Pambri assisted Nicole with her clothes this time—Lizzie was in class and couldn’t come.
“There—that should do it,” Pambri said, tucking the last Kaede-sap-soaked cloth into the last pocket. She turned Nicole around and surveyed her, hands on Nicole’s shoulders. “This is the best help we can give you. I hope it’s enough.”
So did Nicole.
The two women left the large bathroom and joined Austin, Jacob, and Azuriah in the library. Nicole barely looked at her boyfriend or at the Shiengol. She was still irritated with them both.
Austin put his hands on her upper arms, trying to force her to look into his eyes. “Hey,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Nicole shrugged, looking away. She could tell he was sorry that what he said upset her and sorry that she was still hurt over it, but he wasn’t sorry for feeling the way he had. And that bothered her the most. To think that she and Azuriah fought because she rose to the occasion was ridiculous.
But not wanting to leave Austin while she was still angry, she gave him a quick peck on the lips before breathing “I love you” in his ear. Then she turned to Jacob.
“I’m ready,” she said.
Jacob nodded, getting up from the couch and opening a link to the abandoned building in Maivoryl City.
Sanso was waiting for Nicole. If he noticed her change in attire, he didn’t say anything. And she wasn’t about to draw his attention to the tight clothes.
The session was much more intense than usual. Practice was rough, painful, and furious. Nicole barely kept up with the Ember God, but she poured all of her frustrations into their fight. She wondered if he was frustrated about something too because he seemed just as intent on the fight and not flirting for once. It was a nice break.
The next couple of weeks flew by in a whirl of fighting and sleeping off her injuries. Regardless of how fantastic the clothes were and how great the Kaede sap worked, Nicole was still injured a great deal every time. She was progressing, though. And that was encouraging.
Nicole hardly ever saw Austin or Lizzie. In the rare moments when she slept in her apartment instead of at the castle, Lizzie was usually in class. They texted as often as they could—it was their only connection with each other. Nicole made sure to tell Austin she’d gotten over their stupid little tiff, especially when she came to her senses and realized he’d been correct. She had risen to the occasion, and she seriously missed him. It clawed at her heart, making her ache and bringing her misery at odd times during the day.
After two weeks of daily fighting sessions, Sanso started flirting again. Nicole began dreading practice sessions even more, and yet she felt a bit of sympathy edging in. The more conversations she had with him, the more she understood his gruff exterior, his need to tease her relentlessly. But regardless of how sympathetic she was getting to his plight, she still didn’t appreciate the flirting.
At least the Ember God hadn’t tried kissing her again—not since Austin had seen the last time. Thank goodness.
***
Sanso shoved Nicole, then flung a fireball at her. It enveloped her, singeing the ends of her Kaede-sap-soaked hair and making her uncomfortably hot. But it didn’t burn her. For the umpteenth time, Nicole felt gratitude for the healing tree sap and the clothes.
“Very good,” Sanso said when Nicole didn’t let the fireball stop her, instead charging him through the flames. She didn’t give him a chance to say anything else before jumping in the air and kicking him as hard as she could. She tumbled to the ground, satisfied at how far her kick had sent him.
The Ember God growled. “You’re not pulling your kicks or punches anymore.”
Nicole shrugged, panting and out of breath. “I can’t with the Fire Pulser. If I make too much of a habit of it now, I’ll struggle with letting it all go later.”
“Excellent point. You’re a natural fighter.”
That was the other thing—Sanso had started complimenting her regularly. Nicole wasn’t sure if he had ulterior motives, but his compliments made her feel pleased with herself and she sensed the honesty behind them. She really was improving.
But not fast enough. There was no way she’d be able to stack years and years of learning into a few months. The time was drawing to a close, and she didn’t have much longer before Keitus reached his objective and that last talisman.
Without warning, Sanso attacked. This was the first time in a while that she hadn’t been prepared, and his kick spun her end over end. She landed roughly, dizzy and out of breath.
The Ember God rushed to her side, rolling her to her back. He leaned over her, his hands on either side of her head, a concerned expression on his face. The concern quickly melted away when he saw she was fine, just disoriented.
“Talk about surprise attacks,” Nicole grumbled, pushing him away and rolling to a sitting position. She felt the Kaede sap struggling to heal whatever injuries she’d just sustained. It made her tired and cranky. Waves of exhaustion flooded over her.
Sanso scooted closer, gingerly picking up her hand and kissing her palm.
Nicole rolled her eyes, pulling away. “Do you have to start doing that again?” she asked.
Sanso didn’t respond. He met her gaze with a serious one of his own as he studied her. He started saying something, but cleared his throat and looked away instead.
Nicole was curious, but not enough to pry out of him what he’d been about to say.
Sanso got to his feet and pulled Nicole up with him. He put both arms around her, running his hands up her back. Nicole felt heat trail after them.
“Are you using fire?” she asked, frowning.
The heat disappeared, though Sanso’s hands remained. “A habit. Sorry.” His eyes dropped, then rose to hers again. “You bring it out of me.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow. “I bring out your desire to burn people?”
Sanso chuckled, rubbing her back again. Nicole sighed in exasperation, her shoulders slumping. She did not have the energy to fight him off today, but her lack of immediate inaction seemed to encourage him. She opened her mouth to tell him not to read too deeply into her exhaustion, but stopped when he placed a finger on her lips.
“Don’t ruin this moment for me, Nicole,” he whispered.
Moment? They were having a moment?
He grumbled, the sound coming from deep inside his chest. His black eyes sparkled in the sunlight as he kept his serious gaze on her. “Ember Gods use flames to show people how much they care about them.” He trailed a finger along her cheek. “Why are you doing this?”
Nicole suspected she knew what he was referring to. “Doing what?”
“This ridiculous mission.”
“I have to. Too many people will die otherwise.”
“Have they paid you back for what you’ve already done for them?”
Nicole closed her eyes. She put her hands on his chest, then pushed him gently from her. “Sanso, you will never understand why I do what I do.”
Sanso dropped his arms and looked away. “I want to understand.”
“No, you don’t. You want to change my mind. You want to influence me. You probably even want me to leave my boyfriend.”
Sanso didn’t respond for a bit, then said, “I don’t see what’s wrong with any of that.”
Nicole sighed. “How much longer until I’m ready to fight Lasia?”
“A few days, actually.”
Nicole breathed deeply, trying to calm the sudden fear that bubbled up in her stomach. “I’m not ready—I can’t do it.” She realized she was talking to the wrong person for encouragement with this particular task, but she didn’t care. He wouldn’t be able to talk her out of it anyway.
“Nicole, look at me.”
She glanced at him, surprised to see the tender expression on his face. “Yeah?”
“You’re amazing. You have more dedication and passion for this cause than I’ve ever seen in anyone. You’ve set your mind to stopping Keitus and to besting Lasia, and you will. You will because you won’t allow anything less. That is an admirable quality.”
Sanso sank to the forest floor, pulling Nicole down with him.
Nicole started complaining before Sanso shook his head. “I’m not going to try anything with you. I need to share something with you, and you’re too tired to stand anymore.”
Nicole motioned for him to go ahead, making sure there was plenty of space between them. She didn’t want Sanso getting more ideas than he already had.
“You know I used to work for Keitus, right?” he asked.
Nicole nodded. “Yes, Jacob’s dad told me.”
“I worked in this very city,” he said. “I was in charge of the villagers who lived here—the people Keitus constantly tested. I had a fantastic arrangement. Keitus supplied me with food, drink, and plenty of gold. Not to mention power.” He looked at Nicole. “Ember Gods crave power.”
“Yeah, that’s not something I missed.”
Sanso smiled. “There aren’t many Ember Gods—we’re very, very difficult to create, and it’s not exactly intuitive.”
“I really don’t want a birds-and-bees discussion right now.”
Sanso’s eyebrows creased. He didn’t understand what she was getting at.
“Never mind,” she said with a sigh.
“Anyway, we’re ‘born’ at the age of ten through an incredibly complex and excruciatingly painful process.”
Nicole waited for Sanso to explain what that process was, but he didn’t. Then she caught hold of the age he’d mentioned. “Ten?” she said incredulously. “How is that possible?”
“It’s not the same as a human birth,” he said. “We don’t need to talk about how it works. Suffice to say, there aren’t many Ember Gods.” He quieted before saying, “And Keitus drastically dropped our numbers.”
Nicole sensed this was the whole point of the conversation. “What did he do?”
“He asked us to accomplish something important. We failed. As punishment, he commanded his wolves to tear us apart.”
Nicole frowned. “Wolves? I’d think a wolf wouldn’t be a match for an Ember God.”
Sanso sat up and swiveled until he was facing her. “They weren’t ordinary wolves. They were immune to pain—to death, basically. We tried to defend ourselves, but they slaughtered us one at a time. I only survived because of how obstinate I am . . . and because a creature took pity on me and distracted the Lorkon dogs long enough for me to escape.”
The Ember God pulled his shirt over his head. Nicole was distracted at first by his fantastic muscles, but then noticed the faint scars slashed all over him. “These will always remind me of Keitus’s ruthlessness. One moment, you’re the only person who can help him get what he wants—you’re his confidante and best friend. The next, he destroys you.”
Sanso glared, staring off into the distance. “Those Ember Gods he killed were my best friends. My family. My brothers.” He stopped talking, and Nicole was surprised to see his eyes glistening in the fading sunlight. “You need to know how dangerous Keitus is—how determined he is to succeed, regardless of the cost. You’re better off letting him have what he wants and getting out while you can.”
Nicole ignored his last statement. “I’ve sensed his ruthlessness. I’ve seen the way he uses and treats those who are close to him.”
Sanso studied her eyes. “Don’t forget what I’ve said. It wouldn’t be beneath you to step aside and let someone else fight this battle.” He looked away. “I’d love to take you to meet the few other Ember Gods someday. It’s in a place where Keitus could never reach—he doesn’t have power there.”
Nicole frowned. “How is that possible?”
“We have our own magic sources.” He half smiled. “I’m serious about taking you someday. And . . . your boyfriend could come too.”
Nicole hesitated only a moment before saying, “I think I’d like that.” If Austin could go, there wouldn’t be any harm in it.
Sanso bent one of his legs and stretched the other out, resting his arm on the bent leg. He stared at her. “You’re beautiful, you know.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “I need to be getting back now. I should get some rest while I can.”
“I’m serious. I can’t stop thinking about you, Nicole. I feel peace when I’m with you—and, well, it’s the only time I’ve ever felt peace in my entire life.”
Nicole’s heart stirred with pity for him. She wasn’t sure what to say.
He put a hand on her arm, but didn’t lift his gaze to meet hers. “We have different motivations for spending time together. You want to defeat a Fire Pulser in order to defeat Keitus. I wanted money, at first . . .” He finally lifted his eyes. “I have since set my sights on something far more valuable.”
Nicole turned away, but Sanso reached over and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her closer, forcing her to look at him.
“I’m falling in love with you, Nicole.”
“I’m sorry, Sanso, but I’m in love with Austin. I would never betray him.”
Sanso ignored her response. He rose to his knees, inching closer, still gripping her shoulders. “I’ll become what you want me to be if you’ll only have me. I could do anything for you—get you anything.”
Nicole scrambled to her feet and backed away. “Stop it,” she said. “I love Austin. You can’t change that. And he doesn’t need to promise me anything. He has already proven his love over and over again.”
Sanso chuckled. “Still believe I’m selfish?”
“You think the battles I’m fighting are a waste of time—you’ve made that perfectly clear. You’d be willing to let thousands and thousands suffer or die. Yes, that makes you selfish.”
He shrugged, but his playful mood had disappeared. He jerked away from her, getting to his feet and striding off toward the city. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder.
Nicole stayed where she was. She couldn’t wait not to have to deal with his mood swings anymore. Or his intensity. Or his flirting . . . She already had one attractive man in her life who was a bit moody. She didn’t need another one.
***
That evening, Austin met Nicole at her apartment. She’d been injured during the fight, but not as badly as usual, and hadn’t yet slathered herself in her nightly dose of sap, wanting to be awake and alert for her time with her boyfriend.
At first, he was cautious around her, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much of her interactions with Sanso he’d heard about. She was sure Jacob checked up on her occasionally, and she was also sure Jacob would tell Austin anything he wanted to know.
Austin wasn’t the type to pry, though. And she knew he’d give her the freedom to choose someone other than him, if she wanted it.
That was the thing, though—she only wanted him.
Austin took her hand and led her to the living room and the plush leather couch that waited. He asked her to sit, then started pacing in front of her.
“My dad has a friend who creates special jewelry. He only makes it for friends and family. He’s an Arete, so he’s able to put together things that are extra special.” Austin pulled a ring box from his pocket.
Nicole’s heartbeat sped up. Oh, my gosh, was he going to propose?
“I told him what I wanted, and, well, he created a necklace for you.”
A necklace? That wasn’t a necklace box. Nicole tried not to show her disappointment. If he’d asked, she would have said yes.
“It’s magical, which means it won’t function in Shonlin, but I was hoping it’ll function everywhere else.”
“What does it do?” Nicole asked.
Austin opened the box, revealing a ring with braided metal vines. Where was the necklace?
For a moment, Nicole’s excitement returned until Austin put the ring on her right hand. “I convinced him to change it into a ring, realizing how impractical a necklace would be while fighting. And while a ring might be impractical too, it’s not as dangerous.” He looked into her eyes. “Whenever I think about you and send a message of love, the ring will warm to the touch. You’ll be able to sense my feelings regardless of where you are.”
“That’s amazing, Austin.”
“I had him make one for me too—I hope you don’t mind. It felt weird, picking out jewelry for me that was supposed to come from my girlfriend without her knowing.” Austin pulled another box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a similarly styled ring, though bigger. “It only needs your touch to be activated.” He took it out and gave it to her.
“What do I do?”
“Press the pad of your left ring finger into it and think about your feelings for me. When the ring senses you thinking those thoughts at that intensity again, it’ll warm itself, letting me know.”
Nicole pressed her finger into the ring, closed her eyes, and poured her heart and soul into it. All of the love she felt for Austin, for his care, for his help and intelligence and humility and pride and everything that made him an amazing man. For how he cared for her and treated her. She didn’t hold anything back. When she finished, she opened her eyes, blinking away the tears, and gave Austin his ring.
Austin put it on, then gently pulled her to her feet and held her. “I had a similar reaction,” he whispered.
They stood that way, enjoying each other’s embrace for several moments before Austin pulled away. “Let’s see if they work. You go in your room, and I’ll stay out here. Count to ten, then think hard about me. I’ll do the same afterwards.”
Nicole nodded, then practically skipped into her room to sit on her bed. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, then pushed her thoughts outward, expressing her love and desire for Austin.
“I love you too!” he called from the living room, making her chuckle.
Nicole took a breath, then lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for his turn.
She gasped when she felt the ring start to warm. But it didn’t just do that—the actual emotions Austin sent enveloped her like a big comforter fresh from the dryer. It was the best feeling she’d ever experienced, and she didn’t want it to end.
Nicole closed her eyes, smiling to herself, enjoying the emotions. Finally, she stretched, then slowly sat up and joined him in the kitchen, where he had started mixing a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
She wrapped her arms around him from behind. “You know the perfect way to a girl’s heart,” she mumbled against his back.
“Is it still warm?” he asked.
Nicole fingered the ring, not pulling her arms away. “Yes. Thank you so much for this—it’s the best gift ever.”
“It’s a late birthday gift.”
“I haven’t gotten anything for you,” Nicole said.
Austin turned in her arms, holding her tightly. “Yes, you did. A ring.” His warm brown eyes sparkled with humor as he studied her face. Before she could argue, he kissed her slowly and thoroughly, only stopping when the front door opened. He cleared his throat. “Well, I suppose these cookies aren’t going to make themselves.”
“Did someone say something about cookies?” Lizzie asked, dumping her backpack on the counter. She squealed when she saw the chocolate chips on the counter. “Fantastic! I was daydreaming about this all day.” She grinned impishly at Nicole. “And that’s about as close to dreaming about your boyfriend as I’m going to get.”
Nicole and Austin laughed, then Nicole helped him finish mixing the dough. When the cookies were done, Lizzie poured tall glasses of milk, and they ate while watching a movie.
***
Sanso was really moody during their next practice session, and Nicole couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was because of their conversation yesterday. Regardless of what caused it, it was frustrating. She fought carefully, not wanting to trigger an outburst of anger.
Toward the end of the bewildering practice session, she grew tired of the mood games. Sanso had yet again bounced back to his smoldering. He grabbed her and kissed her full on the mouth. She shoved him as hard as she could, then back-handed him for good measure.
He growled, his hands and feet flaming. Just as he was about to push his fire at her, Nicole decided to cheat. She pulled enough water from the air around them to douse Sanso’s flames completely.
His reaction shocked her. He freaked out. He screamed at her, wiping his hands on his pants repeatedly, trying to dry them off.
“Fine!” Nicole said. “Sorry. I won’t do it again.”
She stirred up some air and directed it to him, drying him while pulling the water away.
It wasn’t enough to make Sanso happy, though. He snarled and lunged at her, throwing her across the forest.
Nicole landed roughly, the wind knocked from her. She gasped for air, trying to force it back into her lungs magically.
She sucked in the air she needed right as Sanso pounced on top of her, pinning her arms and legs down. His dark eyes were only inches from hers.
He breathed heavily, obviously trying to calm down. Nicole held as still as she could—she sensed just how deeply she’d pushed him, and realized he could destroy her if he wanted. She tried not to show her fear as she stared back at him.
“Apologize,” he demanded.
“I already did.”
“Do it again!” he screamed.
Nicole flinched. “I’m sorry, Sanso. I had no idea water would affect you like that.”
He scoffed. “You can’t be serious. A person whose entire life is surrounded by fire, and you’re shocked he would panic when covered in water?”
“Well, when you put it that way . . .”
Sanso glared at her. “You owe me.” His gaze drifted to her lips.
“Don’t you dare—”
His lips cut her words off. He pressed her body into the ground, urgent, forceful. It took Nicole several seconds to detach her face from his. She spat when she did, trying to get the taste of him out of her mouth.
“You vile, disgusting beast!”
Sanso jumped off her and scrambled away. As suddenly as it had come, the fight left him. “Come back to my world with me, Nicole.”
“After that? You think that’s how to win a girl over? I’ll have you know, most women prefer the nice guy.”
Sanso snorted. “Austin’s a nice guy?”
“He’s never forced himself on me—not once. He’s considerate. He actually cares how I’m feeling! And when we started dating, he took things slow. He was cautious and hesitant. And yes, that bothered me a couple of times, but you know what? I’d much prefer that over someone who makes me feel constantly on edge.”
Sanso took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” He stared at the forest for several minutes. “You’re too young to realize what you’re getting into where this battle is concerned.”
Nicole scoffed. “I’m too young? And how old are you?”
He glanced at her. “Thirty.”
“You’re barely ten years older than me.”
“Regardless, I’ve seen more than you’ll see in your entire life.”
“I doubt that.”
He frowned at her. “You can’t possibly win against Keitus—not with the powers he has. Nothing will stop him now that he has nearly everything he needs.”
“We’ve had this conversation before! I’m not deserting my friends or my mission.”
“Come with me,” he repeated.
“Not a chance.”
He stared at his feet for several moments before responding. “You didn’t need to be so honest.”
Nicole realized she’d hurt his feelings, but she didn’t care. After this last practice session, he deserved it. Besides, why would her honesty this particular time be any different? It wasn’t like she’d changed her answer.
He obviously wasn’t through trying to convince her. “We have great chemistry. You’d never be bored with me. I could take you to places you’ve only dreamed of . . . and most importantly, you’d always be safe with me.”
Nicole turned to him, trying not to scoff openly. “You realize we—my boyfriend and I—aren’t regular humans, right? You control fire, yes. That’s very impressive. But Austin controls fire and every other element. His protection supersedes yours.”
As if on cue, Nicole’s ring started burning. She gasped, holding her hand to herself, enjoying the flood of positive emotions that rushed over her. Like before, they made the back of her eyes prickle. She was so lucky to have Austin.
“We’re done now,” Nicole said. “I’m going home.”
“That’s fine,” Sanso said, obviously trying to maintain his charge over her. “You’ll be fighting Lasia in two days. Tomorrow will be our last practice session.”
Sanso pulled Nicole to her feet—she felt extra nice for allowing him to do that—then they walked back to the city in silence. Nicole sensed a change in the Ember God, but she had no desire to pursue the topic with him or to know what was going on. Judging by the sense of resignation around him, he’d finally realized she would not be falling for him.
Good riddance.
When they reached the city, instead of leaving immediately, Sanso turned to Nicole. “You’re obviously determined to go through with the plan, so let me tell you now—Fire Pulsers have almost no weaknesses. But there’s an exception to that. All of them have a pressure point on their wrists that is incredibly sensitive. If you push it hard enough, it’ll cause her pain, and a lot of it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
Sanso shrugged. “I thought I’d be successful in getting you to abandon your ridiculous plan.”
“Well, I’m glad you told me now.”
Sanso grabbed her hand, kissed it, then turned it to the side and showed her where the pressure point on a Fire Pulser would be. Then he walked away.
Nicole leaned against the wall of the abandoned building, eyes closed, so relieved to be out of the Ember God’s presence that her toes and fingertips tingled. Only one more practice session—she could handle that. She could.
Nicole only had to wait a couple of minutes before Jacob showed up to take her home.
He whistled at what greeted her in the apartment. “Looks like someone has you on his mind,” he said.
The entire entryway, living room, and kitchen were stuffed full of flowers. Rose petals lined the narrow paths that wound through the foliage. The apartment smelled like a florist shop. Nicole barely noticed when Jacob chuckled and said goodbye before shutting the door. She rested her forehead on the fridge next to several pink cut-out hearts.
“Holy cow,” she whispered to herself. Was Austin planning on proposing this time? She was still a little embarrassed for assuming he’d been about to propose last time.
It occurred to her, though, that he wasn’t the type of person to move when he felt insecure. Was he showering her with gifts for a particular reason? Was he worried she’d choose Sanso over him, and this was his last-ditch effort to convince her to stay with him? She picked up a rose and breathed its aroma deeply, realizing she needed to be more persuasive if he was worried.
The doorbell rang, and Nicole turned and peeked through the peephole. Austin was on the other side. She opened with excitement, grinning, and threw her arms around him. “It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed.
He half smiled, ducking his head. “I thought you’d like it.” He pulled tickets from his pocket. “Care to catch a musical?”
Nicole jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “Oh, heavens, yes. I definitely could use that.”
The evening was fantastic, but Austin didn’t propose. Maybe he was warming up to it.
She just hoped he’d do it sooner rather than later. With how Sanso had been talking, she’d started worrying that Keitus would destroy everything and everyone. Would she and Austin get the chance to turn their relationship into something more permanent first? She hoped so.
***
Nicole arrived at her last practice with Sanso prepared to find him in all sorts of annoying and dramatic moods. Instead, she found a note from him on the porch of the abandoned building. Under it was the necklace he always wore. She ignored that and read the note.
You’re ready to face Lasia, Nicole. Today’s practice would only prolong the pain your decision has caused me. If you change your mind, this necklace will help you find me. Keep it—it reminds me too much of you.
Nicole rolled her eyes. He was so dramatic. According to Jacob, Sanso had worn that necklace back when the two of them had met at least four years earlier. How could two months of practice make Sanso think of Nicole when he looked at a necklace they’d maybe had one, possibly two conversations about?
The note had been propped on top of the necklace with a rock—the paper hiding the necklace, the rock keeping the paper from blowing away. Nicole sat on the porch and picked up the necklace. The minute her fingers were on it, she had a vision of him. He’d left this world completely and gone to a tiny world who knew how far away. It was so small and insignificant, Nicole could totally believe Sanso was right about Keitus overlooking it.
Sanso was sitting at a table in a small cabin, fingering a bracelet. Nicole gasped. She recognized that bracelet! How had Sanso gotten his hands on it? The thief! It was the one she wore that zapped her constantly, letting her know when she’d overdone it magically.
Nicole had half a mind to storm to that world and demand he return it. ’Course, that was probably what he expected her to do. And if she did it, she’d never be able to convince him she wasn’t madly in love with him.
Sighing with resignation, Nicole pulled the Minya container from her purse. She felt a little sad about having to give the Minya back to her proper owner, but realized it would mark the end of a very stressful period of her life. She couldn’t wait for Lasia to be defeated and for the next few days to be over.
She hoped she’d survive.
Jacob came and picked Nicole up immediately.
“Would you take me to Shonlin?” she asked when he wondered what she’d do with the time she had.
“What for?”
She lifted the necklace. “I want to put this there. I’m not going to keep it, and I doubt he’ll come looking for it. And if he does, it’s only one sealing away.”
Jacob nodded. He took her hand, warmed it, and everything flashed around them. The landscape outside of Gratitude, the Makalo city, greeted them for a brief moment before her hand warmed and the lights flashed again. Then the fifth floor of the library in Edana surrounded them. Nicole thanked Jacob and walked to the corner, greeting the guardian. She handed him the necklace.
He inspected it, gave it back, and told her to go ahead and seal it in the room.
Nicole entered that room and faced the empty shelf. The necessary words flowed into her mind and she repeated them, sealing the necklace in place. She made an entry in the book by the door, then joined Jacob outside the room.
“That was fast,” he said.
She shrugged. “I know what to do now.” And she was glad to be rid of the necklace.
“My magic hasn’t been able to replenish itself yet—it’ll be a couple of hours before I can Time Travel again. We might as well walk.”
Nicole nodded. She was fine with that.
As they started down the cobblestone road, Jacob began talking out loud, musing through what he’d learned since watching Keitus.
“I’m not entirely sure if it’s important, but when I go back far enough, I catch a glimpse of an object hidden in the corner of the room. I didn’t pay it much attention before because I assumed it was a plant.” He laughed. “I know, I know, never assume anything. Stupid of me, right? Well, in the particular scene I’ve been studying, Keitus is sitting at his desk, reading, when a maid enters the room. She gives him his breakfast before pouring something into the object. I thought she was watering a plant and totally dismissed it until I realized that not long after this, the cycle starts. I’d been so focused on Keitus’s actions and the actions of his minions that I ignored a simple maid.”
Jacob looked at Nicole. “So, I zoom in on the thing and find it’s not a plant at all. It’s roundish—like a core—and has a funnel attached to it and gears. What I’d originally assumed to be light reflecting off shiny flower petals is actually a glow barely visible through the piece of cloth that covers it.”
Nicole narrowed her eyes. A funnel? “Tell me more about it. What color was it glowing?”
“Red.”
“About how old would you say it is?”
He shrugged. “It looked pretty old. The funnel definitely wasn’t a modern, plastic one. It was rough metal.”
She turned to face him, stopping him with a hand on his arm. “Could it have come from the eighteen hundreds?”
Jacob hesitated. “It definitely isn’t from this century.”
Nicole started walking again, breathing heavily. “Oh, my gosh. It has to be him.”
“Him who?”
She glanced at Jacob. “Remember when we went to see Keitus and found an old guy who wouldn’t answer questions?”
Jacob nodded.
“And he remembered me—he knew my name?”
He nodded again.
“His voice was super familiar. I’ve been trying to figure it out since, and you just gave me the key I needed.”
“Who was it?”
“Captain Christopher Price.”
“Oh, I know that name.”
Nicole frowned. “How?”
“It was on one of the papers Keitus was studying. I told you about him back when I mentioned the names he was researching.”
Nicole’s frown deepened. “There’s no way you said Christopher Price. I would have recognized it immediately.”
He shrugged. “I did give you a list of names, so maybe he got lost in them.”
Nicole shook her head. “Doesn’t matter—he’s my great-great-grandfather. There’s no way I wouldn’t have recognized his name if I’d heard it.” She scowled to herself, thinking back to the conversation they were talking about. Her eyes widened, and she turned to Jacob. “You said Christian Price, not Christopher.”
“Whatever. Does it matter now?”
Nicole opened her mouth, about to say that yes, it did, when she realized he was right. She sighed, forcing herself to calm down. “No, it doesn’t.”
“What now?”
“Well, obviously my ancestors are teaming up with yours and making life hard for us.”
“Stupid family.”
Nicole chuckled. “Seriously. I wonder how he found out about Christopher Price.”
Jacob raised his hand. “I know how. Christopher Price was a famous inventor.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
“Okay, not like Thomas Edison or someone like that, but apparently, all sorts of his inventions were circling around back while he was alive. A few of them even survived.”
Nicole stepped over a tree trunk that had fallen across the cobblestone road. “That’s crazy. How did Keitus find out about him?”
“Probably word of mouth. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but our world is practically the only one with lots of advanced technology. I mean, even Renforth can be bribed with it because his world doesn’t have any.”
Nicole paused, turning to Jacob. “Are you serious? Renforth can be bribed?” Why hadn’t anyone told her this before?
Jacob nodded.
“And Makalo magic makes it so something can function without electricity, right?”
“Well, not really—they still use electricity.”
“But the thing doesn’t need to be plugged in to work.”
“It depends. Usually, they store a lot of power into something, then plug into that. Where are you going with this?”
Nicole couldn’t help the huge smile that crossed her face. “Austin found a really cool charm back in the castle at Edana while I was stuck with the natives. It reanimates corpses and forces the body to tell the spirit’s most important secret.”
Jacob’s eyes brightened. “And you want to reanimate Keitus’s body?”
“Yes.”
“Please take me with you!”
Nicole chuckled. “That’s not up to me—it’s up to Renforth.” She started walking quickly, wanting to get back to the castle as soon as possible. “It’s got to work,” she said. “I can bribe him. I’ve got all the money anyone could ever want, and I never spend it. I haven’t really had anything to spend it on.”
“Except for our missions and your project a year ago to save the world, right?”
Nicole nodded. Had it really been a year since she’d fought Rebecca and the Great Ones? She couldn’t believe that. She shook herself, forcing her mind to get back to the present. “I have to fight Lasia tomorrow or the day after—it needs to happen soon. But before I face her, we’re going to reanimate Keitus’s corpse. And I’m going to buy every single item of technology I can get my hands on to convince Renforth to grant us entrance without going through his stupid links.”
“Good idea.” Jacob’s face was flushed—he was pretty excited about the idea.
The two of them jogged the rest of the way to the door. Jacob created a link and took them to the castle, where they quickly explained their idea to Jacob’s parents.
Dmitri and Arien were in favor of it. Jacob took Nicole home while he went to Azuriah’s fortress to tell the Shiengol so they could get in contact with Renforth.
The minute Nicole stepped through the link to her own world, she pulled out her phone. Setting it on the counter, she conference-called Lizzie, Coolidge, and Austin and told them what she and Jacob had learned about the glowing core and funnel, Captain Christopher Price, and their current goal to collect technology.
“This is going to be fun,” Lizzie said. “Where do we want to go shopping first?”
“Costco,” Austin said at the same time Professor Coolidge said, “The Amazon warehouse.”
“We can hit both places,” Nicole said. “And Walmart and Best Buy—everywhere that sells anything electronic.”
Realizing they’d have a lot of gadgets on their hands if Renforth didn’t go for it, Nicole rented a huge moving truck which they parked in the various lots. Then they took turns going into stores and buying things—not enough to catch attention, as they didn’t have time to deal with weirded-out store managers. Austin magically sealed the moving truck to keep people from trying to steal things. A few times, they were able to find a shopping strip that had multiple stores in it and they all shopped at the same time, rotating through the stores.
Nicole picked up remote control trucks, cars, and airplanes. An employee helped her snag a 70-inch TV, and she also purchased a Blu-Ray player, multiple movies, a telephone, camera, several cell phones—basically everything she could find. When the person checking her out raised an eyebrow, Nicole laughed. “Early Christmas shopping,” she said.
The lady in line behind her chuckled. “Wish I was on your list,” she said.
Nicole felt bad for the lie before realizing these people would forgive her if they ever found out why she was doing it.
Soon, the moving van was completely stuffed full of electronics.
“Does he like cars?” Nicole asked Jacob. “’Cause I’m not above buying him some muscle.”
Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d have to ask Azuriah.”
Speaking of the Shiengol . . . “Has he contacted you yet?”
Jacob hadn’t heard anything, so he opened a link to Azuriah’s fortress. They all piled into the library where the Shiengol was pacing.
He turned when they came in. “Renforth said no . . . until he Time-Saw you on your shopping spree. And now he’s incredibly open to the idea—I’ve never seen him so giddy.”
Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. “If we’d known this was all it would take, we would have done it last time.”
“And it wouldn’t have worked,” Azuriah snapped. “He’s in the right mood this time to be spoiled. Last time, it probably would have annoyed him.” He sighed. “How do you propose we get the items to him?”
Jacob raised a hand. “I’ve been thinking about that. I suggest we drive to his planet.”
“Drive?” Azuriah asked, his eyebrow up.
Jacob nodded, smiling. “We need to find a warehouse or something with a huge door. I’ll create a link with it, and we’ll drive through.”
Azuriah decided that would work, and Jacob opened a link to the moving van. He glanced back at the others. “Any of you know where the right kind of warehouse is?”
“Pike’s Market should have big doors,” Lizzie said.
Coolidge shook his head. “Too busy—we need somewhere quiet. People there aren’t likely to be okay with a huge moving van disappearing through their doors.”
“Good point,” Lizzie said.
They ended up driving up and down the streets of Seattle, looking for somewhere that wouldn’t catch attention. It took almost an hour, but they finally found the perfect place—an empty warehouse in an industrial neighborhood that didn’t have a lot of foot traffic around it.
Once they’d lined the van up with the big doors, the guys got out, and Jacob created a link to the other world while Austin and Coolidge heaved the door open. Nicole pulled the van through. Lizzie, sitting in the seat next to her, squealed when the busy streets of Seattle disappeared and the pristine whiteness of Renforth’s throne room appeared.
Austin and Coolidge walked through the link as Nicole and Lizzie got out of the van. Jacob keyed to Taga Village to get Akeno.
Renforth stood from his throne and approached the moving van excitedly. “Did you bring a Makalo?” he asked. “None of the stuff is worth anything without power.”
“I’m here,” Akeno called from the door. He and Jacob closed the huge doors, then turned to help unload the van.
Renforth watched excitedly, greed in his eyes, as Nicole, Lizzie, Coolidge, and Austin presented him with the things they’d bought. He responded with all the eagerness of a little child on Christmas morning. If Nicole didn’t dislike him so much, she would have actually enjoyed the interaction. He was so completely different this time from the last. It annoyed her. Shiengols were so temperamental.
Akeno charged the appropriate items, then gave a warning. “Some of them will need recharging. Depending on how often you use them, that could be after an hour of use or a year.” He motioned for Renforth to follow him, then pointed to a hole he’d made in Renforth’s wall. “I’ve gathered years’ worth of electricity and fed it here. If you take the power cord and put it in that hole, you’ll be able to give your toys the energy they need to function, even the ones that don’t have batteries.”
Renforth didn’t seem to mind the “toy” jab. He grabbed the nearest thing—an alarm clock—and shoved the cord into the wall. He squealed with delight when the clock’s digital numbers started flashing.
Renforth turned. “All right, you may go.”
“Go?” Nicole asked. “To the corpse? Don’t you want to be there when we reanimate it?”
“No, I mean for you to go home. I want to use all my presents before allowing you access to Keitus.”
Nicole shook her head. “No way. We’re not leaving until we see Keitus’s corpse reanimated.” She rushed onward, realizing she was opening them up to all sorts of trouble. “And that’s going to happen right now or Akeno will take all of that electricity away. And if he won’t, I will.”
She stared at Renforth until he glared back and gave a very stiff “fine” as a response, then led the way between the pillars to the wall where he’d staked Keitus’s corpse.
Everyone turned to Austin and Nicole, and Nicole motioned at Austin to go ahead. “You’re the one who has the charm practically memorized,” she said.
The blood drained from Austin’s face, but when he spoke, his voice didn’t show his discomfort at the attention he was receiving. “I’ll need your phone.”
Nicole opened up the photo app before handing the device over.
Austin stared at the image, then looked at Keitus’s corpse. “So, I should be able to repeat these words, then blow on his mouth. And apparently, a spirit somewhere will enter his body with my breath and will know what his biggest secret is.”
Coolidge frowned. “Does it say where the spirit will come from?”
Austin shook his head. “No.”
“What about possible problems with allowing the spirit to inhabit this body?” Coolidge asked.
Austin glanced up at Coolidge. “There aren’t any warnings whatsoever.”
Coolidge rubbed the back of his neck. “I wish I’d known that before we all came here.”
Renforth scowled at that, but didn’t say anything, and Coolidge growled, now rubbing his face. “Let’s just go ahead with it.”
Austin nodded, turning back to the corpse. “Corpus, körper, sóma.” He half smiled at Nicole. “Not very imaginative, but hey, if it works, it works.”
He took a breath and stepped closer to the corpse, blowing on its mouth.
Nothing happened.
Austin scratched his head. “So . . . that didn’t work.”
Coolidge took Nicole’s phone from him and flicked through the pictures. “That’s because you didn’t do it right,” he said.
Austin flushed. He didn’t say anything, though, and Nicole got the feeling he’d sensed that himself.
“This illustration shows that you actually have to make contact with the body when you blow.” Coolidge pointed at the phone. “Think of it as CPR.”
Nicole winced, and Lizzie said, “Ew!” Austin looked pretty grossed out, but still, he didn’t hesitate. He repeated the words again, took another breath, then quickly pressed his lips against the gaping mouth and blew. He stepped back, grimacing, and wiped off his lips.
A slight breeze ruffled Nicole’s hair. Everyone seemed to notice it at the same time. The breeze grew in strength until strong gusts of wind pushed her and the others toward the dead body.
The wind got louder and louder as the rotten, holey lungs—visible through the ribcage—started expanding.
And then the body suddenly became aware. It straightened, not seeming to notice it had been tacked to a wall. Nicole was immediately reminded of how Imhotep had looked in The Mummy before fully regenerating. Keitus’s skin was rotted and pitted, his jaw hanging loosely, his head roving as he tried to see with eyes that had long ago fallen back into his head.
“Who wakes me?” The voice was grating, strong, and didn’t sound a thing like Keitus.
“That is none of your business,” Austin said, stepping forward.
Nicole cringed. Should he insult Keitus already? She hoped Austin wasn’t too close to the body, but maybe it wouldn’t be able to break its binds.
The corpse growled, fingers reaching toward Austin, trying to free themselves of the heavy pins holding the arms in place.
Austin glanced at Nicole’s phone, which he’d taken back from Coolidge. “Tell us your secrets, Dead One.”
The body froze, jaw gaping, arms tight against their binds. It screeched, looking like it was trying to swallow its tongue, but the magic of the charm forced it to speak.
“She will give me all she has, and in turn, I shall destroy her.”
The wind immediately started up again, but in reverse. With a long sigh, the corpse gradually emptied of air. Nicole’s hair ruffled again, then Keitus’s body hung much like it had before.
“She who?” Lizzie asked.
“My guess is Helen,” Coolidge said.
“He’s going to destroy her?” Lizzie asked. “That’s not really a bad thing, you know. For us and her. Heavens knows she could use some of that eternal rest stuff.”
Coolidge looked disappointed. “It’s still not particularly useful information.”
Austin turned to his professor. “I disagree. It gives us ammo. We can try to convince her not to let him have access to her body.”
Lizzie snorted. “Good luck with that. If she’s already agreed, I doubt she’ll change her mind. She’s pretty driven by her obsessions.”
Nicole nodded. “And Keitus probably chose her because of those obsessions. He’d be an idiot not to use them to get her to agree to the body swap.”
“I realize this,” Austin said. “But we still need to try.”
“I agree,” Azuriah said. “And we have our own ways of convincing.”
“I’ll accompany you on this quest,” Renforth said. “Two Shiengols are better than one.”
Everyone stared at him, completely surprised, including Azuriah.
Renforth scowled. “Stop acting shocked or I’ll throw you in my prison.”
Coolidge glanced at Nicole. “We’ll approach Helen once you’ve faced Lasia. Much as I’d like to delay that event for you, it will take us time to find Helen’s spirit and body. If we can’t convince her to avoid Keitus, perhaps we can hide her body from him.”
Nicole nodded. “That’s something we probably should have done a long time ago.”
“We didn’t realize how close Keitus was to achieving his goal,” Jacob said.
Nicole knew he was right. That didn’t make her feel any better about the situation, though.
She and Lizzie hopped into the cab of the moving van while the others followed Jacob through the link. Nicole pulled the van around and followed too.
Jacob was able to key the others to their homes, but Nicole had to return the moving van.
She gripped the steering wheel, feeling it become slimy as her sweat production increased. She couldn’t believe the time had come to face the Fire Pulser. She still had no idea how she was going to do it, apart from Sanso’s tip about the pressure point on Lasia’s wrists. And that depended on Nicole living long enough to get that close.
“So, guess what?” Lizzie asked as Nicole turned onto the streets of Seattle.
Nicole did her best to switch her thoughts to her friend. “What?”
“I’ve finally picked a major. I’m applying for acceptance next week.”
Nicole grinned at Lizzie. “Really? That’s awesome! What is it?”
Lizzie rubbed her nose, almost shyly. “Not what you’re going to think it’ll be.”
“I’m expecting biology or something else related to the medical field.”
“I know. It’s not.” She turned to face Nicole. “It’s a geology degree—one that is specialized to our university and focuses on Fire Aretes.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to be a Fire Impeder.”
Nicole felt her mouth pop open. “Are you serious? Oh, wow. That’ll be a lot of work for you, considering it’s opposite from your natural sub-ability.”
Lizzie rushed to continue. “I know, and I’m ready for it. We were talking in Fire 302 a month ago about all the things Fire Impeders do, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.” She began talking with her hands, her face animated. “And you know how almost all Aretes branch into other powers? Like, it’s their goal? Well, instead of learning other powers, I’m going to really focus in on my own natural ability. And there are tons of jobs available for Fire Impeders, especially since it’s so specialized.”
“I love how excited you are about this. But what happened to nursing?”
Lizzie shrugged. “I love nursing—the idea. But when I started studying all the weird things nurses have to do before getting their licenses, I sort of lost interest.”
Nicole chuckled, then sighed, adjusting her grip on the wheel as her thoughts returned to the Fire Pulser.
“What’s up?” Lizzie asked.
Nicole shrugged. “I can’t wait for tomorrow to be over.”
Lizzie gave her a sympathetic look. “Me too.” She bounced in her seat. “How about we invite Austin and Gabriel over and have a little mini party tonight?”
“Gabriel?” It took Nicole a moment to remember who Lizzie was talking about. She sent her best friend a little smile. “Last I heard, he was only a hot guy in math.”
“He’s still a hot guy in math,” Lizzie said. “Only now, he’s a hot guy in math who has my number and hasn’t stopped texting the past few days.”
“And you’re okay with making the first move?” Nicole asked.
“He asked me for my number,” Lizzie said. “Technically, that’s the first move. And I don’t think it would bother him anyway.”
Nicole nodded, noticing that Lizzie hadn’t actually answered her question. “All right. Let’s party!”
***
The evening was fun, relaxing, and exactly as it should have been. Gabriel was awesome. Nicole could tell he was way into Lizzie, and she really hoped this relationship would be one that lasted.
They all cooked dinner, baked cookies, and she and Austin got in a lot of snuggles and kisses.
Nicole sighed, leaning against the couch, her fingers threaded through Austin’s. Unbidden, her thoughts turned to the next morning, and she struggled with making them go somewhere else. She pressed her face into Austin’s chest, refusing to allow desperation to ruin the evening.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, smoothing her hair out of her face.
“Just freaking out about tomorrow.”
Austin made a rumbling sound deep in his chest. “I wish I could go.”
Nicole nodded, not trusting herself to talk. She hated that she had to do it alone.
All too soon, the evening came to an end, Gabriel left, and Nicole kissed her boyfriend goodbye. “See you in the morning?” she asked.
He trailed his fingers down the side of her face. “I’ll be here.”
“Good.”
***
Austin showed up bright and early. Nicole was still asleep when he tossed a pebble at her window.
She pulled it open, rubbing her face. “So early?” she asked.
“It’s after nine,” he said.
Nicole looked back at her alarm clock. “Wow. Yeah, I didn’t fall asleep until almost four. Come on up.”
She changed her clothes and brushed her teeth and hair, pulling her hair into a high ponytail. She should have washed it, but didn’t want to spend any unnecessary time away from Austin. Plus, she didn’t think cleanliness would impress the Fire Pulser. She’d be covered in Kaede sap anyway, so there wasn’t a point in showering.
“You look beautiful,” Austin said, caressing her face.
Nicole chuckled. “I’m glad you think so.”
He wrapped his arms around her and nestled into her neck. “Mmmm . . . and you smell good too.”
Nicole giggled, pushing him away. “Stop that. I haven’t showered.”
“I love your smell.”
She took him by the hand and led him into the kitchen, where they made pancakes, bacon, and eggs.
Lizzie joined them, fully dressed, hair and makeup done, and said, “I’m coming with you to the castle or the fortress or wherever you’re leaving from. In fact, I’m going as far as the magic of Shonlin will let me.”
Nicole already knew Austin had similar plans. She felt her heart swell, nearly choking her with love for these two. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have them in her life.
When Jacob arrived, they were all fed and ready to go.
***
Nicole sucked in while Lizzie helped her do up the buckles on the fireproof clothes. Pambri bustled around her, tucking Kaede-sap-soaked cloths into her pockets and smearing the stuff on her exposed skin. Nicole fingered the extra fireproof tubes of sap in the little knapsack she’d be keeping in the library. Hopefully, she’d be able to leave the forest long enough to put more on if necessary. Hopefully.
Everyone waited in the library—literally, everyone. Austin, Coolidge and a nauseated-looking Hayla, Azuriah, Dmitri and Arien, the Fat Lady, Akeno and Jacob, Sweet Pea, and Aldo.
Austin was pacing between the bathroom door and the library. Even when Nicole emerged, he didn’t stop pacing for several moments.
“Hey,” she whispered when he neared. “I’m going to be okay.”
He shook his head, but didn’t say anything. His hands went tight around her waist, though, and if she weren’t coated in the sap, he would probably have held her closer.
“I know a lot of you want me to take you too,” Jacob said, “but only Nicole, Akeno, and I will be going. If an emergency happens, I’ll need to have as much power saved up as possible. I won’t be able to help Nicole if I’m transporting people back and forth.”
Lizzie and Austin both looked crestfallen, and Nicole felt it too. It would have helped so much having them just outside the door.
Everyone indicated that they understood, and Jacob took Nicole and Akeno’s hands as Austin started pacing again.
“Good luck,” Coolidge said.
Jacob glanced around at the people present. “Say your goodbyes.”
Austin froze, his anguished eyes on Nicole. He stepped back, though, letting everyone else approach her first.
Lizzie jumped at Nicole, throwing her arms around her, crying and sobbing. Nicole barely resisted crying too. She squeezed her friend’s shoulder, trying not to get Kaede sap on Lizzie’s clothes.
Coolidge shook her hand, and Hayla gave her a gentle hug. “Thanks for planning the baby shower,” she whispered. “You’d better come back for it.”
After everyone else had taken the opportunity to say goodbye, Austin finally strode across the room and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I love you, Nicole. I can’t bear to be without you.”
Nicole could only nod in response. She loved him so much. Her chest constricted just thinking she might not see him ever again.
He let go of her when Jacob took up her hand.
“Please, please be careful,” Austin said. “And come back to me.”
“I will—I promise.”
Right as Jacob was warming Nicole’s hand, Austin blurted out, “Marry me?”
Everything flashed around her as Jacob’s magic took her away from Azuriah’s fortress and the man she loved, past Gratitude city in the past, and into the Edana library in the present.
Nicole couldn’t swallow, couldn’t think. Had Austin just proposed? Holy cow. She couldn’t believe it.
She felt two pairs of eyes on her and realized she’d closed her own. She opened them and looked first at Jacob, then Akeno. Neither said anything for several seconds.
Jacob cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he said. “If I’d known he was about to ask, I wouldn’t have taken you away.”
Nicole shook her head and breathed deeply. “It’s not your fault.” Her chest began warming, and her fingers tingled. A wave of positive feelings cascaded over her as her ring also started warming. Holy cow! Austin had proposed!
“So . . .” Jacob started. “Is it too personal to ask what your response would have been?”
Nicole didn’t hesitate. “It would have been—I mean, it will be—yes.”
Jacob grinned. “I figured as much. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Nicole said, but she didn’t feel like celebrating just yet. She needed to get focused on her upcoming fight with Lasia.
“We’ll be waiting for you as close to Shonlin as we can get,” Jacob said.
Nicole nodded and took a step in that direction. “If Austin contacts you, tell him I love him, but don’t say anything else, okay? I want to do it myself in person.”
“Of course,” Jacob said.
Nicole took a deep breath and entered Shonlin. The guardian was there, waiting. He followed her warily, not saying anything about the Kaede sap. She had half wondered if he would—if he’d think it was magic.
She set down her knapsack of food, water, and extra Kaede sap near the corner of the room, then closed her eyes for several moments before picking up the lantern. Was she ready? Could she do this? Did she have a choice? She knew the answer to that last question. This was her duty as a guardian.
The wall dissolved when she lifted the lantern, revealing the familiar warm and inviting forest. She might not live—it was very probable that she wouldn’t. But at least she had something to live for. She would return to Austin.