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Quinn says nothing.
Caleb decides not to press her. “How did you find us?”
Quinn shrugs, but her mouth tightens. Finally, she says, “The scream was a giveaway, and other noise. Flea is always up to no good, and a lot of cruel things go on here.”
Caleb studies their surroundings again and tries to make a plan. He’ll have to carry Nim out of here…wherever here is, come to think of it. “Where are we?”
“We’re in the Faerie kingdom, in the place that vanished after the fall of Atlantis.”
“But how did you get here?”
“I came here because I had a small portion of Madeleine’s blood, and I was able to channel enough power to come here. I still have a little of her blood left, so we can use it to leave.”
Caleb grins. That’s the first piece of good news he’s heard in a while. “You mean we could leave right now?”
“If you’re ready.”
He hefts Nim into his arms, the tension in his chest is less but not gone. In ten minutes more, it might be gone entirely. “Let’s get the heck out of here.”
Quinn circles her hands, turning them over and over, using her magic, dark as it is since it has its roots in obsidian. After a long moment, a pinprick winks, a portal opens, and grows wide enough to step through. Veritas and safety beckon on the other side.
She jerks her head toward the opening. “You go first.”
Caleb holds her gaze. “You sure?”
“Easier to keep it open from this side. I don’t want it to close until we’re both through.”
He shifts Nim in his arms and steps through sideways. Her head lolls against his shoulder, but she’s still breathing. Hopefully, the Archivists have more knowledge about this sort of spell. When he gets to the other side, he’s in the foyer of Veritas. The whisper of voices down the long corridor tells him the others are probably still in the reading room.
“Come on, Quinn,” Caleb calls. “Get out of there.”
But before Quinn can step through, Flea slams into her and knocks her to the ground, and the portal shrinks. Caleb searches for some place to deposit the still-unconscious Nim, but Quinn shakes her head back and forth, tossing Flea aside. Branches and twigs snap, and a screech comes from the shadows. A stampede of footsteps charges toward them, and Flea laughs maniacally as she throws herself at Quinn. Another rhino-like creature gallops toward the portal, obviously intending to launch through.
“Quinn!”
“No, I’ll take care of Orion’s creatures!”
The portal snaps closed, slicing the end of the creature’s horn from its nose. The horn drops to the ground of the Veritas foyer and rolls in a circle at Caleb’s feet.
Quinn!She sacrificed herself to keep him and Nim safe. Caleb groans as he turns toward Blaise, Sierra, and Sylvan as they rush down the corridor. Sierra gasps, and Sylvan barely reacts at all.
Blaise reaches Caleb first and smooths her hands over Nim’s face, gently calling her partner’s name. Her eyebrows pinch, and she goes pale with worry.
“She’s breathing, and there’s nothing physically wrong with her.” Caleb keeps his voice low and soft. “Where should I lay her down?”
“This way, this way.” Blaise tugs his arm toward another wing of Veritas. “There’s guest accommodation this way.”
The group hurries toward the spare apartment. Blaise leads the way with Caleb close behind while Sierra and Sylvan trail after. When they enter the living space, Blaise leads her to their bedroom, and Caleb settles the unconscious woman on their bed.
Blaise fusses over Nim, smoothing her clothes, her hair, whispering things in her ears. But Nim still doesn’t stir. A moment later, Sierra and Sylvan troop into the room as well.
Caleb moves out of the way so Blaise can care for her partner, and he turns to Sierra. “Where’s Maddy?”
Sierra and Sylvan share a long look but neither of them speaks.
“Where’s Maddy?”
“She is not here,” Sylvan intones.
