“I can restrain him if you’d like,” the silver-haired warden standing beside the portal offered.
A look of horror flickered across the woman’s face before she schooled her features. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. Can I… Am I allowed to teleport with him?”
“We recommend one person per trip.”
“I understand, but is it possible?”
The warden turned and addressed someone I couldn’t see. “Magus?”
The annoying whine of microphone feedback made me cover my ears before someone answered. “Yes, I can do it as a kindness. This one time. Do not let him make a habit of traveling with you. Other mages will not allow such a breach of protocol.”
Nothing about his tone sounded kind, and I wondered what the big deal was. How hard could it be to teleport them together? The mother and child combined didn’t make up half of Dad’sbody weight, and judging by the size of the equipment, this place was built to accommodate even giant-sized travelers.
Like dragons?
My stomach clenched. The dragon would come. Nothing on this earth would stop him. But unless he’d found some other way into my head that I didn’t know about, he couldn’t follow us to a mystery destination.
“Thank you,” the mom on the platform said. Her relief was almost palpable as she picked up the child and settled him on her hip before moving toward the center of the portal.
The boy hid his face in her chest as faint green light shot up around the portal. A faint whirring sound grew steadily louder.
“No!” the child shouted, his voice full of panic. “I don’t wanna poof!”
His mother tightened her hold around him, and then, just like that, the two disappeared. The green light faded, and the portal stood empty, leaving behind the cloying stench of burned ozone.
I suddenly didn’t want to poof, either.
PORTAL FATIGUE DETECTED
Arioch
“She said Pripyat?” Tyrin asked.
After waiting in line, we now stood before a terminal inside the portal station. The machine demanded that we select a destination. Thanks to Clymene, I had one; however, it was not listed.
“Yes.” I scanned the cities again.
“I’ve never heard of Pripyat.”
Nor had I, which was why I had looked it up last night. “A city in Ukraine, abandoned after a nuclear disaster in nineteen-eighty-six.”
Recognition sobered his expression. “Chernobyl.”
“You have heard of it?”
He gave a brisk nod. “A terrible tragedy that was broadcast all over the news when it happened. As far as I know, the land is still not habitable.”
I nodded, returning my attention to the terminal. “Chernobyl is not listed as an option, either.”
Tyrin slid to my side, eyeing the machine. “May I?”
Technology had never been among my strengths. The manorhad little use for it, and I had even less patience to learn something I rarely used. I surrendered the terminal to Tyrin and turned my attention inward while he worked.
The artifact clawed at my awareness from what felt like the far side of the world, each passing moment sharpening the demand to retrieve what was mine. I had no choice but to answer.
I would not see home tonight.
The realization should have troubled me. Instead, frost crept unbidden across my fingertips as something dangerously close to exhilaration stirred in my chest. I smothered it with shame. My caution had granted the little thief the time she required to escape, leaving my people exposed for every hour I spent in pursuit.
