They had a few minutes while Heil’s familiar scouted the surrounding corridors.
The captain’s gaze returned to Reagan. “Will you be able to bar all the exits?”
Before answering, Reagan exchanged a look with Jane, waiting for her decision.
Her gaze shifted from him to Heil. “We’ll bar the exits.”
Reagan dipped his chin. “Send the signal, and we’ll be there.”
Heil nodded and moved towards the squads, calling them forward and outlining the hallway staging points for the patrollers.
“If you’re going back, then I’m coming with you,” Joy said firmly, reaching for her sister’s hands.
“No,” Jane said softly, as Reagan handed her a glass of water. “I need to go. You don’t. You can wait in the Hall and stay with Finn.”
“I’m not leaving you again,” Joy replied. “I’m helping you.”
“I was planning to join Gwin’s squad,” Finn added.
Jane smiled at him. “I’m asking you to stay with her. She cannot be alone, and I trust you more than anyone to look after her.” She turned back to Joy. “You’ve already helped more than enough. I need to go because he is a time weaver, and I can help stop him. The rest, I’ll leave to the trained fighters.”
Joy’s face flushed, clearly unhappy with the arrangement.
“Don’t worry, snowflake,” Gwinifer said breezily. “We’ll save some of the fun for you next time.”
Gwin didn’t wait for a reply, striding after Astrid and adjusting her close-fitted leather jerkin, the sigils glinting with the lights as they moved towards the portal. Her squad advanced next. Five of them stepped forward.
“Then Joy and I will be waiting to hear from you,” Finn said, extending a hand to the sister.
Reluctantly, Joy took it and rose to her feet. “Be careful,” she said, her eyes lowering to the grass beneath Reagan, murmuring her next words. “Thank you.”
Though she didn’t look at him, Reagan knew those last words were meant for him. He dipped his chin, knowing he would have to thankherlater.
They watched as Joy and Finn turned and made their way back towards the Hall.
As Reagan pulled Jane’s boots on, she was gobbling down the space around them, her legs still draped over his thigh. She looked past him again, at the blackened sky, at the field behind the Hall, illuminated by hovering spotlights that caught on the leather uniforms of battle mages lining up to cross the portal.
Reagan couldn’t imagine how suffocating that minuscule room had been, couldn’t dwell too long on how many days she had been trapped there.
Power was already gathering at his fingertips. If she hadn’t already ended the vermin, he would have enjoyed doing it himself.
Jane’s eyes lifted to his, bright with an emotion she was holding in check. Her fingers rose to his face and traced his cheek, slow and tentative. Checking the texture.
His chest tightened. Reagan caught her wrist and pressed a kiss to her skin. “It’s real,” he murmured. “It’s not a vision.”
Her pulse had finally eased beneath his palm. It had to. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be going back in. And he wouldn’t leave her side.
Reagan pressed at the bruised spots on her leg. “Do you need a healer?”
“No,” she said. “It’s just sore. He shoved me to the ground.”
He buried his face in her hair. “Are you alright?” he murmured, the words incredibly difficult to voice. “Did he hurt you?”
She paused for an infinity. “No,” Jane said finally. “I hurt him.”
She leaned into him. The combination of food and his siphoned mana had coaxed strength back into her limbs.
Thank the Grimoire.
