The Power of Five Oblivion

over the world – it’s the reason why the Nexus was created in the first place. We’re here to help you and the other Gatekeepers. It’s what we’ve been waiting for.”
    “Can you help me get to London? To Saint Meredith’s?”
    “We’re on our way there now. We’re going to enter the canal system, Jamie. It’s the best way to travel. There are no trains or planes. The roads are too dangerous, too exposed. But the canals have always been hidden. They twist their way round the edge of towns, through fields and old industrial estates, and people have forgotten they’re there. They belong to another age. If we can keep going, we can get to the very heart of London.”
    “If?” Jamie had picked up on the word.
    The Traveller sipped his coffee. He had been cradling the mug between his hands. “It’s not going to be easy, he admitted. “Right now we’re on the river. To get into the canal system, we have to get to Four Ways lock. I came through it on the way up from London but that was a while ago. If it isn’t working, we’ll be continuing on foot. Then we have to pass through a couple of towns. They may still be inhabited and anyone who sees or hears us could be a threat. Finally, the police are going to be looking for us. Fortunately, they have no idea we’re on a working boat. If they knew that, we’d already be dead.”
    “What about London itself?”
    “I don’t want to talk about it, to be honest with you. In a few days, you’ll see it for yourself.”
    Jamie yawned. Suddenly it all seemed too much for him – everything that had happened during the day, everything that lay ahead.
    The Traveller noticed. “You should get some rest. You must be worn out. Why not take the forward bunk? It’s quieter there.”
    “What about Holly?”
    “I’ll stay with her. After tomorrow, we’ll take it in turns at the tiller. The Lady Jane ‘s not difficult to steer.”
    “Do you have enough fuel to get to London?”
    “So many questions, Jamie! Get this in your head. I’ve been preparing for this journey. I’ve been waiting for it for seven years. Now go to sleep!”
    Jamie slept.
    Almost at once, he found himself back in the dreamworld, a short distance from the library, as if he had never left it but had simply closed his eyes the last time he was there and then opened them again. His first thought was to look for Scott, his twin brother, but there was no sign of him and that worried Jamie. He knew something was wrong. It had been obvious the last time they had seen each other and right now he would have given anything to spend a few minutes with him – in this world or anywhere. Matt and the others seemed to have gone too. Jamie wondered how long it had really been since the last time the five of them had met and talked, but he knew it was impossible to say. Time worked differently in the dreamworld. It might feel as if only a few seconds had passed, but it could be a week or even a month.
    Jamie hated and feared the dreamworld, even though he knew that it was somehow on his side. He remembered the strange figure of the gold prospector who had approached him at the ocean’s edge and who had tried to give him a warning. “They’re going to kill him.” Why had he appeared to be a threat? Why couldn’t he have just walked up and explained what he meant? And, for that matter, why was this world so grey and desolate? He looked across the empty landscape and shivered. Being here was like being dead.
    He heard a soft footfall on the dust and twisted round, fearing the worst, then relaxed. It was Matt, on his own, walking towards him. Jamie was happy to see him. It wasn’t just that the two of them had become close during their time in London and later, on the way to Hong Kong. Matt was the undisputed leader of the Gatekeepers and Jamie was confident that he knew how this would end and that somehow he would get them all out alive.
    The two of them stood facing each other.
    “Hi, Jamie,” Matt said.
    “Hi.” There was a pause. Jamie wasn’t sure what to say. How much did Matt know? “I got out of the village,” Jamie continued. “Someone from the Nexus has found me.”
    “I know. Everything is happening the way it should. But there’s something I have to tell you. To warn you about.”
    It was strange. Was that what Matt had become? Just another warning to be thrown at him by the dreamworld?
    “Your journey’s not going to be easy, Jamie. And London’s going to be worse. The Old