“I cannot make Doors,” Vero says.
“What? I thought all gods could.”
“Most can’t. I’ve never learned how.”
I leap off Quill, glad to be free of the beast. “Quill, go to Torin. Help him with the Doors.”
I race down the street, shouting a warning, but it seems like most of the people in this area have already escaped.
Story rushes over to me. “Most have made it through the Door. Torin told me to tell you we need to go now, that the stability of the place is?—”
The medical building collapsing next to us confirms this before Vero shoves me through the Door and I land in a desolate field with thousands of disoriented people.
“We need to close the Doors before the goddess and Famine come through. Where is Torin?” I ask worriedly as Kit nervously shifts to my other shoulder. I fumble with her tail while I look around, hoping to see him among the crowd.
“I think he’s still getting people through,” Lark shouts as I see people coming in through a Door about a quarter of a mile from me. I begin running then hesitate because I’m afraid Selena or Famine will come in and finish what they started. I’m not sure how much I can do to keep these people safe, even though we’re off Selena’s land.
“Tell him to hurry. The Doors need to be closed,” I call while I stand guard in front of the handful of Doors that are closest to me. I canfeelpower radiating from within them, as though Famine and the goddess are reminding me of how much power they have to destroy the world with such ease.
What if Torin needs help? What if it’s too much for him?
I anxiously look over my shoulder as I notice that my hands are shaking. I guess that the hourglass can only do so much when I’ve used an extensive amount of magic… most of which I don’t even understand.
A hand reaches through the Door and latches on to the frame, like she’s dragging herself through, and I lift the bow while Kit chirps uneasily. When I realize it’s Famine and not Selena, I hesitate, knowing the arrows will do nothing to her when she’s not invading another’s body. But what if I use a different type of arrow? One that could actually hurt her?
She lifts a hand filled with sand and inhales, prepared to blow the sand out among the people we’ve saved. They flee in terror as I press my finger against the third notch on my pendant and call for ice. I direct the ice to melt together, forming one long shard. I hold it tightly while I force the bowstring to catch onto a notch in the ice and let it fly. She’s so fixated on the people she wants to take control of that she doesn’t see the ice arrow until it pierces right through her chest.
Famine jerks back, her eyes narrowing as she fixates on me. “Why do you betray us? These people are monsters.”
“Not all of them are. Why do you insist they’re all the same? What has madeyouinto such a monster?”
“They have,” she snarls then looks down. I see a peculiar blackness snaking up her neck, originating from where the ice struck her. She reaches for it a second before she sees Quill and Torin. Vero also charges forward, and Famine pushesback through the Door just as Torin reaches it and closes it, destroying the final Door.
Torin slides off Quill’s back and pulls me close. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” I say. He holds my trembling hands in his while thousands of people gather around us, looking at us for guidance. Those with magic and those without are mixed together, no longer separated by a wall. I’m sure those who have been branded want to hate the others—and I don’t blame them—but right now, we have to work together.
“Torin, they’re waiting for you,” I say as I hide my shaking hands.
“I’m thinking of what to say or do. I have no homes for them.”
I shake my head. “Torin, you have thousands of homes for them. Many still stand. These people aren’t used to luxury. We can rebuild them. We can fix things. We can bring food from my world—or if they wish to go to my world, they can—but right now they need someone like you. I mean… can you imagine what would happen if Vero helped them?”
“I would rather die than help them,” Vero growls, looking pretty rough, but he seems to be slowly healing. Mickey’s examining his wounds but Vero shoos him off, telling him they’ll heal on their own.
“That’s the spirit,” Mickey says as he walks over and leans against me.
“You okay?” I ask him.
“Yeah… I feel significantly better now. I don’t know exactly what happened, but it was like something… snapped and my strength came back. I would still like a piggyback ride to the palace, though.”
“I will allow you to ride me,” Torin says, which makes my face scrunch up. He also says it loud enough that a large number of people get to hear this declaration while they all quietly waitfor him to speak. I was thinking he’d start off his speech to his people with something much more like, “I’m so glad all of you made it,” or possibly a, “I’m going to do everything I can to make this place feel like home,” but nope… a declaration that a man who isn’t his boyfriend can ride him.
“Your jealous face makes me extremely happy,” Vero tells me. “I will swoop in and?—”
“Torin, maybe a speech?” I interrupt.
“Ah, of course. I didn’t give many speeches in my time, I just mostly smiled at people and they were thrilled,” he says as he smiles at them. The people are too shaken up to be immediately thrilled by this, so Torin clears his throat and drops his smile. “What happened was devastating, and I’m sorry that our group couldn’t stop it?—”
