I checked my Trace. A faint blip from the other side of the Sandspit. An Abom, but since it was moving the other way, out of range, I let it go. Our mission was more important.
“All right, let’s get moving. It’s about twenty minutes’ walk to the Tree from here. Keep your eyes peeled for patches of rogue magic.” Even facing the possibility of the wandering magic—the very magic that had turned me into a Theosian—I was relieved to be out of the Bogs. I wasn’t looking forward to returning through them, though.
“Fury, when we get there, I want to help you with the explosives,” Tyrell said, catching up to me. He thrust his hands in his pockets. “I mean it. I’ll do whatever you need me to.”
Something about his eagerness irritated me. I chalked it up to being on edge already. “Thanks. I’m going to need everybody’s help.”
“Yeah, I figured as much, but I’m ready to do whatever you need. Just point me in the direction you need me to go and give me marching orders.”
When I didn’t reply, he stared up at the sky. “No clouds today.”
“Given we seem to be in the middle of a heat wave, that doesn’t surprise me.”
I wasn’t in the mood to chat about the weather. My mind was racing over the steps we needed to take. And I was also deep in thought about the streets beyond the Sandspit. Once we were finished, at some point I needed to return to Seattle and walk through the streets to face what had happened to my beloved city. I needed to say good-bye and put the past to rest.
The blip signaling the Abom began to move and I watched it closely, but it remained heading in the opposite direction, into what was left of the city itself. After a moment, it vanished off the Trace, which meant that it had moved out of range. I let it go.
As we moved further into the Sandspit, our pace picked up. The debris from the tsunami reminded me of when we had gone out on the Tremble, without the weird warping of reality. That brought to mind the question of our friends, the Mudarani. Had they survived? Was the Tremble even worse?
Up ahead, a swirl of mist flared up, bringing me out of my thoughts. I motioned to circle around the patch of rogue magic. The wind had died down and it was stationary for the moment, and we managed to pass by it without incident. I let out a breath of relief. When rogue magic hit, you never knew what was going to happen. I brought up my Trace again. Still no Aboms near. I waved my hand and we continued on in silence.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, at around 3 p.m., we were standing on the edge of the crater in which the World Tree had grown. A hundred feet deep and just about as wide, the pit had dug deep into the earth. The massive oak had been born at the bottom. Its upper limbs stretched above the top of the pit, a lacework of boughs and branches. The Tree exuded a pale green glow.
As I peeked over the edge, I expected to see Lyon’s guards, or the Devani, but I saw neither. But we were facing a definite problem.
The pit was filled with debris. When the tsunami had swept through, it must have filled the pit. When the waters receded, they had left a massive tangle of remains. Cars, chunks of stone, all manner of debris cluttered the base of the World Tree.
My heart sank. The tree was beautiful and the debris surrounding it felt sacrilegious. But an even more dangerous situation waited at the bottom, and that had to be why there weren’t any Devani or other guards watching the pit.
“Zombies.” Hans leaned on the handle of his ax. “How many do you think there are?”
The pit was swarming with zombies. There had to be at least seventy to a hundred down there. Some had been cut in half and were dragging their torsos around with their arms. The lower halves were twitching, a few walking around, lurching into things because they had no eyes with which to see—or heads or anything else. Others were intact, though looking more like walking skeletons.
“They probably got trapped in there when the tsunami hit and haven’t been able to get out,” Jason said. “So how do we work this? If we go anywhere near the bottom of the crater, we’ll be targeted by the entire group. I don’t think we can withstand that many coming at us at once. I can fly over to the tree, but Fury’s the one who needs to be there.”
I eyed the tree. There were a few zombies in it, though most seemed to be on the ground around the base. I searched for the staircase leading down into the crater, wondering why they hadn’t made use of it to get out of the pit, but the steps that had once led to the base of the trunk—and to UnderBarrow—were gone.
“I’m not sure what’s going on,” I said. “The steps are gone. I don’t know if that happened when UnderBarrow moved or if it was the result of the tsunami. Probably the wave, or Tam would have warned us. I’ll have to find another way over into the tree.”
“Jason can fly over with a rope and tie it off to a branch. You can zip line into the tree,” Hans said.
I nodded. “It would seem that’s about the only way I’m going to manage it. I sure as hell don’t want to end up at the bottom. Even with as much fire as I can control, I wouldn’t be able to get out of there.”
Nobody else had a better idea, so Jason agreed to carry the rope over. He slid off his pack and shifted into hawk form. As he took the rope in his beak, Hans held onto the rest of it, doling it out as Jason flew into the upper branches of the oak, away from any zombies that were climbing up the tree from below. He found a sturdy limb, and then—after transforming back—tied the rope to a thick branch that looked like it could bear a lot of weight.
I wasn’t relishing the trip over, but there was nothing else to do. Hans found a nearby boulder that wasn’t going anywhere—it actually looked like part of a pillar from some building—and he looped the rope around the girth a couple times, then tied a knot that any sailor would be proud of. As he fashioned a harness, I tried to calm my nerves.
Vis barked out orders. “Shend, you and Mara stay here. You’re both injured. Rally, stay with them. Ki and I will zip over first, before her ladyship goes. We’ll stay with her at all times. Lord Tam expects us to bring her home alive and uninjured.”
I turned to the others. “Greta, you and Kendall stay with the guards. We’ll need everybody else.”
Greta nodded. “We’ll come over if you need us. Just call.”
I slipped into the harness, making sure my pack was firmly on my back. The rope angled down, so I had some momentum, but I still had to pull myself along hand-over-hand on my way across the chasm. The zombies were watching, I could see that at a glance below. They were milling around the base of the tree, no doubt hoping that I would fall off the rope and land in their midst. I tried not to think about what would happen if they started up the tree after us. Some of them could, theoretically. After all, Lyon had first brought them in through one of the portals.
He had opened a vortex and they had streamed out. I had managed to close the gate, albeit too late. But looking at these zombies and the way the remnants of their clothes hung on them, I thought they were most likely former city folk, turned by the hordes that had crowded through the streets, attacking anybody they could get their hands on.
Pacing myself, I inched across the rope to land on the branch next to Jason. He helped me get out of the harness and then, as I waited, he detached the rope harness from the zip line and flew it back to the edge of the pit, then returned to me. One by one, Vis, Hans, Tyrell, and Ki made their way over, and each time Jason returned the harness to be used again. He took it back one last time, handing it to Greta, should we need help from those staying on the other side.
We had waited a month for this, and now the time was finally here.
I searched my memory, focusing on the vision that Gaia had given me. Then I began scanning the tree, looking for the gate. It took a while, but finally, I saw it.
Fainter than the others, the gate shimmered in a pale light, but I could see its outline.
Even though Lyon had been searching for it, I realized that, with the dozens of other portals on the World Tree, the gate to Chaos could easily b
e overlooked. The oak was so massive that it glowed with the energy from all of the portals. Not all were easily accessible, and sometimes, one would form, then vanish, and then reform elsewhere. For whatever reason, Lyon had managed to miss this one.
“I see it,” I said, pointing in the direction of the gate. “That one. That leads to the realm of Chaos. Come on, let’s get this over with.”
As I set off, cautiously climbing up the branch toward the inner well of stairs that encircled the tree, Tyrell followed me. Jason, Hans, and the guards fell in behind him. We were about fifty feet off the ground, and below us, some of the more intact zombies were attempting to climb the steps from the base of the trunk. If they had been held captive since the tsunami, chances were they were ravenous. My stomach lurched when I looked down at the wave of walking carnage.
Vampires were bad enough, but zombies? So not my choice of enemy. For one thing, most of them were probably pretty decent people when they were alive. They hadn’t chosen the change, and chances were, if their spirits knew what had happened, they would probably be horrified. I hoped they had moved on and couldn’t see what their bodies were doing.
The bough we were on was slippery with moss, and while it was wide, with a number of handholds, it was still a dangerous climb. I rested my foot on a burl the size of my head, reaching for the next limb that looked sturdy enough to hold me steady. I was about ten feet away from the inner stairwell, which was dangerous enough on its own, but at least the steps would be less problematic than trying to cross moss-covered bark.
Finally, I reached a point where there was only a five-foot distance to cross in order to stand on the steps. I considered my options. I could swing over by tossing a rope over a bough that I gauged capable of holding my weight, or I could jump. Either way had its downside, and either way would expose me to the chance of falling.
I scanned the trunk and saw a fairly thick branch jutting out from above the stairs, right above where I wanted to land.
Turning, I said, “Jason, can you take a rope up to that branch and tie it off, then fly it back to me? That way we can wrap it around our waists, swing over, and lessen the chance of falling.”
“Sure thing. I have a spare rope in my pack.”
Jason squatted on the branch, holding on precariously as he transformed into his hawk shape. He flew to the branch I had indicated and, shifting back, straddled it as he tied the rope off. He tossed the end my way and I managed to catch hold of it.
I wrapped it around my waist and then, taking a deep breath, swung across the distance. Five feet sounded like an easy hop, but when you were fifty feet up with a horde of starving zombies below, it became a gaping chasm. I landed on the step, teetered and almost swung back again, but Jason grabbed the rope and held it taut, steadying me.
Panting, more from anxiety than exertion, I leaned against the main trunk before climbing a couple of stairs. Untying the rope, I let Jason swing it back to Tyrell. The gate to the realm of Chaos was about twenty more feet away from me. There, I would need to step about two feet over onto another bough, then scoot toward the trunk where the portal glimmered against the bark.
When everybody was safely on the staircase, I began the trek. Twenty feet wasn’t far, but given the slick stairs I was cautious. There was no sense in rushing when we were so close. Finally, I was staring at the gate. One more step, then ten feet in, and I’d be there. I turned back to the others as they joined me.
“Who wants to go with me? I don’t think that bough will hold more than two or three.”
Jason almost cut off my words. “Me. I’m going with you.”
Tyrell was quick on his heels. “Me too.”
“All right, if you’re both sure. Come on.” I began to edge out on the bough, with Tyrell close behind me. I had made it about halfway across when he was suddenly pushing against my back. “Slow down, Tyrell. You’re crowding me. Give me a little space.”
“Sorry, Fury,” he said. “I’m really sorry.”
But instead of pulling back, he lunged forward, shoving me.
“What the—” I wasn’t prepared to deflect a body slam, and found myself flailing as I listed to the right. I tried to squeeze my knees around the bough, but the moss was so slick that I was having a hard time keeping my hold.
“Back off!”
He laughed, then. “Sorry, again, Fury.” But there was no apology in his voice. Instead, he gave me a brutal shove.
“What the hell are you doing?” Jason shouted as I fumbled to keep my grip.
“What I need to.” Tyrell elbowed me sharply in the left hip.
As the jab ground into my flesh, I lost my balance and found myself dangling from the bough, holding on with fingers that were rapidly losing traction on the moss. I tried to swing my legs up to catch hold of the bough and would have been successful, except that Tyrell brought his fist down on the fingers of my left hand.
I screamed, not expecting the blow as the bones of my pinky and ring finger cracked. Adjusting more of my weight to the right hand, I tried to move my left hand out of his way, but before I could, he brought his fist down again. This time, I lost hold as the pain laced through my hand.
Jason was yelling and there was the noise of a scuffle overhead, but my focus was entirely on trying to keep hold of the bough as I dangled from one hand.
A glance below told me there were several branches I might be able to land on if I fell, but there was also a good chance I could slip through them and land in the waiting crowd of zombies below. They would break my fall, but that didn’t say much for my chance of survival, given they were growling and moaning as they scrabbled around the trunk of the World Tree.
Before I could make up my mind what to do, a blow hit my right hand. Tyrell had managed another hit, even though it sounded like he and Jason were fighting.
I tried to keep hold, tried to reach up with my injured hand, but the moss was too slick and the blow had managed to dislodge my grip. I dug in, but as I began to fall, the nail to my right index finger got caught and ripped off as I plummeted.
Ignoring the pain, I looked down to see that I had one chance. I was going to be falling right past another big branch. I bent forward, extending my arms just in time to clip the bough. I had managed to land on my stomach, which brought another world of pain into my life, but at least I wasn’t in freefall. I was about fifteen feet below the branch I had been on. I swung my left leg up, groaning as I managed to catch hold of the limb with my foot. I shifted, struggling up to straddle the branch.
My left hand was swollen and bruised, while the index finger to my right was bleeding heavily from where I had ripped off the nail. But my pack was still on my back, and I wasn’t zombie fodder. Yet. I looked up, trying to see what was going on above me.
Jason was grappling with Tyrell, as was Hans. The next moment, Tyrell shrieked and went hurtling past me as Hans decked him, knocking him off the branch. Unfortunately—at least for Tyrell—he wasn’t able to catch himself on the way down. He landed square in the middle of the zombies. They swarmed him, and his screams echoed through the pit as they began to feast.
I grimaced. What the hell had happened? But I had no time to spare. We’d sort out why Tyrell had tried to kill me later on. I needed to get back up to the portal.
“Stay put,” Jason called. “I’m coming down.”
Sure enough, as soon as he had spoken, he shifted into hawk form and flew down to land on the branch next to me. He shifted back as Hans dropped a rope down to us.
“Let me see your hands,” Jason said. He stared at them, shaking his head. “Oh, Fury. Let me bind them up and I can give you a minor healing spell that will at least take away some of the pain.”
“We don’t have time to bind them. Just cast the spell and then get me up to the gate. If Tyrell was in cahoots with Lyon, then Lyon has to know we’re here.”
I held out my hands and, without protesting, Jason took them, whispering softly. The pain
died down to a dull ache, but my left hand was too badly hurt for me to use it at all. The blood seeping from the right index finger slowed, though, and Jason tied the rope around my waist. As Hans and Vis pulled me back up, Jason shifted back into hawk form.
WE STARED AT the gap between us and the next branch. It was only two feet, but with an injured hand, I didn’t trust myself. Jason flew over, shifted back, and then between him and Hans, they eased me across and back onto the stairs. Vis and Ki joined us. We were mere feet away from the gate. It was time to end this now.
I asked them to take the charges out of my backpack and loop the handles of the bag they were in over my right arm, along with the sack containing the triggers. Ready, I advanced on the portal.
“I have to go through, set the charges, and then jump back before they go off.” I paused, realizing that I needed help. “I need two hands.” I wasn’t ready to order anybody to join me, but Jason gave me a smile.
“You know I’m with you, Kae.” He stared at me, a soft glow in his eyes. “I’ll help you.”
I held my breath. “Are you sure? This might be—”
“Don’t even say it. I’m sure.” He stared up at the gate. “So what do we have to do first?”
“We go through the gate, then set the charges and get our asses back over here.” I inhaled slowly, then exhaled in a slow stream. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”
Jason gave me room as I headed toward the gate. I was about to enter it when there was a shout from above. I glanced up to see one of the sky-eyes, a policing drone modified to be a hover platform, spiraling down. As it headed directly for us, I realized there was someone riding on top of it. And that someone was Lyon.
“Jason, hurry!” I dove for the portal, not wanting Lyon to get there first. Jason followed, pushing me through the gate. As we tumbled through the vortex, all I could think of was if I allowed Lyon to summon the Elder Gods of Chaos, the world would be lost.