Fifteen
STEVIE
“You couldn’t have knocked him outafterwe got here?”
Covered in sweat and grime, his glasses smudged beyond usefulness, my Genius Boy grunts under the weight of the unconscious Black Sun slung over his shoulder.
“Hereallyhad it coming,” Baz says as we cross the last rise. “Anyway, I thought I’d be able to portal us out of Iron and Bone, but I’m still spent from shifting all that rock.”
“I’m actually a little surprised about that,” Kirin says thoughtfully. “Shoots my theory to hell.”
“What theory?” I ask, stopping to double-check our route. We made it out past the edges of Breath and Blade on foot, but the dark mist Jareth and I spotted last night is starting to creep in, obscuring some of the paths.
I should probably be grateful to see mist.
On the one hand, it means were getting close.
On the other hand, well. It means we’re getting close.
Kirin sets Ani on the ground, careful not to jostle him. Not only did Baz knock him unconscious, but we sealed the deal with one of Professor Broome’s potions, ensuring he wouldn’t wake up for several more hours at least. We can’t risk it, especially given what he’s already done with the Wand, but we didn’t want to leave him behind, either.
He’s still Ani. Still ours to protect.
The Wand is in Baz’s hands now. Kirin’s got the Pentacle and Chalice secured in his pack, and I’ve got the Sword strapped to the side of my own pack in a sheath I made from a spare T-shirt, just in case I need to grab it quickly.
When it comes to the ancient artifacts, we’re locked, stocked, and loaded. But will it do us a damned bit of good?
Kirin stretches his arms and back, his joints popping. “I thought once all four objects were in close proximity, and in the possession of Arcana mages and a witch, they’d act as chargers.”
“Like, to power us up?” Baz asks, and Kirin nods.
“I wondered about that too.” I slide the pack off my shoulders and roll my neck, grateful for even a short break. “Other than the glowing and random buzzing, they don’t seem to be doing anything special.”
“Maybe we need Cass and Ani too?” Kirin asks. “OurAni?”
I shrug. The truth is, none of us has any idea how these magickal objects work. The Magician sure seems to think they’re the key to everything, but he’s not exactly a reliable narrator here. So far, all we’ve really seen is the Black Sun carving a path of fiery destruction with that Wand.
Flame and Fury indeed.
I arch into a stretch, catching sight of Jareth soaring overhead, still with us. As tempting as it is to try to connect with him for another fly-over, I don’t want to risk merging our energies now. We could be attacked at any moment, by any number of enemies.
I need to remain in my own body, alert and ready for anything.
Besides, I trust Jared will turn up exactly when we need him to. He always does.
“So, who wants to carry sleeping beauty the rest of the way?” Kirin asks. “I nominate Baz, since he’s the one who knocked him out.”
“No can do, brother. Maybe if you’d been able to handle those rocks on your own, I wouldn’t have had to jump in with the assist and burn up most of my magick.”
Kirin laughs. “Assist? More like—”
“Hey.” I roll my eyes. “If you two don’t stop bickering, we’re breaking up for real.”
“Yeah, that’s a no from me,” Baz says, pulling me against his chest for a quick hug. He kisses the top of my head and sighs into my hair. “Faking it for Sunshine’s sake was shitty enough.”
“Agreed,” Kirin says. “Let’s never dothatagain, shall we?”
I give them each a quick kiss. “Deal. Now, see that rise over there, where the mist gets thicker?” I point across the expanse of land. “I’m pretty sure that’s our destination.”
