She wondered if that was why the balloon had crashed in the first place, and wished that Vehofnehu would let Tom call Marmion to at least ask what had happened. But the empyricist forbade any communication with the wardens for fear that they might interfere with his plans. As far as Vehofnehu was concerned, Marmion knew nothing about the Tomb and would only get in the way if he found out.She felt uneasy about that, too.‘We’re making a new future,’ the empyricist said in reassurance. The bulk of his attention was focussed along the spyglass and the view of the shore it gave him. ‘We’re victims of fate no longer. The man’kin know how to move through many possible futures. With their help we can navigate to the one we need. Don’t you see, Shilly? Success is guaranteed. Yod can’t possibly win now we’re here.’Shilly didn’t feel reassured at all. They were a handful against a creature that ate entire worlds.‘Go rest,’ he told her. ‘You don’t have to sleep. We know what we have to do now.
