“Get out,” Alex said. The tall figure flinched as if he’d been hit by a combination punch.

Alex gathered his thoughts. The white-blue light was there for him, behind him, before him, waiting to be used, hungry for direction. He knew how to reach the power, and the power knew him. He knew how to move his mind from all his flights with the flier. Two different kinds of magic, light and dark. He took both, pushed them together, and put it all into his words. “Get out. My mind. Get out.”

The tall man staggered back against the door. He stopped chanting and looked helplessly at Alex.

“No. No. Wait. Alexander— Alex,” he said pleadingly. “Don’t you understand—”

“I understand,” Alex said. “Get out.” The door opened.

“Get out,” Alex and Kenzie said, now speaking as one voice, with words of fire.

The tall man lifted a hand in a beseeching gesture. Then he fell backward through the doorway, out of sight. There was no light there.

Alex felt something move in his mind, like a gust of wind passing through a house, all the doors slamming shut behind it. The door vanished.

“Alex,” Kenzie whispered after a long silence. He stood blinking, looking around. “What—”

“Later, Kenzie,” Alex said. “You should get back home. You’ve had a bad dream. We both have. But it’s over now. Let’s leave it alone. Go home. Wake up.”

“I—” Kenzie started. But Alex closed his eyes and stepped back and he couldn’t hear him anymore.

His ankle was aching and he was very tired. He felt wind and rain on his face, wet clothes sticking heavily around his limbs. He opened his eyes.

No gray room. No Kenzie. No tall man. Just trees and rain, wild night and a ruined old building. A scratched tin robot in his hand, and his grandfather bleeding on the ground. Alex threw the sword-stick away and dropped to his knees.

“Grandad, I—”

The old man gestured weakly. “The toy robot, Alex, the tablet,” he said as Alex bent an ear to his mouth. The voice was as faint as a breath. “You must promise to . . .”

“I will.” Alex nodded fast. “I promise. Don’t worry, just . . .”

“Dawn soon.” His grandfather patted his hand. “Sunrise in a forest, always worth . . . Remind yourself you’re alive.”

Then it was as if the old man simply went to sleep.

XXXVII.

FEVER

There was something running at Alex from behind. He wiped his blurring eyes and turned to see Kingdom’s dog Maia galloping toward him. Beyond, Kingdom knelt by Harry, helping him up. The other dogs stood around them.

Alex tried again to rouse his grandfather.

“You all right, son?” Harry called warily as he and Kingdom approached.

“Yeah,” Alex said. He rubbed his eyes and nose again. “I’m . . . me.” He touched the side of his own head as he looked up. “That wasn’t me. Who hit you. Sorry, Harry.”