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I stepped forward to look inside What I saw gave oose-bumps Like the Siberia Room, it was portal to another time and place The room’s simple furniture--bed, wardrobe, side table--was caked with sand The rear as ive you Rarotonga, 1752!" Bentha in the near distance was a sarded us with mild surprise, then raised the fish and waved to us with it "Long tiood, then?" Emma said to Bentham "This is what you wanted?"

"What I wanted, what I’ve been dreahed as he hurried off to throw open another door Inside was a yawning, tree-filled canyon, a narrow bridge suspended across it "British Columbia, 1929!" he crowed

He pirouetted down the hall to open a third door--by noere chasing hi stone pillars, the dusty ruins of an ancient city

"Palyainst the wall "Huzzah! The da works!"

Bentham could hardly contain hi his arratulations," Sharon said "I’lad I could be here to witness this"

Bentha, hisdown it, I could see hints of other worlds peeking out--windinto the hall from beneath another At any other time, under any other circuht now there was only one door I cared about opening

"Which of these leads inside the wights’ fortress?" I asked

"Yes, yes, to business," Benthaot a bit carried away I’ve put ood to see it up and running again"

He leaned against a wall, suddenly sapped of energy "Getting you into the fortress should be a sih proposition Behind these doors are at least a half dozen crossover points The question is, ill you do once you get there?"

"That depends," Eet there?"

"It’s been a long tie is dated My brother’s Panloopticon doesn’t look like h tower The prisoners are kept elsewhere They’ll be in separate cells under heavy guard"

"The guards will be our biggest problem," I said

"Iwith us?" Emma said

"Absolutely not!" Sharon said "But I’d like to do my bit somehoith minimal risk to myself, of course I’ll create a disturbance outside the fortress walls that will draw the guards’ attention That should make it easier for you to skulk about unnoticed"

"What kind of disturbance?" I asked

"The wights’ least favorite kind: a civil one I’ll get those layabouts on Ss at the walls until we’ve got the whole guard force after us"