Scour tried to say something, some last plea or curse, and then he fell to his knees. One hand rose waveringly to his punctured eye, as though he thought he could pick out the thing that was killing him, and then he fell
forward and lay still. The last of the Blood Runners, dead at last, and this time no way back.
"Nice throw," said Owen. "Now, time we were going, I think. We don't want to overstay our welcome."
"Get me out of here, Deathstalker," said Hazel tiredly. "Take me somewhere safe.
Somewhere I can sleep without nightmares."
And then they both turned suddenly to look at the Summerstone. Without moving, it was changing. Becoming… something else. Its whole nature began to twist and turn, until it seemed both larger and greater than it had been. The Blood Runners saw it as a Stone, part of a Henge, but they were all gone now, and it was no longer bound by their limited perceptions. Its shape flickered, giving glimpses of something else, something that existed in far more than three dimensions. Owen and Hazel had to look away, as the Summerstone began to change into something they couldn't bear to look at.
They turned and ran, leaving the endless gray plane behind them, intent on reaching the only exit. They scrambled over the dead Blood Runners lying on the other side of the door, and ran full pelt down the stone corridor, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and what they'd almost seen. But they were still able to sense it when the thing the Summerstone had become suddenly disappeared, gone to rejoin the rest of the Madness Maze. The stone floor trembled under their feet, the walls rumbled, and streams of dust fell from the ceiling as it dropped slowly lower.
"What is it?" said Hazel. "What's happening?"
"This place only existed because the Blood Runners believed in it," said Owen.
"Backed by the power of the Summerstone. Now they're all dead and it's gone, the reality of this place is breaking down! We have to get out of here before it
disappears completely, and takes us with it!"
They ran through the trembling stone corridors, Owen leading the way. He could feel the Sunstrider III's position in his head, but the endless corridors twisted and turned before him, as though trying to keep him from escaping. He yelled to Oz to warm up the engines, and pressed the pace as much as he dared.
Hazel had been through a lot, and it had taken a lot out of her. But even as they ran through the corridors, the gray stone was already beginning to silently vanish in places, as nothingness crept in from every side. Holes appeared in the walls and ceiling and floor, empty spaces. Owen and Hazel couldn't bear to look at it, because what lay beyond them was simply too awful for the human mind to contemplate. Only the area around Owen and Hazel retained any coherence, because they were real enough to sustain a small world of their own, for a time. But without the Summerstone, their will was not enough, and nothingness closed inexorably in from all sides, and nibbled at their surroundings, edging closer with every moment.
The floor beneath their feet felt increasingly unsolid, and the ceiling pressed lower inch by inch. The walls fluttered like drapes in a breeze, and one by one the human arms were disappearing, taking the light with them. Owen grabbed Hazel by the arm and made her run faster, almost dragging her along as she gasped for breath. And finally they came to the chamber where the Sunstrider III lay waiting, looking reassuringly solid and real. They ran for the open airlock, not looking back at the emptiness they sensed crowding their heels. They jumped over holes in the chamber floor, scrambled into the airlock, locked the door behind them, and ran for the bridge.
"Oz!" yelled Owen. "Are we ready to take off?"
"You find me somewhere to go and we'll go there," said the AI. "According to my sensors, this chamber is all there is now. If I activate the stardrive, God alone knows where we'll end up.
forward and lay still. The last of the Blood Runners, dead at last, and this time no way back.
"Nice throw," said Owen. "Now, time we were going, I think. We don't want to overstay our welcome."
"Get me out of here, Deathstalker," said Hazel tiredly. "Take me somewhere safe.
Somewhere I can sleep without nightmares."
And then they both turned suddenly to look at the Summerstone. Without moving, it was changing. Becoming… something else. Its whole nature began to twist and turn, until it seemed both larger and greater than it had been. The Blood Runners saw it as a Stone, part of a Henge, but they were all gone now, and it was no longer bound by their limited perceptions. Its shape flickered, giving glimpses of something else, something that existed in far more than three dimensions. Owen and Hazel had to look away, as the Summerstone began to change into something they couldn't bear to look at.
They turned and ran, leaving the endless gray plane behind them, intent on reaching the only exit. They scrambled over the dead Blood Runners lying on the other side of the door, and ran full pelt down the stone corridor, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and what they'd almost seen. But they were still able to sense it when the thing the Summerstone had become suddenly disappeared, gone to rejoin the rest of the Madness Maze. The stone floor trembled under their feet, the walls rumbled, and streams of dust fell from the ceiling as it dropped slowly lower.
"What is it?" said Hazel. "What's happening?"
"This place only existed because the Blood Runners believed in it," said Owen.
"Backed by the power of the Summerstone. Now they're all dead and it's gone, the reality of this place is breaking down! We have to get out of here before it
disappears completely, and takes us with it!"
They ran through the trembling stone corridors, Owen leading the way. He could feel the Sunstrider III's position in his head, but the endless corridors twisted and turned before him, as though trying to keep him from escaping. He yelled to Oz to warm up the engines, and pressed the pace as much as he dared.
Hazel had been through a lot, and it had taken a lot out of her. But even as they ran through the corridors, the gray stone was already beginning to silently vanish in places, as nothingness crept in from every side. Holes appeared in the walls and ceiling and floor, empty spaces. Owen and Hazel couldn't bear to look at it, because what lay beyond them was simply too awful for the human mind to contemplate. Only the area around Owen and Hazel retained any coherence, because they were real enough to sustain a small world of their own, for a time. But without the Summerstone, their will was not enough, and nothingness closed inexorably in from all sides, and nibbled at their surroundings, edging closer with every moment.
The floor beneath their feet felt increasingly unsolid, and the ceiling pressed lower inch by inch. The walls fluttered like drapes in a breeze, and one by one the human arms were disappearing, taking the light with them. Owen grabbed Hazel by the arm and made her run faster, almost dragging her along as she gasped for breath. And finally they came to the chamber where the Sunstrider III lay waiting, looking reassuringly solid and real. They ran for the open airlock, not looking back at the emptiness they sensed crowding their heels. They jumped over holes in the chamber floor, scrambled into the airlock, locked the door behind them, and ran for the bridge.
"Oz!" yelled Owen. "Are we ready to take off?"
"You find me somewhere to go and we'll go there," said the AI. "According to my sensors, this chamber is all there is now. If I activate the stardrive, God alone knows where we'll end up.
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