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  “Once back there, Nero would have found the clues he was seeking. He would have seen the Els cycling through their lives, and he would have observed them closely. He may have noted that the three were never seen together, that one aged rapidly into the next, and that in every form, they each wore the same talisman. Nero is clever, and when two people have been as close as brothers for as long as he and I were, you begin to understand each other as well as you might understand yourself. Nero would know that I’d take measures to prevent any one person from ever again bearing the load that had been placed on him.

  “You see, Nero had lost his sanity due to being overwhelmed with the power and burden of performing the duties of three people. He would easily have realized that only as a whole are the Els uniquely qualified to take his place as Judge. He must have believed that if the sisters were made unsuitable, he would be the only option available to me to successfully re-form the Council. And that is why he broke them apart.”

  “And why we had to find the pieces of the talisman?” George asked.

  “So the sisters can be rejoined and take the position of Judge,” Caleb said.

  “But why did we have to do it?” Mikal asked.

  “That is correct, George and Caleb. And because, Mikal, there was simply nobody else who could. It had to be three people to recover three pieces. I couldn’t go, because I had to perform damage control, discover the location of the keys, plot your journey, make sure you had the tools you needed, conduct the last interview with the potential Guide, and tend to any problems that arose. Henrietta couldn’t do it, because, with Nero on the loose, she had to get you out of the house, George. It was necessary that my brave Henrietta allow Nero to think he had the upper hand.”

  George frowned with confusion. “But how did Aunt Henrietta know that? You both thought Nero was dead.”

  “And if it had to be three people, why did you send George off all alone?” Caleb asked.

  “Did you write a secret message in the note you sent George?” Mikal asked, his black eyes glittering curiously.

  Constantine smiled at Mikal. “You are a clever rascal! I wrote a cryptic P.S. to Henrietta just in case the note was waylaid. Do you still have it, George?”

  George presented the battered slip of paper to Constantine, and he peered at it through his little round glasses.

  “Hmm, yes. If you look here, it says ‘P.S. 1G + 2B = 3 to Flee. Forecast: Generous Rain!!! Be a duck, have a plan.—Love, C.’ In other words, George and the two boys must go at once, prepare them for puddle travel. Nero is back! Be calm, I have a plan.”

  “But that means you knew about us before we even met George!” Caleb said.

  “Yes, I had heard of you two all on your own. I went to retrieve you and bring you home to Snaffleharp Lane, but as soon as I saw you, Mikal, I knew you wouldn’t be very trusting of strangers, so I stayed out of sight. Henrietta would send me with baskets of food, and I became impressed with how resourceful, responsible, and honorable you both were. When I realized I had to send George on this mission, you boys came immediately to mind. I knew you would help her if she needed you; that was clear just by observing you. I have a code too, you see, and when you’ve been around as long as I have, you develop certain instincts, and you learn to trust them.” Constantine’s eyes twinkled. “Besides, I doubted you’d turn down the adventure.”

  “We always thought the food was from the groundskeeper, Mr. Chinchinian,” Caleb said.

  “But it was you. You fed us,” Mikal said, his face lit with newly discovered devotion.

  “That’s why Aunt Henrietta told me to go left,” George said softly. “Left was the way to the cemetery, and to Caleb and Mikal.”

  Constantine nodded and fiddled with the end of his mustache.

  “What happens now, though?” George asked. “How will we rebuild the Council before it’s too late? Did you find someone to be the Guide?”

  “I did,” Constantine said.

  “And what about Aunt Henrietta? Will we be able to save her from Nero?”

  A flash of worry crossed Constantine’s visage, but he quickly replaced it with a reassuring smile. “We will most certainly save Henrietta from Nero. I have a plan. Nero will arrive with Henrietta, as this is where the Council of Seven must be remade. He will probably have no more than two henchmen in tow. He works small and quick. Remember, he and I know each other. Mr. Neptune has access to a shocking array of gadgets, and I’ve asked him to activate an impenetrable field of energy behind Nero, to render his escape impossible. Then I will attempt to reason with him. If that fails…” He seemed to age before their very eyes. He started again. “If that fails, there will be a struggle. I’m here, and Mr. Night, Mr. Neptune, and Yorick. Lucy is a clever strategist, and dear Henrietta knows how to throw a punch. We will outnumber him.”

  “Uncle Constantine,” George said, wetting her lips, “that doesn’t sound like a very good plan.”

  “I know, George. But it’s all we’ve got. Our only choice is to oppose Nero as a group and hope we prevail.”

  “Constantine?” Lucy said. “We’re getting close.”

  The countdown flashed on Cavendish’s screen: The time is now 10:00 PM DWT. You currently have one hour and eleven minutes until all living things are obliterated.

  “You do have a way with words, Cavendish.” Constantine turned to the rest of the group. “If you will all join me in the center of the room, please?”

  Mr. Night helped the Hag to her feet and held her elbow as she shuffled toward Constantine.

  Lue tagged behind Mr. Night, kicking at his heels.

  “You displayed very poor judgment, Lucy,” Constantine said kindly once they had assembled. “As a result, the life cycles of the Els have been significantly altered, and I was unable to perform your final interview.”

  Lucy nodded, standing silent and respectful.

  “But immediately upon realizing you had wronged your sisters, you set to making it right. You aided me in my research and planning. You willingly agreed to sacrifice your heart’s desire, a normal life with your love, to be rejoined with your sisters and take up the role of Judge to save the worlds and all their creatures.”

  Constantine turned to Lue and the Hag now. “Lucretia, you forgave Lucy at once, for with your age and experience has come compassion and understanding. Lue, you were furious with your sister and immediately declared war upon her, but you too came around and forgave her. This would be very hard to pull off if that hadn’t happened.”

  Constantine again faced the whole group. “These actions have served as a better indication of character than I could ever have come up with on my own.”

  “Oh, do hurry up,” Lue said, twirling a lock of hair.

  “Behave, Lue,” Mr. Night said.

  Lue stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Lue, Lucy, and Lucretia, will you each hold a piece of the talisman in your left hand and place it over your heart?”

  George and Company quickly offered up the pieces, and the sisters obeyed.

  “Lucy,” Constantine said, “are you certain you can accept spending only fourteen days at a time with your love for the greater good? Keeping in mind, of course, that the alternative is a fiery death.”

  The group looked up at the glass ceiling. The meteors were falling so close now that the shriek of their passage could be heard.

  Lucy glanced lovingly at Mr. Night, but her voice was strong when she said, “I can.”

  Constantine turned to Lue and the Hag. “Are you two prepared to rejoin your sister and to take your place on the Council?”

  The Hag cleared her throat, a wet rattling sound, and nodded her consent.

  Lue looked away, then rolled her eyes and said, “Well, I guess.”

  “Good, and since we are pressed for time, if you three will just face one another and concentrate on the fact that you are meant to be one.”

  “I’m glad to have you back, sisters,” Lucy murmured for their ears only.

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nbsp; The Hag and Lue met Lucy’s eyes, and the three grasped hands. Then they began to shimmer.

  “Everybody, stand back!” Constantine said.

  There was a loud bang, like a crash of thunder. The library shook, books rattled on shelves, and the sisters began to dissolve into perfect cubes of light until only Lucy remained. She gazed into space for a moment and then wrapped her fingers around the talisman, which was whole again.

  The kids shared a triumphant grin.

  “Thank you, Constantine,” Lucy said simply. “And thank you, children and Cavendish.”

  “Indeed,” Constantine said. “But now it is ten seventeen PM. We have only a few minutes before Nero arrives. I suggest we take a moment to gather our thoughts and prepare for a very nasty confrontation.” He stepped away to stand alone.

  George, followed by Caleb and Mikal, went to Constantine’s side.

  “Yes, George?” Constantine asked, looking down.

  “What if Nero doesn’t come?” she asked.

  “He will. And he will bring Henrietta with him. If he doesn’t come, and the clock strikes eleven twelve, all is lost. Without Henrietta, we will be unable to re-form the Council, and tonight all worlds will end. He will come. He thinks he has won.”

  “What will he do when he sees that we’ve already rejoined the Els, though? Will he hurt Aunt Henrietta?” George’s face was as pale as her silver freckles at the thought.

  Constantine’s face changed, becoming fierce and certain. “Don’t doubt for a moment that I will get her back safely. It would be impossible for me to exist without her, and I am still here. We will prevail. If Nero will not be reasoned with, he will not escape. There will be a battle. I may be old, but I am well versed in the art of dueling.”

  Mikal nodded. “And I may be small, but I’m quick.”

  A smile tugged at Constantine’s mouth, replacing the look of distress. “I don’t suppose I could persuade you kids to retreat to the dungeon until this is safely resolved?”

  “No, sir,” Caleb said. “Not on our lives.”

  “We’re staying,” George said.

  “We’ve dealt with worse than Nero,” Mikal said.

  “I expected as much,” Constantine said.

  The three stepped away to talk among themselves next to the fireplace. Mikal gave Cavendish to George as he bent to tie his shoelaces.

  “Why couldn’t you enter Astria with us, Cav?” Caleb asked.

  “We missed you. It was hard counting without you,” George said.

  Cavendish’s screen blushed pink with pleasure at the idea of being missed. “The Timekeeper wanted to have a very important conversation with me.”

  “What did he want to talk about?” Mikal asked.

  “It’s a secret,” Cavendish said. “But guess what! My creator told me why I’m waterproof. He discovered a battery in the ocean while he was researching a book, and then he used it to energize me. Isn’t that marvelous?”

  “I’ve been telling you this whole time you run on batteries!” Caleb teased.

  “I didn’t mean battery!” Cavendish backtracked. “I’m much fancier than that. It’s a power capacitor.”

  “It kind of sounds like the same thing,” Mikal said.

  Cavendish took a deep breath, preparing to launch into a vigorous argument, but then George changed the subject.

  “What are you guys going to do when this is all over? You’re not going back to the cemetery, are you, Caleb and Mikal?”

  Mikal shrugged and smoothed back his hair.

  “Actually,” Caleb said, “we were thinking about helping you find Daniel. I mean, if you want us to. We figured that would be the first thing on your mind after this whole mess is cleared up.”

  “And Uncle Constantine said that he had wanted us to come live with him and Aunt Henrietta, when they first learned about us,” Mikal said. “Do you think they’ll still want us?”

  George couldn’t contain her grin. “I was really hoping you’d say that. I know they’ll want you. Then we can set out on our next mission! To find my brother and Caleb’s past.”

  Caleb’s eyes brightened with interest.

  “It’s a good mission,” Mikal said. “I want to meet Daniel, and I want to know where Caleb came from. Maybe he’s an alien.”

  “Jeez. Thanks, Mikal!” Caleb said, but then he nodded. “Of all the people and worlds in the Door Way, there has to be something that can help.”

  George felt light with hope for a moment, but then she glanced up again. The meteors were now grazing the treetops, leaving blackened and burning branches in their wake. She swallowed hard and looked away.

  At 10:29 PM, footsteps sounded from the garden above.

  The children jumped to their feet and pressed close together, Cavendish held tightly in George’s arms. Constantine stood watching the white doors intently, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. Yorick, the faithful skeleton, was next to him, a silent sentinel. Mr. Neptune cowered behind the desk. Mr. Night was off to one side with Lucy, who was clutching a book as if her life depended on it.

  The doorknob rattled and then turned. A scent of spicy aftershave crept into the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  When the door opened, Nero was the first to step through. He saw Constantine and stopped in his tracks, leaning on his cane. “Constantine,” he said dryly.

  “Nero.” Constantine dipped his head in greeting. “You look remarkably well. It seems death has no hold on you.”

  “Wouldn’t you know, being dead was so much more boring than I’d imagined.”

  Nero was followed by two henchmen. One was a towering, muscled beast of a man, with wild hair and daggers strapped to his thighs. The other was Arlo, only slightly shorter but far more terrifying as he was the one guiding Henrietta before him with a wicked-looking blade pressed to her throat.

  George’s knees went as weak as a soggy spaghetti strand, and Henrietta smiled at her, absently smoothing the front of her apron.

  As the four of them cleared the entry, there was a snick and a flash, but only a waver of light betrayed the invisible barrier that had trapped them in the library.

  Nero tensed and looked over his shoulder, then shook his head ruefully. “Really, Constantine? You must be desperate for my company.” His gaze wandered around the room and settled on Lucy. Dismissing her with a shake of his head, he returned his attention to Constantine, who was searching Henrietta’s face.

  “I’m here to make a request, Constantine. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the woman there”—he jerked his head at Lucy—“has made a mess of things. She is now significantly less qualified for my previous position than you may have thought.” Nero gestured to the glass ceiling. “And as you can see, the stars are nearly striking, with no sign of the other sisters, and no time to find and rejoin them now.”

  He paused, waiting, but no one spoke.

  “I’ll cut to the chase, then, shall I? I have realized the … error of my ways and am here seeking forgiveness. I would like to be reinstated onto the Council and to regain my previous authority.”

  Constantine tore his eyes from Henrietta, and they were sad as he regarded his old friend. “You don’t want us to forgive you, Nero. You want us to forget.”

  Nero’s pleasant smile remained, but his brows gave the faintest twitch. “It seems to me that you really don’t have a choice. And consider my level of experience.” He stepped closer to Constantine, and his voice flowed like melted honey. “Remember, Constantine, we have been friends for eons untold. We have been eternal, together. Wouldn’t you like to have that back?”

  George’s chin trembled as she spoke. “You’re too late.” She stepped forward, holding Cavendish against her chest like a shield.

  Caleb and Mikal followed to stand with her.

  Nero narrowed his eyes as he seemed to notice them for the first time. “You three, again?”

  “It’s true,” Mikal said.

  Caleb nodded, a swift jerk of his head.
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  But Nero ignored the two boys, all of his attention set on studying George.

  She stared back at him, trying not to flinch.

  “Your face…,” he said. “There’s something—”

  But George didn’t wait for him to finish. She wet her lips and burst out, “The Els have already been rejoined.”

  The effect those words had on the handsome man was amazing. Nero’s visage turned blotchy and red. He glanced quickly at Lucy, who was standing in front of Mr. Night, his hand on her shoulder.

  “Rejoined, you say?” Nero asked, and his voice snapped like broken glass. “Impossible.”

  Constantine nodded. “It’s true, Nero. You are too late.”

  Nero’s jaw tightened as he looked back at the children. “There are three of you, I see. Which means you must have reclaimed the pieces from Astria … but how? You’re just children.” Then he ground his teeth. “I should have tossed you into the void with your boring toy.”

  “Say what?” Cavendish asked, but he was ignored as Nero continued talking.

  “An honest mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. Never mind. That’s why I brought her along.” He gestured to Henrietta, who still stood quiet and meek between the enormous Arlo and the towering, wild-haired henchman. “Nothing like good old-fashioned insurance.”

  “I will not reinstate you on the Council, Nero. You know that now,” Constantine said. “Please, try to see reason.”

  “Reason?” Nero’s voice was shrill. “Do you think it would be reasonable of me to just accept your decision and return to nothing? Or had you thought I would be reasonable and allow you to take me into custody? Bring me to justice and all that?”

  “I had hoped so, Nero,” Constantine said.

  “It was a foolish hope,” Nero practically spat, and then drew himself up. “You will reinstate me, Constantine, because if you don’t, I will order Arlo to run that blade across your precious Innocent’s throat. And you know I have it in me, don’t you?”