There were things to get done, decisions to be made before the appointed time of the Ripping of the Black Curtain up at the North Pole. Rayna and Miyoko decided to go and find Geezer, who had been directed to gather the remaining members of the Alliance. Because we'd returned to the very port from which we had left, and because so much time had passed since our departure, it was troubling that there was no sign of Rayna's friends.

Mom, Joseph, and Rusty would move to another hotel in the middle of the night, doing everything possible to keep their identity and location a secret, even though it appeared Raspy had an uncanny ability to know about our comings and goings. We were baffled how he had just happened to be waiting for us at the dock the day before. The Shadow Ka were watching, and it would be very nerve-wracking to leave my family again.

But I had to.

Hood and I would remain at the original hotel until we went north, as would Rayna and Miyoko until they left. We hoped that all the movement would cause some major confusion to the Ka if they were indeed nearby.

In the early evening before the Big Day, Rayna and Miyoko prepared their things and readied to set out on their search for Geezer. Mom, Joseph, and Rusty had left the night before under cover of darkness, calling us every few hours to let us know they were okay. My good-bye to them had been difficult, but it was not enough to dampen the renewed encouragement we all felt. Our final piece of the plan was that as soon as Hood and I returned from the north, we would all rendezvous at the place where we had left our horses when we departed on the ocean voyage.

I couldn't wait to see Baka again. I kept thinking to myself over and over that the next time I brushed down my horse, it would mean that I'd been to the Blackness and back. That I had been reunited with a healed Dad, and that we would all be back together again, ready to help the Givers in whatever way we could, even if I had lost my opportunity to obtain the Fourth Gift in order to save Dad.

I just wished I could skip ahead twenty-four hours and have it all be over.

I had a quick dinner with Rayna and Miyoko in the restaurant before they left, with little conversation. Our minds were on the tasks that lay ahead. When we'd given up on trying to build an appetite, Rayna said it was time for good-byes again.

“Once again,” Rayna said, “we will scatter like we did when you fought the Bosu Zoku. Hopefully we will reunite under the same positive circumstances. Victory.”

“Ah, it'll all work out just fine,” I said. Everyone knew I was trying a little too hard to be positive.

“You keep telling yourself that,” said Miyoko. “Don't make me have to come and rescue you. I've got my own things to take care of, okay?”

“Yeah, right, I'll do my best. If … when you find Geezer, ask him to take a bath, would ya?”

We exchanged hugs between the three of us, and they got ready to leave.

“Go back to your room and make sure Hood isn't watching scary movies. He gets nightmares.” Hood never came to the restaurant, and avoided public places as best he could, so he was back in his room, doing who knows what. Can a man watch TV with a piece of cloth covering his face? I made a note to test that when I got back to the room, just for curiosity's sake.

“All right. You guys be careful, and hurry back. We'll go to the horse barn every day at five o'clock, looking for your return.”

Since we'd learned by now that there are no words to say in such situations, we finally gave up and just said good-bye. I watched them walk out the door, finished off my water, and walked back to Hood's room. I had no idea what it would be like to share a room with a guy who lives in a robe and talks with his finger, and I would never find out. He'd insisted on having his own room. But we did exchange keys in case of an emergency.

Turns out he wasn't watching TV at all, but was snoozing on his bed, snoring like a stuffy nosed rhino. Despite the nervous feeling in my gut, I laughed out loud. For some reason, I just didn't think a guy who couldn't talk would be able to snore. I sneaked out and headed for my room.

I got ready for bed, although I had no idea how I could possibly fall asleep. I turned off the lights, flopped onto my bed, and lay in the darkness, trying my best not to think of the coming day.

North Pole.

The Lady of the Storm.

Red Disk.

The Dream Warden.

Bargaining for my dad's life.

Custer “Raspy” Bleak.

The thoughts danced and jiggled up and down all through my brain, no matter how hard I tried to empty my head. After an hour or so of tossing and turning, I sighed and decided to switch on the TV, hoping it would serve as a distraction and lull me to sleep.

I would regret doing so, because what I saw robbed me of any chance of falling asleep. Every channel had switched to some type of news program, with the glaring words “Breaking News” flashing at the bottom of the screen. It only took a few minutes to get the gist of it.

The world had fallen into complete chaos.