With practice under their belt and the road ahead clear, the Irregulars soon reached the second bridge. There was no hesitation this time – no need to pause or debate what the plan was. Positions were taken, and the next stage of the operation began.
And it didn't take long.
A deep, splintering groan rolled through the bridge as the first anchor gave way. Then another. Cracks were spreading rapidly, racing across the structure as the remaining supports began to fail. The bridge shuddered violently, stones breaking loose and vanishing into the abyss below.
They were pulled back just in time as the remaining supports suddenly gave in. The massive structure buckled, folding as its weight betrayed it. With a thunderous roar, the bridge tore free from the ravine walls and collapsed, plunging into the lightless abyss below.
Dust and debris followed in its wake, swallowed by the darkness.
It had fallen even faster than the first.
Now back in the Rhino and on their way to the third bridge, Lauri stood in the kitchen area, staring at the wall as his fingers tapped against the counter. His eyes were open wider than usual. Every so often, his lids would begin to droop – but each time, he forced them open again.
Walking into the room, Danse paused as he saw Lauri.
"Lauri?"
Taking a few steps forward, Danse tipped his head to the side.
"Are you alright? You're acting a little weird… weirder than usual. And the others have noticed."
Lauri's fingers rested on the counter as he turned to face Danse.
"And you thought you'd come to check on me, that's why you're my second in command, Danse… I appreciate that. If you must know, I am fine, I'm just… I suddenly feel so tired."
Leaning against the counter, Danse stroked his beard.
"As your second in command, I should be honest with you and tell you I'm only here because we played rock, paper, scissors to decide on who would come and check in with you. I lost."
Lauri's mouth twitched, before he could speak, Danse continued.
"But I'm not surprised you're tired, Lauri. I can't recall the last time you slept. Is that an application of your Aspect? You can use the light to put off needing to sleep longer than other Masters?"
Staring at Danse for a second too long, Lauri rubbed his face, closing his eyes.
"No… No… That isn't something [Well of Light] can do, unless the sleep is insidious in nature. I guess I've just been so on edge that the realisation that we might be able to destroy all seven bridges before the Whispering Legion reaches us… I think it's made me lose my edge, and now I can't seem to get it back!"
Throwing his hands up, Lauri rested them on his head.
As Lauri muttered under his breath, aggrieved by his situation, Danse shrugged.
"If you're tired, just go to sleep. Better yet, head into the Dream Realm. With any luck, it might be sunny where you're tethered – you could replenish your stores of light."
'Go to sleep?'
Lauri's eyes flicked open.
"I can't go to the Dream Realm."
Danse simply stared at Lauri.
"And why is that?"
"What if you get attacked by Nightmare Creatures while I'm gone? I wouldn't want to reappear here and see Lucky being used as a chew toy by some big, ugly monster."
Danse let out a booming laugh.
"We haven't seen a Nightmare Creature in days. Makes you wonder where they've all gone."
Lauri's gaze dropped to the floor as he sighed.
"We haven't run into any because they've all moved north… and if they haven't, they're in the process of it."
Danse's smile faded.
There was only one place of note to the north of the Antarctic Centre – the only thing roaming Nightmare Creatures ever seemed to care about. The very reason they were racing against the clock to destroy the seven bridges and halt the advance of the Whispering Legion. With every human settlement either evacuated or destroyed, there was only one destination left for the Nightmare Creatures to satisfy their hunger for human souls.
All of them were heading north.
To lay siege to Falcon Scott.
"Okay, yeah… Fine."
Pushing off the counter, Lauri nodded.
"Alright, I'll go to the Dream Realm. I'll only be gone for a few hours; that should be enough time to rejuvenate my soul."
Stopping at the door, Lauri paused to yawn. Turning back, he nodded towards Danse.
"You're in charge until I'm back."
Raising a hand to his forehead, Danse did a mock salute.
"Yes, Captain, I'll make sure Lucky doesn't drive us off a cliff until you get back."
Smiling, Lauri turned away, heading for his quarters. Once there, he took a moment to ensure his tether was in place, and it was at the foot of his bed.
Closing his eyes, Lauri focused on his tether.
And disappeared.
----
Under a cloudless night sky, the world stretched endlessly in every direction – there was nothing but water. There was no land, no horizon, only a heaving expanse of dark ocean rising and falling in slow, monstrous breaths. The waves dwarfed anything found in the Waking World, towering walls of water that climbed impossibly high before crashing down with a force that seemed capable of breaking the world itself. Each swell rolled like a moving mountain, their peaks seemed as if they were reaching, trying to grasp the stars.
And yet, something moved among them.
A ship – vast beyond reason – cut through the chaos. It rose higher than the tallest wave, a colossal silhouette of wood that parted the ocean as if it were no more than a restless tide. Where the waves reared up like giants, the ship did not yield; it split them, its hull carving through the towering masses of water, sending cascades of foam and spray crashing back into the abyss below.
The sea raged. The storm howled.
But the Night Garden endured it all.
The chamber housing the Night Garden's Gateway was within the entrance of its greatest pagoda. The chamber was vast, its high ceiling supported by sweeping arches. Every surface was lined with deep blue tiles, polished to a muted sheen.
The tiles caught the ambient light filtering in through the entrance, coming from flickering candles in soft, shifting reflections, like the surface of a calm sea disturbed by those moving across its floor, their shadows like passing ripples. The colour of the tiles was rich and uniform at a glance, but up close each tile bore subtle differences – faint marbling, thin veins of darker indigo, and the occasional hairline crack that hinted at the room's true age.
The floor was wide and open, its tiled surface worn smooth by countless footsteps over countless ages. A faint chill seemed to rise from it, carrying with it the quiet echo of movement – boots striking against the tiles, voices murmuring, the constant rhythm of Awakened coming and going.
Along the walls, the blue tiles climbed uninterrupted, broken only by narrow alcoves where dim, steady flames burned.
At the centre of it all stood the Gateway.
Its presence seemed to distort the room, drawing the eye no matter where one stood. The blue tiles around it seemed almost darker, as though the light itself bent subtly toward the Gateway.
And beside the Gateway, Lauri appeared.
Lauri paused, seeing the number of people within the chamber.
'I think this is the most people I've ever seen here. How many of these Awakened are coming from or heading back to the evacuation convoys moving between Antarctica and the rest of the world? …How many of them are just normal people trying to live their lives?'
The chamber housing the Night Garden's Gateway buzzed with activity as Awakened passed through in a steady flow. Lauri had already stepped aside to make room for another Awakened who was about to return to the Waking World.
As he approached the exit, Lauri glanced back.
The Gateway took the form of a navigation device unknown to the Waking World. Its surface was made of glass with shifting lines and symbols that were in constant motion across its surface. The thin threads of light traced paths, intersecting, diverging, and realigning in patterns too complex even for a Master's mind to follow.
It did not display a place, but it was believed to guide toward one.
It was said that the only person who had ever been able to read the strange navigation device was the founder of the House of Night, Nightwalker. But as Nightwalker had disappeared a long time ago, the Gateway went unused in that regard.
Where the Gateway led… Lauri did not know.
A mystery for another time – preferably one when he was feeling less tired.