Everything was a bit of a blur for a moment. One minute, we were, bit by bit, wearing away at the enemy. Max, however, at our moment of victory, wavered. He must have seen something—or felt something. I couldn't say. I wanted to talk to him about it. But not now. Now, I had to deal with what had happened next.

  When Max had nearly met his end, he had been saved by someone—a redheaded warrior bearing a massive sword. The deep blue cloak was royal. The armor well-crafted and cared for. All new. And the red beard. That was new too. But the eyes were the same. The green eyes, the thick smattering of freckles, and the narrow nose. Those were the same.

  Geoffrey. Geoffrey was here.

  It felt like a dream—but it wasn't. This was as real as anything in the material world. This was his soul. Whole and hale. Alive. And he looked unchanged, exactly as the day he had left for his usual training at the Institute. Broad shouldered. Athletic. Confident. Self-assured. Outgoing. Already taking charge. He was the same.

  After all this time, I thought disjointedly. He's here. I found him. I found him. God. Thank you. I found him.

  He was the same and not the same. Same for me. I was Kaci Dryburgh, his younger Gifted sister, but I had also changed. Time had etched its own marks in my soul, and in many ways, I'd grown stronger for it. I had responsibilities now, seen and unseen.

  So, of course, I couldn't simply run to his side and give him the hug I'd been dreaming of. I couldn't pester him with questions, draw him aside and talk to him. I couldn't do all the things that I wanted to do. Not right away at least.

  First, I had to look Max over and check with Siraj. Siraj, for some reason, had paced off toward the far edge of the mound. Max didn't follow him either. Max simply stood staring out over the light grey mist that was slowly thinning. The Shadow Nile was receding. The tide was going out and taking with it all its dead and any of the Dark Elves seeking refuge. Geoffrey, leading a pack of still fresh warriors, chased after, heading up a route that would clear the area and make this land habitable once more. The mound was safe for another day. For another cycle. We had done it.

  After I made sure Max—and then, Siraj—were physically alright, I went to check on the medic's tent to offer aid where I could. That ended up taking me an hour and then some. By the time I emerged, Geoffrey's party had returned triumphantly, thankfully relatively unharmed. We checked some scrapes and cuts, and then finally I was able to approach the campfire where Max, Siraj, an Englishman, and Geoffrey sat, now divested of their gear and weapons.

  "K-" Geoffrey sprang to his feet, staring at me with wide eyes as he recognized me. "Kaci?"

  "Geoffrey," I said softly. I couldn't help but race to him to give him a big bear hug. "Geoffrey. Thank God. I found you! I've been looking so long! Where were you all this time?"

  "Around," Geoffrey laughed and squeezed me back in a warm hug. "Kaci. I can't believe it." He eased back to give me a once over and shook his head. "Well. I mean. I can believe it in a way. You were gifted. I knew it. You just needed time. Judging by your aura, you didn't make the same mistake I did."

  "Geoffrey-"

  "But that's a matter for another time," he told me firmly. "Tonight, we celebrate."

  Dammit. I did want to ask him… a lot of questions. There was so much that I didn't know. I needed to know. I had to know. Not just for him. Also for me. For the future versions of us. Instead, I bit my lip, tamped down on my annoyance, forced a smile, and sat down between Max and Geoffrey. At Geoffrey's words, I glanced around at the men. Will looked deliriously happy, but Max looked a bit… out of it. He stared into the fire moodily, his gaze only matched in intensity by Siraj opposite him.

  "Celebrate?" I asked. "Seems a bit gloomy here."

  "Sorry for being doomer," Max chuckled. I could tell that he was forcing himself to be cheerful for my sake. I hated that as well, and I scowled at him. "I just… have a lot on my mind. Maybe I should just turn in early tonight. I don't wanna be a party pooper."

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  "Nonsense," Geoffrey said, pushing a tankard of ale into Max's hand. "Chug this back, and you'll be put to rights in no time. It's his first time, is it?" He addressed the last to me, and I nodded. "I remember my first time. Damn. It feels like ages ago in here. It wasn't an overlord, but it was a weak soul taken by an opportunistic succubi. I couldn't sleep for weeks on end."

  "My first time was a child infested with a swarm of Dark Fairies," I said. "The screaming… It sticks with me to this day. It was just so scared. It just wanted to go home." My fingers balled into fists. "I could do nothing. I was… so angry."

  "Angry?" Max asked.

  "Yeah… I guess I just stacked it with the other things I'm mad about."

  "Getting mad a lot goes with redhead territory, doesn't it," Geoffrey said sympathetically.

  Not really, I wanted to tell him. There is flash in the pan anger… and then there is whatever lives inside me. There is rage. I wondered what Max felt.

  "I'm not mad," Max finally admitted. "Just… just sad."

  "What about you, Siraj?" I asked.

  Siraj just stared at me and thin shifted his gaze to Geoffrey.

  "Are there others?" His soft question was threaded with something dark and dangerous. He too was feeling something that he refused to name. Maybe he understood me better.

  "There are," Geoffrey stated. "Seven overlords have risen within the Lands Between, within the Other Side. They have taken avatars. Thus, the Calling. Thus, the Culling. It is the Cycle."

  "'The Wheel turns'," I quoted slowly. "'The Rising, The Calling, The Culling, The Cleansing. Thus the Wheel turns and the forces of Good and Evil do wage their eternal battle, and, as the sages have spoken, from the push and pull come the froth of the Cosmos.'"

  "What the actual fuck," grunted Max.

  "Just ancient texts about the Other Side," Kaci explained. "There are periods of time where Corruption reaches a certain height. But Light can never be extinguished. Souls are called. Like you and Siraj. Like me… and Will… and Geoffrey."

  "So, we have take down seven more? Six more?" Siraj pressed.

  "Six more." Geoffrey's gaze met Siraj's intently. "Are you up for the challenge?"

  Siraj rose to his feet, stretched, bent to grab his bow and quiver, and walked off.

  "Where are you going?" asked Max, half-rising.

  "To practice," Siraj replied shortly.

  The next morning, many people rose with headaches and hangovers after the long victorious party. Nursing a headache myself, I rose to discover Siraj and Max already up with the sun. They were down in Wilsford Village practicing at the butts and in the training fields. After their morning practice, they rested, ate lunch, and then proceeded to help the villages rehabilitate their damaged homes. Siraj helped repair a roof. Max fixed furniture. Geoffrey spent some time training with Max, but afterwards, he disappeared down another hill to a nearby stream, where he fished for our dinners.

  All of us kept relatively busy for the following day and only met at night. This time, there was a more cheerful note in the air. Will had returned to his group of comrades, but he promised to remain with them for as long as their strength held out. Geoffrey spoke with the remaining Roman soldiers and got them to agree to join the larger troop. With them and the magically gifted priests, we'd have a strong enough group to take on the next overlord. Geoffrey was already planning ways to scout the area and look for signs of any corruption.

  "Not all overlords live in mist and shadow," he warned us. "Some hide in other places. In plain sight even. Be on your guard."

  "Well, that's all well and good," grunted Max, "but I get the feeling that Mammon and the boys weren't into sharing. I don't think they'd have taken kindly to people coming onto their land. Like other overlords. I'd bet that we'll have to walk a fair way before we see another one."

  "Good point," admitted Geoffrey. "Kaci, what do you sense?"

  "There is one. To the north and east," I said. "Maybe not one. Maybe something else. But there's a darkness there."

  "Then we'll head north and east," he agreed, rising to his feet.

  I sighed. Of course. Geoffrey was never one to stay put. He was always moving. Always talking. Always thinking ahead. But I needed to know. I had waited long enough.

  "Geoffrey." Something in my voice stopped him in his tracks. "We need to talk."

  Max and Siraj, sensing a shift in my mood, wisely decided to rise and join Will's group several feet over. Geoffrey offered me a wry smile and plopped down beside me on the log we'd drawn up by the campfire. His hand rose to rest on my shoulder, offering me a comforting squeeze. I was unmoved. I glared at him, and he offered me a lop-sided grin.

  "OK. You want to know about what happened that day?"

  "Did it happen during the day?" I asked.

  He swore under his breath.

  "Damn. OK. They didn't tell you anything, huh."

  "They told no one anything," I said. "Mom and Dad barely know anything. I think they were lied to as well. They said you died. That you died a hero. But there was no body."

  "No. I imagine that there won't be."

  "It's gone… gone?" I asked, voice tight with emotion.

  "Well. I mean. I can't say for sure. You know how it is. The Institute could have my body stashed somewhere. I had thought to look for it… but it's been hard. I sort of… gave up, you know?" There was a hesitancy in his voice. "But seeing you has given me hope, Kaci. We were meant to meet, I'm sure of it. We were meant to be here."

  "And if there is a way for you to come home, we'll find it," I promised. "I just need more details."

  "I can't offer much," he admitted, "but I'll give you what I have, Kaci."

  "Thanks." I forced another smile and began to ask my questions.