Bone crushing pressure cascaded through Vari as we finally left the Underworld. That arsehole Endrik was going to get the beating of his life when I finally got Vari to safety. He’d almost screwed up everything.
But that wasn’t the most important thing right now. Right now, I needed to keep Vari from fracturing into a million pieces. Huddling around the spark of her spirit, I cradled it against myself. Prayed the other creatures weren’t trying to smash through their cages.
A small line of energy that threaded through her soul pulsed and glowed with a shimmering navy thread. Koehn. One of her protectors. Even though neither of them knew it yet.
I followed the line of their connection until I made it to his mind.
Koehn, do not let her come back here. Ever. Not until I tell you it’s safe.
Roarke?
Yes. Vow it.
Feck. You’ve got to cool it with these vows, mate. But yes, I vow it. Just keep her safe until we get back.
I chuckled. I’ve been keeping her safe for a century. Do not make me regret giving her to you.
There was no answer. But I knew it wasn’t truly his fault. Unconsciousness tended to have that effect on mental prowess.
I managed to keep her together until I felt the magic around us shift. Back to the void that was Earth. Not quite a vacuum, but it certainly wasn’t teeming with the magic of the old days, either.
Such a barren wasteland. Especially in comparison to what it used to be.
Oh well. It was what we had to work with. And we would survive this just like we had Old Faery.
There was no room for error.