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The scene vanished. The rakkuhr spheres slowed their frenzied pace to a more leisurely rotation.
My mouth felt like a desert, but I managed to work enough moisture back into it to speak. “You connected them.”
“I wove a link,” Szerain said wearily. “Giovanni was to maintain Elinor and help me keep her essence from being consumed by the blade. I knew it would take at least a week for them to tranverse the void and recorporeate on Earth, allowing me ample time to do what was needed to stabilize Elinor’s essence and to avert catastrophe when I restored her from the blade.”
I rubbed my gooseflesh-covered arms. “But then the ways between the worlds slammed shut, and both Elinor and Giovanni were stuck.”
Giovanni clutched at his throat, eyes wide. “Y-you killed me to save her?”
Szerain offered a sad smile. “There wasn’t time to ask if you were willing.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Giovanni gave a reluctant nod.
“And it gave you a connection to Kara as well,” Szerain said. “Removing the essence and restoring it to Elinor will be much easier with your aid,” Szerain said. “If you’re willing, that is. I promise not to kill you this time.”
Giovanni let out a strangled laugh. “Yes. Yes, of course I am willing, my friend.”
Szerain smiled. It was clear he’d wanted Giovanni to know the truth for reasons that went far beyond getting his willing help. “Very well.”
Drawing both rakkuhr and normal potency, Szerain wove strands like fiber optic micro-threads between Elinor, Giovanni, and me, until it felt as if every cell in my body was accounted for. The rakkuhr buzzed through me but wasn’t as unpleasant as expected. Turek watched every move as if assessing for flaws.
At long last, Szerain stopped and scrutinized every millimet
er of the intricate connections. “Alrighty, Kara,” he said, apparently satisfied. “This will hurt a bit.”
Oh, crap. “A bit” in lord-speak could range from eyebrow-plucking to mind-numbing agony.
Tensing, I braced myself for the worst. A tingling ripple began at my scalp and flowed down my body to my toes. Another followed it, warm and pleasant. Slowly, I began to relax as ripple after gentle ripple swept through me and sent light pulsing down the strands. Szerain had been messing with me about pain, the asstard. At the very edge of my senses, information streamed—an update for Elinor, much like when I’d used the flows to orient Giovanni to the modern world.
I jerked. “OW! Shit!” It felt like a whole-body bandage had been ripped off. I glared at Szerain.
He returned a mild look. “I did warn you.”
I scratched the side of my nose with my middle finger.
The strands dissipated into a million floating sparks. Szerain crouched and laid his fingers against Elinor’s temple, then cursed softly.
“Is she not restored?” Giovanni asked.
“Yes, but Xharbek has already primed her to be used as a weapon.” He picked up the journal and opened it to the odd code inside the back cover. “Fortunately, easily un-primed, thanks to a bit of advance work. I developed a way for her to understand and control her potential, removing the ability for anyone to exploit her. In modern-speak, it’s a firewall.” He swiped his fingers over the code, and an intricate sigil shimmered into life above it. “And this is the installation script.” Gently, he pulled the sigil onto his fingers then placed it on Elinor’s forehead. The sigil sank into her skin, flashed a brilliant blue and purple over her entire body, then was gone.
Szerain touched her head lightly one more time. “Time to wake up, my dear.” He eased back then straightened.
Four pairs of eyes stared at Elinor.
She breathed out a sigh.
“Elinor?” Giovanni croaked out.
Her eyes opened slowly. “Giovanni,” she whispered then smiled. “You called to me.”
“Always.” His voice cracked. “And now you answer.”
She pulled his head down to hers then gave him a sizzling kiss that had been three-hundred years in the waiting. When they finally came up for air, she climbed unsteadily to her feet then threw her arms around Szerain.
He held her close, head bowed over hers and face awash with emotion.
After a moment, he reluctantly let her go. “I am so very glad to see you,” he said.
