Mereniang looked both bewildered and horrified. She didn't move. But LeShan took two quick steps and thrust a hand into the fountain.
"Here," he said, holding out one of the shards toward Rob.
Rob didn't glance up. He was kneeling by Timon, one hand on the old man's upper chest.
"Hang on," he said. Then he glanced up at Mereniang. "He's so weak! It's as if his life-force has disappeared..."
"The crystal was sustaining him," Mereniang said. Her blue eyes, though still fixed on Timon, were dull.
She had withdrawn into herself, arms wrapped around her body. "When it shattered, his life ended."
"He's not dead yet!" Rob said fiercely. He shut his eyes, placing his free hand on Timon's forehead.
Kaitlyn could sense the healing energy flowing from him.
"No," Timon whispered. "It's no use, and I need you to listen to me."
"Don't talk," Rob ordered, but Kait went to kneel by the old man. She needed to understand what was happening.
"Why did you do it?" she asked.
Timon's eyes opened. There was a strange serenity in their depths. He even managed something like a smile.
"You were right," he said faintly. "Change is good - or at least necessary. Take the shard."
LeShan was still holding out the crystal. Kaitlyn looked from him to Timon. Then she reached out her hand.
The shard was almost as thick as her wrist and a foot long. It was cold and heavy and the facets were very sharp. One sliced into her thumb when she tested the edge.
"Take it back with you, and do what needs to be done," Timon whispered. His voice was almost inaudible now. Rob was sweating, his hands trembling, but Timon seemed to be fading away.
"Some things are so evil they must be fought..."
A shiver went through Timon's frame, and a strange sound came from his lungs. Death rattle, Kaitlyn thought, too numb to move. It was almost like hearing a soul leave a body.
Timon's eyes were wide, staring at the sky. But now they were unseeing.
Kaitlyn's throat felt tight and swollen. Her eyes filled, tears spilling over. All around her the members of the Fellowship were milling about, like a flock of birds thrown into confusion. They didn't seem to know what to do now that Timon was dead and the crystal shattered.
And Rob's chest was heaving. His hair was dark with sweat, his eyes dark with grief. A healer who had lost the battle.
Kaitlyn scooted over to him, glad to have some problem she could understand. She put her arms around him. She felt a ripple in the newly free web and saw Lewis and Anna come to kneel beside her.
They put their arms around both Kait and Rob. All of them holding on as they had in the blizzard.
Clinging to one another because they were all they had.
"All right, you lot!" LeShan was shouting. "Timon's gone, but we're still alive. We're going to have to think for ourselves. And we don't have time to stand around!"
"We're going to have to leave, of course," LeShan said. He seemed to have taken charge while Mereniang was grieving. Kaitlyn was glad; LeShan might be aggressive and quick-tempered, but she found him much easier to understand than the rest of the Fellowship.
They were all standing in the central hallway of the white house. Around them the Fellowship was busying itself, packing and carrying, moving and loading.
"You think Mr. Zetes will attack again," Rob said. It wasn't a question.
"Yes, that was just the beginning. He's removed our defenses - and that was probably all he could do at one go. Next time it'll be for the kill."
A tall woman looked in from another hallway.
"LeShan, are the children coming with us? I'm trying to arrange transportation."
LeShan looked at Kait and the others.
"Well?" he said.
No one spoke at first. Then Rob said, "Let me get this clear. Timon's idea was that we should go back down to Mr. Zetes, and use the shard of your crystal to destroy his crystal."
"It's the only way to do it," LeShan said. "But that doesn't mean you have to."
"Timon died so we could have a shard," Anna said. Her normally gentle face was severe.
"And I still don't understand," Kait burst out. "Why did everyone listen to him? You were dead-set against fighting before - what made you all change your minds?"
LeShan's lip curled. "I don't think they all did change their minds. They're just used to obeying Timon.
He might not have considered himself the leader, but everyone let him do the thinking."
"And he changed his mind because of the attack?" Lewis said uncertainly.
"Because of Sabrina," Kaitlyn said. Everyone looked at her. "Didn't you see?" she asked.
Lewis blinked. "Who's Sabrina?"
"Sabrina Jessica Gallo. She was one of the gray people. I didn't realize it before because I couldn't see her face."
"Are you sure?" Rob asked.
"Positive. I saw her clearly this time. And I guess that means the other gray people are the other old students. They all looked young to me."
"That was what Timon sensed," LeShan said. His lips were still curled slightly, as if he had an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "We all sensed it, everyone who was touching the crystal. The attackers were children - none of them over twenty. And their minds were twisted... I can't explain it."