Evil Star (35 page)

Matt was reading a newspaper. It was several days out of date, but Susan Ashwood had sent it to them from England with an article highlighted on page five.

CHURCH DISPUTES DISAPPEARING

BOY

Was it a miracle, as some are suggesting, or is there a rational explanation for the

disappearing boy of San Galgano, as he has

come to be known in the ancient Tuscan

city of Lucca?

The facts are these. San Galgano is an

ancient abbey just outside Lucca, dating

back to the twelfth century. It is occupied

by a devout order of Cistercian monks who

are unused to the glare of modern pub-

licity. But earlier this week, in the cloisters, one of these monks encountered a young

boy who spoke to him in English. The boy

picked a flower and then walked through a

Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star door and disappeared.

The story may seem ordinary enough until

you examine the facts. First of all, the

abbey is not open to the public, and it

would be impossible to enter without being

noticed. But more bizarre is the door which

the boy used to enter the cloister. This door is not only kept locked — it was actually

bricked up a hundred years ago by the abbot.

It seems also that the door has a curse

attached to it. According to local legend, the appearance of the boy signals nothing less

than the beginning of the Last Judgment!

However, a church spokesman, speaking at

the Vatican today, insisted that this was

more likely to be simply the case of a

tourist who had lost his way. . ..

As the professor sat down, Matt folded the paper away. He knew that he was the boy the monk had seen. He had gone through a door in London and it now seemed that he had come out of one in Lucca, somewhere in Italy. William Morton, the antique dealer who had briefly owned the diary, must have learned about the passageway.

That much was clear to him. He had tested Matt by making him walk through the door at St. Meredith's. By returning with a flower plucked in another country, Matt would have proved that he was indeed one of the five.

But how had the doorway worked? Had it been constructed by the same people who had built the gates — and if so, why? These were Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star things that Matt still didn't understand.

The steaks finished cooking. Professor Chambers served them with salad greens that she had grown herself. It was only when they had eaten that Matt began to speak.

"We have to talk about what's happened," he began. His voice was soft and somehow didn't sound like him. Richard glanced at him, trying to conceal a sense of sad-ness. Matt's childhood had ended.

He could see it. It was as simple as that.

"The Incas told me that the gate would open and that the Old Ones would come into the world," he said. "It was their prophecy. And they were right. Salamanda knew it, too. I suppose it was written in the diary. . . ."

"Where is the diary?" Richard asked.

"Salamanda had it. Now that he's dead, perhaps we'll never find it."

"Were the Incas really right?" Chambers asked.

Matt nodded. "I thought Pedro and I could stop the gate from opening, but I see now that some things can't be changed. They'll always happen the way they were sup-posed to."

He drew a breath.

"We won the first time, in England," he said. "We man-aged to close Raven's Gate. But this time we lost."

"No . . ." Richard began.

“Yes. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I saw the Old Ones and although I tried to fight them, even with Pedro help-ing me, I didn't have enough strength. We have to face the fact that the Old Ones are here, in the world."

Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star

"Then where are they?" Richard couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't want to believe it. "It's been a week now. But the world is still the same. Nothing has hap-pened. You must have beaten them!"

"I
wounded
them. Maybe they're resting, waiting until they regain their strength. But I can feel them, Richard. There's a coldness in the air. They're already spreading out, making their plans. They're everywhere. And soon it will begin. ..."

"Well, that's great!" Richard couldn't keep the bitter-ness out of his voice. "So why did we come here? What's this all been about?"

"We had to come here, Richard. It's all so difficult, but I think I'm beginning to understand things a bit now."

Matt took a breath, then continued.

"There are five of us. Four boys and a girl. We're all the same age and we've all been born for the same reason. Somehow, we have to find each other. Once there are five of us, that's when the real fight will begin."

"But where are the others?" Richard asked. "They could be anywhere in the world." .

"Pedro is the second of them," Matt said. "That's why I had to come to Peru. To find him. And I've seen the others — but only when I've been asleep. We have dreams which help us. They're not like ordinary dreams. They're part of how it all works. And it's not going to be as hard as you think. Pedro and I came together even though we had completely different lives, thousands of miles apart. I think the others are already looking for us. It's just a matter of time. . . ."

Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star

"But the Old Ones are already here," Chambers said. "How much time do we have?"

Matt didn't answer.

A cloud passed in front of the sun, and a shadow fell across the garden. And elsewhere, all around the world, the shadows were stretching out, too.

Evil star had risen.

The darkness was drawing in.

The story continues in NIGHTRISE.

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