With a jolt, memories come rushing back, slamming through my head with the force of a sledgehammer.
The dream realm… Kirin and Baz…
“Kirin!” I gasp, turning to see Kirin lying next to me, blinking awake just as Professor Broome kneels down next to him. I can sense Baz on my other side, his heat emanating from beneath our shared blanket.
Professor Broome reaches out to check Kirin’s pulse. “Slightly elevated. Temp feels a bit high too.”
“I’m fine, really,” Kirin says, gently shaking her off. “I’m okay. Casey and Janelle?”
“On ice, thanks to Ani.” She gestures a ways behind her, where it looks like Isla, Nat, and Professor Maddox are keeping watch over a very subdued Casey and Janelle.
“Unharmed,” she adds hastily. “And a story for another time.”
“Good… good to know.” Kirin’s voice is heavy with exhaustion, but his energy is one of pure relief, and when he meets my gaze and smiles, a weight evaporates from my chest.
We’re here. We’re back.
Reaching out to squeeze his hand beneath the blanket, I turn my head to the other side to check on Baz, expecting to see his devious red-brown gaze, his maddening smirk.
But his eyes are closed. He’s not moving.
Beside his prone body, Doc kneels down, his brow pinched with worry. “Baz, can you hear me?”
“What’s wrong?” I try to sit up, but the world starts spinning again.
“Stevie, just try to relax,” Ani says gently, urging me back down.
“What’s wrong with Baz?” I press. “Why isn’t he awake?”
“He just needs time,” Doc says, taking Baz’s hand. “Just give him in a minute. Just another minute.” Worry pulses through his energy, infecting me. “Come on, Baz. Come back to us. Wake up.”
My heart kicks into panic mode, and I look back at Kirin. The terror in his eyes unlocks another barrage of memories…
The Dark Magician. The chamber. The collapse.
“He was supposed to be right behind us,” I say, fighting to keep my voice even. “You said he was right behind us!”
“I know, Stevie. I… He must’ve gotten caught up in the rocks.” He squeezes my hand tight. “But it’s Baz. Of course he’ll find a way out. I know he will.”
I nod, wanting more than anything to believe him. And in that moment, as my memory crawls back to those final moments in the chamber, a new realization shoots through me like an electric shock.
“Kirin.” I sit up, adrenaline chasing away the last of the dizziness. Beneath the blanket, my hands pat the ground, frantically searching, searching, searching…
Nothing.
“The Sword…” I look all around, but it’s not here. If I’d brought it back with me, it would be in my hand.
Disappointment mixes with anger in my gut.
“It didn’t work. My dream retrieval, all our grand plans, our theories… Goddess, we just went through hell and back, and what do we have to show for it?”
“It doesn’t matter, Stevie.” Kirin brushes his knuckles over my cheek. “We’ll figure something else out. Right now, the most important thing is that you’re safe.”
“But Baz…” I turn back to him and reach for his hand, briefly meeting Doc’s eyes.
Doc shakes his head, his mouth pressed into a grim line. “He’s still not responding.”
“He should’ve woken up by now,” I say. “Why isn’t he moving?”
