Episode 8 - Chapter 39

 “So even if we get control of the pen,” Robert says, “We could still get splatted?”

“That would appear to be the case,” Strauss replies, looking shiftily around the sky above them.

“There must be a way out of here,” Raven adds.

“I believe there is,” Robert says brightly, face beaming. “I definitely believe there is. Steer right Strauss.” He turns to his wife, laying a hand on hers to get her attention. “Different plan Fi.”

“Corvus must not die,” she says as she opens her eyes, a little disorientated. “What? What's happening now?”

“We're getting away from here,” her husband tells her, “All we have to do is believe.”

“Believe what?” she asks.

“That there's an easy way out of here.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 38

 “I'm sure that's a sentiment we can all believe in,” Raven says blithely.

“Just that?” Fiona asks, “Corvus must not die?”

“Exactly so,” Strauss replies, “With everything that you are.”

“Got it,” she says, closing her eyes and throwing her will power at the phrase as she sees it in her mind.

Strauss spins the steering wheel once more, the car narrowly avoiding a wall of ink that just dropped out of the sky.

“That's not good,” Robert says, “How is that happening?”

“It would appear,” Strauss tells him, “That the pen is starting to leak.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 37

 Strauss flicks his attention between the front of the car and the rear view mirror. “M'lady...” he begins, but cannot continue because Robert shouts “It's coming back round.”

“If it's writing something specific,” Fiona says, “How come it's always heading towards us?”

“Just lucky, I guess,” Raven replies.

“There is an answer to that,” Strauss tells them, “It's to do with the relationship between intention, action and consequence. We shall explain it to you at another time...”

The nib is heading towards them once more, slicing across the ground at terrific speed.

“Hold on tight,” Strauss calls, jerking the steering wheel at the last moment, narrowly avoiding further collision.

“M'lady,” he says, “You have to hold a single thought in your mind, believe it with every fibre of your being.”

“Okay, I can try that,” she says, “What's the thought?”

“Corvus must not die.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 36

“Take control of the pen?” Raven scoffs, “How do you propose we do that?”

“We are not proposing that we should do anything,” Strauss replies, “For those two, however,” he nods at Robert and Fiona, “Well, that's more than easily within their capabilities.”

“Okay,” Robert says, “How do we do that?”

“We start with m'lady,” the driver says, suddenly spinning the steering wheel in an attempt to dodge the oncoming nib of the pen. It's a move that's not entirely successful. The nib catches the car's rear wing, forcing the vehicle to spin wildly, throwing all three passengers into one seat.

“Try to avoid that, would you?” Raven says, untangling himself from Robert and Fiona.

“Apologies,” Strauss says, “We are afraid we allowed our concentration to slip. It wont happen a second time.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 35

“Corvus must die?” Strauss asks, “You're sure of this? You only glimpsed it for a second.”

“I'm sure,” Robert replies, “That's what it says. Corvus must die.”

“Charming,” Raven quips.

“Only it isn't just written the once,” Robert continues, “It's repeated, over and over again, as if a kid had been told to write it as punishment for something.”

“Interesting,” says Strauss, once more adjusting his rear view mirror.

“That's not my first reaction,” Raven says, “Not by a long shot.”

“What does it mean?” Robert asks.

“Forget what it means,” Fiona replies, “This is the Weave, meaning seems to be pretty absent here. Better to ask what we're going to do?”

“An excellent question, m'lady,” Strauss says, “We're going to take over the writing.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 34

“I'm floating,” Robert whispers to himself, “High, high above everything else. So high I can barely see this car, it's just a tiny spot racing across a white landscape. So high even the pen looks small.”

Slowly he begins to zone out the noise of the pen dragging across the ground, the roar of the cars engines. He starts to feel a gap open between his body, which is being flung around in the back of the car, and his conscious mind.

“I'm floating up here,” he whispers, “None of that matters up here.”

He feels the air around him once more, brushing his arms, holding him up.

“Now I'll open my eyes,” he says, picturing himself doing just that, “And read what it says.”

And he does just that: he opens his eyes, gasps at the words and snaps back into his body in the car.

“Did you read it,” Raven demands as he opens his eyes.

“Yes, yes I did,” Robert replies, “It says Corvus Must Die.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 33

“No it's not,” Strauss says, sounding much closer than Robert's expecting. It gives him such a shock that he opens his eyes, gasping. “You simply cannot see the hand,” the driver continues, “It's not visible to your eyes.”

“How is that even possible?” Robert asks as he catches his breath.

Fiona, Raven and Strauss all turn to stare at him, all with eyebrows raised.

“Okay, okay,” he says, “Sorry.”

“Did you see what was written?” Strauss asks, “Could you make out the words? Were they words? Was it in English?”

“I couldn't see,” Robert replies, “But I'm going to give it another go.”

Once again Robert closes his eyes, focuses on his breathing, begins his whispered mantra.

Episode 8 - Chapter 32

“Just breath,” Robert whispers to himself. “In....pause....out....in....pause....out.”

He continues like this for a few minutes, slowly zoning out first the noise, then the jostling as the car skids and swerves to avoid the pen and ink. Finally, his mind is completely at peace.

“Now then,” he says to himself, “Now I'm floating, high above the pen. I can feel the air around me, feel how it brushes my skin.”

The hair on his arms and the back of his neck tingle as he feels air moving around him.

“I'm lighter than a feather,” he says, “Floating on high. Now, what can I see?”

He pictures himself high above, floating, opening his eyes. The first thing he sees is the top of the pen, moving back and forth on its own accord. “There's nobody holding the pen,” he says, “It's writing itself.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 31

“Robert,” Strauss calls, “Try closing your eyes.”

“What?” Robert shouts back, “Now? In the middle of this?”

The nib of the giant pen races up behind them. Strauss spins the steering wheel and the car veers out of its path, narrowly avoiding collision.

“Yes,” he shouts, “Now.”

“Okay,” Robert replies uneasily, holding onto the door handle to steady himself. “What now?”

“I want you to picture yourself,” Strauss shouts, “Floating high above that pen. Can you do that?”

Robert squeezes his eyes tight shut, trying to control his breathing. “I'll give it a go,” he shouts.

He focuses on his breathing first, ignoring as best he can what's happening around him. “I'm floating,” he whispers to himself, “High in the sky, just a leaf in the breeze.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 30

“Well then,” I said, “If we're back to hanging around waiting, I'm going to pop the kettle on.”

“Good idea,” Mary said, “Let's have a nice pot of tea.”

“Actually Mary,” I replied, “I'm going to have a coffee, it's way past my bedtime, I need something to help me stay awake.”

“Do me one too then,” she said, “Make it with milk.”

“Cappuccino for da lady,” I said in a very poor Italian accent, and winked. “Oak?”

“A glass of water would be well received.”

Despite all the confusing events of those last few hours, I really was feeling rather jolly.”

“The cats are on our side, boom tish,” I found myself singing as I entered the kitchen. “The cats are on our side, tish boom.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 29

“Can we try and make sure that doesn't happen,” Raven bellows as Strauss throws the car into another skid, “The apprehending, I mean.”

“We are doing all that we can,” Strauss calls back.

“I wonder what it's writing,” Fiona says.

“Does it matter?” Robert asks, “Surely it's enough to know that we could be decimated by a giant pen any second now. Or crash into a wall of ink.”

“It might help,” she replies, “If we knew what's been written we might be able to predict what comes next, that way we could be somewhere else entirely.”

“M'lady could have a point,” Strauss calls from the front of the car.

“A mute point, surely,” Raven gestures at the sky, “We're down here, someone would have to be up there.”

“We are in the company of Wake Walkers, Mister Raven,” Strauss replies, “Are you familiar with the concept of Remote Viewing.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 28

The noise is excruciatingly harsh. Above the strained roar of the cars engines, the dull rasp of metal dragged over concrete as the pen moves. Robert swivels in his seat to look out the rear window.

“I think it's going in the other direction,” he shouts.

“If it's writing,” Strauss shouts back, “It will go in many directions, but we're sure all its movements will inevitably lead to us.”

Sure enough, Robert sees the pen arc away from them, only to loop back round. “It's heading straight for us,” he calls.

“Why did we come this way?” Raven bellows.

“We thought it would be deserted,” Strauss replies, steering the car out of the pen's path. “His Lordship has gone to a great deal of trouble to try and apprehend you here.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 27

“A pen?” Robert exclaims, quickly followed by “Ummph!” as the car goes into a spin, tyres screaming in protest, and Raven and Fiona are thrown against him.

Strauss releases the handbrake, throws the car into gear, tyres screeching beneath them and they're off once more, acceleration forcing back into their seats.

“It would appear so,” Strauss says, keeping his eyes firmly on the gigantic pen nib. There's a loud boom when it touches the ground, the car jumps, sailing through the air for a few moments before landing with a bump. The pen starts to move, leaving a six foot black barrier in its wake.

Strauss spins the wheel again, angling the vehicle away from the pen, accelerating while adjusting the rear view mirror. “We believe you should all hold on tight,” he says, “This could be a bumpy ride.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 26

“So what's so bad about that?” Raven asks, bemused.

“If there's a sentence beyond that full stop,” Strauss replies, “Then there is no writer's block. This place could start filling up with words any second now.”

“I'm sorry,” Raven says, “But I still don't see the problem.”

“How do words appear on a page?” Strauss asks him, feverishly looking at the sky all around them.

“Somebody has to write them,” Raven replies.

“Exactly my point,” Strauss says, pointing up to their left. “There.”

High above them, and some distance away, there is a glint of metal, descending fast. Closer inspection reveals a blade of some sort, tapered and concave and very, very large.

“Is that a sword?” Robert asks.

“No,” Strauss answers, slamming the handbrake on while spinning the steering wheel, “It's the nib of a pen.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 25

“What makes you think that?” Raven demands.

“That black spot ahead of us,” Strauss replies, “It shouldn't be there.”

“Why?” Raven peers into the distance. “What is it?”

“I believe,” the driver tells him, “That it may be a full stop.”

“A what?” Robert and Fiona ask in unison.

“A full stop,” comes the reply.

“And why shouldn't it be there?” Raven wants to know.

“This area,” Strauss tells him, “This part of the Weave, this is Writer's Block. It represents the idea of writer's block, it should be blank. A big white page stretching as far as we can see.”

“So why shouldn't there be a full stop?”

“Because that comes at the end of a sentence.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 24

“Don't talk to him Robert,” Fiona snaps at her husband, “He cannot be trusted.”

“Hey, I was mislead as well,” Robert replies, “We can't just ignore the guy.”

“He lied to me,” she folds her arms, hugging them tight to her chest.

“Listen to yourselves,” Raven laughs, “This is the Weave, it's all lies. There isn't an ounce of truth in the whole place.”

Outside the car, the landscape is blank and featureless as far as the eye can see, until a black spot appears directly in their path.

“Might I point out,” Strauss says from the front of the car, “That I merely did as my master commanded. I did my job. Isn't that what you would do? Now there are more pressing matters for our attention.”

“Oh yes?” Robert asks, “What's that?”

“I think his Lordship has found us.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 23

“Step on it,” Raven commands Strauss, “Get us the hell out of here.”

“As you wish,” Strauss replies, throwing the car into gear. They hear the sound of wheels spinning on tarmac before all three are pushed into their seats by the force of their acceleration.

“Blimey,” Robert says once he's recovered his composure, “For an old car this thing can really move.”

“It is not actually an old vehicle,” Strauss tells him.

“It certainly looks like one,” Robert replies, “What is it then?”

“It was imagined,” Strauss says, “To be the main vehicle for some never completed reboot of some caped crusader.”

“You mean like a new batmobile?” Robert asks, a little awed.

“Something along those lines, yes.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 22

“Oh, nothing,” Fiona replies, “I was actually speaking to Raven but it doesn't matter now.”

“Well then,” Raven says as he starts to descend the final steps, “Let's be away from here.”

They race down the flight and along the walkway to meet Strauss, emerging from the driver's seat to hold open the back door. Raven almost leaps in, but Fiona pauses a moment to give their driver a black look.

“M'lady...”Strauss begins to speak but gets no further.

“Don't,” Fiona snaps to silence him, “Don't say another word to me, not another word.”

Strauss nods sadly while Robert climbs on board, then returns to the driver's seat.

“Where to?” he asks Raven.

“Away from here,” Raven replies, “Far, far away from here.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 21

Raven leads the way, Fiona close on his heels and Robert at the rear. Through the door they go, down a very long and steep flight of stairs and straight to a dead end.

“Three steps to the right,” Raven reminds them all, taking the first. He's expecting his shoulder to hit the wall but it doesn't, it just passes through. “Ha,” he says to his companions, “The wall's an illusion.”

“We can see that,” Fiona tells him, but anything else she says is lost as his head passes through the wall. Looking round, he sees another short flight of steps leading down to a walkway, at the end of which stands a vintage limousine.

“...all the time,” Fiona says as she emerges from the wall.

“Sorry, I didn't catch that last bit,” Robert says when he follows her.

Episode 8 - Chapter 20

“Now if you'll excuse me,” Oak said to us both, “I really should communicate these latest developments to the Forest at large.”

“But the cats,” Edward said, “You say they've chosen a side?”

“I did indeed,” Oak replied irritably.

“Well?” my husband demanded, “Which side have they chosen?”

Oak paused for a moment, a frown danced across his forehead. “Yours,” he said finally, “The cats, well, these two at least, have taken your side.”

“We like your...” the dark haired cat-woman said.

Her brown haired companion added “...house, and the food...”

“...is exceptional.” they purred together.

Meanwhile Oak had thrown back his head, as if to shout at the ceiling, but no words came out. Instead there was the sound of strong winds, gusting somewhere remote and bleak. This caused both cats to scurry under the table, hunched up and tense.

After a few moments he stopped. “What now?” I asked.

“Now I await their reply.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 19

“What?” Robert asks, shock splashed across his face. He turns to Tom. “Is that right?” he asks, “Was it you that laid the trap?”

“If you want the truth,” the Author tells him, “It was I who created it, he merely waited for you. I'd have done it myself, but I was otherwise engaged. And before you ask why, think. We needed to get you as soon as you entered the Weave, to have enough time to train you.”

“But all that time,” Robert replies, “Those endless corridors...”

“Could we save the recriminations for another time?” the Angel interrupts, “His Lordship approaches. If I don't throw my doors open soon, he'll know something's wrong.”

“Fine,” Raven says, “Just point us in the right direction.”

A door to his left swings open. “Through there,” the Angel tells them all, “Down the first flight of steps, then take three steps to the right. Strauss is waiting with transport.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 18

“Okay, I get it,” Raven snaps, “Climate change is bad juju, doesn't benefit anyone but him. I told you I'd see what I can do.”

“Er guys,” Robert says timidly, “There might be another problem.”

The group turns to face Robert. When he fails to elaborate Raven demands “Well?”

“When I got here,” Robert begins, “Into the Weave, I mean. When I came into the Weave, I came into a trap of some kind, called a memory prison or something. I think that might have been set by this Lord of Doors you've been talking about.”

Raven tuts. “You've not been listening, have you?” he scolds.

“No, I have,” Robert frowns, “There's this Lord of Doors who used to be the Weave, and...”

Raven tuts again, loudly, silencing Robert. He points to the Angel and says “You came into the Weave because he...they wanted you to. Don't you think they might have been waiting for you?”

Episode 8 - Chapter 17

“If he was the Weave for all that time,” Robert says, extending his arms and looking around him, “How did all this come to be?”

“Slowly,” the Author tells him, “Painfully, and with a great deal of struggle.”

“Your species evolved,” Tom adds helpfully, “You stopped just being afraid, started to hope and dream, started to tell stories. Eventually he couldn't contain all of it....”

“And we dragged ourselves,” the Angel interrupts, “Into being from his very essence. And you can believe me when I tell you, he wants it all back.”

“He'll do anything,” the Author says turning to Raven, “To get it all back. That's why you must let us help. If a global disaster is what it takes to achieve that, well, as long as a few humans remain alive, he wont baulk at that.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 16

“You're frightened, aren't you?” The thought hits Fiona's mind and lips simultaneously. “All of you, you're terrified of this Lord of Doors person.”

The Angel giggles to himself. “I wouldn't go so far as to call his Lordship a person,” he says, “He's more what you might call a force of nature.”

“What does that mean?” she asks, “How can an idea be a force of nature?”

“When your species was still very young,” Tom tells her in reply, “Cowering in the night, afraid of the dark. Can you picture that?”

“Yes,” she replies, “I can see that, go on.”

“He was the dark, or at least all the unknown things you imagined the darkness held. For a long time, millennia upon millennia, he was the Weave.”

Episode 8 - Chapter 15

“Why all the rush all of a sudden?” Robert asks.

“No rush,” the Angel giggles nervously, “There's simply no time like the present.”

“Well I'm feeling rushed,” Robert replies, “Like we're being shoved out the door.”

“It's Doors, isn't it?” Raven asks. “He knows we're here, doesn't he?”

The Angel giggles again. “I'm sure I don't know what you mean.”

“His Lordship has amassed one of his armies,” Tom confesses, shimmering with hues of blue. “He'll lay siege to the Peacock Court.”

The Angel stares daggers at the cloud. “As his Lordship tends to draw his armies from natural disasters,” he hisses, “Earthquakes, tsunamis, erupting volcanoes, et cetera. That's a siege I for one am keen to avoid. I'm not sure the tapestries could take the strain.”

“So it would be better for all,” the Author interrupts, “If you just weren't here.”