Abarat: Absolute Midnight

That, in essence, was the pact between them. The Nephauree provided the technical genius to design the Stormwalker, along with the armaments and war-machines. It was Nephaurite technology that would decide the outcome of the battle to preserve this darkness until it had done its dark work, and it would carry the day. With the islands under her thumb, the Empress would return the favor in kind. While she led the Abarat into an Age of Blood and Gold, the Nephauree would be preparing to draw down a curtain over all things beneath the stars. With their Empress, they had been so high protected from all harm by their devices, they would be able to come and go from the islands with impunity.

Subjugated to their Empress’s will, the people of the Abarat would not see the monstrous presences in their world. But, year on year, the work would be done: the land plundered and left fallow, the seeds sewn until the time of harvest was upon them. And with that harvest, the end of this foolish game of life. One last season of fecundity, and then Time no longer. Life no longer. And Death incarnate smiling in the silence.

Chapter 46

Talking of Mysteries

CANDY HAD BEEN STARING out at the darkness, sky and sea for perhaps an hour, searching her thoughts for any sign, however small, of Boa’s presence. She had found none. But that didn’t mean she was cleansed of Boa’s contagion. She had lived for almost sixteen years believing she was Candy Quackenbush and only Candy Quackenbush, never once realizing that she had another presence inside her head. How could she say with absolute certainty that this wasn’t still true?

Of course she couldn’t. That was the sickening truth. She couldn’t know for sure that whatever thread of Boa had twitched into wakefulness when it had seemed Candy’s life was over was not still lying in the coils of her mind.

And then, from the shore behind her, the sound of agitated voices rose up. What was happening? Something significant, that much was apparent. There was a sickening reverberation in the air and earth. She could feel the shake as it gusted against her face, and could hear the little pebbles at her feet rattling against one another.

Had she not been watching the twin darknesses of water and sky for so long she would not have seen what she saw next for her eyes would have been unable to distinguish one darkness from another. But they were far subtler instruments than they’d been at the beginning, and in the two darknesses, the one above and the other below, she saw to her distress a third order of darkness moving against the other two. Its silhouette was a puzzlement. What manner of creature was this?

A massive shape was moving across the sky, barely grazing the horizon. Even though its mass was entirely black, and offered no clue to its true structure, there was something about its slow, steady motion that told Candy it was gargantuan: the size of a city, at least. But this vast thing tumbled as it crossed the sky, presenting Candy with a subtly different silhouette as it did so. When she tried to imagine it, all her imagination could conjure up was something that resembled an immense geometrical puzzle. Its passage across her field of vision affected everything around her. The air reverberated. The pebbles rattled and became louder and faster. As for Mama Izabella, she lay smooth and glacial, every ripple and wave laying down in defiance to the passage of the immense traveler.

Behind her, Candy heard people asking the same questions she’d had in her head. Even though the mystery had passed from sight, people spoke in fearful whispers.

“What was it?”

“I heard no engines, nothing. A thing that size ought to make a noise.”

“Well, it didn’t.”

“Then it’s not Abaratian.”

“And where was it going?”

It was Geneva who provided the answer to that.

“It was moving south-southwest,” she said. “It’s going to Gorgossium.”

There was a surge of responses to this from the people in Geneva’s vicinity. But there was one voice that was more audible to Candy than any of the others. It was the last voice she wanted to hear, but she wasn’t all that surprised to be hearing it.

The Peachtree woman’s right, Princess Boa said in Candy’s head. Whatever that was it’s heading for Gorgossium.

For a moment Candy contemplated the possibility of pretending she’d heard nothing, but what was the use of that? Boa knew she’d been heard. Ignoring her would be a waste of vital time.

I thought we’d parted, Candy allowed her mind to say.

You mean you thought you’d got rid of me, Boa replied. You wanted me gone. Come on, don’t say you didn’t. You’d had me in your head all those years and you wanted me out.

You’re right. I did. And I still do.

Really? Isn’t it just a little lonely in there? Come on. Of all people, you can own up to me. It’s a lot lonelier in there than you thought it would be, isn’t it?

I’m not going to invite you back in, if that’s what you’re after.

I asked you a question.

Yes, it’s a little spacious in here, all right.

She felt Boa make a small smile of satisfaction.

Oh, you’re never happier than when someone else is unhappy, are you?

Isn’t everyone? They just don’t admit to it.

What do you want?

Nothing. I was just checking in. I want to keep a connection between us. I might need your sisterhood one day.

I can’t imagine that ever happening.

Who knows? We are each trapped in the blinding procession of linear time. There is no way to know what the future holds.

What about Finnegan?

What about him?

He’s with you, isn’t he?

What if he is?

Don’t hurt him, Boa.

There was no reply to this.

Boa? Candy said.

Shall we change the subject?

He spent sixteen years avenging your murder.

Yes, so he’s told me, more than once.

He loves you.

No, Candy. He loves somebody he thought was me.

Then let him go if you don’t love him. Just don’t hurt him.

What is this? Has the little witch-girl fallen in love with the son of night and day?

Not in the way you mean, no. I’m not in love with him. But I won’t see him hurt.

Empty threats, Candy. But don’t worry. His heart’s safe with me.

Yeah, I’m sure.

Moving on . . . You saw the thing in the sky, I presume.

Do you know what it is? Candy said.

During their conversation the huge dark form had moved all the way across the horizon, and was almost out of sight.

I can’t be certain, but Carrion once told me something about a sky-ship, a Stormwalker. It walked on legs of lightning, he said, hence the name.