Nya furrowed her brow.Are you saying I’mnother rider?
No, not at all?—
“Fates, there are two sets of you now,” Carus said, and they both jumped. “It’s unnerving enough to watch Sora and Vane do the silent talking thing, but Morgen, the embers flare every time I assume it’s your turn. It’s creepy.”
Morgen shut his eyes, sighing sharply. “What do you need, Carus?”
He snorted. “Perhaps to get back before they think we kidnapped Nya and Vulcan sends a fleet of Vemon dragons our way. But mostly, it’s just cold, and I’m bored.”
Morgen glared at him, but Nya wondered silently how Carus managed to be so flippant and droll, even with everything that had happened to him. He was younger than her and had endured more, and yet he still seemed to have a less pessimistic outlook on the world. Then again, Carus had not been targeted by a nameless creature of darkness.
She discarded the thoughts for now and glanced at Morgen. “Are you even well enough to create a portal right now?”
He hesitated. “Ah…most likely.”
“Good enough,” Carus grumbled, striding closer to where they still sat on the ground.
“Are you sure?” she pushed, standing and offering him a hand.
Morgen took it but let go quickly. He didn’t reply, evidently confident he was ready to or convinced enough by Carus’ whining that he didn’t want to argue, because the air began to shimmer in front of his outstretched hand. It shook as the portal turned silver, and his tan complexion turned pale.
“Morgen—”
He cut her off, speaking through gritted teeth. “Just go through.”
She wasn’t exactly keen on returning yet, but she was also sure if she didn’t listen, Morgen probably wouldn’t have the energy to draw up another portal. Carus was likely also right about the reaction of the principals and her parents to the three of them suddenly missing.
She stepped through, followed by Carus, and the folded pocket of space choked the air from her lungs for a brief handful of seconds. When she emerged on the other side, she was standing in the middle of a flower bed in Nyx’s garden. Morgen flickered into existence next to her half a second later and fell to his knees before either she or Carus could catch him. Her chest constricted painfully, and her vision blacked out. Then, just like last time this had happened, the agony disappeared as if it had never been there at all.
“None of these flowers are blooming,” he muttered, his words already beginning to slur. “What is the fucking point of the garden?”
“Shit,” Carus said under his breath. “He’s magic drunk.”
“Yes, thanks to you,” Nya snapped just as the back door opened. “We should have waited longer.”
A figure appeared in the doorway, and at first glance, she thought it was her father. Quickly, she realized he was a few inches too tall, and his eyes were a slightly different shape.
Vulcan.
“They’re back!” the god of fire called into the house.
She allowed the shock of seeing her grandfather for the first time register for only a few short moments before kneeling next to Morgen.
“Nya,” he groaned, shaking his head. “I was trying to tell you, and it was important, but now…” His head fell to her shoulder. “My head is so fuzzy.”
“Hush,” she murmured, threading her fingers through his hair. Thanatos and Nyx hurried out, followed by her parents, and then Juno and another woman who she realized had to be Anabeth. She pulled him close, a hum just beneath her skin as her magic rose instinctively to protect him. “You just need to sleep this off.”
“I can’t sleep,” he said, voice muffled against her shirt. “What if it comes back and I didn’t tell you?”
She had no idea what he was talking about and couldn’t tell if it was nonsense or something genuinely important. If it was the latter, now probably wasn’t the time anyways.
“It’s all right,” she told him, and he made a low noise, the vibration of it buzzing against her chest.
Vulcan stepped forward. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Magic drunk,” Carus replied. His expression was tight, but still, he laughed dryly, dragging a hand over his face. “Very magic drunk, by the looks of it.” Apparently, this was a phenomenon unique to Morgen, because they all stared at him blankly. “When he uses too much magic, usually when he portals too far or twice without pause, the mortal part of him begins to die with the strain. The embers react and flood his system with way too much magic, making him all loopy.”
A long moment of silence followed, broken only when Morgen lifted his head and whispered loudly, “Nya, why are they all looking at us?”
