He went forward, cautiously. For the downslope was steep and he had to lean back to brace his weight and not slide forward over the edge before him. But even when he stood on the very lip of it, he could see nothing below him, only what appeared to be an endless fall to eternity. He looked at the distance of nothingness between him and the edge of the island, it was just far enough off that he could not quite make out the nature of the rocks that made up the distant land.
He stood, baffled. There was no reason for this space to be here, barring his way. He made an effort to visualize the gap filled in with the same sort of former sea bottom he stood upon. But nothing happened. It was as if here, alone, his creativity could not bring into being a land bridge where there was nothing. It was as if he had nothing to build with, as if what was needed to bridge the space was not in him.
For a long moment he stood, unbelieving. Then his mind began to work, and up out of the back of it came the answer that what he looked at was his own doing. He had created this gap, without ever realizing it, by his own act in going back to be Paul Formain and changing the implications of past history. He had set out to split up the Enemy that had struck at him during the old Chantry Guild's initiation ceremony, so that it became not a semi-living racial force, but a part of every human living.
It had been the only way he had known, then, of making humanity take sides, for either creativity or stasis, and so bring that hidden, inner conflict to an outer resolution.
And he had succeeded - with the Othem as an unexpected and unwelcome by-product. But he had succeeded. And here was another by-product.
The road to evolution of humankind led through the Creative Universe. But to enter it himself was not enough. It must be entered by at least one other human. The tower and what it stood on must be given relevance, as he had been required to find a relevance to feel the souls behind those creations of humankind and time stored in the Final Encyclopedia.
He could not cross the gap before him, because up to this point was no more than a place he had made himself. Beyond it, on the island and in the tower, he must share this universe with whoever or whatever in the race would oppose him there, for it was there the argument would come to a head and be settled. This place he had created was only an arena for decision, by his own choice he had willed it to be so.
There was only one other person so far alive, besides himself, with the background and experience to move through the phase-screen as he had and create a destination. After that one came here it would become progressively easier for those who would come after. But for now, and for that one person, the time was short. Perhaps, even now, too short.
He turned about quickly and stepped backward - with intent. So it was he stepped not back up the stony slope away from the edge of nothingness, but out through the farther phase-screen into the corridor of the Final Encyclopedia, where Jeamus and his men, with Rukh and Amanda, still waited for him....
"Thank the Lord" said Jeamus. "How long was I gone?" asked Hal. "No time at all," said Jeamus. "Perhaps a couple of minutes, then you came out of the other screen-" "Good," he interrupted. "Now I want this whole device moved and set us in Tam's main room, right now," "How fast?" "I-uh-" Jeamus floundered. "An hour-" "Five minutes," said Hal. "Five?" "Or as close to that as you can come," said Hal. "I want to get it there while Tam's still alive. Just the minimum of what you have here to make the doorway work." "But a minimum's all we ever had--
Jeamus's hands fluttered, half-lifted for a moment, helplessly. Then the meaning of Hal's words seemed to penetrate. He threw up his hands, and his voice hardened. "Maybe fifteen minutes... or ten? Maybe even... five? But Tam's quarters ? " "Yes." As Jeamus stood uncertain, he added harshly, "I'm speaking as the Director. Move it. As fast as you humanly can. Amanda? Rukh?"
He went out of the door. The two caught up with him just beyond it. "What is it?" said Amanda. He glanced at her as they went, for she had a right to ask. She saw deeper into him than Rukh. "Why the special hurry?" "I was in the Creative Universe," he answered briefly. "But someone else besides me has to go there, and only Tam's qualified, because he can read the Encyclopedia's knowledge core - not as well as I, but well enough." "There's a problem?" she asked. "Yes. What I mentioned - and there's something else. A gap where there shouldn't be one, a gap I can't reach across. I need a bridge. " "A bridge..."
Still striding swiftly down the corridor he turned to look at her. There was a look on her face he knew.
"What is it?" he said. "The cloak... I think," she said. Looking past him. "I don't know why, but the cloak will make a bridge."
But they were already at the entrance to Tam's quarters. "Yes," said Rukh, as they turned to go in, after him - he realized he was back in all the size of his Hal-body, "all thanks to God you came when you did. I have a feeling he's very close to the end... very close."
CHAPTER 38
They went as swiftly as the Final Encyclopedia could align their blind corridor with the one leading to Tam Olyn's quarters, and Rukh led them in through the door there without waiting to ask for entrance.
Inside, things had hardly changed. Ajela was dressed now in a Japanese kimono, which Hal noted was perfectly arranged, in contrast to the disheveled sari she had worn earlier. She was sitting upright now, but still held one of Tam's hands, and Tam still gazed off at something beyond their sight, he was now holding his interstellar newsman's cloak, that he had not worn since he had returned to the Final Encyclopedia, over ninety years before. It was still set as it had been since the death of his sister's young husband, on the white and red he had worn the day of David's end.
Hal reached the side of Tam's armchair opposite Ajela in six long strides and knelt beside it, putting his hand on Tam's arm which lay strengthlessly along the top of the padded armrest. "Tam!" he said in a low voice, but urgently. "We've done it! I've been in the Creative Universe. Now, to make the Encyclopedia the tool for everyone, the way we always dreamed, and Mark Torre dreamed, we only need one more thing - one final effort from you. Can you make it?" "What're you saying?" Ajela's voice rang through the forest glade that was actually a room. "You aren't going to ask anything of him now?"
Hal ignored her. Amanda and Rukh moved in to draw her aside from the chair and speak to her, in low, imperative voices. "But he can't do anything now! He can't-"
The low-pitched but steady voices of the other two women interrupted her. Hal ignored her. All his attention was focused on Tam, his eyes staring into the faded old eyes only centimeters from his own. "Can you do it, Tam?" Hal asked again. "I've got Jeamus and his people on the way here with the equipment to make it possible. You can go into the Creative Universe and I'll go with you. Now, in the beginning, it has to be done by someone besides me, it has to be used by more than one mind, otherwise, it's just something I've created for myself. But if I can share it with you, we can go on to share it with everyone else, on all the worlds. Do you understand, Tam?"
The ancient eyes stared into his. The head moved minimally forward and back again in what could have been a nod. "But he can't-he can't do anything!" From the sound of her voice, Ajela was crying now as she talked. "He hasn't any strength left! You can't ask anything more of him now. It's too late. He ought to be left to die in peace." "That's what I'm offering him," Hal answered her without taking his eyes off Tam. "That's what it is, Tam. A chance for you to see the end at last, a chance to see it completed." "I tell you he can't do anything - he couldn't if he wanted to!" Ajela protested behind Hal. "I think he can," said Hal. "This one last thing. This final effort, Tam. Can't you?"