The Indigo King - James A. Owen [69]
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Stripling Warrior
Uncas, Fred, and Reynard clustered around John, Jack, and Chaz as they stepped back through the projection.
“Is everything all right, Scowler John?” Uncas asked worriedly. “You’ve only been gone about ten hours.”
“Fine, Uncas,” John reassured him. “Reynard? Shut down the projection, quickly!”
The fox swiftly moved over to the Lanterna Magica and flipped the switch. Immediately the lamp went dark and the slide vanished from the wall, and with it the conflagration in the library.
“Thanks,” said Jack, sitting in a chair and slumping over the back. “I don’t think I could bear to watch.”
“I was more worried about Sanctuary,” John said, taking one of the other chairs. “If we could pass through, other things might be able to also. And it won’t be too long before the wall we came through is on fire itself.”
Only Chaz was still standing at the wall. He was touching his chest and arms, as if confirming his own solidity.
“Mister Chaz?” said Fred. “Are you all right?”
“Did we do it?” Chaz asked hesitantly. “Did we change the world?”
Fred looked at Uncas, who looked at Reynard, who shook his head. “There is no difference outside, if that’s what you’re asking,” the fox said. “The king, Mordred, still rules over Albion, and the giants still come by every hour or so to throw stones in the harbor.”
“I really hate those creatures,” muttered Jack.
“I think the feeling is reciprocated,” said Reynard. “At one point they were offering to tell the king the rest of your companions were dead if they’d just give you up.”
Jack swallowed hard and managed a weak smile.
“Don’t worry, Scowler Jack,” Uncas said, patting him on the knee. “We told ’em we’d just as soon do you in ourselves.”
“Thanks, Uncas.”
Chaz exploded. “So what good did we do?” he exclaimed, waving his arms in frustration. “We found his true name! And we convinced the other one t’ Bind him! And it didn’t change anything at all!”
“We’ve only done half the task,” John reminded him. “Our friend Hugo is still trapped somewhere in the sixth century, and that’s what caused England to become Albion. When we confronted Madoc, and Meridian Bound him, it was only the second century. So obviously something still happens four hundred years later that we have to prevent.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” asked Jack.
“There are three more slides,” Reynard reminded them. “I do not think the Prime Caretaker would have left them as mere redundancies. I think each one may have a purpose in and of itself.”
Fred nodded enthusiastically. “I agree. Each time you’ve gone through a portal, you’ve come back with something you needed to know.”
“That’s true,” Jack agreed. “The trip to Miletus revealed that Mordred and the Cartographer were brothers, and the second, to Alexandria, allowed us to tell Meridian how to Bind his brother.”
“Curious, though,” John pondered. “He already knew the words to do it. I think he just never would have done it if we hadn’t provided the motivation.”
“He needed t’ know,” said Chaz. “He needed t’ know what his brother would one day become. And there was no one else t’ tell him but us.”
“So what now, John?” asked Jack. “I don’t think we can handle another jaunt right away. I’m exhausted.”
Chaz, already dozing, snored in agreement.
John looked to Reynard. “If we take a short nap and regain a bit of vigor, do you think the giants will cause trouble?”
The fox shook his head. “They can disturb and harass, and they may be able to damage your ship in the harbor by throwing stones. But I think it will be safe enough for you to remain, for a short while.”
“Good,” John replied, already stretching out on the floor. “I feel like I haven’t slept in centuries.”
After a few hours, Uncas and Fred regretfully roused the companions. “Sorry t’ wake you, Scowlers,” said Uncas, “but the giants have rallied.”
John groaned and stretched, and Jack rose, looking around the room. His face fell when he saw the burlap bag in the corner, untouched as they had left it.
“Damn and double-damn,” he breathed. “I’d really hoped that I