The Shadow Dragons - James A. Owen [90]
Suddenly a wild idea crossed John’s mind. “Hallward!” he exclaimed excitedly. “If the journey takes longer than seven days, can’t he just paint another portrait of the professor?”
Bert and Stellan looked at each other, then at their protégé. “No,” Bert said after a long pause. “He can’t. Didn’t you notice, among the Elder Caretakers, that one significant member was missing?”
John chewed on his knuckle and thought, and suddenly realized that there had been one more canvas in the gallery—but one that was only a pastoral background, with no portrait.
“Dante,” he said at length. “It can only be Dante Alighieri. His is the missing portrait, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Bert.
“I just assumed he’d been liberated earlier for some reason. What are you telling me, Bert?”
“He was one of the earliest portraits Jules arranged for Basil to paint,” Bert explained, “mostly so that we could glean from him more details regarding the Underneath at Chamenos Liber. Dante decided he wanted to actually go there, and he was with the Lost Boys when the time limitation had passed. They reported back to us that he simply faded away into bits of light and dust.
“The others who were here promptly reentered their paintings and only ventured out again after much cajoling. But when they remained as they were, we realized the confines of Tamerlane House were the only limitation to their existing in perpetuity.”
“Hang on a minute,” said Charles. “If the Caretakers Emeritis can’t leave without risking disintegration, then hasn’t Kipling just cut his own throat? He certainly won’t come back, but if he doesn’t, he’s doomed.”
Bert screwed up his face a moment, considering. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “We’ve never tried sending any deceased Caretakers through a Trump. Not because it hadn’t occurred to us, but because to have persons who should be dead running around in the open could change too many things. Plus, it scares the horses.”
“Can’t you go, Bert?” said John. “You wouldn’t be at risk the way the professor would be, and you said yourself that you were the only other one who’d ventured that far.”
“He might,” said the professor, “but he’s needed here, more so than I. And I cannot captain the White Dragon.”
“But—but there has to be some way,” John began.
The professor shushed him with a gesture. “Our forces are few, and those of our enemy are many,” he said, smiling. “We must use the resources we have to the fullest capacity—and when it comes down to it, I can be the most helpful by doing this.”
“But you’d be risking your life!” said John.
“We’re all risking our lives, John,” the professor reminded him. “And anyway, all I’m risking is my second go-round. I’m willing.”
The rest of the Caretakers murmured their agreement and thumped the table for emphasis, and John resigned himself to the fact that this course was indeed the most practical. “All right,” he said. “That sounds like a plan.”
PART FIVE
Beyond the Edge of the
World
The old knight . . . moved the Scarlet Dragon . . . over the edge . . .
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Strategies of War
“We have to destroy it,” said Artus. “We have to destroy it now.”
The rest of the collective at Tamerlane House were in agreement. The new Tower of Time in Abaton needed to be destroyed.
“He can’t reach the dragons without the tower,” said Bert, “and until we have the means to fight the spear, this is our best means of attacking him.”
“I agree,” said John. “There’s no way of knowing how many Dragons he’s gotten to already—so we should be prepared for anything.”
A stealth team was assembled to go back through the Trump into Abaton. No Caretakers were included other than Jack and Charles—it was too great a risk to send them through to an unknown region. If a mishap occurred, it was possible for the still living to find a way to return. The lives of any Caretakers who