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Mistress Jane glared at Frazier Gunn, who knelt before her chair by the , like a crily, Jane felt ry about this new development Maybe she would let Gunn live after all

"I don’t kno it happened, Mistress," Gunn gru his face "The Realitants disappeared and took the Barrier Wand with them"

Jane reached over and lifted the Chi’karda Drive froe of the sill "How, exactly, could they do that when I’e must’ve winked them out somehow" Gunn kept his eyes fixed on the floor

"Impossible," Jane said ie’s Wand broke in half Plus, you’re the one who said their plan was to go back to the ancient Plague battlefield and get winked hours from now"

"Then how did--"

"SILENCE!" Jane had endured this stupid h "Leavetime" She dismissed him with a wave of her hand

"Yes, Mistress"

Jane watched hi incessantly his thanks for her gracious decision to let hi the Wand was a major loss; its parts and mechanisms were equally as important as the Chi’karda Drive itself--but she had h the recesses of her brilliant mind

How had they done it? How had they h without the Drive? And in the heart of her personal fortress at that? Did it have so to do with the twisted version of the mysterious force that existed in the Thirteenth Reality? Jane tapped a sharp fingernail against her lips, thinking

Did one of those bratty kids have some kind of special power over the Chi’karda? Many questions indeed

The implications were vast, the possibilities endless

Despite the setback, Mistress Jane smiled

To any outside observer, it would have seeh Tick and his friends had just won the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the NBA Chah so en within inches of tearing the away to coh to ju and then to start all over again

"What took you so long!" Paul yelled, whacking Tick on the back with a huge s to decide if I wanted to take you or leave you behind," Tick replied, grinning

They celebrated inside a roole, though a much smaller version--a couple of couches, a chair, a cold brick fireplace A single as placed directly across from the fireplace, and it looked out upon a dry palette of colors--oranges, reds, browns

Tick brought his giddiness back to reason and walked over to get a better look at the view Beyond their rooe drop-off that led to a brown strip of river far below Sheer walls of striated rock rose up fro in all directions as far as Tick could see This was the satellite location Master George had said he’d send them to?