‘Where are you?’ he said.
‘All around you, Brother of Dragons. I am Apoyan-Tachi, Sky Father God, and this is my home.’
From the corner of his eye, Church saw Veitch’s hand moving towards his sword. Church signalled for him to stop and Veitch paused, but remained wary.
‘I’ve come for these three Fragile Creatures, Sky Father God,’ Church said.
‘One is too dangerous to remain in this Great Dominion. He will only draw unwanted attention.’
‘I won’t let him stay here. We’re going to the Far Lands. He will help us defeat the Devourer of All Things.’
‘Too late.’ There was a sound like the sighing of the wind through branches. ‘The Devourer of All Things has closed all the doorways to the Far Lands. It knows your plans, and it wishes to keep you trapped here in the Fixed Lands where you are forever limited.’
‘That’s it, then?’ Veitch said. ‘It’s all been for nothing?’
‘No, it’s not been for nothing,’ Church said firmly.
‘I’ve always admired your optimism.’ For the first time there was no sarcasm in Veitch’s voice.
‘Sky Father God, let me take these three and I promise they will be removed from this Great Dominion.’
Another moment of whispering wind. ‘You have made your way across my ritual path, and so you are worthy, Brother of Dragons. But know this: the moment the One is in your hands, the Devourer of All Things will rise up. Your End-Time will be close.’
‘I’ll take that risk. And thank you.’
‘Hurry, Brother of Dragons. The path back will not remain in place long. Hurry!’
Veitch muttered under his breath, ‘I don’t bleedin’ like the sound of that.’
When Church opened the door, the invisible path now sparkled as if it was sprinkled with gold dust. Veitch led the way, followed by Jack, Mahalia and Crowther tramping like sleepwalkers. Church brought up the rear and kept a close eye on them in case they woke suddenly and fell.
Halfway along the return journey, Church glanced behind him and saw the sparkling dust drifting down towards the grimy streets. The path was falling away.
‘Ryan, you have to move faster!’ he called out.
Veitch saw the reason for Church’s anxiety and increased his pace, though the danger of slipping increased with it. Church herded the other three along as fast as he dared, but the disappearing edge of the path was racing towards his heels.
A loud noise, like a heavy, metal object being dragged, echoed all around.
‘What the bleedin’ hell is that?’ Veitch called out.
‘Don’t think about it now,’ Church said. ‘Just get a move on!’
The edge of the path was only a few feet behind him, and he was jostling against Crowther’s back. The wind gusted stronger, and on the horizon storm-clouds gathered rapidly; there was something unnatural about the speed with which they were rolling together.
The Empire State Building appeared in the gathering gloom ahead. Church could see Ruth still gripping the mooring mast, the wind whipping her hair. At the window, just below, the others watched anxiously.
‘Ryan, you’re going to have to run or I’m dead!’ Church shouted.
Veitch held Church’s gaze for a moment, thoughts racing across his face, and then he ran, only his innate balance keeping him from falling. The others followed somnolently.
Thin air sucked voraciously only inches from Church’s heels.
The metallic grinding echoed again, even louder, setting Church’s teeth on edge.
Veitch leaped for the platform and dragged Jack, Mahalia and Crowther onto it behind him. Church was a second too late. The path disappeared beneath his feet, but then four arms pulled him to safety. He fell in a heap with Veitch and Ruth. Her hand gripped his back and gave it a squeeze that told him all he needed to know, for now.
‘That was mental!’ Laura said when they were back inside. ‘Church-dude, you are a mad bastard and no mistake.’
Shavi hugged him tightly.
‘Enough of all that homoerotic stuff,’ Laura continued. ‘Can we toss the traitor off the top of the building now?’ She fixed a cold eye on Veitch. ‘I haven’t forgotten that knife you stuck in my chest in London.’
‘I knew you wouldn’t die.’
‘Yeah, but what about the agony, you tosser?’
Church searched Veitch’s face as his own doubts twisted inside him. ‘Are we going to fight?’
‘Up to you.’
‘I need both Keys, Ryan. I’m going to destroy the Void. Nothing else matters.’
Incomprehension flooded Veitch’s face. As it gradually cleared, it was replaced by an instant of revelation. ‘All right. I’m coming with you.’
‘You have got to be kidding!’ Laura exclaimed. ‘He’s murdered God knows how many of us, and now he wants to be friends!’
‘I didn’t say anything about that!’ A crack of emotion broke in Veitch’s voice.
‘Ryan’s done some awful things,’ Ruth began hesitantly. ‘He’s made a lot of mistakes, and we’re not going to forget that.’
‘Damn straight,’ Laura interjected.
‘But he can help us. We need to be Five again — we need to have all our strength if we’re going to face what lies ahead.’
‘You’re vouching for him?’ Church asked.
Ruth bit her lip, nodded.
Laura cursed loudly, but Shavi interrupted, indicating outside where the storm-clouds had made the city as dark as night.
Mahalia emerged from her daze. ‘What the hell’s going on? Who are you losers?’
‘Oh, look — a little Laura,’ Ruth said.
Mahalia slapped off Miller who was trying to comfort her, and he turned his attention to the awakening Jack and Crowther.
The metallic noise began to boom with a regular beat, and beneath it was a rustling whisper, growing louder.
‘What the hell is that?’ Laura asked quietly.
‘The people,’ Shavi replied, ‘speaking with one voice.’
As the sound grew, they could make out the words: Croatoan, Croatoan, repeated constantly.
Shavi drew their attention to the outline of buildings against the storm-clouds, now blurred with movement. ‘The spiders are coming,’ he said in awe.
Amidst a mounting sense of doom, they made their way to the sidewalk where Nelson and Tombstone waited in disbelief. The spiders swarmed across the sides of skyscrapers and surged up from the sewers.
‘Ten Billion, huh?’ Laura said.
‘I am starting to think that was a slight underestimation,’ Shavi replied.
Church grabbed Nelson. ‘We need to get back to Grand Central Terminal.’ Nelson nodded, dazed, and ordered Tombstone to commandeer a taxi.
Veitch pulled Church to one side. ‘What’s the point?’ he said quietly. ‘You heard that Sky God say all the gates to the Otherworld are closed. We’re stuck here.’
‘I’m not giving up, Ryan.’
Veitch shook his head, but as they raced as fast as they could through now-seething streets in two packed cars, he kept glancing at Church, his confused emotions playing out on his face.
All around people stood in a trance, faces turned to the boiling storm clouds, each of them quietly chanting, ‘Croatoan, Croatoan,’ in a preprogrammed ritual of release. Over it all, the flaming outline of the Burning Man was now clearly visible in the sky.
A small number of people who had seen through the Void’s spell and had spent their days living outsider lives now ran in horror, searching for some escape that they would never find.
‘This world is coming to an end,’ Tom said. ‘The Mundane Spell has been shattered once and for all, and you have become a threat to the Void’s rule. It’s shutting the planet down and starting again.’
‘All those people,’ Ruth said desperately.
‘There’s still hope for them. Nothing dies,’ Church replied. ‘It’s up to us now.’
At the entrance to Grand Central Terminal, Church asked the detectives to come with them. Nelson shook his head. ‘Somebody I’ve got to see.’ He looked out across the blackened, churning city. ‘She shouldn’t have to face this on her own.’