I nod. “I will taaake him,” I say. The words come so much easier this time. More than before. I hold up the device. “Tarek will help.”
Everest’s eyes go wide. “You mean?—”
“Yes,” I tell him. The Tarek we have dealings with have never turned me down, and they always look for any way they can disrupt Vyastilian high society.
Everest looks over at Rathyn. “I’m scared for them.”
Rathyn takes Everest into his arms and murmurs into his ear before kissing him softly, then he looks at me. “Be swift. Return quickly.”
I nod, then watch as they take their leave of the apartment.
I stand there only a moment more, alone with my fear, my anxiety, the memories of what happened the last time I so openly defied Vyastilian law, and I realize it doesn’t matter.
This is for Dante.
The portal is near the Foundry but hidden in an alley. It is undocumented, and it only responds to the key that Rathyn pressed into my hand before he and Everest fled. I stare at it, my stomach in knots, for I do not know if there is enough time to save my Dante before we are caught.
But I must try.
Taking a breath, I press my fingers to the key in the pattern Rathyn gave me, and the portal shivers and rumbles, and then with a quiet sigh, it is open. The familiarity of it makes me ache, as does knowing that this is perhaps my one and only chance to say goodbye to Erethar. But for Dante, it is worth it.
Holding him close, I step through and feel us being pulled into the ether, nearly ripped apart before we tumble to the ground. I use my body to protect him as we hit the dirt, and I only stumble a little before I am upright again, glancing around to see where we are.
It brought us just beyond the border of my village. Dante is half-conscious in my arms, and I’m overwhelmed with the scent and sight of home.
It nearly brings me to my knees, and if it wasn’t for Dante’s soft groan of pain, I might have dropped to kiss the ground.
Taking a deep breath of the rich Eretharian air, I glance around at the trees. Morvyn glow softly at the base, creating a pathway through the forest, and for a moment, it all seems as it should be.
But the feeling doesn’t last. I realize there is no scent of cooking fires, no flickering light from torches, no song coming from the village center.
Something is off.
Something is wrong.
I walk over to a soft patch of xinhar and set Dante down. He clings to me, and I brush a lock of hair from his forehead, shushing him quietly. “Jussst rest,” I tell him. “Be back.”
He shakes his head and clings to my arms. “Don’t leave me here. What if something eats me?”
I can’t help a small grin as I stroke a touch over his jaw. “No. Nooot here.”
“Promise?”
I lean in and kiss him. “Prooomisss,” I whisper against his lips. He finally lets me go, and I slip the portal device into his pocket and give it a pat. “Escappppee if fouuund.”
“Not without you.”
I give him a stern look. “Dante.”
“Cielo,” he grunts back.
I don’t break eye contact. “Babbbeee,” I try.
In the dim glow of the fungi, I see his cheeks color. It had the exact effect I was hoping for. “Fine. Kiss me one more time.”
I do, then pull back and stand. “Be baaack.” I hate leaving him, but he is safe here. There are no natural predators of humans, and any beast that could take down a human or Vyastil is far in the outer fields. The only reason Rathyn was hurt was because he was careless.
If anything comes upon Dante, they will give him a wide berth, likely too afraid to approach such an alien scent.
