“Last night,” Astar confirmed, scooping up a packet of food and a flask of water Gen had insisted they have ready for anyone they managed to rescue. Rhy took the stuff gratefully, immediately tearing into it with rapacious ferocity.
Lena shot Stella a concerned look, and Stella smiled back reassuringly. But yes, Rhy had been in wolf form for a long time, longer than was advisable. She could maybe help him settle back into human skin, but not until she was done holding the portal open. It was becoming more of a strain, either because her native magic—and Lena’s—was wearing thin or because it was trying to close. Possibly both.
And where were Jak and Zeph? She tried to set aside the plaguing fear, as it would only distract her, but like the bloody wound on her thigh, it continued to ache, quietly festering.
“This place was different,” Astar was saying, watching Rhy devour the food with a concerned look of his own. “Flat, unnaturally so. Black, polished stone, with nothing in any direction.”
“Except sheer defiles,” Rhy put in, swallowing. “The inn people were discussing them. Very difficult to see until you’re right on them. Several of their number nearly fell off to certain—” He broke off in horror. “I can go back in raven form and look for Zeph and Jak. On wing, I could—”
“No,” Astar said, shaking his head grimly. “Not yet anyway. They might not even be in the same alter-realm you were. This place didn’t look anything like what Zeph and Lena saw. Could the rifts be opening into different places?” he asked Stella.
Feeling ill, she nodded. “Different places, different times. We don’t know anything about how these portals work or what they’re connecting.”
“I’ll graph this out, using the data we have, so we can see the trends better,” Lena said, “but so far we know that this gateway”—she gestured at the space flanked by Stella and her—“has taken Astar, Rhyian, and at least some of the inn folk to the same place at more or less the same time. We know this because they saw each other there.”
“So Zeph and Jak might’ve gone to the other alter-realm,” Astar said.
“Or one we haven’t seen yet,” Lena agreed glumly. “There could be many of them. But Zeph and Jak went through considerably after Rhyian and not long before Astar. Timing isn’t a factor, then.”
“So, it bounces around.” Astar gripped the hilt of his sword, staring fiercely at the space between Lena and Stella. “We can’t count on these gateways taking us to the same places in either direction. Jak and Zeph may have gotten to a place, found no one, and already returned, just not to here.”
A truly depressing thought. Though not as bad as imagining Jak falling to his doom down one of those defiles.
“If they are in our realm, they’re flying back to us now,” Lena said firmly. “If they’re on the other side of this portal, they’re depending on us to keep it open for their return. Our task is unchanged.”
“Always so logical,” Rhy said to her, though without rancor.
“You know me,” she returned, her smile mirthless.
“Not as well as I used to,” he replied wistfully, “if I ever did at all, being so bone-headed.”
“Rhyian…” Lena looked determinedly away from him.
“Lena is right,” Astar said firmly. “Our task is to keep this portal open and guard it. How are you holding up?”
Lena looked tired, but Stella was able to bolster her end with additional magic, taking on more of the burden. “Holding fine,” she replied. “I wouldn’t be able to do this much if I didn’t have the Star, but—” She cut herself off, cursing her big mouth, Rhy’s furious hurt swamping her.
Rhy stared at her, eyes like black pools. “Mother gave you the Star of Annfwn,” he whispered, and Lena closed her eyes at the pain in his voice.
“I was going to find a way to tell you,” Stella tried, wishing she could go to him. Her left little fingers twitched, and she desperately wanted to put them in her mouth. Instead, she pulled a blade and gripped it, understanding now why Jak found it comforting.
Rhy laughed without humor. “I don’t blame you for keeping it from me. It was cowardly of you, but—”
“Enough,” Astar cut in forcibly.
“It’s only temporary,” Stella told Rhy anyway, aching at the way she’d hurt him. “Just for this mission.”
Shaking his head slowly, Rhy gazed past her. “We both know it’s not.”
“Discuss this later,” Astar instructed. “Keep your attention on the here and now.”
An uneasy silence settled as they obeyed, tensely waiting, emotions vibrating thick in the air.
“Something’s coming,” Stella said, almost relieved at the break from the discomfort.
The other three all whirled into defensive stances. And Zeph came prancing through in gríobhth form, wings spread just in case, with three kids perched on her back, gleefully squealing. Shifting fast so they wouldn’t see the saber cat, Gen rushed forward in human form, Rhy right with her, plucking the kids from Zeph’s back.
Astar also ran to Zeph, seizing her on either side of her beak and kissing her between the eyes. “Is this everyone?”
Relieved of her burden, Zeph shifted to human, giving Astar a real kiss. “No, the rest are right behind me.”
“She really is a lady!” one of the kids squealed.
“A really pretty lady!” replied another.
“Rhy, you’re here!” Zeph cried out, but Astar stopped her from running to him.
“Zephyr,” he said forcefully. “Where’s Jak?”
“Playing rear guard,” she answered. “What has your tail all fluffed?”
“Long story,” he said, “but the short explanation is that the portal bounces to different locations, maybe different times. I was just there and brought Rhy back through. He never saw you and Jak.”
“Yeah, we came through on a different grid.”
Stella was sure that made sense somehow. “And Jak?”
“Holding off a giant snake while we came through.” Zeph scowled at the portal. “Where are the others? They were right behind me.”
“Mommy…” one of the children wailed, and Gen shushed them soothingly.
“I’ll go back for them,” Zeph declared.
“No!” Astar practically shouted in her face. “You are not budging from this spot, Zephyr!” When she raised a brow at him, he released her and took a step back, raking a hand through his hair, fury and despair leaking off of him. “No one is going anywhere.”
“Willy,” Stella called to him. Then she switched to subvocal, holding out a hand to him. “Come over to me.”
Responding to that ingrained call between them, if nothing else, Astar came and took her hand. Zeph flashed her a grateful smile behind his back as she went to embrace Rhy. Stella fed some of her diminishing healing energy into Astar, calming him down.
“No one expects you to solve this,” she reminded him.
He gripped her hand, desperation in it. “I should send her back, I know, but I just… can’t.” His roiling emotions buffeted her, as they seldom did coming from her twin, but he was barely holding on. They were all barely holding on—and comforting someone else gave Stella something to focus on besides her own misery. Detriment or not, that was how she managed.