Page 115 of Darkness

She didn’t ask questions. Didn’t need to. He could tell by the fear thrumming through her she knew the danger they faced.

Whatever had caused the pain hit all the travelers in the building. Leary must now think them all interconnected, a hive mind, which could indeed be a threat, though Farren didn’t feel any of the travelers outside the complex. Maybe they were out of range.

He slowed on the first basement level, somehow knowing he’d find the others there.

“What happened?” Arianna asked, face a mess of tears and running makeup, visible in the low emergency lighting.

“Don’t know. Whatever it was, it can’t be good.”

The other agents met them outside the stairwell, along with a cafeteria server, two guards, and a janitor. “Any humans here?”

Agent Sykes stood off to the side, all tall, handsome, broad-shouldered linebacker. His host had been an NFL hopeful until a motorcycle ended his career—and his life, though most humans didn’t know the truth. “No. They’re all on lockdown. What the hell was that? Felt like I was dying.”

Or something was dying. Farren’s mouth felt dry. “The realm is gone. I think the Princeps closed the rift, which might have been the first pain. The second must have been our realm dying.” Without being there, he couldn’t say. Deep in his heart, soul, magic, or whatever, he knew.

Sykes closed his eyes, letting out a pained moan. Arianna sobbed quietly against Farren’s shoulder. They all expected the end to happen someday. Someday finally arrived.

Most of them probably had family who hadn’t made the journey across. No way to know.

Farren’s phone rang. Not now! It was probably Leary, anyway. Wait! No, that was his personal phone. He snatched the thing out of his pocket and answered, “Agent Austen.” While he didn’t recognize the number, he answered anyway. Maybe some traveler with his number needed him.

“Farren, it’s Morrisey!”

Oh, thank all the deities of all the realms. “Morrisey! Where are you? How are you?”

“Do you have the Three Little Words app on your phone?”

“Yes.” Farren found the app useful for navigation. Locations were assigned three words that could indicate precise locations to within ten feet.

“Type in pulse, dressing, goals. I have no idea where I am. All I see is trees and a mansion I hope to never see again, but the phone I borrowed has the app, and this is what it says.”

Farren heard distant sirens through the phone. “Are you okay?”

“At the moment.”

Morrisey’s husky timbre didn’t sound quite right. Farren took him off speaker. “Is anyone else there?”

“Two injured travelers, one dead human in the mansion. We’re going to need ambulances.”

Farren repeated everything for Sykes and the others. “Sit tight.” He wasn’t sure how, but they’d get there. He wanted to say so much more, but not here, not now, especially not in front of others. “Don’t trust anyone from the compound but me, okay?”

“I’ll see you when you get here.” Nothing in Morrisey’s voice said I’ve missed you.

Damn, but Farren missed Morrisey. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.”

Before Farren hung up the phone, Morrisey added, “We need to talk.”

“Morrisey, something happened—”

“I know.”

“Leary is trying to capture all travelers in the building.”

Morrisey let loose a string of curses even Farren wasn’t familiar with. “Then get here. Now. There’s a café on the corner. Meet me there.” His voice sounded hoarse, broken.

Farren’s heart broke a little too. “I don’t know if I can meet you. We’re on lockdown.”

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