Part Six

“Are we home?” someone asked, in the darkness.

“I’m wearing the clothes I was wearing back at the beginning,” Honey answered, “so, I guess that’s a good sign.”

“How are we supposed to find the bomb in the dark?” Diana wondered.

“Here’s my phone light,” Mart put in. “If I shine it on the tree…”

They gathered around and at length Dan scraped out enough dirt to allow him to pull it out.

Trixie waved them all towards the lake. “Let’s get this over with.”

They met no one on the way. Jim and Brian set about getting the rowboat ready, then the debate began on who would do what.

“I really do think most of us should leave,” Brian argued. “We don’t know how big the explosion is going to be.”

“But I want to see it,” his sister objected. “And so does everyone else.”

“How about if most of us stay here and climb to the top of this slope,” Honey suggested. “The deepest part is way over there. I’m sure we’ll be safe.”

Brian looked like he might argue, then decided not to.

“Jim and I are going to drop it in,” Trixie announced. “Are you ready, Jim?”

He nodded and they both got into the boat. The eastern sky near the horizon began to turn faintly blue as they pushed out into the lake. The splash of the oars was the only sound in the pre-dawn silence.

“Is this about right?” Jim asked, a short time later.

“Yeah. I think so.” Trixie picked up the bomb and took a deep breath. “Here goes.”

She dropped it into the water. A strange sound echoed through the surrounding woods, almost like a foghorn, but sounding somehow incredibly distant. Every bird and animal, it seemed, awoke and made a noise.

“Row. Fast!”

Jim put all his strength into carrying them back to shore. Once they were safe on dry land, Trixie took the token and weighed it in her hands for a moment.

“Throw it.”

She could see Jim’s silhouette in the growing light.

“You can do it, Trixie.”

She nodded and pulled her arm back. The tiny object left her hand and disappeared into the night. They could not even hear the splash.

Jim grabbed her hand and they ran together, away from the water. As they scrambled up the slope to where their friends waited, a muffled boom swept through the air. They turned to see a large splash out in the middle of the lake. Moments later, a wave washed up on the shore and subsided.

“Nice work,” Vanda commented, from somewhere out of view.

“Vanda! You’re back already!” Trixie greeted. “Is everything okay?”

The Traveller nodded. “As well as can be expected, at least.”

“Suletu?” Trixie asked.

“Lost her position – both the one she had with us and the new one she betrayed us to get. But otherwise she’s gotten away with it.”

Trixie glanced back at the lake, frowning. “Did we just destroy the evidence?”

Vanda shrugged. “It wouldn’t have made a difference. And we had plenty of time to stop you. It’s been months, for me, since we last met.”

“What about Sef?” Trixie asked.

“Fully recovered. He had to go and fix up his own tricks and I’m pretty sure he won’t be doing that again.”

Honey stepped forward and laid a hand on the other woman’s arm. “What about you? Are you okay?”

A small smile teased Vanda’s lips. “More than okay. My training is almost complete and in another few days, I will be appointed as Suletu’s successor.” The smile widened. “And it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t butted in on my mission…”

They all looked out to the lake, which showed no signs of what had just happened there, other than a higher-than-usual high water mark.

“I’m so glad we could help,” Honey told her.

“So, will we ever see you again?” Diana asked.

Vanda smiled enigmatically. “You never know. You just might.”

The End

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