The Pilgrims of Rayne by D.J. MacHale Read Free Book Online Page A

territories that were set straight, and those that were in trouble. I told him how Gunny and Spader were trapped on Eelong, how many Travelers had been killed, and how Nevva Winter, the Traveler from Quillan, had joined Saint Dane. I also told him about the mysterious Convergence that Saint Dane said was near. I told him quickly and succinctly, only hitting the highlights. Saying it all at once like that made the whole story seem so, I don’t know, impossible.
    It also made me lose my appetite. So much for the cheeseburgers.
    â€œKEM Limited,” I said. “That’s important. Mark wouldn’t have been able to spring his invention on the world by himself. He would have needed somebody to help him.”
    Courtney asked, “So if we find this KEM company, we’ll find Mark.”
    My mind ripped through the possibilities.
    â€œBobby?” Courtney pressed. “What are you thinking?”
    â€œThe turning point of First Earth has passed,” I said. “Saint Dane tried to get me to save the Hindenburg. I didn’t and history continued the way it was supposed to.”
    â€œOld news. So what?”
    â€œSo when we step into that flume and call out First Earth, where is it going to send us? No, when is it going to send us? What if it sends us back too late to stop Mark? Or way too early? We might be totally spinning our wheels.”
    Patrick gave me a dark look. Courtney thought for a moment and said, “You’ve written in your journals a thousand times how the flumes send the Travelers where they need to be, when they need to be there. It’s pretty clear we need to be on First Earth in time to do something about Mark.”
    â€œYeah,” I said, frowning. “That scares me even more.”
    â€œWhy?” she asked impatiently.
    â€œIf the flume sends us back in time to do something about Mark, does that mean First Earth has another turning point? Does that mean it’s possible for all the territories to have more than one turning point? Did the Travelers before us chase Saint Dane from territory to territory, constantly monkeying with turning points? What about after us? Is this battle going to go on forever?”
    Courtney had an answer for everything. Not this time. Allshe could do was stare at me. Patrick didn’t even do that. He kept his eyes on the road. I knew what they were thinking. I could sum it up with one simple question: “What’s the point?”
    â€œStop,” Courtney snapped. “The point is to save Mark. Over and out. We can go nuts thinking about all the cosmic implications of what’s been happening, but that’s only going to make us more nuts. Worrying about anything else is a waste of time.”
    â€œOr is this all just a waste of time?” I asked. “Are we killing ourselves to prolong the inevitable? If Saint Dane can’t be destroyed, and he can go back and tinker with territories we’ve already saved, there’ll be no end to this. Until he’s won.”
    Courtney grabbed my shoulder and yanked me around until we were nose to nose. “I don’t believe that,” she said with passion. “Neither do you. You’re just feeling sorry for yourself. We’ve come too far and gone through too much to give up now.”
    She was right, of course. We had no choice. The battle would continue. But I was discouraged. Was this going to be a never-ending struggle, with Saint Dane jumping through time, turning events on a whim, twisting the territories, and creating new turning points until Halla finally cracked?
    â€œAre you with me, Bobby?” Courtney asked.
    â€œYou know I am.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her about the serious doubts I was having.
    Patrick dropped us off at the green kiosk in the Bronx that led down to the subway city and the flume. He said to Courtney, “I’ve only known you a short while, but I can see why Pendragon wants you with