The Eye of Zoltar

‘The Grand Scheme of Things. Bigger than me, bigger than you, and all are to play a part. It might be something simple like opening a door, encouraging somebody to do something, or even, as in Curtis’ case, simply giving people a focus of someone to dislike. But sometimes it’s for good – like bringing a tyrant to their knees and leading an enslaved nation to freedom.’

‘Then my function in the Grand Scheme is still ahead of me?’ I asked.

‘It is. And Perkins, too.’

‘He’s going to burn himself out battling the drones on our return, isn’t he?’

‘To have a function is the right of all sentient beings,’ said Gabby, touching my shoulder, ‘to have a vitally important function is an honour not often bestowed.’

He smiled, then added:

‘For operational purposes we like to maintain our Grade II legendary status: “No proof of existence”. I can rely on your discretion, yes?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good. Time to go, but I calculate the jump from here back to the top of the stone chair has a 79.23 per cent Fatality Index – here.’

Gabby tossed a rope over the side and I heard the end fall on to the damp stone below. I thanked Gabby for his time and help, then slid down the rope. After a few more seconds my feet had touched the damp stone of the semicircle around Idris’ chair, and I found a very astonished-looking Perkins.

‘Okay,’ he said, ‘that was kind of strange, and I’m a sorcerer, so should be used to it. You jump into the cloud, vanish for half an hour and then return down a rope. What did you find?’

‘Answers,’ I said, ‘but not the ones we’re looking for. Let’s find the others.’

He started to move, but I caught his arm, moved him around and kissed him. It was my first, and I think his too. I’d been meaning to do it for a while, but only with Gabby’s words did the whole thing seem that much more urgent. He returned the passion, and it felt good – far better than I’d thought – and made me feel tingly in all sorts of places.

‘What was that for?’ he whispered as I rested my head on his shoulder and held him tight.

‘Because.’

‘Because what?’

‘Just because.’

We both knew he’d be burnt out soon, and we attempted to get as much of a lifetime’s worth of hugs as possible in the time available.

‘Okay, then,’ I said, and we avoided each other’s gaze as we separated, ‘let’s find the others.’

We walked down from the summit and out of the cloud, where we found Addie, the Princess and Wilson, who had made some tea.

We rested for an hour while I told everyone what I had found, but without mentioning Gabby. I told them about Sky Pirate Wolff’s hideout and her fate, that someone else had beaten us to the Eye of Zoltar years ago, and it could now be pretty much anywhere. I told them how the facility far below us was simply positioned where the sole remaining Cloud Leviathan roosted at night, and they scraped up the droppings each morning to process them into Guanolite.

‘I can see why they have drones do the job,’ said Wilson, ‘it must be rotten work.’

‘I’d say it was more to do with secrecy,’ I replied, ‘which also might explain the Cambrian Empire’s no-fly zone. The last Leviathan is worth so much money it would be foolish to have it damaged in a collision with anything – or even discovered at all.’

‘So all our careers in jeopardy tourism were simply there to facilitate the manufacture of angel-feather-fortified Leviathan droppings?’ asked Addie. ‘Hell’s teeth, you just couldn’t make this stuff up, could you?’

‘Magic’s like that,’ I said.

There was a pause.

‘So what now?’ asked Perkins.

‘We came out here to find the Eye, and we failed. So we’re going home.’

‘Past the Hollow Men?’ asked Wilson.

‘Yes,’ I said, swallowing down my emotion and avoiding Perkins’ gaze. ‘We’ll think of something, I’m sure.’

So after packing up and trying the conch for the umpteenth time without success, we turned to leave. It was with a heavy heart that I descended the steep steps, but I was consoled by the fact that I had it on good authority that Perkins’ life would not be in vain – and I now had a pretty good idea what Gabby kept in his rucksack.

The plan

The first thing we noticed when we returned to the base of the mountain was Curtis. He had somehow decided not to leg it back to Llangurig straight away, and was instead standing at the edge of the empty scrub that separated us from the safety of the forest, a mile away. He had a deep frown etched upon his features.

‘Did you see them?’ I asked.

Curtis said nothing, and continued to stare off towards the woods, and safety.

‘They’re called Hollow Men or drones,’ I explained, ‘Cavi homini. Nothing more than the personified evil will of the Mighty Shandar: empty vessels bidden to kill us, without thought, malice or guilt. It’s why no one ever comes back from Cadair Idris.’

Curtis still said nothing, so I continued:

‘I’m telling you this because we need to be a team to survive. Are you any good with a sword?’

‘You’re wasting your time.’

That sounded like something Curtis would say, but he hadn’t spoken. It was Addie.