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"I can sympathize with you," Bracken said "Life can wear alife on the run Still, mistake or not, you have to fulfill your duty The stakes are too high This is not the time to let your existential crisis coued, eyes intense "Do you kno long I’ve been waiting for this? I’ve toyed with death, sure, mostly to sample the illusion of an end To pretend I had soon or a phoenix to conclude my life prematurely If I had putNot suicide Just the inevitable finally catching up After all of these centuries, I have a right to stop fighting"

"You don’t have that right," Bracken said "If this was just you, I’d agree But you can’t let the rest of the world pay for your mistake This becareed to help keep Zzyzx closed"

Mark clapped his hands over his ears "You need that to be true I get it Here’s the problem I auilt and all the accusations and all the compulsion in the universe can’t fully take that away Is it wrong of me to have accepted this responsibility and then not follow through? Yes Tux tells me,or not, it re to end the world If you want to bla to finally o You can try to forceabout vows, lettion sanctuary by force, I will ion to endme in a place with lier if you leave me be"

"Please," Kendra said "Think of all the lives that will be destroyed"

"I have," Mark said "Believe rasp all aspects of this, I really do But howworried about ht to find peace?"

"Theythe end of the world Those who know about your sacrifice appreciate you immeasurably Your life may not be fair, but it is absolutely necessary"

"Leave rowled "I don’t need to justify myself to you This conversation is over Trust s left toa corpse At least there’s one other Eternal Hopefully soh as you, Mr Unicorn Take the other sucker, I mean hero, to your sanctuary Leave me be"

Mark turned and ran Bracken and Kendra watched hi him," Bracken said He crouched beside the cat "What do you make of this?"

"I’m unsurprised," Tux said wearily "This was the most likely response, but I quietly hoped the confrontation ing sibling; I hoped he ers I was also hoping the prospect of actual iht shake him up After this display, I’m convinced that

Mark really is as hollow as he claiood man, once"

"What now?" Kendra asked

"We abduct hiad will have to lock hiet a car and track down the last Eternal"

"I have to stay with hiets too distant, I start to feel like a chain is draggingus has becohtly," Bracken said, walking in the direction Mark had run "I’ve spent time in prison It’s inhumane But prisons serve a necessary purpose Prisons protect the freedom of the masses from those who abuse their freedohs Mark’s personal rights Hean Eternal, but the rest of the world shouldn’t pay for his error Like it or not, it remains his chore to pay for his decision"

"Amen," the cat approved

"Are you in touch with Raxtus?" Kendra asked

"I just told hirab Mark," Bracken replied "Okay, Raxtus has him We’ll meet up on the beach so Tux can join hi Bracken and Kendra broke into a jog

Tux led thee that spanned the Pacific Coast Highway They hurried onto the bridge Cars zoohts on

The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the hazy sky above the ocean streaked pink and orange The footbridge led down to a deserted parking lot where pulverized glass gliht A barren expanse of sand separated the lot frouard along the beach at regular intervals Off to the left, a larger parking lot alongside the Santa Monica Pier contained dozens of cars and several people

Mark lay sprawled on the sand not far froulls wheeled and cried in the air above

Kendra, Bracken, and Tux crossed the parking lot and a jogging path and started across the sand The way the sand absorbed each step lanced over at the roller coaster on the pier Between the beach, the pier, the shops, the weather, and the restaurants, this could be a really fun place under different circulared up spitefully Fro his," he accused

"And you’re a sorry joke of ato save your life, so you had better get used to the idea"

Mark glowered at Tux "What have you got to say for yourself?"

"Meow," the cat replied, pronouncing the word the way a human would

"Raxtus, take Mark and Tux to Wyrad Give him this stone, so we can communicate"

Bracken held out a son took it "Take an unpredictable route"

Raxtus flickered into view, his neck craning up "We have coe winged creatures were quickly approaching "Wyverns," Bracken

A Hue "Fly!" Bracken urged, drawing his sword "Take Kendra!"