The First Dragon(85)
“I—I don’t know what to say,” she answered truthfully. “I’m not even certain what I should call you.”
“I have gone by many names, and lived many lives, over these thousands of years,” said Poe, “and the one that suited me best was the one given to me by my father—Cain. But the one that I think I shall return to is the one my mother called me—Chronos. I think it suits me better now, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” said Rose. “I do.”
He didn’t say anything after that, but merely turned to look out over the sea, so after a few moments, Rose turned and left, closing the door behind her.
♦ ♦ ♦
As the restoration of the Archipelago continued apace, a meeting was called among the Caretakers to address something being asked by the reemerging peoples of the lands: Who would rule?
“I think ‘govern’ is a better word,” Madoc said as he and the Prime Caretaker made their way to the great hall. “Ruling is an anachronism, I think.”
“That’s just modesty talking,” said John.
“Not modesty,” said Madoc. “Caution. It was my ambition to rule the Archipelago that created most of the problems to begin with, remember?”
“And it was your eventual wisdom that resolved them,” John said. “You mustn’t forget that, either.”
“I wasted my youth.” Madoc sighed. “I could have done so much better, for so many around me.”
“You were a good boy, who never had the opportunity to become a good man,” said John.
Madoc shook his head. “I had opportunities—I just allowed the bitterness to dominate my choices. That, and deciding to listen to John Dee instead of . . .” He sighed again heavily. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life—and it has been a very long life.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Madoc and John had decided that the best approach would be the most direct one, and so at John’s urging, the son of Odysseus stood to address the Caretakers.
“We are going to dissolve the Frontier,” he said simply. “Before today is ended, the Archipelago of Dreams and the Summer Country will once more be one world.”
At hearing this, da Vinci choked on his wine, spraying it across his hapless colleagues at the end of the table. “Are you mad?” he said, barely containing his anger. “If you do that, then anyone can simply cross over! It’s madness!”
“Anyone who has a guide,” Madoc said, gesturing at the stack of Imaginarium Geographicas piled on the floor next to Fred. “A guide, and the purity of heart to see the invisible world that our magic has restored.”
Twain nodded in agreement. “Most humans wouldn’t be able to find the Archipelago if we strapped them to a Dragonship and dropped them onto Tamerlane House,” he said as he lit another cigar, “but there are some who would be able to find a way here if they were blind, deaf, and dumb. They would still feel the magic, and heed its call. And for those people, it should be as open as possible.”
Da Vinci scowled. “This has all gone exactly as you wanted, Mordred,” he said, deliberately using the name that had at one time struck fear into the hearts of all the Caretakers. “You wanted to rule the Archipelago, and you shall. You wanted to open the Archipelago to the world, and you will. And after all our efforts trying to defeat you over the years, and all the lives that were lost in the pursuit of that goal, you have won everything after all. Well. Done.”
“I am no longer Mordred,” Madoc said, his words measured and cool, “and I am dictating terms to no one. I have the support of the Prime Caretaker”—he gestured to John—“the Caveo Principia,” he continued, gesturing at Jack, “the other Caretakers of this era”—he nodded at Charles and Fred—“and the Imago herself. This is the best plan we can try, and it will be worth our efforts.”
“It also supports what I established with the International Cartological Society, back in the Summer Country,” said Jack. “We already have dozens of apprentices, and hundreds of associate Caretakers, and we hope that number will soon grow.”
“Grow?” da Vinci said, incredulous. “At this rate, anyone in the world who wants to will be able to find their way into the Archipelago of Dreams!”
“Yes,” Madoc said, smiling. “If we do our jobs right, that’s exactly what will happen.”
♦ ♦ ♦
It was dusk when John, Jack, Charles, and Madoc made their way to Terminus for a private discussion they had wanted to have for a very long time.