Steven took the older woman in his arms and held her tightly as she shook with emotion. ‘She is alive, Ms Sorenson, I promise you. She is in Praga, in Eldarn, and I have been trying with all my strength to get to her, but I’ve been trying to tell you all afternoon, I need your help.’
‘Anything.’ She took Steven’s hands. ‘My God, but look at you – what the hell is this place?’
‘I’ve been through some difficult times, but I’m fine, and I will find her.’ He felt about ready to collapse. Everything hurt, and he was exhausted – his nap on the bus that morning, as the sun rose above the prairie behind him, had been only a thimbleful of the rest he needed.
Thirty-eight minutes and he would be gone.
‘This demon – what was his name?’ Jennifer Sorenson’s tears had slowed and her voice was steadier. She was back in control.
‘He’s not a demon, he’s far worse. He is Eldarn’s greatest sorcerer, the most gifted magician in thousands of Twinmoons – years, whatever – and he has been taken by an evil force. He’s a matchstick compared with what’s coming if we don’t stop him.’ He searched for an explanation that made sense. ‘Nerak is the most powerful and destructive force any world has ever seen, and he’s on his way to this spot right now.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we opened the portal.’
‘Oh shit, Steven.’
The profanity was unexpected; he smiled. ‘It’s all right. Nerak doesn’t want you, he wants me – he may not even show up at all, because he can go back on his own when the portal is opened. I doubt we gave him enough time just now, but I need you to close this portal as quickly as possible after I’ve gone through.’
‘I can do that with this?’ She picked up the shovel.
‘Sure. That will do fine, just wrinkle the thing, and it shuts right down – but then you need to get away from here.’
‘Where? How far away?’
‘Not far necessarily, but someplace I don’t know about, someplace Hannah would never have talked about, someplace I would never have mentioned to-’ Steven hesitated, remembering the security guard’s body on the floor of the bank. ‘Someplace not even my bank colleagues would know.’
‘I’m sorry, I’m being such a pest, Steven, but why? If he wants you, and you’re gone, why would he come after me?’
‘For the same reason I think he took one of my friends today. He wants what you know.’ Jennifer blanched as he went on, ‘He can take from your mind anything you know about me, about my intentions when I get back to Eldarn, or about the portal, anything.’
‘But you haven’t told me what you plan to do.’ Her lower lip was trembling.
‘He doesn’t care.’
Jennifer straightened her spine. ‘All right, I’ll go to-’
‘Please don’t say it. I can’t know. If I know, you’ll be in danger. Just go someplace that I have never heard of, somewhere that wouldn’t be swimming around in-’ He stopped for a moment and swallowed hard. ‘Well, someplace that Myrna Kessler wouldn’t know about.’
‘Myrna?’
‘A friend of mine. I never told her this address, but she knew about your antiques store.’
‘So if Nerak was already on his way to my father’s store, then he might detect this rug-’
‘Portal, yes,’
‘Sorry, portal, and come over here now?’
‘That’s right.’ Steven began organising his pack. His head ached fiercely and he sat down with a groan on Jennifer’s couch. ‘Do you have any aspirin?’
She laughed and looked fifteen years younger. ‘I think we could both use some. I’ll get the bottle.’ She hurried to the kitchen while Steven pulled himself back into Howard’s winter coat.
Four aspirin and a glass of water later, Steven handed the bottle back to Jennifer, who shook her head. ‘Do they have aspirin there? You keep them.’
‘You’re right, thanks,’ he tossed the container into his backpack. ‘Now, I know this will be difficult, but I need you to open the portal again.’
‘Fine. When?’
Steven did a quick mental calculation. ‘Start in two months, that ought be enough time to find her. I want her back here with you as soon as possible, but it might take me that long to get there.’ He paused a moment. ‘What day is it?’
‘The twelfth. Friday.’
‘Okay. So, in two months, February twelfth, start opening the portal every day at five o’clock a.m. and five o’clock p.m. – for fifteen minutes only – you must be sure to close it at five fifteen without fail. Time is a bit different over there. I thought it was moving more quickly, but perhaps it isn’t. Either way, I’ll have this-’ he held up Howard’s watch. ‘It’ll keep the time here perfectly, even while I’m over there.’
‘Five o’clock in the morning? Every morning?’
He laughed. ‘Sorry, that is unreasonable, isn’t it? How about seven o’clock – would that work? Seven in the evening and seven in the morning… but just fifteen minutes, absolutely no more. I’ll have to make sure the others know…’
Jennifer still looked worried. ‘What if the watch doesn’t keep perfect time?’
‘If it doesn’t, then my already miserable day is about to deteriorate further. Mark and Garec are using my old watch to time my return right now, so I’ll be testing my theory in seventeen minutes.’
He checked her wristwatch. ‘Close enough. Now, promise me you will close the portal each time. You don’t want Nerak coming through to find you, or if by naked, pastry-chef luck he gets stuck on this side, tracking you down. So you must swear you’ll shut it down.’ Steven didn’t mean to scare her, but she had to understand how vital this was. ‘One of those days, Hannah will appear. You cannot lose hope, Ms Sorenson, and you cannot miss a day, not ever.’
She looked determined. ‘Absolutely. Seven o’clock, a.m. and p.m., every day, starting on February twelfth.’
‘Thank you,’ Steven smiled. ‘She’ll be back. I promise.’
Fifteen minutes later, as Steven checked Lessek’s key was firmly secured in the front pocket of Howard’s backpack, his hand closed around the second roast beef sandwich he’d stuffed in. He pulled it out and laughed. ‘Mark will love this,’ he said.
Jennifer gaped and, as if remembering her manners for the first time all day, burst forth, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m a miserable hostess. I’m so embarrassed. Steven, what do they eat there? Do you want something before you go?’
‘I only have two minutes, so no thanks, don’t worry-’
‘Wait. I have plenty of food. What can I-?’ Her voice trailed off in embarrassment.
‘Don’t worry about it, we’ve managed just fine,’ Steven said, patting her on the arm. ‘More importantly, you remember what you have to do?’
‘No problem. Seven o’clock, every twelve hours. I will be dead before I miss a turn – and I will not lose hope again, Steven.’ She started to cry, reaching for him. ‘Bring her back home, Steven.’
‘I will,’ he promised, and reached for the fire-shovel. His heart raced as he unfolded the far portal and the Larion magic swirled about the room. ‘Don’t forget: fold this up as soon as I’m gone, then take it and get out of here, as quickly as you possibly can.’
Her face still damp with tears, Hannah’s mother repeated her promise. ‘I will.’
Steven took hold of the backpack straps, checked Howard’s watch, which read 5.04 p.m. and stepped onto the Larion far portal and out of Jennifer Sorenson’s living room.
Jennifer crouched, watching tiny flecks of coloured light shimmer in the air above the tapestry like a cloud of Technicolor fireflies. Her tears had turned to stunned amazement; Steven Taylor had disappeared before her eyes. He had said he would, and the book had vanished, but until it actually happened, she had not realised how scary it would be. He had been telling the truth, the whole truth: Hannah was out there – Jennifer looked down at the ornate, if filthy, rug lying askew across her floor – in there somewhere. ‘Bring her back, Steven,’ she begged again, though she had no idea if he could still hear her. She was distracted by the sound of an accident outside – there were pile-ups on Lincoln or Broadway periodically, and Hannah invariably dashed the two blocks west so see if she could help until an ambulance arrived. But this was more than just the regular slam and shatter of a rush-hour crash: this was awesome, the musical tinkling of broken glass followed by the groan of tired steel and the whump, whump, kablam! of an exploding gas tank.