't-'
The words died in her throat. They stared at each other in incomprehension for a moment, and then Church dragged himself to the centre of the bridge. 'What just happened?'
Ruth shook her head. 'I don't know.' She looked around. 'We… we must be… The Burning Man. We have to destroy it.'
Church nodded, although he instinctively knew that was not the correct answer. 'Where are the others?'
On cue, Miller and Jack ran in accompanied by Shavi and Tom. 'Hunter and Laura are guarding the entrance,' Shavi said, 'but there is no sign of Mallory and Caitlin. We do not have the Extinction Shears.'
'Yes, you do.' Walking along the bridge from the opposite side, the Wayfinder held high so that the blue light lit his path, came a cloaked figure.
'Hal?' Church said, baffled by his human form.
'The Caretaker,' Hal said with a smile. 'The new one. There's no time to explain. Here.' He handed over the Extinction Shears.
'What do we do?' Church asked.
'You use the Two Keys to destroy the holding matrix for the Void. And then you use the Extinction Shears to untether him from reality. The Void will be lost for ever.'
The roaring became deafening: the Burning Man glowed so brightly they could barely look at it. A deep dread closed in around them, and a feeling that a terrifying presence was only a room away.
'No time!' Hal stressed.
'The Wish-Hex in me won't be enough to destroy that!' Jack peered over the edge of the bridge into the fire.
'I can help,' Miller said calmly. 'Of course. I can see why I'm here now. As the Wish-Hex starts to destroy you, I can heal you so you can keep releasing the power. You can do that?'
'I… I think so,' Jack said. 'Keep the chain reaction going.'
Miller looked around the others. 'We always knew it was going to come to this. Don't worry about us.'
'But if you go into the abyss you'll be wiped from Existence,' Ruth said. 'No one will ever know you existed.' Just like no one knew of… A name began to come, then faded rapidly.
'Good,' Jack said. 'Then Mahalia won't feel any pain. She can get on with her life.'
His maturity brought a swell of pride to Ruth and Church.
'I wish Hunter was here,' Jack said. 'He was…' The word choked in his throat. 'Never mind.'
Jack stepped onto the edge of the bridge, and Miller wrapped his arms around him tightly.
The roaring was so loud they could barely hear themselves speak. 'Go!' Church yelled.
Jack and Miller threw themselves off the bridge. Instantly, a white light washed out, and a moment later a blue glow, the two intertwining, merging. A burst of the white light rolled upwards, and the bridge shook and then cracked, huge chunks plummeting down into the abyss.
As Church, Ruth, Tom and Shavi ran back the way they had come, Church snatched up a sword. It wasn't the shattered Caledfwlch, and he had no idea who it belonged to, but it felt right in his hand. He sheathed it. The Caretaker was nowhere to be seen.
As the bridge fell into the abyss and the white and blue light continued to roll out in waves, the structure of the Burning Man began to break up and fall apart. The scarlet flames leaped out with a life of their own, no longer able to maintain any shape.
'We did it. The matrix is breaking up.' Church opened the Extinction Shears and felt their pulsing energy rush
