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Inside the rooainst the wall He fell and lay huddled, like nothing more than the outline of a man He buried his face in the carpet and shook

Outside, Daniel watched with an awe he'd never ed before as the fire cli in a pan--and then it vanished, leaving no trace of her

Miraculous Every single inch of Daniel's body was tingling If it hadn't wrecked his past self so coht have found the spectacle of Lucinda's death alot to his feet His s burst out of his black dress coat, taking up most of the room He raised his fists toward the sky and bellowed

Outside, Daniel couldn't take it any shards of glass out into the night Then he barreled through the jagged hole

What are you doing here? his past self gasped, cheeks streas fully extended, there almost wasn't room for them in the enormous parlor They rolled back their shoulders as much as possible to draay fro

I atching, Daniel said

You--what? You co out his ars Is this what you wanted to see? The depths of his ly plain

This needed to happen, Daniel

Don't feedadvice froain?

No! Daniel almost shouted at his past self Listen: There is a time, not so very far froas are different When we have an opportunity to stop doing this over and over When Lucinda at last ht--

Break the cycle? his past self whispered

Yes Daniel was beginning to feel light-headed There was one too o It will take so back when he reached theBut h the brokenHis words--maintain hope--echoed in his mind as he took off across the sky, deep into the shadows of the night

Chapter Nine

SO WE BEAT ON

TAHITI DECEMBER 11, 1775

Luce found herself balanced on a splintery wooden beahtly to the left, then creaked again as it eased very slowly to the right The rocking was steady and ceaseless, as if the beam were attached to a very short pendulu across her face and blew her servant's bonnet off her head The beaainst the bea it to herself before she went tu down--

Where was she? In front of her was the endless blue of open sky A darker blue at what must have been the horizon She looked down

She was incredibly high up

A waterlogged pole stretched a hundred feet beneath her, ending in a wooden deck Oh It was a e sailboat

A very large shipwrecked sailboat, just off the coast of a black-shored island

The bow had been sainst a cluster of razor-sharp lava rocks that had left it a pulverized mess The mainsail was shredded: tattered pieces of tawny canvas flapping loosely in the wind The air sreat storm, but this ship was so weathered, it looked like it had been there for years

Every time the waves rushed up the black-sand shores, water sprayed dozens of feet up from the crevices in the rocks The waves hly she felt she et down? Hoas she going to get to shore?

Aha! Look who's landed like a bird on a perch Bill's voice broke over the crashing waves He appeared at the far tip of the ship's rotting yard, walking with his arms extended from his sides as if he were on a balance beam

Where are we? Luce was too nervous tolungful of air Can't you taste it? The north coast of Tahiti! He plopped down next to Luce, kicked out his stubby legs, stretched his short gray arms up, and clasped his hands behind his head Isn't it paradise?

I think I' to throw up

Nonsense You just have to find your sea legs

How did we get-- Luce glanced around again for an Announcer She didn't see a single shadow, just the endless blank blue of eistics for you Think of ent, and of yourself as on vacation!

We're not on vacation, Bill

We're not? I thought ere taking the Grand Tour of Love He rubbed his forehead, and flinty flakes showered from his scalp Did I misunderstand?

Where are Lucinda and Daniel?

Hang on He hovered in the air in front of Luce Don't you want a little history?

Luce ignored him and scooted over toward the s that spiked out from the mast's sides