THIRTY-SEVEN

Thomas opened his eyes and found himself standing in the hall. His hand was so tight on Enrique’s arm that his knuckles had turned white. Enrique’s face was a mask of fear—his eyes squeezed shut and jaw clenched against the imminent onslaught of darkness. Thomas took a step back, half expecting the door to crumble as the terrible darkness continued its onslaught of the house.

He waited. Nothing happened.

“Are—are we alive?” asked Enrique. His eyes squinted open, just a fraction.

Thomas nodded. The hall was silent, the door held, and the walls stood strong. There was no sign that anything strange had happened at all. “I think so.”

Enrique took in the hallway with a look of complete disbelief. He stepped hesitantly forward and pressed his ear against the wall. He pulled away with a puzzled look on his face. “I don’t hear anything. Literally, not a single sound.”

Thomas tried, with the same result. “Me either.”

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Should we look inside?” asked Enrique.

“I don’t know,” repeated Thomas. He closed his eyes and listened again. There was nothing. Pure silence. A thought cut through the lingering haze of fear and adrenaline. I just teleported. This is crazy! I teleported, and I took Enrique with me. The last remnant of fear gave way, replaced by excitement that bordered on giddiness. “Yeah. Definitely.”

Enrique stepped tentatively to the door and pressed his ear against the heavy wood. Thomas followed suit. Inside it was silent. Thomas reached down and slid back the heavy bolt. He grabbed the doorknob and looked at Enrique for affirmation.

Enrique nodded. Thomas twisted the knob. The latch clicked, and the door swung inward with a soft creak. Thomas flinched backward, bracing himself against what he might see.

The room looked exactly as it had before the abyss nearly devoured them. The walls and bookcases were back, books on the shelves and papers in neat piles. The chair was at an odd angle to the desk, just the way Squat left it. It looked like nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. The air whooshed out of Thomas’s lungs. He hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath. Only a small dark spot on the wall remained as a reminder that Squat had ever been there.

“Right.” Enrique glanced at Thomas and ran a tentative finger over the smudge. “I, uh, I guess the guy might have some skills.”

“Yeah,” said Thomas. “I think he might.”

• • •

The adults were gathered around the fireplace in the great room when Thomas and Enrique found them. Huxley, Adelia, and Professor Reilly huddled with their heads together, talking in hushed tones. Squat lay on the long couch nearby, sprawled out with his feet up and filthy boots wreaking havoc on the soft leather. He didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned about the mess or the nearby conversation.

“Hey, guys,” said Thomas. Three heads swung around instantly. The fourth didn’t react at all.

“You did it!” exclaimed Adelia. She stood and rushed toward them, a look of profound relief on her face. “Oh, thank goodness!”

“Barely,” said Enrique, allowing Adelia to guide him forward. “What was that in there?”

“An illusion,” said Huxley. He glanced at Squat, who continued his lounging as if there were nobody else in the room. Apparently, the ceiling was more interesting than the people. “A powerful illusion, but an illusion nonetheless.”

“Right. If it was an illusion, how come you all look so relieved?” said Enrique. “What would have happened if we didn’t escape? Or if we’d messed up the teleporting.”

“Hard to know,” said Squat, still staring into space. “But don’t worry. I’m sure we’d have sorted it out. Eventually.”

“Eventually?! What? Are you psychotic or something?” said Enrique.

Squat let out a dismissive snort and continued his study of the ceiling.

“I can understand why you might be upset.” Huxley put a hand on Enrique’s shoulder. “I admit that the technique was unorthodox. But time is short, and you just learned something in minutes that most magicians struggle with for months or years.”

“I didn’t learn it. Thomas did,” said Enrique. There was a hint of jealousy in his voice.

“You’ll get it,” said Thomas. “Don’t worry. I had a four-day head start on training.”

“He’s right,” said Adelia. “You’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“You will,” said Thomas. “And think about it. We just teleported. You and me. Literally teleported. How cool is that?

“Pretty cool.” Enrique grinned. “Teach me to do that, and I’ll forgive sorcerer psycho-pants for giving me a heart attack.”

“Done deal,” said Thomas. “Come on. We’ll see the rest of you at dinner.”