we might only have minutes.”
I moved away from the protective shield and took her hand in mine. “Then we need to acquire the Mixer fast.”
“We’ll deal with Anunit when we hand the artifact over. She’s got some explaining to do for this deliberate mess. I don’t even know how I’ll reason with Death about this incident. I injured her precious guardian of the soul fae,” Unending said.
Inching closer, I pressed my lips against hers. It was a tiny moment of peace and sweetness in the heart of madness, and we both needed it. “We’ll figure it out together. Let’s just get what we need and vamoose. Joy will want our heads on pikes when she wakes up.”
We rushed along the stone paths, taking advantage of the fact that most of the soul fae were still by the riverbank. Loren and Sissa had the Mixer, and we needed to get them to cooperate without arousing any suspicion. Joy’s lights were out, but for how long? I wasn’t sure. Time wasn’t on our side anymore; that much was an indisputable fact.
I wondered how our odds of success had shifted over the past five minutes, but I decided against dwelling on it too much. The stakes were incredibly high now that Unending and I were pretty much on our own, skating across unknown and dangerous territory. We only had each other to rely on.
Thayen
We managed to confirm a few more originals on our way to the Great Dome, but we had yet to fully understand what had happened at the terrace alley near the hospital. With all our communications down, our access to information was severely limited. At least we took some comfort in knowing we’d cleared some of our people, but it didn’t feel like much of a victory. We needed a better way to identify and keep track of each other with the sudden spike in clones swarming through The Shade.
Astra had done a brilliant job of memorizing the names of everyone she’d tested. The word “paladin” was now the single most important key to our safety, though we were nowhere near breathing a collective sigh of relief. It was also a short-term solution. We knew we needed something more reliable in the long-term.
The night stretched over the redwood forest, long shadows keeping us company as we headed toward the Great Dome. I could see the clearing ahead and the portal’s slender silhouette, the moonlight bouncing off its stone frame with iridescent flickers. As we drew closer, the hall emerged with its brass-like skeleton and enormous glass panels. I remembered how hard Dmitri, Jovi, and Phoenix had worked to renovate it about five years ago. Of course, Corrine and Ibrahim had helped with magic, but most of what we referred to as “the new Great Dome” was due to the labor of those three.
“We need to be careful,” Jericho warned as we walked. “There’s no telling what we’ll find there.”
I had to agree. “We’ve spent most of our journey in the woods, away from Shadian structures. At this point, even a house could be a hot spot of danger. My biggest concern is how many shimmering portals might have opened since this morning. We don’t even have an estimate for the number of clones potentially among us.”
“Thayen… something’s wrong,” Astra interjected. The color had drained from her face as she stared ahead. She slowly raised a hand to point in the direction of the Great Dome. “Look.”
We all followed her gaze, stopping for a moment as threads of smoke became visible. Some of the glass panels on the east side of the structure had been shattered. A fire had burned inside, I realized. Knowing that it was my parents’ favorite council meeting spot, a sense of urgency came over me, my legs moving before I could formulate an intention to run.
“Thayen, wait!” Dafne called out. I’d left everyone behind.
Bolting through the woods, I reached the Great Dome in the blink of an eye but found myself breathless. From afar, the signs of damage and the traces of what had obviously been a violent attack weren’t evident. From where I stood, however, it was painfully clear. The portal we’d used to reach the Supernatural Dimension and the In-Between had been disabled. Its misty form was gone, and I could see the nearby trees through its stone frame. The symbols had been scratched off, too.
By the time Astra, Jericho, Dafne, and Soph caught up, my heart was pounding as I stormed into the