In other words, there were limits to Eric’s help that I’d never considered before. I let the unspoken hang in the air between us while I pondered how that could change things.
The Mission
NOVEMBER ARRIVED WITH sunny skies and warm breezes that made it feel more like the first days of June. Like its architecture, the School could change its weather to suit the needs or desires of its students. In years past, the weather had been a close match to Dallas: a cold winter, warm spring, and blistering summer. This year, though, the days were balmy and the nights soothingly cool. It was as if the School sensed the worry and tension that had infected the world following the Empyrean Gauntlet and wanted to set our minds at ease.
It was a nice touch, and we all appreciated it.
The pleasant weather did not, however, seem to have relaxed Abi. He took his responsibilities for our mission very seriously and was always stressed about rearranging the schedule so his most trusted interns were on shift when we made our move. The strain had worn him thin, and his once-easy smile had faded to a shadow of its former self. That alone was reason for me to want this over. I hated seeing my friend like that even more than I hated being interrupted while eating. Which was why I couldn’t help but feel relief when Abi showed up at dinner and said the magic words.
“It’s time,” he said. “Grab your stuff and meet me at the portal network terminal in the South Hall.”
My stomach groaned at the thought of leaving the meal I’d just prepared behind. With a sigh, I followed Abi to the door and dumped my still-full plate into a bus pan. Eric gave me a rueful glance as he did the same.
“Make it quick,” Abi said. “This break ends in fifteen minutes. It’ll be a week before I can arrange another window for us. Don’t forget the jinsei, Jace.”
Getting our supplies had been easier than I’d hoped. While the PDF kept a close eye on people traveling to sensitive locations, like the School, there were no such restrictions on package delivery. My friends and I had gathered a cache of backpacks, walking sticks, flashlights, trail rations, and other gear we’d need for the hike. Though we’d never been anywhere near the shrine, the Internet showed a rocky, steep climb up from the caldera’s bowl.
My team all arrived at the portal network terminal within a minute of each other. Despite the potential dangers in our immediate future, we all grinned like kids about to go on the most exciting field trip imaginable. In some ways, I supposed we were. After all the preparation, now was the time to put ourselves to the test. If we succeeded here, we’d be well on our way to reforging the Grand Design.
“Did you bring it?” Abi asked under his breath.
I didn’t like paying bribes, because the people who accept them always wanted more. I inspected the two interns manning the terminal. They were both fourth years, and Abi had worked with them his whole time in the PDF. If my friend swore we could trust them, that had to be good enough for me. I handed him a pair of small sacks that jingled as he accepted them.
“Their families need this,” he whispered to me. “They’re with us. Trust me.”
It was difficult for me to trust anyone with so much on the line. But as I watched Abi hand those bundles of purified jinsei off to the attendants, their looks of gratitude set my mind at ease. They needed the jinsei, and they were thankful I’d been able to provide it.
I still memorized their faces. Just in case.
“Okay,” Abi said. “The coordinates are plugged in. I’ve got the second jump bridged in and the return token. Everybody ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Eric said.
Clem nodded, her eyes on me. She looked like she had something to say, but didn’t want to spill it in front of the others. She smiled when she caught me looking, and I returned it.
“Will there be a problem for you if we come back and there’s someone else on shift?” I asked Abi. “Because we have no idea how long we’ll be gone.”
My friend waved off my concern.
“I might get yelled at by my bosses when we pop in unannounced, but no one will know where we’ve been,” Abi said with confidence. “I ran a security backup before you got here. Once we hop through, our friends on the terminal will restore it. It’ll be like this jump never happened. And our token is keyed to a trip Headmistress Cruzal took earlier today. Unless someone runs a forensic analysis on the data logs, it’ll look like we were in New Orleans for beignets.”
Abi seemed both proud and distressed by his skill at hiding our tracks. I’d have to come up with some way to make up for all the trouble he’d put himself through. We’d never be able to do this without him, and he’d made some heavy compromises to his morals to see this through. That was a burden he shouldn’t have to carry, and I had to find a way to take it off his shoulders.
“Looks like it’s up,” I said, nodding toward the glowing portal. “Let’s do this, kids.”
I waved to the attendants and walked up the platform to our gate. They offered me clumsy salutes in return, then grinned and shot me a thumbs-up. I didn’t know what Abi had told them we were up to, but those guys sure seemed pleased to be part of it. With a last glance over my shoulder, I stepped through the portal and into
