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"We're meant to rely on what a book told you to do."
"No, Dax, that's not what I'm saying. Gabriel and I activated the journal, unknowingly, and that's why it provided information to us that no one else had seen."
Erin is watching me with a tight expression. "Don't mean to rain on your parade, Sarah, but we have solid reasons for being skeptical. You have amnesia. That means you don't remember the alchemy of worlds and all the horrific things that happened in the days after the apocalypse began. We do. This world is full of Echo creatures who poured out of the gateway and swarmed the Earth. We fought them. We lost loved ones because of them. Every single person in Sanctuary has experienced the horrors of the apocalypse—except for you."
She's not being nasty or insulting me. I expected this reaction, but I can't deny that I feel completely deflated by having the truth thrust in my face like a pin popping a balloon. But I can't let that stop me. The stakes are too high. So it's time to reveal my biggest revelation.
"While I was inside that castle earlier, with Gabriel pinned to that machine, I experienced what you might call an epiphany." I feel my fingers wanting to curl into my palms, but I order them not to do that. "I believe my amnesia is not a fluke. It's part of a plan so vast and incredible that I don't know how to describe it. The best word would be fate. I remember men trying to protect me when the alchemy of worlds started, and I believe they somehow realized I would become an important link in the chain of saving the world."
My friends exchange surprised looks. But are they surprised by how bonkers I am? Or by how much they believe what I said?
"My amnesia gives me a different perspective," I say. "You might say I have a clean slate on which to draw my conclusions. I'm not riddled with pain and guilt over loved ones I've lost. My opinions and actions aren't colored by experiences during the alchemy of worlds and everything that came later. Maybe I'm the one who thought of this plan because I have no memories of the first days of the apocalypse. And I'm not hindered by constant worry about what happened to my family and friends, if I have any of those."
They all stare at me again. But I think I see a glimmer of understanding in their eyes, and maybe, just maybe, the beginnings of acceptance.
A horrendous racket erupts in the sky, and the ground shudders violently.
I stumble sideways. Dax tries to reach Allison, but trips and tumbles to the ground. Allison slides off her cot to huddle beside her husband. Erin and Grant cling to each other, until they see me struggling to stay on my feet. Then they both rush over to me, and we huddle together while the most bizarre mechanical noises I've ever heard rattle and screech and scrape in the air. The noises are so loud that I wince and squeeze my eyes shut.
Whump. Whump. Whump.
The concussions vibrate through my entire body. As the mechanical noises fade away, screams pierce the air.
Whump. Whump.
The roars of Echo creatures resound everywhere, and the first slashes of Echo lightning stab into the ground. But unlike before, the lightning sizzles and buzzes like electricity racing through a high-tension line.
"Stay here with Allison," Dax tells me. "The rest of us will see what's going on."
"The machine is angry, that's what," I say. "It wants to destroy both worlds."
"Remain here. We will inspect the situation."
Dax, Erin, and Grant rush outside.
I should be out there with them, since I know about the machine and they don't. But I won't leave Allison alone.
Explosions detonate outside, too close and too powerful. They make the ground shudder like an earthquake.
Crack.The sound reverberates in the clearing that surrounds the camp. I've heard that sound before.
A falling tree splits the tent open and smacks down.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gabriel
The machine hums and whirs and emits a harsh ratcheting noise, while the creatures begin to chant again, though I still can't recognize any words in the sounds they make. Energy crackles through my bindings, pinching and biting at my skin. I grit my teeth against the pain and try to focus on a way to escape, or at least halt, the machine's actions.
What is it doing? How many people will it mow down in its determination to complete its task?
The ghost of Sefton appears in front of me. He smiles just like the Cheshire cat, so smug and hungry for blood. "It has begun. Stop trying to find a weakness in the machine. There is none. Once the process has completed, I will no longer require you."
"Bullshit. You don't have the power to keep the alchemical reaction going. Or have you forgotten what happened after Allison shut it down? Fallenmouth was devoured, but the rest of the world went into a kind of stasis."
How do I know that? Through my connection with Sarah, I think.
Sefton lifts his chin. "This time is different."
