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“Fine,” Haze grumbled, then pointed his big, blunt finger at Aspen’s face and leaned close until the blond flinched. “If she gets hurt, I’m blaming you.”
“Dad!”
Haze unfurled his grand leathery wings, ready to take off.
Leaf said, “If you need your shadow tonight, find us.”
When Haze was gone, Leaf looked at Nova. “Are you well? I’m not overtaxing you?”
She smiled gently. “I feel fine.”
“Good.” The night turned his blue eyes as dark as the ocean. The glowing portals gave them stars. But nothing hid the tumultuous thoughts within. “We might have to leave this sanctuary sooner than later. Will you work with the kids to establish a communication spell so I can focus on other things?”
“I guess. I haven’t done one of those spells before.”
“They’ll know how. Anyone with a biological blood link knows. I just need you to keep an eye on them.”
“Got it.” Adrenaline kept her alert. She held Leaf’s hand but faced the two teens fidgeting with excitement. Leaf stepped closer to one of the portals and started talking with a close soldier.
“So,” Nova said to the teens. “You’re both much braver than I am.”
Jasmine blushed, but Aspen puffed his chest out and spoke in a forced, deep tone. “Tell my dad that.”
“Doesn’t he know you’re here?” Nova asked.
His gaze widened, and he looked at his feet. “Mom doesn’t either.”
“Oh dear.” Nova tapped her lip. “I did see her on the other side, worried. I told her you were here, but perhaps you should contact her first. Oh wait, does she need one of those glass things?”
“She just needs to be near water,” Jasmine replied and shook her communicator. Trapped water sloshed between the two panes of glass. Her eyes filled with hope. “Is it true if we touch you, we can use mana like they used to?”
It occurred to Nova that they’d lived most of their lives affected by the taint. She smiled back at them in a way she hoped was full of assurance and said, “Yes. And hopefully, after tonight, you will all be able to do the same. Okay, who can tell me how to work this thing?”
“Pull the stopper,” Aspen explained, his voice deep again. Nova tried not to smile. “Then we drop some of our blood into the water and focus on the family member we want to contact.”
“Alright, you’d better go first,” Nova said. “But hold my hand when you do it.”
Aspen’s brows knit together when he realized he couldn’t do everything at once. He could have let go of the device but was frozen with nerves. Jasmine tucked her device under her arm and then took Aspen’s. She popped the cork and returned it. Another frustrated look came over the teen when he tried to pierce his finger one-handed with a dagger.
“Should I let go of your hand?” he asked Nova.
“It depends on when you need to activate the spell.”
Again, Jasmine came to the rescue and bared her razor-sharp fangs with a grin.
With a blush, Aspen pricked his finger on her fang. Jasmine helped squeeze a drop of his blood through the cork and into the water. She put the stopper on as Aspen concentrated on the device. Blue light glimmered from within the glass. High Queen Ada’s distraught face appeared moments later. Nova gave a quick wave to let Ada know she was there, then looked away while the two spoke.
They helped Aspen contact Jasper next, and while Leaf communicated with him, Nova assisted Jasmine in doing the same to Haze. By the time both spells ran, she felt suitably useful. Leaf’s inner calm remained. All things considered, this war wasn’t that bad.
But then the ground trembled beneath their feet.
ChapterForty-Four
The ground quaked beneath Leaf’s boots seconds before a wyrm burst through the lawn. The twenty-foot monster was three yards wide, with a slimy, segmented body. It shot upward until gravity pulled it down, slamming its body on any poor fool in the way.
“What was that!” Jasper’s voice warbled through the dropped communicator.
The wyrm’s multi-fanged mouth opened, poisonous spittle sizzled where it landed, and the beast came right for Leaf. He shoved the teens behind the portal, knowing it would shield them so long as he held it open. As fangs descended, he weighed his options.
