Chapter the Third of Part the Sixth
In which the narrative recounts acts from the life of Polnar in Merithwell.
“W-w-was that the evil wizard Dunsland said might attack us?” Peete asked.
The question was met with a stunned silence for some time. Polnar looked at Danzigger apprehensively. The bit of color that had returned to his cheeks was gone. Passenell was no less pale. Although still sitting up, Passenell appeared to have lost his soul as well. Polnar could hardly blame him after the way he was tied up and laid across that table and a knife aimed at his heart.
“That was the Premiere Master Magus Donanskorall, the one who was going to save us from the errant magus who was threatening all of our worlds,” Gwendarin answered quietly.
Polnar shot a glance over at Malcoomb, who still did not lift up his head. Forsikt leapt over to Malcoomb like a cat and pounced on him.
“YOU ASSFACE SNEAKING TRAITOR!” Forsikt yelled.
“Wh-wh-wh!”
“YOU SENT THE WHOLE SCHOOL OF MAGI TO ATTACK THIS PLACE!”
‘WHAT?”
“Then who did?” Forsikt asked.
“How should I know?” Malcoomb asked in return.
A darkness that felt like a swamp covering him moved into Merithwell. A violent jolt sent the boys sprawling on the floor. A sound like fiery thunder sizzled throughout the walls and froze the sparkling light.
“What was that?” asked one of the boys from Brendan’s world.
“I think they’re attacking us already,” said Mark.
“I know!” cried Gwendarin. “I’ll bet the Master Magi of Drakkenfleiss think this is the fortress built by the errant magi!”
“Do you mean we’re the evil magi Dunsland told us about who might attack us?” asked Mark.
Malcoomb finally came to life to the extent of jumping to his feet and looking out of the window. Whatever he saw drew a nervous whoop of laughter out of him.
“I think you’re right,” said Malcoomb. “All of the Master Magi and the other student magi are surrounding this place as if we were the ones threatening all of the worlds!”
“Then we should be able to set them straight,” said Gwendarin. She stuck her head out of the window, waved, and yelled: “It okay! This is just a boys’ singing tower! There’s nothing to worry about!”
Malcoomb took Gwendarin’s place at the window.
“THERE’S NO MAGIC HERE!” Malcoomb yelled. “THERE’S NOBODY HERE WHO’S GOING TO HURT ANYBODY! THERE’S JUST A BUNCH OF KIDS WHO LIKE TO SING THEIR HEADS OFF!”
“SURRENDER THE FORTRESS AT ONCE!” yelled a commanding voice. “THIS FORTRESS IS FILLED WITH UNAUTHORIZED MAGIC!”
“They don’t believe us!” said Gwendarin.
Malcoomb stuck his head out the window a second time and waved.
“THERE AREN’T ANY ERRANT MAGI HERE! YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE ACADEMY!”
“SURRENDER THE FORTRESS AT ONCE! THIS FORTRESS MUST BE DESTROYED BEFORE ITS UNAUTHORIZED MAGIC DESTROYS ALL WORLDS!”
“THERE’S NOTHING TO SURRENDER!”
There was a tense pause, during which the stones of Merithwell flickered weakly.
“Should we surrender and hope for the best?” asked Kit.
“After what they did to Dunsland?” Gwendarin asked in return.
“I’ll fix them,” said Malcoomb.
“No!” Gwendarin cried.
But before Gwendarin could stop him, Malcoomb had already sent a bolt of lightning out the window that turned into fluff before it could go anywhere.
“Dragon’s dung!” Malcoomb cursed. “There’s nothing we can do!”
A heavy dark cloud floated in through the window and thickened the darkness that was already hanging in the air of Merithwell. More stones blinked out, leaving large dark blanks in the wall.
“I think we’d better run away,” one of the boys from Mark’s world suggested.
“You can all come to our world,” added a boy from Brendan’s world.
“Not in my life I’m not!” Mark cried. “If you guys want to leave Brendan and Luke and Kyle and Dunsland and Pir Min and Raissa and Morrass behind, not to speak of Danzigger here, you can go right ahead! As for me, I’m sticking by my friends!”
“I’m staying here with Danzigger!” said Polnar, as he looked anxiously at Danzigger’s pale face.
“Luke and Brendan stuck by me,” said Craig. “I’m sticking by them.”
“I’m not leaving this place until I know everybody is safe from every enemy in every world that we’ve got!” Tel Arman declared.
Another strike against the walls of Merithwell shook the tower and knocked several boys off their feet. Then another cloud shaped like a flock of giant black birds slammed into Merithwell, giving off a harsh buzzing sound that stung Polnar’s ears.
“I—I’m sticking by everybody, too,” said Peete, “but what can we do?”
“I thought you said singing builds up this place,” said Sue Pafko.
“Yea,” said Craig. “Everything’s gotten worse since we stopped singing.”
“He’s right!” cried Polnar. “Singing’s our only chance.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” asked Tel Arman. “Get back to singing!”
“What should we sing?” asked Kit.
“‘The Western Wind,’ of course,” said Mark.
“Who can start us off?” asked Tel Arman.
“I will!” Mark cried.
Polnar could barely hear Mark sing over the increasing din of the buzzing, but Polnar added his voice to Mark’s, hoping he was singing together with him. He pushed himself to sing against the clouds and the buzzing, feeling in turns as if he were singing under water in a swamp or singing into the feathers of a giant bird. It seemed so pointless. Dunsland’s rescuers had not returned. Nobody could rescue Kyle from his cruel world. Danzigger was never going to recover from his spirit loss. But the only chance to save Merithwell was to sing, and so Polnar plodded on, hoping the others were doing the same. Suddenly, the heavy clouds broke apart, the buzzing dropped to a low level, and Polnar could see what was left of the weakening stones of Merithwell. For a verse, Mark’s singing could be heard clearly above the uncoordinated singing of the other boys:
Western wynde, when wilt thou blow,
The small raine down can raine.
Christ, if this dark would lift away
And we could sing our hearts again.
Polnar could also hear, from a distance, a voice echoing the song and a fiddle accompanying it. Polnar looked anxiously at Danzigger. He was as unconscious as ever. Polnar and all the other boys left in Merithwell brought their singing in line with Mark’s before the clouds and the buzzing struck them with redoubled force and Polnar could hear nobody else and could hardly see Danzigger’s face.
Proceed to Chapter the Fourth of Part the Sixth
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