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	About an hour later, Reggie was staring at a long line of dwarves. The Tall Man was leading them. In his hand he held Mike's gold sphere. He was approaching a huge gold sphere, at least 20 feet in diameter that lay floating about a yard above the red sands. A humming sound, similiar to that made by the dimensional gateways, but much louder emerged from it. This was Or'b, Reggie figured. Or at least some aspect of it that he was able to see. Before the Tall Man could get all the way to the sphere, however, a dimensional gate appeared in front of it, and Lucy came through. To his shock, she fell to her knees in front of the Tall Man.        "Forgive me, my friend," she begged. "For driving you to this."        The Tall Man sneered down at her in contempt. "Get out of my way, giiiiirl." he growled. "I will deal with you later."        "No." Lucy got up. In height, Reggie saw, she was maybe six inches shorter than the Tall Man, but a small incline they were on made their heights almost equal. "I am sorry for what happened to you Jebediah, but I can no longer bear to watch you create these mockeries of both our forms."        "I don't care what you can no longer bear. I have lived with the unbearable for decades, and I will be rid of it." He lifted the golden sphere he held. "Perhaps this boy will take this cup from my lips."        "No-one ever has before. What makes you think that this boy will?"        "He may. In exchange for his brother's freedom, he may."        As Reggie watched, a few of the dwarves shuffled up with an awkward burden and threw in to the ground in front of the Tall Man. To his shock, he saw that it was Mike's body. The Tall Man placed the golden sphere with odd tenderness on the forehead of the still form. In a moment, it faded and vanished, and Mike opened his eyes.        Reggie could be still no longer. "Mike!!"        He raced down the side of the dune to where Mike was. He had to save him. It was a foolish choice. The motion attracted the attention of several of the dwarves. Although he blew a few of them into yellow mist with his shotgun, they quickly overpowered him with sheer numbers, and dragged him in front of the Tall Man.       "The Icecream Vendor." He sneered. "This is better yet!"        He seized Mike by the hair and dragged him to his feet. "Get up, boy. We have things to discuss. Such as the life of your friend."        Michael looked around in confusion. He was obviously on the red planet, but how had he gotten here? And how had Reggie gotten here, for that matter? Before he could ask the questions whirling in his mind, Lucy, who had been nearly forgotten by the three men spoke again.        "Stop this, Jebadiah. It isn't necessary."        "Yes, it is. It is the only way to acheive my end."        "No it isn't."  The Tall Man looked at her with the first shock he had felt since Or'b had made him what he now was. "I found a different way."       "What are you talking about girl? You said you could not rebind me to my mortality."        "That is true. You cannot die your own death. But you can die mine. Or a part of mine. Since I am otherwise immortal, it is would be a very big death. Big enough to take you with me."        "Your death." The Tall Man considered this in his mind. "You're Or'b. You are already on the far side of this barrier. If I died your death, there would be no afterlife for me. I would simply cease to exist."        "Perhaps you would." She looked at his long suffering eyes. "Is that so bad? Or would you prefer 150 more years of this. Or maybe 150 more centuries?"       "No. What about you? If you die, it will be the end for you as well. Why should you choose to do this? What do you have to gain, girl?"        "What do you care? It's not as if you have anything to lose. Or would you prefer me to leave? And take those two with me? Then you'll be right back where you started."       "Yes." The Tall Man nodded. "I will accept your bargain, girl. But if you think to betray me, the boy and his friend will pay."
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