Because she’s the one thing the jinn can’t destroy. That was it, wasn’t it? I couldn’t drive the jinn out of this place. But Anne could.
‘Get out of here!’ Dark Anne shouted at me. ‘You’re going to get us killed!’
I reached out through the dreamstone, trying to reach Anne. I could see her right there, lying inside that sphere, and my thoughts arrowed straight towards her—
—and came up against something. There was a barrier there too, softer and more porous, but just as strong. I tried to force my way; it felt like trying to punch through a mattress.
The jinn loomed over me. I couldn’t make out its eyes or its gaze, but somehow I knew that I had its attention. There was a shift in the room as it gathered its strength, but no blow fell. This time it was something new.
The crystal sphere on the dais darkened and became opaque. The room around me seemed to vibrate, shimmering at the edge of my vision, then it began to fade, the walls and columns unravelling into nothingness.
A wave of instinctive panic shot through me, the fear of falling. The floor beneath my feet was fading to nothing, a starry abyss below, and frantically I concentrated on my footing, willing it to hold. It hesitated, then solidified – but only for a few feet. I was standing on a tiny island floating in space. Looking around, I saw that Dark Anne was on her own little island off to my right, but it was the only piece of the tower remaining. We were alone in an endless void.
I tried again to push my thoughts through to reach Anne’s, and again I failed. The barrier wasn’t hard, but it seemed to gather strength the more deeply I forced it. I thought fast: in the Tiger’s Palace I’d managed to send a message without establishing a full mental link. Maybe I could do that again. I tried to amplify my thoughts, imagining that I was shouting at Anne through a megaphone. Anne! Can you hear me?
No response. For a moment though, I could sense something; a half-awake presence, stirring. Wake up. It’s Alex. Wake up!
The jinn struck again. This time there was nowhere to go, and I froze. Can’t dodge, it’s going to kill me—
‘Alex!’ Dark Anne shouted.
I jumped. Behind me the platform was wiped from existence, and I focused desperately, imagining a landing pad. There was resistance, and for one heart-stopping moment I was sure I was going to fall for ever, then my feet came down on a new platform, smaller than the last.
‘Just go!’ Dark Anne shouted at me. It was disorientating, looking at her floating in the void on her tiny island. Even a few minutes ago she would have scared me; now, she was one of the most familiar things here.
Anne, the jinn’s here and it’s trapping you. You’re a prisoner. You have to break free. I strained to make out a response, but there was nothing. I didn’t know if she could even hear me.
‘If you keep fighting this thing it’s going to kill you!’ Dark Anne shouted.
‘Then help!’ I shouted back. ‘If there’s anyone who should be on her side, it’s you!’
‘Like hell I will!’
The jinn sent some kind of wave outwards. I felt myself thinning, growing misty; without knowing how or why I grounded myself, making myself more solid. Even diffused, the jinn’s power was terrifying and I had to struggle to stabilise myself. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dark Anne stagger. Anne, I called at the sphere. You don’t have much time. You’re being sealed in. If this keeps up I don’t know what’s going to happen to you, but it’ll be bad. Either you’ll be a prisoner for ever, or it’ll destroy you completely. If you want to live, if you want to be free, wake up and break out of there!
Nothing. I couldn’t sense any response. Maybe she was so far gone she couldn’t hear … no, she’d responded that first time, I’d felt it. Why wasn’t it working now?
‘Listen to me, Alex.’ Dark Anne came walking towards me and the platform grew outwards to accommodate her, materialising beneath her footsteps and fading away behind. I didn’t think she noticed; her eyes were fixed on me. ‘For years she’s been out there, getting to live and be happy, while I’ve been shut away in the dark. Now it’s my turn, and you want to put everything back the way it was? She goes back to being in control, and I go back to being locked in this tower?’ Dark Anne shook her head. ‘No. Not this time.’
I looked into Dark Anne’s eyes and I knew she meant it. She might not want me dead, but if I tried to imprison her again she’d fight me with everything she had—
Wait. That’s it. I’d been urging Anne to break free, to fight and survive. But those were the motivations that powered this Anne. She’d been born out of anger and desperation and the will to survive. And that wasn’t what Anne was, not at her core.
Say the right words …
Anne, I called. I didn’t try to amplify my thoughts this time; instead I made them clearer, more focused. Come to us. We need you.
‘Time to run, Alex,’ Anne said. ‘Come on, isn’t that what you do? When you can’t win, you run and live another day. Used to piss me off, but I’ll give you credit, you’re not dumb. You don’t fight losing battles.’
I thought about what running would mean. Dark Anne staying in control, with the true Anne, the one I cared about, locked here in stasis. I wouldn’t get another chance at this. The jinn would reinforce the prison and I’d never reach her again …
I reached out to Anne one last time. It was getting harder to get through; whatever the jinn was doing, it was sealing her off from mental contact as well. Please wake up. I don’t want to go back to our world without you. A breath. I love you.
No answer. The jinn loomed over me and I could sense that it was gathering power for some new kind of attack. I couldn’t see what it was and I didn’t know if I’d survive this time.
‘It’s over, Alex,’ Dark Anne said. ‘Just do the smart thing and—’
Power flared from the sphere.
With a keening crash, the crystal shattered. Thousands of shards flew outwards, and with them came a wave of white light, washing over us. In an eye-blink it was gone … and so was the starry void. The tower room was back once again, columns rising up to the ceiling, sphere lights glowing clear and bright.
Dark Anne was standing just a little way to my side, her eyes wide with shock. And at the centre of the room, standing on the dais, was another Anne, dressed in white with shoulder-length hair. Green light glowed around her, and as I watched, she looked up at the jinn.
The jinn loomed above her, a towering shape that hurt my eyes and twisted the senses, as tall as the room and more. In contrast Anne looked tiny, a doll-sized figure at the centre of a vast open space. But the light shining around her was stronger than the darkness ahead.
‘I told you not to come back,’ Anne said. She didn’t raise her voice, but it echoed around the room.
The jinn stared down at her. If I strained I could almost imagine that I could hear words, whispers at the edge of hearing.
‘Your contract is with her,’ Anne answered. ‘Not with me.’