Ben’s jaw tightened. He’d promised her this morning that he would recognize her no matter what form she wore, that he would be there to help her remember who she was if she needed it.
He’d meant every word. But sitting here in this ravine, watching her force down food she didn’t want while a dying phoenix struggled to breathe beside them, the reality of what she was about to attempt hit him with full force.
He might lose her. Not to DAPI, not to Rosenthal’s forces, but to the merge itself. She might dissolve into dimensional fire and never come back.
“Ben.”
He’d been staring at his hands and thinking how useless they would be during the approaching trial. He looked up and found Sidney watching him, the half-eaten energy bar dangling from her fingers. “I know what you’re thinking. I can feel your fear.”
No point in denying it, not when their connection made it almost impossible to hide anything from her. “I’m scared shitless,” he said frankly. “I’m watching you prepare to sacrifice everything, and there’s nothing I can do to help except stand here and hope you’re strong enough to survive.”
An incongruous smile touched her lips. “You do a lot more than just hope. Your electromagnetic signature stabilizes my abilities, remember?” She reached out to him, her fingers finding his. “When I start the merge, when I feel myself dissolving into the phoenix’s consciousness, your presence is what I’ll hold on to. That’s kind of a big deal.”
“But it’s not enough.”
“It has to be enough. Because it’s all we have.” She squeezed his hand. The golden glow that appeared whenever they were close shimmered into being as their bioelectric fields synchronized in ways that made her abilities stronger and gave him a sense of her emotional state.
This was partnership. More than romantic, although he knew that mattered, too. This was something deeper, a connection that made them more capable together than they were apart.
His fingers tightened on hers. “Whatever happens during the merge, no matter what you become or how changed you are when you separate, I’m with you. You understand that, right? I’m not leaving you to face this alone.”
“I know.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That’s the only reason I think I can do this. Because you’ll be there.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes with their hands clasped, the glow surrounding them not bright enough to attract attention. The phoenix stirred, and Ben felt a pulse of warmth. Gratitude. Readiness to attempt the impossible because these two humans were crazy enough to try.
He checked his watch. About twelve minutes had passed since Rebecca had left. They should start moving soon and get into position near the ravine exit so they could go the moment the diversion started.
He was helping Sidney to her feet when a slim black phone buzzed inside Rebecca Morse’s pack. She’d left it behind, he realized. She’d kept only her tactical gear and moved ahead to scout.
He pulled out the phone and saw the message notification. An unknown number, but he had to hope only one person knew how to contact this particular phone.
Rosenthal changed deployment. Portal site has 25 agents, not 15. She’s expecting infiltration. Diversion may not be enough. Abort if possible.
Ben stared at the message, and his pulse began to race. Twenty-five agents meant a force large enough to respond to the diversion and still maintain coverage on the portal site. Rosenthal had anticipated their approach and reinforced her positions, and now they were walking into a trap far worse than they’d expected.
“What is it?” Sidney asked. She was clearly reading the strain in his expression.
He showed her the message and watched her face go pale. Then her chin gave that determined little lift he knew so well.
“We’re still going,” she said. “We have to. The phoenix doesn’t have time for us to come up with a new plan.”
He’d expected that response, but he still wasn’t ready to give in. “Sidney, twenty-five agents are more than triple what we’re prepared for. Even with the diversion, we’ll be massively outnumbered.”
“I know.” Her gaze met his, intense, as though she was willing him to understand. “But what other choice do we have? Let the phoenix die? Let the portal network collapse? Let Rosenthal win?” She straightened despite her exhaustion, and Ben thought of the accounts he’d read of warrior women in history. Boudicca. Joan of Arc. They must have looked much the same as they prepared to go into battle. “We’re going to complete the ritual. Whatever it takes.”
He wanted to find another way, a better approach. Anything that didn’t involve walking Sidney directly into an ambush while she was depleted and about to attempt something that might destroy her.
But she was right. They didn’t have alternatives. The phoenix was dying, and the portal network was failing. If they didn’t act now, everything they’d fought for would be lost.
“Then we do it smart,” he said. The time for argument had passed. “We’ll wait for Rebecca’s signal, move during the diversion, and get you to the portal as fast as possible. Once you start the merge, you’re completely vulnerable. So I’ll need to — ”
“Protect me,” Sidney broke in. “I know. That’s what the electromagnetic connection is for. You can sense threats I can’t while I’m merged. You can pull me back if necessary and serve as my link to the physical world.”
“While hoping twenty-five DAPI agents don’t shoot both of us,” he remarked, and she sent him a lopsided grin.
“Yeah, while hoping that.” Her smile faded slightly. “I know it’s not a great plan. But it’s all we have.”
They lifted the phoenix’s stretcher and began to move deeper into the ravine toward the portal site. The stone walls rose higher here and created lengthy shadows despite the afternoon sun. Ben counted their steps and measured the distance, calculating how long it would take to cover the exposed ground once they cleared the ravine.
