“Got it,” Magda said. “Powering now.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yep.”
Her circle lit with orange flame, strong and bright, and trapped beyond it, Silas’s collapsed. He kept his head up one more second to watch the demon hit the new walls and fall back, then let his forehead rest on the cool floor. Somewhere close by, Darien giggled, thin and ragged. “Well, that was fun. Let’s not do it again.”
“Indeed.” Silas took a few more slow breaths against the odd, resilient tile of the alien floor, then forced himself to sit up. “Magda, how are you doing?”
“I have him, for now.” The color of her circle flickered in her eyes, as she watched her captive. “He’s not a powerhouse, maybe a two or three. But I can’t banish him home. That’s necromancer work.”
“I need food and sleep, but I’ll get to it as soon as I can.”
“You all look like dog shit,” Magda said bluntly. “What happened?”
“We did it,” Silas told her. “At least, I think we got them all. The last one was a bit of a mess.”
“I gathered.” She jerked a thumb toward the demon.
Lyyll said, “It was amazing, what Darien and Jasper and Silas did. I’m considered to have exceptionally strong magic back home, but I couldn’t conceive of using it that way.”
“Magic scissors.” Darien’s laugh sounded a bit more settled. “Turn a scientist and an engineer loose with power and you get the good stuff.”
Silas turned and let himself soak in the sight of Darien’s face, tired and lined but lit with his own inimitable humor. By the gods, he’s fine. He looked past him at Jasper. “Hey, Jasper, you with us? What can we get you?”
“A new head? One that doesn’t emulate a snare drum?” Jasper pressed his palms to his skull, lying flat on his back where Lyyll had apparently placed him. “Failing that, water would be good. And food. And about twenty hours of shut-eye.”
An unfamiliar local slightly bigger than Xsing stalked back and forth on the far side of the red circle that still ringed the room, the motion of his three legs somehow conveying displeasure. “Professor Xsing! I want an immediate explanation for this unauthorized adventure within my Transitional Dynamics Laboratories. And why my space is now infested by a—” His eye stalks aimed at the demon and pulsed in an agitated way. “— an unstable energy entity. A malevolent-looking one. Explain!”
Xsing waved two hands. “You were unavailable, Director, and the need was immediate. The demon— energy entity— was an unfortunate side effect.” He turned his eyes on it. “Although an intriguing one, had I the strength to investigate right now.” He wavered, then bent all three legs to lower himself to the floor. “The hours I spent locating those portals were more strain than I anticipated. I’m in need of a period of meditation and energy consumption.”
Lyyll suggested, “I can explain. Most of it, anyhow. While those who drained themselves of power get the rest they need.”
The director stared at Xsing, who frankly looked like a used handkerchief about to crumple, his shoulders and eyes sagging till he forced them upright again.
“Very well,” the director said at last. “As long as someone has answers for me. Go meditate, Xsing. But don’t imagine this is the end of our conversation.”
“Of course not, Director.” Xsing glanced past him and raised a hand. “Jojo?”
The smallest of the waiting figures hurried to the edge of Conservator Kell’s red barrier. “Yes, Professor?”
“We all need rest and nourishment.” He turned an eyestalk toward Silas. “I imagine you wish to return to your chamber.”
If we can walk that far. But the pile of fabrics had been soft and comfortable, and the idea of a private space with Darien appealed deeply. “Yes. If someone might guide us.” He glanced at the glowing red on the floor. “And let us out of this circle.”
Conservator Kell— presumably Kell, although Silas’s tired brain was having a hard time with identifications— said, “Sorcerer Magda, you are confident that you can contain the fireworld entity?”
“Demon. Yeah. I have it.”
“Very well. We will release those who need rest from the containment. I trust you will understand if we replace it afterward. It does not imply lack of trust in you.”
“Just in my magic,” she murmured, adding louder, “That’s fine. I’ve nowhere to go anyway.”
“I will remain with you,” Lyyll said. “I will tell you all about our adventures. The energy signatures of the portals were most impressive. And perhaps we can speculate on the result for the ends of the portals, when we released power from the middle.”
Silas tuned out her reply. His brain had locked on a refrain of Darien, food, sleep, which dimensional power equations couldn’t penetrate. He and Darien got Jasper sitting up. Grim, who’d been conferring with Kii, came and sat at Jasper’s back like a large furry bolster. “Get some food into him,” Grim suggested. “So he can walk to your rooms.”
Pip barked “Fetch” and the pack full of food they’d left with Magda slid over to them. One of the figures outside the barrier hissed, “Showing off,” but a flick of Pip’s ear was the only sign he’d noticed. He nosed the flap open. “Here. There’s still cheese and bread and jerky and apples.”
“Cheese is soft,” Jasper said. “Easy.”
“Cheese it is.” Silas unwrapped a piece and placed it in Jasper’s fingers, then guided the shaking hand to Jasper’s mouth. By the third bite, Jasper seemed steadier, and Silas was able to let go and grab a piece of his own. It occurred to him that Jasper didn’t just look exhausted, but older. Was that streak of pure white at his temples there before? Surely not.
What about Darien? He stared intently at Darien’s face, from his warm, brown eyes with slight creases at the corners to his hair still soft and black. No obvious gray, maybe new wrinkles? He caught Darien’s hand in his, and the skin over Darien’s knuckles still looked smooth, the veins no more prominent. If he lost years, it wasn’t many. Thank all the powers.
“What?” Darien asked around a bite of apple. “Do I have something in my teeth?”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” Silas was flooded with affection, with a need to hold Darien and kiss him and keep him close and safe. But here, in public, he just brushed Darien’s clean chin with his thumb. “Bit of apple there.”
“S’good.” Darien took another huge bite. “You should eat too.”
By the time they’d forced down some calories, fatigue was pressing on Silas like a lead blanket, but his muscles felt steadier and his knees held him when he got to his feet. Lyyll helped lift Jasper upright and steadied him till he could stand before letting go. Darien hauled on Silas’s extended hand like a drowning man going up a rope, staggering against him when he was upright. Their touch became a hug, and whether Darien really was unsteady or just creating an excuse, Silas was happy to hold him. In his arms, Darien’s slender body shook with fine tremors, and Silas squeezed him, braced him, set his chin on Darien’s head and tried to give what strength he had.