twice as annoying.” He shoved the microscope aside. “A shame I couldn’t force an explanation from the old fool before I banished him to that hell-world. Doubtless a few weeks of suffering will persuade him.…” His eyes fell on Oliver’s arm. “Ah!” he said brightly. “More of
his
craftsmanship!”
“Hey!” said Oliver, backing away. But Lord Gilbert yanked Great-uncle Gilbert’s beautiful handvane from Oliver’s forearm, wrenching his wrist in the process. He held up his prize, turning it about, squinting and muttering.
“That’s mine,” Oliver lied. “I made it, so hands off!”
Lord Gilbert shrugged. “Useless.” He tossed it aside on a bench and went back to digging around in Oliver’s pack. Oliver reached out carefully and took the handvane, slipping it onto his wrist. Then he went to the crimson kite, where it lay pinned under the microscope, and reached for it, too.
“Don’t touch,” Lord Gilbert warned without looking at Oliver. He gave the HM IV a meaningful tap.
Oliver looked longingly at the kite, a terrible sadness falling over him. It was hard to believe that this poor, ragged, torn thing had ever flown at all. It looked likenothing more than an old piece of silk drooping over the edge of the workbench.
“Try to focus on the future, Oliver One,” said Lord Gilbert. “This is all for the greater good. My machine, once perfected, will be able to send more than just one child, or a few letters—it will be able to send anything and anyone across all the worlds!”
“But you’re killing the oaks,” Oliver pointed out. “And your grandnephew.”
Lord Gilbert waved a hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, there are inefficiencies. I have to draw power from the oaks on my mountain to run my machine. Soon they’ll all be dead. But there are more oaks on other worlds. I’ll build conduits between those worlds and this one. The oaks are limitless.”
“But you’re not just killing the oaks on this mountain,” said Oliver. “You’re killing all the oaks on all the worlds.”
“Nonsense, boy,” chuckled Lord Gilbert. “Don’t argue with me about things you couldn’t possibly understand.”
“You didn’t know you were killing oaks on other worlds?” said Oliver. “Don’t you know the oaks are all connected? That they’re all the same oaks?”
Lord Gilbert sighed heavily. “Don’t expect me to tryto explain these concepts to you. But what you describe is impossible.”
Oliver looked at him in disbelief. “You don’t even know how your own machine works, do you?”
“Of course I do,” huffed Lord Gilbert. “Phase resonance! Principles of quantum polyality!”
“You don’t know,” interrupted Oliver.
“I almost do,” said Lord Gilbert defensively.
“But Great-uncle Gilbert knows,” said Oliver with satisfaction. “And he wouldn’t tell you.”
Lord Gilbert gave a thin-lipped smile. “He’ll be willing to cooperate soon enough.”
“He’ll never cooperate with you,” said Oliver evenly.
“Two said that before, as well,” growled Lord Gilbert. “But look at him now.”
The argument was interrupted by a muffled explosion from outside. Lord Gilbert looked at the HM IV with alarm. “You!” He pointed at Two. “Train the other one. I’m needed outside.” He rushed from the laboratory.
Two and Oliver looked at each other. “Well,” said Two uncomfortably. “I suppose I should show you how the hunters work.”
He began repairing the damaged hunter with ascrewdriver, providing detailed explanations as he went. Oliver did not understand a word. But he nodded and said, “Ah, I see!” anyway. Now that he knew what Lord Gilbert was capable of, he didn’t want the old man to discover that Oliver could be no use to him at all.
He nodded, and pretended, until he realized that Two was saying something about the brain and a thought occurred to him. “Wait,” he said. “Doesn’t traveling between worlds with that machine hurt the hunters,
his
craftsmanship!”
“Hey!” said Oliver, backing away. But Lord Gilbert yanked Great-uncle Gilbert’s beautiful handvane from Oliver’s forearm, wrenching his wrist in the process. He held up his prize, turning it about, squinting and muttering.
“That’s mine,” Oliver lied. “I made it, so hands off!”
Lord Gilbert shrugged. “Useless.” He tossed it aside on a bench and went back to digging around in Oliver’s pack. Oliver reached out carefully and took the handvane, slipping it onto his wrist. Then he went to the crimson kite, where it lay pinned under the microscope, and reached for it, too.
“Don’t touch,” Lord Gilbert warned without looking at Oliver. He gave the HM IV a meaningful tap.
Oliver looked longingly at the kite, a terrible sadness falling over him. It was hard to believe that this poor, ragged, torn thing had ever flown at all. It looked likenothing more than an old piece of silk drooping over the edge of the workbench.
“Try to focus on the future, Oliver One,” said Lord Gilbert. “This is all for the greater good. My machine, once perfected, will be able to send more than just one child, or a few letters—it will be able to send anything and anyone across all the worlds!”
“But you’re killing the oaks,” Oliver pointed out. “And your grandnephew.”
Lord Gilbert waved a hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, there are inefficiencies. I have to draw power from the oaks on my mountain to run my machine. Soon they’ll all be dead. But there are more oaks on other worlds. I’ll build conduits between those worlds and this one. The oaks are limitless.”
“But you’re not just killing the oaks on this mountain,” said Oliver. “You’re killing all the oaks on all the worlds.”
“Nonsense, boy,” chuckled Lord Gilbert. “Don’t argue with me about things you couldn’t possibly understand.”
“You didn’t know you were killing oaks on other worlds?” said Oliver. “Don’t you know the oaks are all connected? That they’re all the same oaks?”
Lord Gilbert sighed heavily. “Don’t expect me to tryto explain these concepts to you. But what you describe is impossible.”
Oliver looked at him in disbelief. “You don’t even know how your own machine works, do you?”
“Of course I do,” huffed Lord Gilbert. “Phase resonance! Principles of quantum polyality!”
“You don’t know,” interrupted Oliver.
“I almost do,” said Lord Gilbert defensively.
“But Great-uncle Gilbert knows,” said Oliver with satisfaction. “And he wouldn’t tell you.”
Lord Gilbert gave a thin-lipped smile. “He’ll be willing to cooperate soon enough.”
“He’ll never cooperate with you,” said Oliver evenly.
“Two said that before, as well,” growled Lord Gilbert. “But look at him now.”
The argument was interrupted by a muffled explosion from outside. Lord Gilbert looked at the HM IV with alarm. “You!” He pointed at Two. “Train the other one. I’m needed outside.” He rushed from the laboratory.
Two and Oliver looked at each other. “Well,” said Two uncomfortably. “I suppose I should show you how the hunters work.”
He began repairing the damaged hunter with ascrewdriver, providing detailed explanations as he went. Oliver did not understand a word. But he nodded and said, “Ah, I see!” anyway. Now that he knew what Lord Gilbert was capable of, he didn’t want the old man to discover that Oliver could be no use to him at all.
He nodded, and pretended, until he realized that Two was saying something about the brain and a thought occurred to him. “Wait,” he said. “Doesn’t traveling between worlds with that machine hurt the hunters,
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