We worked under the security lights around the house, barely speaking. It took us less than ten minutes to build the salt obelisk and tie it into the house ward. My skin tingled from the gentle brushes of our hands and working closely when we weren’t touching. Our magic was more fluid and less intense than last time—like we’d relaxed. Or maybe it was because I wasn’t fighting against working with him. I wasn’t sure when that had changed, but it felt good. I trusted him. Appreciated both his knowledge and his delicate touch. He was an incredible wizard. Powerful and sensitive.
“I think that should work,” I said, dusting salt from my hands.
He nodded appreciatively at the structure. We silently walked beyond the rim of light surrounding the house and into the maze of raised kitchen garden beds. Bud had planted early. I trailed fingers through the rosemary, inhaling the crisp air, and instantly feeling stronger and more normal. Ranth sampled thyme and basil, fingering the tops of the baby tomato plants.
The uncertainty of what I’d lost at the house clung to me. I’d have to trust some part of the charms had saved some of the rarer things. Ant mattered most, and she was safe. Everything else, I would rebuild or salvage or both. My friends would help me. I exhaled.
Stopping beyond the line of the floodlights from the roof, I studied the heaven of stars. We were so insignificant. So small.
Ranth was looking at the sky. He still hadn’t said a word.
“Can you see Draco?” I asked.
“I love the stars, but I don’t know their names. There was an Ahknim mentor who studied them and guided us. The sky out here is very clear. It brings back memories of being on the mountain when I was young. We would star walk, and the cooling of the night would refresh us.”
“Star walk?”
“Just be with the sky at night. Nothing before or after. Only the moment.”
“That sounds beautiful,” I replied.
Ranth turned toward me. His eyes were liquid, catching shadows from the spotlights around the house. His skin was warm with tomato leaf and basil.
My breath caught. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked.
“I… I think you will react badly to what I feel compelled to say, and it makes me afraid to start.”
“What do you mean?”
Ranth’s cheek twitched. “This is hard for me to say to you, but it needs to be from someone who cares for you.” He took my hand. “But I will say it, and you can be angry. You pull away when someone points out something about you which could use improvement. You almost died fifteen minutes ago.” Ranth’s voice was firm and distant, as if he had taken a step back, but he hadn’t moved.
His rigidness pierced my heart. “I know, but I didn’t.” My gut twisted. I knew he was right. The risk had been for more than me.
“In a different circumstance, or with a slight error, you would have. If you only rely on your instinct, without training and practice, you will eventually fail, and someone else will suffer because of it.”
There it was. My biggest challenge laid out for me in stark dissection. Without training, I would screw up at some point and maybe die because of it. Still, he was edging on being judgy. “Yeah, but this is my life, and that is literally what I do every day. Well, not every day because, until you arrived, I didn’t have portals popping all over the place. Once a month maybe.”
Ranth shook his head. “You aren’t hearing me.”
“I’m listening. I know I have things to learn. I also know right now, if I die, you die—but if the Essifers decide my friends are extra crunchy, they could die too. So, us or them, there is no middle ground. And none of this matters because none of that is going to happen. Fabra is locked in the cemetery, and we’re handling the Essifers. We know where the third item is, so as soon as you and Juke set up…”
“When I leave?—”
“When you leave, everything should go back to normal.” The words rang hollow because what I said wasn’t true. Like my mom, Ranth would be gone forever. I should be sitting him down and learning everything he knew right now. But I wouldneed a lifetime with him, and maybe that wouldn’t even be enough. I hugged myself. I wanted that. I wanted to explore what he knew and get to the place where we’d learn together, grow together…
He ran fingers through his hair, his scar undulating with the movement. “Things are different now that you’ve touched earth. You know it inside of you, and the risk is greater because that barrier is gone.”
“That’s obvious. I’ll build a new barrier like I did before. I’ve got this.”
He stiffened, straightening up as if his extra height would hold more weight or make a greater impression. “You do not have this, and you know it.” He placed a hand on my chest above my heart. “You must be here with the stars and the sky. Learn from them. From here.” The touch was featherlight as his eyes searched mine. The world dropped away. It was like I was breathing his air.
“What will you do about the Sisters? About your mother?” he whispered. The heat burning inside didn’t fade as his hand dropped away.
“I’ve never told you about the Sisters. How do you?—”
“I was in your head long enough. I recognized the whispers. They are sentient and minacious.”
“You know them?”
