now."
"What
will you do then?"
Nigel
glanced at her and smiled. "Rule."
"Easy
for you to say. But how will you accomplish that? Alaric is not the only one
who will stand in your way."
He
shrugged. "When an avalanche comes, you might be
able to save a family, even a village, but you cannot stop the onslaught, you
can only hope to redirect it. Once something like this begins, all you can do
is enjoy the ride or get out of the way. And trust me, sister, the avalanche
has already begun. Not even you can stop it."
"Not
even if it was the very reason I was born?"
Nigel laughed. "Portia, you weren’t born to
stop this. You were born to cause it. And you have. Magnificently, at
that. None of this would be happening had it not been for you."
"You seem awfully sure of yourself."
"Aren’t you worried about Imogen?"
"Should
I be? Have you harmed her? Again?"
He touched his chin in mocking disbelief.
"How can you say that? I preserved her, soul and body, and this is the
treatment I get?"
Portia shook her head and turned away from
him, noticing the door to the other chamber was closed. Imogen had once waited
for her there.
Nigel
caught her arm. "Wait."
There
was a timbre in his voice she had never heard before. It almost sounded like
fear.
"Yes?"
"This
game runs deep. Deeper than even I knew. Take care whom you trust, including
her."
Portia
laughed, harshly. "So says the man who
engenders so much trustworthiness."
He
chewed his lip. "We aren’t so different, really. You know that, don’t you? We’re both the model of our
father." He nodded at the axe. "Bold, ambitious, foolhardy."
"I’m not buying it."
"I
don’t want to hurt you, Portia. It’s Alaric I’m after. And you want to
stop him too, I know. We both want the same thing!"
"In
a small way. You still want to destroy humanity, Alaric or no Alaric."
"Not
destroy it, what good would that do me? I’d have no one to rule!"
Portia
stepped away from him and went to the door.
"Wait," he said, again.
"Now
I know you’re just trying to distract me. Knock it
off."
What
waited within chilled her.
Imogen
had unbuttoned her blouse and was in the process of covering her chest and arms
in sigils. She did not turn when Portia approached, but she did stop her
painting.
"Damn
Nigel, he can’t be counted on for
anything, can he?" Imogen did not look up.
"Whatever
you are planning," Portia said, "you can just put a stop to it right now."
Imogen
folded her hands in her lap. Her right index finger welled up blood from the
spot where she had pricked it, and it dripped onto her skirt. "Portia—"
"No."
"You
don’t even know what I’m
doing."
"Yes,
I do. I can hear your thoughts too clearly, even though you’re trying to keep them from me." She ran her fingertips along Imogen’s collarbone. "I know what these are
supposed to do. They are supposed to destroy the machine and seal the veil."
"And
I can feel the faith you have in Kitty, but she can’t stop what has already begun."
"And
why is Nigel helping you?"
"I’d hardly say he was helping me. He just thinks to get his
way by dividing us."
"Well,
he is right on one count. I cannot allow you to do this."
"So,
only you can ponder noble self sacrifice?"
"That
isn’t what I meant."
"Portia." She looked up then, her multicolored irises glinting in the
dim light. "The chance of any of us
getting out of this alive is so very slight. We might as well use our deaths to
save everyone else, don’t you think?"
"It
doesn’t have to be like that! We can find a way to
solve this and get everyone out of here."
Imogen
grasped her hand and brought Portia near enough to kiss. "My idealistic sweetheart, how I do so love you."
"Together,
then. Whatever we plan, we both live or we both die."
"The
world still needs you, Portia."
"And
I need you."
Imogen
sighed. "All right."
"Promise?"
"I’ll do what I can."
Portia
nearly laughed. "You sound like me now."
"What
did you find out?"
Portia
crouched beside her. "They
"What
will you do then?"
Nigel
glanced at her and smiled. "Rule."
"Easy
for you to say. But how will you accomplish that? Alaric is not the only one
who will stand in your way."
He
shrugged. "When an avalanche comes, you might be
able to save a family, even a village, but you cannot stop the onslaught, you
can only hope to redirect it. Once something like this begins, all you can do
is enjoy the ride or get out of the way. And trust me, sister, the avalanche
has already begun. Not even you can stop it."
"Not
even if it was the very reason I was born?"
Nigel laughed. "Portia, you weren’t born to
stop this. You were born to cause it. And you have. Magnificently, at
that. None of this would be happening had it not been for you."
"You seem awfully sure of yourself."
"Aren’t you worried about Imogen?"
"Should
I be? Have you harmed her? Again?"
He touched his chin in mocking disbelief.
"How can you say that? I preserved her, soul and body, and this is the
treatment I get?"
Portia shook her head and turned away from
him, noticing the door to the other chamber was closed. Imogen had once waited
for her there.
Nigel
caught her arm. "Wait."
There
was a timbre in his voice she had never heard before. It almost sounded like
fear.
"Yes?"
"This
game runs deep. Deeper than even I knew. Take care whom you trust, including
her."
Portia
laughed, harshly. "So says the man who
engenders so much trustworthiness."
He
chewed his lip. "We aren’t so different, really. You know that, don’t you? We’re both the model of our
father." He nodded at the axe. "Bold, ambitious, foolhardy."
"I’m not buying it."
"I
don’t want to hurt you, Portia. It’s Alaric I’m after. And you want to
stop him too, I know. We both want the same thing!"
"In
a small way. You still want to destroy humanity, Alaric or no Alaric."
"Not
destroy it, what good would that do me? I’d have no one to rule!"
Portia
stepped away from him and went to the door.
"Wait," he said, again.
"Now
I know you’re just trying to distract me. Knock it
off."
What
waited within chilled her.
Imogen
had unbuttoned her blouse and was in the process of covering her chest and arms
in sigils. She did not turn when Portia approached, but she did stop her
painting.
"Damn
Nigel, he can’t be counted on for
anything, can he?" Imogen did not look up.
"Whatever
you are planning," Portia said, "you can just put a stop to it right now."
Imogen
folded her hands in her lap. Her right index finger welled up blood from the
spot where she had pricked it, and it dripped onto her skirt. "Portia—"
"No."
"You
don’t even know what I’m
doing."
"Yes,
I do. I can hear your thoughts too clearly, even though you’re trying to keep them from me." She ran her fingertips along Imogen’s collarbone. "I know what these are
supposed to do. They are supposed to destroy the machine and seal the veil."
"And
I can feel the faith you have in Kitty, but she can’t stop what has already begun."
"And
why is Nigel helping you?"
"I’d hardly say he was helping me. He just thinks to get his
way by dividing us."
"Well,
he is right on one count. I cannot allow you to do this."
"So,
only you can ponder noble self sacrifice?"
"That
isn’t what I meant."
"Portia." She looked up then, her multicolored irises glinting in the
dim light. "The chance of any of us
getting out of this alive is so very slight. We might as well use our deaths to
save everyone else, don’t you think?"
"It
doesn’t have to be like that! We can find a way to
solve this and get everyone out of here."
Imogen
grasped her hand and brought Portia near enough to kiss. "My idealistic sweetheart, how I do so love you."
"Together,
then. Whatever we plan, we both live or we both die."
"The
world still needs you, Portia."
"And
I need you."
Imogen
sighed. "All right."
"Promise?"
"I’ll do what I can."
Portia
nearly laughed. "You sound like me now."
"What
did you find out?"
Portia
crouched beside her. "They
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