D. MacHale - Raven Rise

Saint Dane turned and walked into the luxury suite. Mark ran after him. Courtney was right behind.

“How did you get off Ibara?” Mark called after him.

“I’m sure you’ll find that out soon enough,” Saint Dane answered without turning back.

Courtney asked, “Does that mean Bobby can leave too?”

“Pendragon quit,” Saint Dane spat at them. “Why do you think the Convergence has begun? He lost because he didn’t have enough faith in himself, or his convictions, to continue. He was flawed, which came as no surprise to me.”

“‘Flawed,’” Courtney echoed. “You make it sound like a crime.”

“Indeed,” Saint Dane agreed. “Pendragon was flawed. That is why he quit.”

“He didn’t quit!” Courtney shot back. “He blew up the flume to trap you on Ibara.”

Saint Dane held out his arms and smiled. “And you see how successful he was. Pendragon destroyed the flume on Ibara because he no longer had the will to continue the struggle. Paint that any way you like, but it is the truth. His weakness didn’t close a door, it opened one. For me. It’s a door that cannot be closed.”

“Unless Bobby wants it closed,” Courtney threw back at him.

“Why are you so concerned with Pendragon when such momentous events are happening right before you?” Saint Dane chastised. “Pendragon is history. This is what it’s all been leading to. The Convergence has begun. Accept it.”

“What does that mean?” Courtney yelled desperately. “What is the Convergence?”

“Weren’t you listening? It’s the creation of a new order, just as Naymeer said. My vision for a unified Halla is one breath away. It’s happening on all the territories. Each one is falling into line, just as I said it would.” Saint Dane walked to the kitchen area and looked over the tray of sandwiches on the counter. “This is quite nice,” he commented. “I may have to attend a sporting event here. What exactly is a Knick?”

“Why are we here?” Courtney demanded to know.

Saint Dane turned to them, but as he moved, he transformed into the character of Eugene, the clean-cut guy who escorted them to the suite. Mark and Courtney both jolted with surprise.

“I told you,” Eugene answered brightly. “You’re the special guest of Naymeer. He wanted you here.”

Mark fought to keep his composure and asked, “Why? He doesn’t even know who we are.”

“Naymeer is the Traveler from Second Earth now,” Eugene said with pride. “He needs acolytes. What better choice than you two? After all, you have loads of experience!”

“You can’t be serious,” Courtney spat out. “You expect us to give up on Bobby?”

With a quick move to his right, Eugene transformed into the character of Whitney Wilcox-the soccer-playing preppy from Stansfield Academy. He even had a soccer ball that he bounced off his knee.

“You’re a winner, Courtney,” Whitney said cockily. “The way I see it, you’ve only got one choice. Take it. Be a winner. You too, Mark. You can come along for the ride.” Whitney laughed, bounced the ball off his knee again and kicked it at them. Courtney caught it without flinching.

“Nice!” called Whitney.

“Not gonna happen,” Courtney said flatly.

“N-No, it’s not,” Mark echoed.

Whitney transformed. This time Saint Dane became Andy Mitchell. Mark’s nemesis. Mark’s partner in Forge. Mark’s nightmare. He looked as he did on Second Earth, complete with long, greasy blond hair and a dirty T-shirt. He hawked up a lougie and spit into the sink. Mark and Courtney didn’t blink.

“Guess what, Dimond? This one’s on you too!” Mitchell cackled.

“What does that mean?” Mark asked.

Andy Mitchell strolled over to the glass partition that overlooked the arena. The lights were back on. The Halla portion of the show was over. Naymeer was once again addressing the audience.

“Naymeer’s ring,” Mitchell said. “Look familiar?”

“All the Traveler rings look the same,” Mark answered through clenched teeth.

“I guess,” Mitchell agreed. “But that one. That one’s special.”

“Why?” Mark asked.

Mitchell smiled, showing a mouthful of yellow, nicotine-stained teeth. “Because it’s yours.”

Mark and Courtney stared back at Mitchell for a long, confused moment. It was Mark who first put it together. “Nevva,” he whispered, dazed.

Mitchell continued, “First you created the dados, then you offered up the one thing that kicked off the whole show. I pretty much owe you everything, Dimond. The least I can do is offer you a seat at the table. Chetwynde, too, so long as she keeps her mouth shut. She can be really annoying.”

Mark stood frozen. Courtney grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. Mark didn’t move at first, but was too stunned to resist for long, and the two moved toward the exit.

“Hey, where you going?” Mitchell called. “There ain’t no place to go. No place to hide. It’s all over but the shouting.” He let out a scream. “Ahhh!” Then shrugged and smiled. “Oops. Guess now it’s over.”

Courtney kept pulling Mark toward the door. She backed into it, reached behind herself for the knob, and opened it up.

“Think about it!” Mitchell called. “You’re either with me or against me. I don’t think you want to be against me. Not anymore.”

Courtney pulled Mark through the door and let it slam shut.

“We’re outta here,” she said to him and pulled him toward the elevator.

Mark didn’t move.

“It’s my ring,” he said, as if in a trance. “That’s why Nevva wanted it. It wasn’t to isolate Bobby. It was to start the Convergence.”

Courtney jumped back and got in Mark’s face. “Saint Dane started the Convergence,” she snarled. “Not you. Not that slick old dude. Saint Dane.”

“If Bobby quit,” Mark said flatly, “I think I will too.”

Courtney shook him. Hard. “You are not quitting! We’ve been waiting for this moment for years. It’s the turning point of Second Earth, Mark. It’s not what we expected. Fine. So what? This is our time. It’s on us now, just like we always thought.”

“But it’s all my fault,” Mark said weakly.

Courtney wound up and slapped Mark across the face. She didn’t hold back, either. She really whacked him. Hard. Mark stared at her, stunned.

“Wake up!” she yelled. “As long as we’re still alive, it’s not over. But if you give up now, then it really willbe your fault.” Mark looked surprised, and hurt.

Courtney added, “I don’t know what this whole Ravinia thing is leading to, but after what happened to Third Earth, you know it can’t be good.”

“I wish Bobby was here,” Mark said meekly. “He’s not. We are. What’s it gonna be?” Mark’s pained look slowly turned to one of resolve. His eyes focused. He stood up straight and said, “What do we do?”

“We get Patrick,” she answered quickly. “And then what?”

“If Saint Dane is here, it must mean the flume to Ibara is open.”

“So?”

“So you’re right. We need Bobby. Somebody’s got to get to him and make him un-quit.”

Mark gave this a moment’s thought, then shook his head quickly. “Courtney, we can’t.”

“Yeah we can. We’re going to get out of here, get Patrick, and travel.”

“Hey!” came a shout from down the hall.

Mark and Courtney looked quickly to see two red-shirt guards running toward them. Both turned and ran in the other direction. They sprinted along the corridor past the photos of famous events. Mark wondered if one day there would be a picture of Naymeer hanging there. The thought made him angry. The anger made him dig in. They ran faster.

“The elevator,” Mark shouted. “No.”