turn away and move in the direction of diminishing virtue. Thus life challenges us to resist temptation and do the right thing. Every correct moral decision moves us closer to God. Every moment of weakness takes us farther away.”
“Have you found faith at last, Aiden?”
“I can’t have faith in God any more than I can have faith in the sky. He may be goodness manifest, but I’ve seen nothing to suggest that He’s an interventionist. You were right to suggest that I’ve changed. I have. I’ve realised that, whatever world we happen to be on, we cannot afford any degree of dependence on a divine plan. It’s up to us to address iniquity and injustice, and to succeed, we must indeed have faith—not in God,” I placed a hand on the hilt of my sword, “but in ourselves.”
Clarissa smiled and murmured, “The voyage is complete.”
11. BATTLE
“We have never fought before,” Gallokomas said. “You must guide the flock.”
I looked up at the dense cloud of Zull circling overhead and said, “Yissil Froon is directing the Divergent, so the primary objective must be to locate him and break his mental domination of them. I reserve that particular mission for myself. Like all of your species, whether they are at the Yatsill, Mi’aata, or Zull stage, he can sense my emotions but not my thoughts. I hope that’ll give me an advantage.”
“Humph!” Colonel Spearjab interjected. “I owe the blighter a thrashing. A thrashing, I say! You’ll allow me to accompany you. Remember, I can help you to locate him. What! What!”
By way of illustration, the colonel lifted the pikestaff we’d brought from Phenadoor and jabbed at the air with it.
“And if he applies his powers to you?” I asked.
“Harrumph! Harrumph! Granted, he controls the Divergent, old chap, but shocks and revelations have placed me in a unique position. I know what I was, what I am, and what I shall be! I rather think that gives me a better sense of myself than the bounder can handle. Ha ha!”
I smiled, but shook my head. “No, Colonel. When I confront him, I hope Yissil Froon will become sufficiently distracted that his hold over the Divergent loosens. I’d like you to move among them and help them reorientate themselves—have them abandon their weapons.”
“Ah! Humph! I see. Well, orders are orders! What! What!”
“And me, Aiden?” Clarissa asked.
“We’ll put you on one of the foothills overlooking the forest. You’ll be out of harm’s way, but with those remarkable eyes and your telepathic ability, you’ll be able to follow the movement of the rupture and warn the Zull away from it. I don’t want any of them sucked in and flung to Koluwai.”
“Out of harm’s way?” she protested. “After all we’ve been through, you consider me too delicate to engage with the enemy?”
“Of course not. I simply intend to make the best use of your specific talents, Clarissa.”
She folded her arms angrily, glared at me, then, a moment later, relaxed and nodded. “Very well. I’ll do it.”
I turned to Gallokomas. “What of closing it? Have your scientists developed a method?”
“Regrettably, they have not, Fleischer Thing.” He took Iriputiz’s crystal from his bag and handed it to me. “This resonates only with the part of it that opens onto your world. We cannot use it here.”
I felt myself go cold. “Then I have no choice. The only option is to do as Iriputiz intended, but rather than drawing the opening to a populated area, I must relocate it somewhere remote—even more remote than Koluwai—where no one will wander into it.”
Clarissa murmured, “We’ll go together, Aiden. I’ll not be separated from you.”
I smiled at her. “We can return to Ptallaya the moment the path becomes active again.”
I hung the crystal around my neck.
Gallokomas looked toward the East. I followed his gaze and saw a wide band of orange light brightening the horizon. The Eyes of the Saviour would soon reappear. How I longed to see them!
“It is time,” the Zull said.
The Heart of Blood had almost completely set by the time we reached the Forest of Indistinct Murmurings. Only its tip showed, and directly overhead the sky had deepened to a band of such an intense purple that stars were visible in it—the first I’d seen from Ptallaya. The four moons, clustered closely together, shone brightly in the East, where the heavens were afire.
The flock soared over the dripping forest. The atmosphere was thick with steam. Thousands of tiny creatures bobbed lazily over the canopy, tethered to it by silken