April passed in fits of rain and warm days. The world turned softer and greener, the days getting longer. Christian was so preoccupied with final papers, exams, and his own upcoming birthday that he had almost forgotten about Lilly's promise to help him. Being divided had become so routine that he barely thought about it any more, except when he became aware of being in two places at once. It happened most frequently when he was drifting to sleep, or if he let his mind wander in class. Lilly took it as another promising development.
"You are trying to be whole, even without taking extra measures," she explained as she and Christian were repainting Arc's new room. "You must be careful, though. You're vulnerable, more so now than ever before."
"I need this over, and soon," Christian said as he dragged a brush along the baseboard. He looked at the backs of his hands. They were wasted and covered with what looked like burns. "I'm not in any better shape over there."
"I know. If I thought we could do this sooner, we would." She knelt beside him and held his hand. "I need Sean healthy, to stand guard for us. He refuses to stay in bed and let himself heal."
"He's stubborn. Why isn't he in here trying to do it himself?" Christian had not seen so much as a whisker all day and he was starting to worry. Lilly's mouth twitched in either defiance or amusement, or some bizarre blend of both.
"I put enough tranquilizers in his morning coffee to take down a bull. Arc's in the bedroom baby-sitting Sleeping Beauty." She didn't seem particularly remorseful. "Even for someone like him, those sort of injuries take rest and time to heal. If he'd stay in bed like he was supposed to, we could have done this a week ago. The one positive is that you'll probably get through exams before we can try again."
"Do you expect trouble then?" Christian asked. Lilly made a face.
"I always expect trouble, but then, I'm a pessimist. A green way-walker is a tempting target for a great many of those who live in Other Places, and most of them have less than altruistic ambitions. There may be those who see the direct involvement of a Witch as an overt sign of hostility, which is of course not my Patron's intent. When we move, it must be quickly. Is Sebastian still willing to be there to assist?"
"He is. He's been treating me quite carefully."
"You do look wretched," Lilly agreed. "I'm surprised your professors haven't tried to get you to take an incomplete grade for your health."
"They have. I'm going to gut it out. My grades are pretty solid despite it all, and if I do well on my finals, then I've not set myself behind." He smiled sadly. "You look mad."
"You men are all the same, at least those of you in my life. Stubborn to the point of self-destructive." She patted his arm. "Let's finish this up so Arc can start destroying it to his heart's contentment."
"Is it going to be soon?" Christian asked.
"It should be soon," said Christian.
They stood in the unrelenting darkness, the only two things in that suffocating blackness. They stood back to back, unable to bear the sight of the other. Christian reached back and found his hand and, hesitating, took it. It felt frail.
"Is this what Sebastian feels when he holds my hand?"
"Poor Sebastian. He's not ready for this."
"He has to be ready. My life depends on it."
"Love is a terrible burden for those who love."
"Will it hurt, I wonder, when it happens?"
"Healing always hurts. It hurts worse than the wounding."
"Ah yes. There will be a scar. Nothing torn so drastically can mend without a mark."
"I will deal with the scars later."
"Please. Hurry. I am so lonely like this."
"I'm so alone."
Christian startled awake. His face was wet.
The exam schedule came out at last. Christian felt a stab of relief as he reviewed it. He could be through all his exams in the first two days, which left three days before his parents would be arriving to take him home. He took his schedule to Lilly to let her determine the best day for the attempt. Much to Christian's delight, Sean answered the door. He still moved cautiously, but it was such a relief to see him upright that Christian had to resist the impulse to hug him. They sat at the dinner table and looked at the schedule together with Lilly.
"What's this date?" she asked, pointing to the heavy circles around the seventh. Christian felt sheepish.
"It's my birthday. Sorry, silly of me to be excited over it." He wished that he hadn't idly doodled on it during class. Lilly went into the study and consulted the papers and books spread over the desk. She came back, looking determined.
"That's the day we'll do it. There are no contrary energy flows, no eclipses or meteor showers to worry about, or negative planetary alignments, either in this world or the Other Realm. It's in a week. That gives me plenty of time to get the library basement ready, and another week for Sean to heal." She tapped her lip thoughtfully. "You need to bring me your mage and your djinni."
"What? What on earth for?" Christian stared at her. Lilly gave him a severe look.
"I'm taking every precaution that this goes as it ought. I need them not only to not interfere, but it could be very useful to have both of them actually assisting. Djinn magic does not work like a mage's, nor does it behave like Witchcraft. I doubt that many in the Other Realm could easily handle it."
"Speaking of interfering, what about Kongming?" Sean asked, undisguised disgust in his voice. Lilly looked sympathetic.
"He's already agreed to help me in this."
"What?" Sean demanded. Christian silently agreed, his hands curling into fists. Lilly held up her hand, clearly stopping all argument.
"He feels he owes it to Christian, both for Christian not banishing him outright, and for Scott." She stroked Christian's hair. "Everything Kongming does is colored by Scott's emotions and memories, the impressions that lingered even after his spirit fled. Why else did he take such care of you after you collapsed in front of the library, after the djinni broke all the wards?"
"That was Kongming." Christian felt like a dunce for not making the connection before. "Scott was already gone at that point."
"He could have used your weakness to his advantage, and he didn't. Instead, he made every effort to get the people you needed, and to nurse you back to health. He could have used you to achieve his ends, and you would not have had the strength to fight back." Her voice was filled with pity. "It would have cost you your sanity, if not your life. For Scott, he held himself in check."
"Mercy is not a virtue he practices much," Sean pointed out. "We cannot count on him being moved by emotion many times more."
"So long as he is steadfast in this resolution," Lilly replied. "You will bring me the others? I will need them to pledge non-interference if nothing else. An oath to a Witch is binding."
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