Chapter 5 – Omens
Jerry stuck around in the bar for a long time after Glover left. He drank several beers, hoping they would dull his fears. They almost did.
Eventually, the owner had to ask him to leave so he could close up. Jerry hadn't realized so much time had passed. He apologized, grabbed his banjo, and headed for his car.
The night was clear, and the Wheel of Fire galaxy stretched across the sky. He stared for a moment at the Nightfire, the faint yellow sphere in the ring galaxy's center, the place into which no ship could go. The invisible Veil was up there, too, enshrouding the galaxy with the strange energy field that sealed it off from whatever lay beyond. He couldn't see it, of course, but he saw it in his imagination. The entire human race was stuck between the Nightfire an
