Chapter 29

chapter twenty-nine We hit the roof of the Mallusk hard. The instant we land, the Mallusk's pincers crash into the ground, and its mighty hull raises, everything tilting as it turns, beginning a speeding getaway from the portal's grasp. Cruise-ship-sized slugs aren't known for their speed, but the Mallusk's pincers pound away like they're tattooing the ground. With one collective moan, we slowly sit up. Johnny Steve, Smud, and other monsters hurry over to greet us. Yursl winks at Quint. we made it. We survived just as I expected. It seems all went exactly according to plan "Skaelka..." June says. "Why didn't you tell us the fortress was ALIVE?"

Skaelka scratches her head. "I really don't think I could have been any clearer." Dirk groans. "I landed on my helmet. Ow." He pulls it from under him and sets it on his head. "Gonna need to keep this on all the time now, huh, Jack?" I swallow. He's right. There are zombies marching toward the Tower. Alfred, Lefty, and Glurm are about to make a lot of new friends. The portal has nearly finished its devastating, destructive devouring of the fortress. The remaining ruins are torn from the earth. "Fortress..." June says. "Broken." In that final cluster of wreckage—I can just barely make out Ghazt, still strapped to the slab. Despite the furious vortex, the slab spins slowly; it's carrying the weight of a god. For a second, it's like all the air is sucked out of the world. White and purple lightning splits the sky. Everything crackles, and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. The portal contracts, closing, the final remains of the fortress sucked in. And finally, when it's no bigger than a pebble in the sky— An eruption! A supernova of cosmic terror, exploding outward in a great ring of energy, turning night to day—

blindingly bright. I see Ghazt one last time. But he looks the same way we saw him back at the ABC theater, when Evie summoned him into this world. Before the summoning went sideways and he found himself in the body of an oversized rat. He looks nothing like that now, here, in his true from...

And then it's gone. All of it. Ghazt. The fortress. The portal. Like it was just a tear in the sky that someone stitched up. Everything is suddenly very quiet. Ghazt the General, Cosmic Terror—our mortal enemy turned unexpected ally—is dead. For real this time. Wracksaw? I'm not sure. The Goon Platoon? I sure hope not. We had a chance to stop Rezzoch from coming— and we failed. In the immortal words of that random dude who gave Indiana Jones his hat—on the same day Indy coincidentally developed a fear of snakes, got his rad chin scar, and first snapped a bullwhip—"You lost today, kid. But that doesn't mean you have to like it." I don't like it. But now... I'm a general? A leader? Or I'm supposed to be? And a leader wouldn't sit idle. So I put on my best camp counselor voice. "Full speed ahead," I bark, starting to stand. "We're gonna need some Carapaces. We gotta head for the Tower. Thrull has the schematics—and a head start. There's no time to rest, no time to delay, no time to—" But June wraps her hand around mine. Her human hand on top of the monstrosity that my Cosmic Hand

has become. A monstrosity that's... also me. "We did enough today," she says, staring out at the star-speckled sky. "Take a breath." "Take five breaths," Dirk says Drooler meeps sharply. "Or six, sure," Dirk adds. "I concur. We must..." Quint starts to say, but before he can finish—his body is slumping against mine, his head flopping on my shoulder, and he's breathing softly. Rover wriggles behind me, a great big pillow. I forgot how warm he is. And how soft his fur is against my skin. And how curling up with him always felt like home. Skaelka collapses against him. He licks her face. She licks him back. The creature-brigade forms a giant snuggle pile around Rover. And soon, they're all snoring.

The Mallusk rocks us gently as it rumbles through the night. The air is fresh, the wind is cool. My Cosmic Hand beats in time to my heart. I hear it clearly. I feel incredibly... alive. A single bubble of slime dribbles out of Drooler's nose as he breathes: big bubble, little bubble. I laugh. I should poke Quint and June so they don't miss it. But it's so peaceful now. I think I'm just gonna shut my eyes for a little bit...