instruments that have survived. Remember that you have me.” She stepped back, tears in her eyes.
His heart swelled. Even though she had a gigantic brain, her heart was even bigger.
He cleared his throat and handed over the one blue backpack, which was moving.
She blinked and took it. An adorable furry puppy popped out, big brown eyes wide, and licked her face. She gasped and helped the dog out of the pack. “Ivar.”
He nodded. It was the mutt he’d seen on the internet and had Adare get for him. For her. “He’s half golden retriever and half a bunch of other stuff. I thought he could keep you warm until I return.”
Her eyes welled, and she hugged the squirming puppy close. “You gave me a dog.”
He nodded. Yeah. She should’ve been given one years ago.
Logan and Garrett ran up with more backpacks for him that nearly knocked him to his knees. But he stayed upright. He pulled the protective face guard over his head. Looking at his family one last time, he drew on the power within himself and from them and jumped.
Pain cut into him immediately, and he tried to aim his trajectory the way Promise had said. The wormhole closed in on him, pinching his legs, slicing into his thighs. He screamed into the vortex, but no sound emerged. Then he fell, landing hard on sharp ice and skidding toward the forest.
Holy fuck.
It was nighttime, and stars sparkled down, bright in the black sky. The orange forest glowed somehow, inviting him. He lay on his back, looking up at different configurations, more than he’d ever seen. Than most people would ever see.
He glanced down to double-check that his legs were still attached. Thank God. He’d lost one once, and it had taken forever to rebuild. Scrambling up, he skidded over to the backpacks and gathered them before gingerly moving past spikes of ice for that forest.
It was colder than before, and the forest too sparse. At least half of the trees were gone and buried beneath more ice. The silence was devastating. How much time had passed in this place?
The sky crackled open, revealing a purplish red ocean, pulsing against a whole other mountain. It stayed open, and his world tilted, knocking him on his face. He landed, and ice sliced right through his protective face covering to rip his lip. Blood sprayed.
Seconds later, a creature screamed. Did something smell his blood? Heat squeezed his heart. The crack in the sky closed. Another scream, this one closer. He put his head down and ran, hoping the trail had stayed somewhat the same. This time he wore protective gear on his body and face, so it took longer for the blade-sharp bark to cut him. All too soon his clothing was in tatters, but he was climbing hand over hand, so he took a deep breath.
Something rustled through the trees below.
He climbed higher, finally hauling himself into the cave. “Quade?” He lit a match to see better.
Quade was on his side, facing the wall.
He couldn’t be dead. Ivar rushed inside just as Quade rolled over, his face a blistered mess. “Quade.” Ivar ripped off his coat and slashed his wrist, shoving it against Quade’s mouth.
Quade sucked deep, and color returned to his face. His blisters began to heal. “Shit, Viking.” He sat up, his back to the wall. “You came back. Dumbass.”
Ivar snorted and hitched the backpacks off. “We have blood, food, weapons not made of metal, and lodestones to remagnetize whatever it is that needs magnetizing.” He shoved them toward Quade. “Tell me how to place the repaired magnets, and I’ll do it. You can go home.” He moved a rock out of the way to sit, noticing a worn piece of paper. Looking closer, he could see it was the washed out photograph of Haven Daly he’d brought before. How much time had passed since he’d been there? The paper had yellowed and faded as if it had been hundreds of years.
Quade’s beard was even longer but had a streak of gray this time. “It takes me from the last fire to the first to move the rocks. There can’t be two of us on this world that long. Balance, remember? I’ve seen this place without it, and we’d die.” He squinted. “Did you find out about the worlds?”
“Not yet. I was only gone a day,” Ivar said. “We need more time.”
Quade snorted. “Time. I have too much.” He reached behind a rock and drew out a ripped