Solara had changed.
Dramatically. At first I thought we were in the wrong place. Had we somehow taken a wrong turn through time and space?
Kasha was just as confused.
“Pendragon?” was all she said, but I knew what she meant. Where the heck were we?
I looked at Gunny.
My tall friend gave me a warm smile. “Amazing, isn’t it?”
It’s hard to explain this, since Solara wasn’t like any other place I’d ever been. There weren’t buildings or roads or much else that you’d think of to define a location. Solara was the beginning of Halla. It was the crossroads for the spirit of man, and the spirit of man didn’t exactly need a normal house to live in. When we were all there before, right after the destruction of the flumes, Solara was a vast wasteland of dark matter. Though I sensed the spirits around me, it felt dead. Or dying. What we learned was that the last of the positive spirit in Halla was being kept alive by the exiles. When the Travelers had gathered there earlier, it wasn’t looking so hot for the good guys.
Now I saw life. Actual life. Kasha, Gunny, and I stepped into a pretty meadow covered with green grass. We were surrounded by rolling hills. I wondered if the grass had grown out of the gray rock that we had all seen before, or if the rock had actually transformed. The meadow was dotted with flowers. Solara had become a bright, beautiful place.
The only thing I recognized from our previous visit was overhead. The sky was still dark and filled with stars. Bright, colorful clouds continued to roll by. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but it seemed like there were more brilliant clouds than we had seen before. Since there was no sun, it felt as though light from these brilliant clouds was what made Solara so bright.
As positive as this all seemed, there was also something odd about it. Looking off in the distance, the meadow seemed to go out of focus. The view wasn’t infinite. It ended. We could only see so far, and then the view became blurred. It was as if we were surrounded by a wall of water. There was no way to judge how large this green meadow was, but it didn’t go on forever.
I looked to Gunny and asked the obvious question: “What happened?”
“Not sure” was his answer. “Looks pretty good though, doesn’t it?”
A fourth person joined the party. Uncle Press walked up from the edges of reality. “What happened on Eelong?” he asked with excitement in his voice.
I was used to Uncle Press having all the answers. It was strange to be the one getting him up to speed. As we spoke, one by one the other Travelers appeared and joined us. First Elli, then Siry, Spader, Patrick, Aja, Alder, and finally Loor.
“An army of klee attacked Black Water,” I explained. “Most of them were dados, which meant that Saint Dane had a hand in it. Bottom line? The gars kicked butt.”
“And the exiles?” he asked cautiously.
“Safe,” Kasha answered. “If not for their help, the gars would have been wiped out.”
Siry asked, “So it’s true? The exiles are on Eelong?”
“Every one of ’em” was my answer. I walked to Elli and held her hands. “Because of Nevva. She sent them there. She wanted Eelong to survive and sent those people there to help keep it alive. She saved their lives, Elli. As much as she agreed with Saint Dane, she didn’t buy into his vision entirely.”
I looked back to the group and added, “Saint Dane made a mistake, but it wasn’t that he chose to exile the people from Second Earth. He wanted them killed from the beginning.”
Siry asked, “So what did he do wrong?”
“He believed that Nevva was as evil as he was.”
I saw tears well up in Elli’s eyes. “You didn’t lose your daughter,” I said softly. “She just took a bad detour.”
Elli gave me a rare smile. It was a beautiful thing.
Uncle Press looked around, still trying to piece together what it all meant.
“This is a rejuvenation,” he said, thinking out loud. “No question. There was an infusion of positive spirit into Solara like I haven’t seen in a long while.”
Loor asked, “Is this what Solara normally looks like?”
“Yes and no,” he answered. “Solara is seen differently through the eyes of every spirit. I think this meadow is an appealing place for all of us, so that’s what we’re seeing.”
I took a closer look at our surroundings. The feeling of life and spirit was almost electric. I sensed more images on the corners of my vision. Lights moved about. Other images seemed to be actual people. Did I see my parents? I thought so, but it was fleeting. The sky crackled with light and energy and color. Where before Solara felt as if it were out of gas, it now looked alive. I can only speak for myself, but looking around at the other Travelers, I thought they all felt the same as I did. We had new life. And with it, maybe some hope.
“So is that it?” Aja asked. “Was that Saint Dane’s last attack?”
“It might be,” Patrick offered somewhat sheepishly. “The tide may have turned.”
“Is that possible?” Alder said hopefully. “Has Solara been reborn?”
“No,” Uncle Press said flatly. That single, definitive word echoed across the strange meadow. It was like the air had come out of a very big balloon.
Aja countered, “But you said that—”
“I said that Solara was rejuvenated, I didn’t say it was complete. Look around. How far can you see?”
“Not very,” Spader admitted.
“This is one tiny speck of Solara,” Uncle Press continued. “Beyond this, nothing has changed. Think of it this way—the gas tank was almost empty and a few ounces were pumped in. It won’t be long before that gas is burned, and we’re back where we started.”
“What’s a gas tank?” Siry asked.
I stepped away from the group to gaze out at what Solara had become. Or at least, what this tiny section of Solara had become. I tried to focus on the blurred edges of this small oasis, imagining what was beyond the veil. What had happened to Solara was positive. No doubt. It was due to the victory on Eelong. I didn’t doubt that, either. An idea had been tickling the edges of my brain for a while. At first it seemed like fantasy, but as each new event unfolded, the possibility of it becoming a reality grew stronger. I had been afraid to share it with the others, because the time never seemed right. As we stood together in that rejuvenated spot of Solara, after all I had seen, I realized that my fantasy idea might just be the only chance we had at making this small victory permanent.
“We’ve taken a huge step forward,” Uncle Press declared. “We may not have reclaimed Solara, but we have slowed the slide, thanks to the exiles. They experienced an incredible victory. You see the result. This is what Solara can be. Positive energy is flowing once again. Not just from the exiles, but from the gars as well. This is the triumph of positive spirit.”
“Sounds good,” Gunny said cautiously. “How can we build on that?”
“We focus all our energy on protecting the exiles” was Uncle Press’s answer. “They are the seeds of a new Halla. If they flourish, Solara will once again grow the way it was meant to.” He gestured around him and added, “This is the proof. Nevva Winter gave us a gift. We have to nurture it.”
“No,” I called out.
Everyone snapped a look to me. The surprise was obvious on all their faces, most of all Uncle Press’s.
“What’s the problem, Bobby?” Uncle Press asked.
“It won’t add up,” I answered.
“What won’t?” Aja asked, always skeptical of anything I had to offer.
“We had a victory. The gars and the exiles had a victory. Great. But it’s not over. Did Elli tell you about the army of dados on Third Earth?”
“She did,” Uncle Press replied. He was totally focused on me. He wasn’t skeptical. He didn’t argue. He wanted to hear what I was thinking.
“This isn’t done yet,” I declared. “Third Earth is still in play, and Saint Dane has an army that’s ready and waiting to finish off the exiles on Eelong.”
Aja jumped in again. “Is he really capable of creating a flume to send that army to Black Water?”
All eyes went right to Uncle Press. He didn’t look happy.
“He could” was his simple, direct answer.
“He may not even need to!” I added.
It was my turn to get everybody’s attention.
“The gars sent the klees off with their tails between their legs. Yay, big victory. But I guarantee you, the klees aren’t done. Not as long as Ravinia controls them. They’ll regroup and try again. And again. Protecting Black Water and the exiles will get more difficult, even if Saint Dane doesn’t unleash his army of dados. If we think all we have to do to save Halla is circle the wagons around Black Water and hope that the exiles grow into a new civilization, we’re kidding ourselves. Even if we’re able to protect Black Water, that’s only one territory. What about all the others that are controlled by Ravinia? Maybe keeping the exiles alive will help Solara sputter along for a while, but the numbers aren’t on our side. How long can we hold out? Years? Decades? A century? We’re talking about the future of all civilization. All mankind. Forever. A century is a blip of time when we’re talking about eternity. If we’re going to stop Saint Dane for good, we’re going to have to do more than pat ourselves on the back over a single victory.”
I looked around to see that everyone’s expression of hope and optimism was long gone. I hated being the buzz killer, but I was speaking the truth, and they knew it.
“I think there’s only one way to end this, and that’s to take the battle to him,” I declared. “If we don’t, the only question will be how long we can hold out, because eventually he’ll wear us down and win it all.”
Nobody argued.
The first one to speak was Uncle Press. “You say this like you have a plan,” he said with caution.
I smiled. “I always have a plan,” I said with confidence. “Well, usually I do.”
I could feel the anticipation grow within the group of friends. I had just laid out a pretty nasty scenario. After getting hit with a cold splash of reality, I think they were desperate to hear that there was still hope. I didn’t jump into it quickly. I knew it would take some convincing. Heck, I wasn’t entirely sure it was the right thing to do myself. I took a few moments to look around at Solara. The meadows. The colorful vapors in the sky. The stars. The feeling of life and spirit that was all around us.
“Look what happened here when the gars and the exiles defeated the klees,” I began. “What was the word you used, Uncle Press? ‘Rejuvenation.’ The positive spirit and energy of those people on Eelong proved that Uncle Press is right. They are the future. Their spirit was so strong, it brought new life to Solara.”
Aja scoffed, “Didn’t you just say that it’s only temporary?”
“It is,” I agreed. “If all we do now is focus on keeping the exiles alive for a while, it will only prolong the inevitable.”
“You’re contradicting yourself, Pendragon,” Aja said firmly.
“But I’m not,” I argued. “I saw what those exiles are capable of. They were willing to sacrifice it all to protect Black Water. Question is, would they be willing to do it again to save Halla?”
I saw plenty of confused looks being thrown around. The only person who stayed focused on me was Uncle Press. I didn’t want to disappoint him.
“Keep going,” he said thoughtfully.
“Just before she died, Nevva told me that Saint Dane split Solara in two. I think where we are, here, is the Solara that has always been. But Saint Dane has somehow splintered it, or made a wall or something, to create a Solara that is being fed by the negative spirit that he’s created throughout Halla. It’s like he’s draining the positive spirit and weakening us, while building the dark spirit of his own Solara. That’s the source of his power, and it’s growing all the time. It’s why he threw Halla into chaos, to feed the spirit of his own Solara.”
“I’ve sensed that,” Uncle Press agreed. “Spirits are not only diminishing, they are fleeing. The spirit of Solara has been about all mankind, the good and the bad. The positive and the negative.”
Loor offered, “Does that mean Saint Dane has been collecting the negative, aggressive spirits to create his own base of power?”
Uncle Press thought, and nodded. “It makes sense.”
Gunny whistled in awe. “So if the spirit of the exiles is the only thing keeping the proper Solara alive, the rest of Halla is pretty much feeding Saint Dane’s side.”
“Exactly!” I declared. “But Nevva said he won’t have full control until the light from the proper Solara is snuffed. Forget the little blip that just happened because of the Black Water victory. Solara is dangerously close to extinction.”
Alder said, “Perhaps there is some way to diminish the power of this dark Solara.”
“Now we’re talking!” I shouted. “It’s what Nevva said. To defeat him we have to weaken him. I think there’s only one way of doing that. We have to force him into using his own power to defend himself. Let’s snuff his light before he snuffs ours.”
Siry said, “Uh, how?”
“By attacking him in the Conclave of Ravinia,” I said flat out.
I don’t know if I actually heard gasps, or imagined it because I was expecting them. I definitely got a lot of shocked, openmouthed looks.
“How?” was the simple, stunned question that came from Aja.
“With an army that is seventy thousand strong” was my answer.
There was another moment of stunned silence.
“The exiles?” Kasha said with confusion. “That isn’t possible. They are on Eelong.”
“They are,” I admitted. “I might be totally wrong about this, and if I am, I’ll back off, but if we have the power of Solara at our disposal, why can’t we use it the same way Saint Dane does?”
The Travelers exchanged confused looks. Nobody had any idea what I was talking about.
Except for Loor.
“Is it possible?” she asked tentatively. “Could we do it too?”
“Do what?” Aja snapped at her.
Uncle Press was next to join the party. “I can’t think of a riskier move, on many levels.”
“But is it possible?” I asked him.
Uncle Press thought for a moment, then nodded. “It may be, especially in light of what happened here after the victory on Eelong.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” I added.
Aja was getting frustrated. She didn’t like being behind the curve on ideas. “Would someone please explain this to me?”
“Solara has been rejuvenated,” I said. “Positive spirit has flooded back in. We could use that power to continue being Travelers and jumping around Halla and trying to protect the exiles, or we could make one grand move and try to end this once and for all.”
Elli gasped when she realized what I was proposing. “You want to create a flume to move the exiles.”
“Exactly,” I answered.
I sensed everybody stiffen. What I was proposing was nothing short of desperation. No argument there. I looked to Aja. She stared back at me. I was waiting for her to say how crazy I was. How dumb a move it would be. How it would drain every last bit of spirit from Solara, and that if we failed, it would mean Saint Dane would be free to create his own universe. She would have been right on every count.
“It’s brilliant,” she declared.
Gotta love Aja Killian.
“Can we really do this, Press?” Gunny asked with concern. “It’s quite the tall order.”
“Not long ago my answer would have been no,” Uncle Press said. “But we’ve been handed an opportunity. The victory on Eelong gave it to us. The exiles gave it to us.” He looked to Elli and added, “Nevva gave it to us.”
Elli beamed.
Uncle Press continued, “What we’re talking about here would deplete the spirit of Solara, but if what happened on Eelong is any indication, defeating Saint Dane where he lives, controlling the heart of Ravinia, and taking back Third Earth might just turn things around.”
“Then let’s do it!” Siry shouted enthusiastically. Siry never needed much convincing when it came to taking action.
Uncle Press cut him off. “Hang on. If this is going to work, two things have to happen.”
He walked up to me and spoke with dead seriousness. “This is still about the exiles. Do you think they can be convinced to go on the offense like this?”
“I don’t know” was my honest answer. “All I can do is ask. They could turn me down cold, but I don’t think so. I’ve seen them in action, and they have a score to settle.”
“What is the second thing?” Alder asked.
Uncle Press looked around at the group and said, “Defeating Saint Dane on Third Earth cannot be our entire goal.”
“What else is there?” Kasha asked.
“This is not about a battle. Or a territory. This is about taking the positive spirit that exists inside each and every one of those exiles and using it to take back Halla. It’s not about a place. Or destroying an army. Or even revenge. It’s about free will triumphing over oppression. For that victory to be complete, the exiles must triumph…and Saint Dane’s spirit must end.”
“Hobey,” Spader gasped. “You think that in order to win this battle, we have to destroy Saint Dane?”
“I do,” Uncle Press said sadly. “Bobby’s right. He controls the worlds of Halla. If he were to continue, I have no doubt that he would simply regroup somewhere else. This battle must not only rebuild the spirit of Solara, it must end the dark spirit that Saint Dane has been nurturing—the spirit that he embodies.”
Uncle Press looked at me and added, “If you think that’s possible, then you have my blessing, and the blessing of each and every spirit of Solara.”
Yikes. Putting it that way, I kind of had second thoughts. Could we really do it? Could we not only beat Saint Dane, but end him as well?
Uncle Press added, “I can’t see the future. I have no idea how this might come out. I only know the way things were meant to be. It’s clear to me now, more so than ever before. I believe the conflict has been leading to this moment from the beginning. This is why you’re here. This is why you’re all here. To do anything less than take all that Solara has left and use it to defeat Saint Dane would be denying our destiny. You’re right, Bobby, this is our moment. Let’s seize it, and end this once and for all.”