“And so we go,” I said softly.
“So we go,” Loor agreed.
• • •
This is where I’m going to end my journal, guys. I’m writing it in Loor’s small home in the warrior complex of Xhaxhu. Mark, Courtney, there are three things I want you to take away from this journal, and from what happened on Eelong.
The first, and maybe the most important, is that what happened was not your fault. Saint Dane gave us no choice but to do what we did. I believe he poisoned Seegen as the klee was leaving for Second Earth, so that you would discover the Cloral poison. You did exactly what you needed to do. If you hadn’t gone to Cloral to get the antidote, Eelong would have been doomed. Beyond that, Gunny and Kasha and I would probably have died too. Either way, we would have lost three Travelers.
Saint Dane manipulated us all. He told me his plans to wipe out the gars so that once we discovered the Cloral poison, we’d do all we could to stop him. Allowing an entire race to be killed is something he knew we’d never let happen. But this brings me to the second thing you must know.
I believe there is a balance to Halla, and to the territories. That’s why I’m now convinced that what Uncle Press told me so long ago is still the truth. Mingling the territories is wrong. Saint Dane did it because he’s trying to create chaos. But we can’t follow. He lured you guys into using the flumes, which was wrong. Each time you used a flume, it grew weaker. When you left Eelong, it was the last straw. That’s why the gate collapsed. Whatever force holds Halla in balance was disrupted. I believe this was Saint Dane’s plan all along. It’s why he met you on Second Earth and gave you Gunny’s hand. He tempted you into using the flumes, then gave you a reason to do it.
Saint Dane’s goal wasn’t to destroy Eelong, it was about forcing us to change the way things were meant to be. He wants to disrupt all of Halla. So I will repeat what I’ve said before. Do not use the flumes. I’m saying this now with more certainty than ever. If you do, what happened to the flume on Eelong might happen on Second Earth.
The final thing I want you guys to know, is that I am incredibly proud of you. I mean it when I say this wasn’t your fault. You two were brave and resourceful. Words can’t begin to describe it. I know you did this to help me, and for that I will always love you both. But I also know that you understand how important it is to stop Saint Dane. To risk your lives the way you did, man, I am in awe of you two. If there was one thing I wish, it would be that you were both Travelers. I’d give anything to have you here with me. But you can’t. I can only hope that you will continue to be my acolytes and protect my journals.
As I’m writing this, I have to admit that I’m really disturbed about the future. Our adventure on Eelong kicked this war with Saint Dane into another gear. Telling right from wrong, good from bad, isn’t so easy anymore. We broke the rules on Eelong. But we did it because we thought it was for a greater good. And it was. But we paid a steep price for it. My problem is, I’m afraid I won’t know what I should do when faced with this kind of decision again. Do I allow an entire race to be wiped out in order to play by the rules? Worse, do we let Saint Dane destroy a territory to save all of Halla? I still have nightmares about the Hindenburg. We’re the good guys, but how moral is it to allow people to die, no matter what the reason? When I think like this, I wonder if I’m truly the right person to be the lead Traveler. I’ve done my best, I can say that for sure. But when the next difficult decision has to be made, will my best be good enough? I guess we’re all going to find out.
Be well, my friends. Try to go back to living your normal lives, though I’m not sure what normal is anymore. After what you went through on Eelong, I’m sure you’re going to have the same problem. For that, I’m sorry. When I write next time, I’ll bring you up to speed on the nightmare that I have found here on Zadaa.
Because it is a nightmare.
And so we go. Again.
END OF JOURNAL #19
To Be Continued
PENDRAGON
JOURNAL OF AN ADVENTURE THROUGH TIME AND SPACE
Coming in Summer 2005
Bobby Pendragon continues his pursuit of Saint Dane in
The Rivers of Zadaa
Bobby Pendragon has followed Saint Dane to the territory of Zadaa, where Saint Dane’s influence has fueled the fire of discontent between two warring tribes: the Rokador and the Batu. This is also the territory where the Traveler Loor lives, and together she and Bobby work to thwart Saint Dane’s efforts to destroy Zadaa.
Look for The Rivers of Zadaa wherever books are sold.
D. J. MacHale is a writer, director, executive producer, and creator of several popular television series and movies which include: Are You Afraid of the Dark?; Chris Cross; Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective; Tower of Terror; Ghostwriter; and multiple Afterschool Specials. In print D. J. has cowritten the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay, and written a poetic adaptation of the classic folktale East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Visit him on the Web at www.thependragonadventure.com.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First Aladdin Paperbacks edition August 2004
Copyright © 2004 by D. J. MacHale
ALADDIN PAPERBACKS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster
Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
All rights reserved, including the right of
reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Designed by Debra Sfetsios
The text of this book was set in Apollo and Helvetica.
Library of Congress Control Number 2003096186
ISBN-13: 978-0-689-86911-2
ISBN-10: 0-689-86911-8
Black Water Page 38
