“And you want to go back tothat?” He has an impressive falsetto.
“Yes.” Another honest answer. I’ll fight off the grabby darkness again—I’ll do it a thousand times over—for a chance to hear Ethan’s voice. We might never see each other again. I want this last moment with him. “Please. I have to get back. A-and you must need help keeping the portal open long enough to evacuate an entire kingdom, right? I-I can help with that from the other side. Just tell me what to do.”
Without answering, Keeper Bae stomps down the wooden steps of the pavilion and walks over to the pond next to it. He kneels at the edge of the pond and sinks both hands into the water. Then he whisper screams at the poor pond in a seemingly endless tirade.
I slide down the pillar and wait as the keeper prepares the token to open the portal for the Kingdom of Water—and hopefully, my round-trip token as well.
I run my hands down my sides and the tops of my outstretched legs. I don’t have a soggy spot on me. The Queen of Water’s magic is still holding strong. It looks like I won’t freeze to death in the water.
Unfortunately, I might drown since I lost the King of Underworld’s clothespin. I shrug. I’ll deal with that when I get there.
Besides, it’s easier to survive without air than without Ethan.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sunny
It’s nearly dawn by the time Keeper Bae stomps back up the steps to the pavilion. I rub the fitful sleep out of my eyes and tilt my head back. He stands glaring down at me, holding a big jug of what I assume is pond water and two small vials, one on a looped thread.
“Are those vials for me?” I croak, pushing up to my feet.
“You are the most foolish child I’ve ever—”
“I amnota child.” I stick up my pointer finger perilously close to his left nostril. “I haven’t been one for over a century.”
The keeper has the gall to scoff and turn up his nose at me. Or maybe he just wants to move it away from the range of my finger. “To someone over three hundred years old, such as myself, you are still very much a child,especiallywhen you behave like one.”
“I am not behaving like ...” I blow out a sigh. “I have to go back. It’s important. And like I said, I can help. Let me help.”
“So be it.” He shakes his head. “You were right about one thing. Keeping the portal open for such a prolonged period is going to take a substantial amount of magic. I have enchanted the entire pond and willproject a steady stream to the portal from here. But it will help to have someone at the other end prop the door open, so to speak.”
“How do youpropa magic portal open?”
“Find someone who can harness the power of the waves to funnel this jug of water to create a pathway through the portal. They have to keep churning the water to keep the tunnel open.” Keeper Bae rubs his jaw. “In my two hundred years as a keeper, I have never had to hold the portal open for so many people.”
“You let the Kingdom of Sky’s army through to the Kingdom of Mountains,” I say waspishly.
“That was not my proudest moment. But General Bak would not take no for an answer. With Keeper Choe behind bars, I had to maintain my post for the safety of the realm.” His shoulders droop as though weary in body and spirit. I immediately regret lashing out at him. “Besides, an army is nowhere near as many as the people of an entire kingdom.”
“Thank you for doing this,” I mumble sheepishly.
“Anyone with an ounce of decency would do the same.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Some people would be busy building a wall to close off the portal.”
“I said anyonewith an ounceof decency.” He grimaces as though he smells something foul. “Unfortunately for us, we are forced to share the world with those few who possess not a single ounce.”
“Unfortunate, indeed.” I shake away my deep-seated sadness. “Why did you prepare two vials?”
“You shouldn’t need the second vial if you come back before the tunnel closes.” Keeper Bae hides his hand behind his back when I reach for them. “But you seem to court danger, so ...”
“I’ll try my best to get back with the rest of the Kingdom of Water.” I hold out my palm and flap my fingers.Gimme.
The keeper mutters something under his breath and places the vials in my hand.
“I would love to stay and chat, but ...” I tug one threaded vial over my head, then take the jug from his other hand. “So much to do. So little time.”
“When I sense the portal opening from the Kingdom of Water, I’ll open this end and keep it open for as long as I can.” His gaze bores into mine. “You must have the people move as quickly as they can. Even then ... not everyone might make it through.”
