“I’m just glad he ran out of the library when he became a wolf,” Connor said. “ ’Cause if he’d attacked Anika, and Ethan had shot the Scion right after he’d saved the world . . . Can you imagine? Awkward.”
“You really aren’t that funny,” Adne said.
“Yes, I am.” Connor smiled.
“Sabine?” Adne shot her a pleading look. “A little help here?”
Sabine stuck her tongue out at Connor.
“I rest my case.” Adne grinned.
“Ethan gets a vote too,” Connor said. “Ethan?”
“I abstain.” Ethan laughed. “Wait, no. I hate to give Connor credit for any of his humor, but he has a point. All the wolves, including the Scion, ran for the hills. I count that as a good thing. If they’d attacked us, it would have been ugly.”
“They were being called home, I think,” Adne mused. “Back to the wilderness. They didn’t have any reason to be interested in us.”
“Do you think they remember?” Connor asked. “When Shay became a wolf, do you think he knew what was happening?”
“There’s no way to know,” Adne said.
Sabine drew Ethan’s arms more tightly around her body. “It’s good that he changed. Shay and Calla belong together. They always did.”
Ethan bent down and kissed the crown of her hair. “I know the feeling.”
“Apparently the earth thought they belonged together too,” Adne said. “So are you guys ready? I’m starving and Anika is giving out new assignments in a few hours. I don’t want to miss dinner.”
“What exactly is your work now?” Sabine asked. “The war is over.”
“I think you mean our work.” Adne smiled at her. “You’re part of the club now. And we aren’t about to let you forget it.”
“We’ve got to keep an eye on that.” Connor pointed to what had been the library’s fireplace.
A massive iron door filled the stone frame. The Elemental Cross was set in the center of the door, giving all appearance that the two swords had been welded to the metal barrier. “Make sure no evildoers try to mess with it.”
“Like Logan?” Sabine asked.
“Logan,” Adne said, “and any other Keepers who hadn’t already passed their human expiration date. There won’t be a lot of them, but some are still around.”
“And we’ll go back to doing what we did before this war broke out too,” Connor said.
“You remember that far back?” Sabine asked.
“I’m pretty sure somebody wrote it down somewhere.” Connor smiled.
“Before there were Keepers and Searchers, we were all one group,” Adne said. “We made sure no one was abusing the mystical realm or messing with forces that shouldn’t be messed with.”
“We were called Conatus,” Ethan said.
“Speaking of names,” Connor said, “since we’re not searching for the Scion anymore, are we gonna get a new label?”
Ethan shrugged. “Ask Anika.”
“We could be Conatus again,” Adne said.
“That was six hundred years ago,” Connor said. “I vote no. Besides, the first Keepers were part of Conatus. Sharing a name with any Keeper would make me feel dirty.”
“Fine.” Adne ignored his teasing. “I just think using Latin would add dignity to our cause. Come on, we can argue about it over dinner.”
She began to weave a door.
“Dignity?” Ethan pulled away from Sabine, grinning at Adne. “Nobody actually speaks Latin anymore. Explaining that word anytime we met someone would get old fast. Besides, any group Connor is part of can’t actually be dignified.”
“Hey!” Connor shoved him.
Sabine laughed; her smile was full of mischief. “I’ve got a name for us.”
Ethan reached out, fingers tilting her chin up. When she looked into his sea blue eyes, the world opened up before her. Just like it always did.
“Okay, beautiful. What’s our new name?” he asked.
“Guardians.”
His smile softened. “That might take some getting used to. But it does have a nice ring to it.”
He leaned forward, kissing her gently.
“You guys coming?” Connor asked as he backed toward the portal. “Or are we going to wait here while you make out?”
“Oh, leave them alone.” Adne grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him toward the shimmering door. “Why are you so grumpy?”
Connor patted his stomach. “I’m hungry.”
“Dinner’s right through there.” Adne pointed at the gleaming door.
“Wait,” Sabine said. “I . . . want to see them. I have to see them. Just once.”
“Right now?” Connor frowned.
Adne pushed Connor aside, closing the portal with two swift strokes of her skeans. “Your stomach can wait, Connor.”
“We clearly need to have a talk where you get to know my stomach better.” Connor laughed.
“Are you sure?” Adne asked.
“Please.” Sabine’s heart pounded while Adne wove. She couldn’t breathe for a moment when the familiar landscape near Haldis took form on the other side of the portal.
“You ready?” Ethan took her hand.
She nodded, but it wasn’t a matter of being ready. It was what she needed—to see the pack whole, to know that the world was right again.
Connor started toward the door, but Adne grabbed his arm.
“No,” she said. “Just the two of them.”
“No dinner and no wolf hunt?” Connor said. “You’re a cruel woman.”
“You know it.” Adne gestured for Ethan and Sabine to enter the door.
The now-familiar sharp tingling of passage through the portal gave way to bitter cold. The wind swirled steadily over her limbs; occasional gusts made her shudder. She pulled Ethan’s coat tight around her.
“This is frostbite weather, honey,” Ethan said, handing her a pair of binoculars. “I don’t mean to rush you. . . .”
“I only need a few minutes,” she said.
Sabine climbed along the ridge where Adne had opened the door, crouching in the shelter of a pine tree. Lifting the binoculars to her eyes, she peered toward Haldis Cavern.
“You really aren’t that funny,” Adne said.
“Yes, I am.” Connor smiled.
“Sabine?” Adne shot her a pleading look. “A little help here?”
Sabine stuck her tongue out at Connor.
“I rest my case.” Adne grinned.
“Ethan gets a vote too,” Connor said. “Ethan?”
“I abstain.” Ethan laughed. “Wait, no. I hate to give Connor credit for any of his humor, but he has a point. All the wolves, including the Scion, ran for the hills. I count that as a good thing. If they’d attacked us, it would have been ugly.”
“They were being called home, I think,” Adne mused. “Back to the wilderness. They didn’t have any reason to be interested in us.”
“Do you think they remember?” Connor asked. “When Shay became a wolf, do you think he knew what was happening?”
“There’s no way to know,” Adne said.
Sabine drew Ethan’s arms more tightly around her body. “It’s good that he changed. Shay and Calla belong together. They always did.”
Ethan bent down and kissed the crown of her hair. “I know the feeling.”
“Apparently the earth thought they belonged together too,” Adne said. “So are you guys ready? I’m starving and Anika is giving out new assignments in a few hours. I don’t want to miss dinner.”
“What exactly is your work now?” Sabine asked. “The war is over.”
“I think you mean our work.” Adne smiled at her. “You’re part of the club now. And we aren’t about to let you forget it.”
“We’ve got to keep an eye on that.” Connor pointed to what had been the library’s fireplace.
A massive iron door filled the stone frame. The Elemental Cross was set in the center of the door, giving all appearance that the two swords had been welded to the metal barrier. “Make sure no evildoers try to mess with it.”
“Like Logan?” Sabine asked.
“Logan,” Adne said, “and any other Keepers who hadn’t already passed their human expiration date. There won’t be a lot of them, but some are still around.”
“And we’ll go back to doing what we did before this war broke out too,” Connor said.
“You remember that far back?” Sabine asked.
“I’m pretty sure somebody wrote it down somewhere.” Connor smiled.
“Before there were Keepers and Searchers, we were all one group,” Adne said. “We made sure no one was abusing the mystical realm or messing with forces that shouldn’t be messed with.”
“We were called Conatus,” Ethan said.
“Speaking of names,” Connor said, “since we’re not searching for the Scion anymore, are we gonna get a new label?”
Ethan shrugged. “Ask Anika.”
“We could be Conatus again,” Adne said.
“That was six hundred years ago,” Connor said. “I vote no. Besides, the first Keepers were part of Conatus. Sharing a name with any Keeper would make me feel dirty.”
“Fine.” Adne ignored his teasing. “I just think using Latin would add dignity to our cause. Come on, we can argue about it over dinner.”
She began to weave a door.
“Dignity?” Ethan pulled away from Sabine, grinning at Adne. “Nobody actually speaks Latin anymore. Explaining that word anytime we met someone would get old fast. Besides, any group Connor is part of can’t actually be dignified.”
“Hey!” Connor shoved him.
Sabine laughed; her smile was full of mischief. “I’ve got a name for us.”
Ethan reached out, fingers tilting her chin up. When she looked into his sea blue eyes, the world opened up before her. Just like it always did.
“Okay, beautiful. What’s our new name?” he asked.
“Guardians.”
His smile softened. “That might take some getting used to. But it does have a nice ring to it.”
He leaned forward, kissing her gently.
“You guys coming?” Connor asked as he backed toward the portal. “Or are we going to wait here while you make out?”
“Oh, leave them alone.” Adne grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him toward the shimmering door. “Why are you so grumpy?”
Connor patted his stomach. “I’m hungry.”
“Dinner’s right through there.” Adne pointed at the gleaming door.
“Wait,” Sabine said. “I . . . want to see them. I have to see them. Just once.”
“Right now?” Connor frowned.
Adne pushed Connor aside, closing the portal with two swift strokes of her skeans. “Your stomach can wait, Connor.”
“We clearly need to have a talk where you get to know my stomach better.” Connor laughed.
“Are you sure?” Adne asked.
“Please.” Sabine’s heart pounded while Adne wove. She couldn’t breathe for a moment when the familiar landscape near Haldis took form on the other side of the portal.
“You ready?” Ethan took her hand.
She nodded, but it wasn’t a matter of being ready. It was what she needed—to see the pack whole, to know that the world was right again.
Connor started toward the door, but Adne grabbed his arm.
“No,” she said. “Just the two of them.”
“No dinner and no wolf hunt?” Connor said. “You’re a cruel woman.”
“You know it.” Adne gestured for Ethan and Sabine to enter the door.
The now-familiar sharp tingling of passage through the portal gave way to bitter cold. The wind swirled steadily over her limbs; occasional gusts made her shudder. She pulled Ethan’s coat tight around her.
“This is frostbite weather, honey,” Ethan said, handing her a pair of binoculars. “I don’t mean to rush you. . . .”
“I only need a few minutes,” she said.
Sabine climbed along the ridge where Adne had opened the door, crouching in the shelter of a pine tree. Lifting the binoculars to her eyes, she peered toward Haldis Cavern.
