Surrender to the Will of the Night (80 page)

Heris had just opened a vein in Ferris Renfrow’s left wrist and was taking blood. Cloven Februaren stood by with a bandage. When she had about a scarlet cupful in a silver glass beaker, she nodded to the old man. Februaren slapped the bandage on. Renfrow nodded. “Healing already.”

“Pella,” Heris said. “Now it’s your time. Get up into one of those windows and watch the waterfront. Let me know when the golden barge changes.”

Frowning and sneering, Pella climbed into a window opening, leaned out. And said, “Oh, shit! Oh, Holy Aaron!” He eased back inside, shaking. “Dad. Don’t … I can’t do that.” He was ashamed and terrified at the same time.

Heris said, “You watch, then, Piper. Pella, take the falcon next to Vali. That’s the most important one. You chicken on me there, you kill us all. But don’t be firing for no good reason, either. Piper. The window.”

He did as instructed. And had no trouble understanding Pella’s distress. That was a long, long way down. And it called to him, come, take the plunge!

His gut tried telling him he was falling already.

Heris fiddled. She sent the Ninth Unknown to the falcon beside Lila. She positioned the Bastard and the ascendant precisely. “Nobody moves now, except me. And Piper after he reports. Then he goes to his falcon.” She took Renfrow’s blood to a point she had calculated to a fraction of an inch. Then she stopped moving, too. Stood looking back at Hecht, waiting.

Hecht lay down on his stomach and gripped the stone of the Great Sky Fortress. He stared all that long way down and tried to conquer terror. No human mind ought to have to endure this.

Dwarves still moved down the switchbacks on the mountain, apparently running. They dwindled, became dots moving toward the golden barge. Dots from the waterfront town joined them. They all streamed onto the ship.

Minutes passed. Then, sharp as a hammer strike —
bam!
 — all color went out of the barge and waterfront. The gateway to the Andorayan Sea snapped shut.

Hecht said, “Heris, the color just went away.”

“Good. They’re gone. The Realm is closed.”

Meaning all the Aelen Kofer were gone, with their exits sealed up behind. No matter what happened here, now, none of the Old Ones would be able to follow or escape to the middle world.

Heris asked, “Everybody set? Girls? Piper? Anna? Pella? Double Great? Here we go.” She tilted the beaker of divine blood.