The Shadow Dragons - James A. Owen [91]
Charles and Fred were the guides, and Jack was the commander of the small group, which included Stephen, Nemo, three of the Elves, and Laura Glue, along with five of her Valkyries. The latter six were included in the event the witches were still hovering near the entrance to Abaton.
The Elves were coming along specifically to guard Magwich. Charles suspected that his involvement might be necessary at some point, and as reluctant as he was to include the traitorous Green Knight, he couldn’t discount the possibility that he’d be needed.
At first John objected to Laura Glue’s inclusion—until Aven diplomatically reminded him that she was a veteran warrior and was already older than he had been the first time he went to war.
Artus, Aven, Charys, and the other ship captains set about deploying their small armada along the inner borders of the ring of islands in preparation for the pending attack. There was no way to know how large an army to expect, nor did anyone know what they might do if the Dragon shadows arrived. There was no way to defeat the Dragons themselves—and to combat the shadows was unthinkably terrible.
“That’s why we have to repair Caliburn,” reiterated Professor Sigurdsson. “It’s the only possible way.”
“Do you think it will restore the Dragons?” asked John. “Basically reverse the effects of the spear?”
The professor shrugged. “I’ve no clue. We simply have to trust in the Prophecy and do the best that we can.”
“I’ll take Rose, the professor, and Quixote to Terminus in the White Dragon” said Bert, “where they will be able to continue on using the Scarlet Dragon. I’ll return as quickly as I can.”
John didn’t say it, but he knew what they were all thinking: In the coming conflict, one more Dragonship might make little difference, if any.
“Let’s go to it, then,” said John. “There’s no time to waste.”
“How many poets does it take to change a lightbulb?” asked Twain.
“I give up,” said Swift. “How many?”
“Three,” Twain replied, cackling. “One to curse the darkness, one to light a candle, and one to change the bulb.”
“What’s a lightbulb?” asked Shakespeare, scratching his head.
“Samuel, Jonny, leave William be,” said Bert. “We’re trying to save the world here, remember?”
“Sorry,” said Twain. “I’m just trying to keep ourselves distracted while everyone else is being productive.”
“Pardon,” said Hawthorne, “but has anyone seen Jakob? I can’t find him anywhere.”
“That’s not a good sign,” said Defoe. “I’m starting to wonder if we haven’t discovered who the traitor is who stole the Last Book.”
“Jakob is a good man,” said Bert, “and I trust him.”
“Well enough and fine,” Defoe said, rising. “I’m going to go look for him just the same.”
The passage into Abaton went as easily as before.
The skies were clear—wherever the witches had gone, they weren’t waiting about for a scholar and his dog.
They passed through the gatekeeper by signing with the names of members of the Imperial Cartological Society.
“As a precaution,” Charles had advised them, “just in case anyone’s checking.”
In short order they reached the vantage point where they could observe the tower without being seen—but unlike before, there were no workers milling about.
“This doesn’t bode well,” said Charles.
There were several dozen Yoricks congregating at points all along the base of the tower, and among them, dressed as he had been at Tamerlane House, was Kipling.
“So he really is a traitor,” Jack said, his temper rising. “He’s mine.”
“Agreed,” said Stephen, “if we can get there at all. We don’t have enough warriors with us to take on all of those Un-Men.”
“I wonder,” said Fred. “Would you call them a flock of Yoricks, like birds? Or something else?”
“They knew,” Stephen whispered. “They knew we were coming. It’s a trap.”
“How could they know?” said Charles. “No one saw us! And Kipling didn’t know we’d been here!”
“Maybe they realized I went missing,” Magwich sniffed. “I’m very vital to their plans, you know.”
“There’s how they knew,” Laura