Jane and the Raven King (19 page)

A
t the bottom of the Steel Mountain, all the trees had turned back into bobbins. There were beautiful female bobbins with golden fur and silver eyes, and young warrior bobbins in heavy armor and helmets. There were child bobbins that looked like serious, overdressed kittens. Gaius cast a spell that took them all back to the bobbin ruins—but they weren’t ruins anymore. The overgrown stones had been transformed into proud, ivy-covered buildings that reminded Jane of an expensive college campus. The streets were shiny glass, and the grass was green and full of chattering animals. They were all waiting their turn to step inside the elevator and return to topside Earth so they could resume chasing and eating each other.

Gaius and Grandma Diana let Thomas go back too.

“The Raven King used this boy,” Grandma Diana said, “the same way he tried to use you, Jane. It’s not really his fault. But I knew all along that you wouldn’t give in. Not my Jane. Did you get the envelope I sent with Miles?”

“I got it,” Jane said.

“And you found the Name of the World with the Sharp Map on it, right where I left it all those years ago.” Grandma Diana smiled at Gaius. They were standing at the elevator, watching the bobbins and animals rebuild part of the city.

“But all this time, I thought that mirror was the Name of the World,” Jane said.

“The Diamond Mirror wasn’t a weapon, Jane,” Grandma Diana said. “Mirrors show us the world more clearly. The Raven King hid the Diamond Mirror in his cave because it can reveal the Name of the World to the right person. You saw the Name of the World in the mirror, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Jane said. “The mirror reminded me that I could still fight back.”

“You are welcome to stay here, you know,” Gaius told Jane. “You don’t have to go back.”

Behind him, Finn called, “Now why would she want to do that?” Manali was riding on his back. “Down here, there are nothing but talking dragons and puffed-up cats. I mean, just look at all those cats! I think I liked them better as trees.”

Manali said, “Finn!” She hopped down and gave Jane a hug.

“Thank you,” Jane said.

“Hey, I didn’t do much,” Manali said. “I knew you’d save everybody. We all did—except Gaius and his tests.”

Gaius cleared his throat. “Those three tests have a time-honored tradition—”

“—of picking the wrong kid and getting us all into trouble,” Grandma Diana said.

They all laughed.

“Diana Starlight and Clear-Eyed Jane, you are welcome back any time,” Gaius said. “And you too, Manali.”

“Except you don’t get a cool name, Manali,” Finn muttered.

“I’m going to miss you, Jane,” Manali said. “But you have my phone number, yeah?”

“Yes, I’ll call you—I promise,” Jane said. “And thank you for everything, Gaius. Finn…”

Finn farted a fireball. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Were you saying something?” Finn hugged Jane with one massive paw. “No more good-byes—dragon tears are lethal.”

Grandma Diana squeezed Jane’s hand. “It’s time to go.”

As they went to the elevator, Jane asked, “Will Michael and Mom and Dad—will they all be okay?”

“Yes, dear. Everything is fixed because of you. The Raven King is gone.” She brushed Jane’s hair out of her eyes. “The real world is waiting. Don’t be scared. It’s going to be all right, I promise.”

And it was.

I have to begin by thanking my wife, Ceceley, for her faith in me. It’s no exaggeration to say that she made this possible. Thanks also to William and Ellie, for keeping me honest.

Huge thanks are due to my agent, Peter Rubie, for his commitment through all of these years and to my wonderful editor at Sourcebooks, Rebecca Frazer.

I am grateful to everyone who has helped and humored me since I began this project—you all know who you are.

While still in high school, Stephen Chambers sold two novels,
Hope’s End
and
Hope’s War
. He has recently collaborated with bestselling author Adam Blade on
The Chronicles of Avantia
. Stephen is currently a doctoral candidate in the history department at Brown University.